Alexandra Horwood is a goal-based wealth professional with an unsurpassed work ethic, and focuses on strategies to lower her clients’ tax bills. Acting as an integrated life and wealth coach for her clients, she provides hyper-personalized advice on all facets of financial well-being.

She graduated with an Honours Bachelor of Arts & Business, and a major in Legal Studies from the University of Waterloo, and had co-op placements at Franklin Templeton Investments, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Research in Motion (now Blackberry) and Microsoft. Alexandra then joined Richardson Wealth (formerly Richardson GMP) in 2010. She quickly rose to become the youngest Director, Wealth Management, Portfolio Manager in the firm.

Alexandra volunteers her time and resources to Toronto community outreach efforts and actively supports global and national causes for the advancement of women, children and youth, microfinance and entrepreneurship, education, homelessness, and prison ministry. Alexandra mentors many young financial professionals and encourages women to lean in to their careers, with the goal to keep more women in the industry and narrow the gender wage gap.

Beyond the firm, Alexandra is married to Andrew James and they have two children, Mason (7) and Sydney (6), who are both budding entrepreneurs with their own mini-businesses. They are excited to intern once they are old enough to do the coffee runs.

Getting to know Alexandra:

Favourite quote: “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care” – Theodore Roosevelt

Favourite book: Lean In – Sheryl Sandberg

Favourite sports team: Toronto Raptors

If I could meet anyone, past or present, it would be: Warren Buffett

Favourite food: my mom’s Christmas turkey dinner

Often referred to as Alexandra Horwood & Partners’ Chief Investment Officer (CIO), Kyle Johnson is rigorous with his due diligence on investments and maintains close relationships with our preferred partners and investment management teams. He specializes in tax-smart strategies, building, monitoring and continuous optimization of model portfolios. He is efficient when exercising options, warrants and highly technical trading strategies. Kyle is an experienced financial planner and offers personalized wealth plans, retirement projections and detailed investment analysis to our valued clients.

Prior to joining the Horwood Team in 2012, Kyle worked in account management and investing at a Canadian chartered bank for four years. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from York University and is a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®) and Certified Financial Planner (CFP®).

Getting to know Kyle:

Favourite book: Freakonomics – Stephen J. Dubner & Steven Levitt

Favourite destination: Osaka, Japan

Best piece of advice for financial security: Win by not losing

Favourite (pretty pretty pretty good) TV show: Curb Your Enthusiasm

Aneesha’s role is constantly evolving. Taking the lead for the team’s day-to-day operations, Aneesha acts as a liaison between the investment and administrative teams, both independent and internal. Aneesha’s strong organizational skills are valued, acting as the main coordinator for the team and Alexandra’s demanding schedule. Her analytical approach is exemplified during annual reviews where she is responsible for preparing the necessary reporting and documentation prior to each meeting, in addition to her monthly and quarterly personalized reporting requests. Aneesha acts as the back-up trading personnel, executing complex trading requests in a timely manner in addition to actioning investment allocations. Aneesha’s detailed focus to client needs and team support makes her a key member of our team.

Aneesha has a Bachelor of Business Administration, concentration in Finance from Wilfrid Laurier University. She also studied abroad at France’s Neoma Business School.

Getting to know Aneesha:

Favourite book: The Alchemist – Paulo Coelho

Favourite sports team: Toronto Maple Leafs & Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team

Favourite pastime: Pickleball & kickboxing

Samantha ensures a positive client experience and supports our team in many meaningful ways. Samantha is thoughtful, organized, and personable, as she welcomes our valued clients and guides them through the onboarding process. She gathers and analyzes a substantial amount of client information to understand all aspects of their financial well-being and where we can support them. She ensures their needs and goals are met in an efficient manner and communication is clear and prompt throughout the process. Samantha takes the lead on client experience and marketing, providing our clients with knowledge nuggets and thought pieces to enhance their wealth management education. Samantha also supports the team by acting as back-up trading personnel and executing client requests when needed.

Samantha started at Richardson Wealth as a summer intern and quickly developed a strong interest in the business. After graduating from Wilfrid Laurier University, Samantha began working full-time with Alexandra Horwood & Partners in May 2020.

Getting to know Samantha:

An average weekend looks like: As a self-proclaimed food critic, Samantha spends a lot of time trying new restaurants around the city. Some of her top picks are Sara, Bar Isabel, & Osteria Giulia.

Favourite song: Peace Train by Cat Stevens or Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John

Favourite drink: Glass of pinot grigio on the dock! 

Sharbari Chakraborty’s behind-the-scenes support is key to the inner workings of Alexandra Horwood & Partners. She’s prompt and maintains unparalleled service excellence when liaising with both clients and advisors. Prior to joining The Horwood Team in 2012, Sharbari worked in the Securities Department of Operations at Richardson GMP (now Richardson Wealth) & Richardson Partners Financial. 

When she’s not spending time with her husband Manoj and their daughter Deshna, Sharbari enjoys cooking, travelling, music and reading.

Getting to know Sharbari:

Favourite quote: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Favourite food: Greek

Place I would most like to visit: Dubai - I would love going back to Dubai every year!

If I could meet anyone, past or present, it would be: My parents 

Diane supports the team with a strong administrative and operational background garnered from 20 years’ experience working with various departments in the operational side of the business.

Diane started in the industry with CM Oliver in 1998 and after a merger, attained the role of Operations Liaison at Canaccord Capital.  In 2000 she joined Research Capital; where she worked in Treasury, Securities Cage and Reconciliations primarily in their Toronto Main Branch, with a two-year bracket in which she worked at their Vancouver Branch.

Diane enjoys the arts, travel, crafting and DIY projects. But most of all, she loves spending time with her daughter and family.

Getting to know Diane:

Favourite holiday: Christmas - from movies, seasonal décor, baking and continuing the many family traditions.

Bucket list:  Attending Carnival in Venice, followed by a stay at a luxurious retreat in Tuscany.

Favourite place in the world: Cascais, Portugal – Diane’s happy place & future retirement destination.