Executive Team

Arif Mulji, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer

Arif joined Amur Financial Group in 2013 and took on the responsibility of overseeing sales, marketing and business development for the Group. As the Group has continued to hire a talented team, Arif is focused on strategy development and implementation for the organization and, driving sustainable growth for the Group of companies. Arif brings over 20 years of business experience and has held roles in sales, marketing, sales management, finance and management consulting. Outside of Amur Financial, Arif enjoys teaching in the Business faculties at the University of Calgary (until 2015) and at Douglas College. Arif obtained BSc and MSc degrees from UBC, an MBA (Finance and International Business) from the University of Calgary and the Chartered Professional Accountant designation (CPA, CMA) from CPABC. In his free time, Arif enjoys sports, reading and spending time with his family.

Steve Anderson, Chief Financial Officer

Steve joined Amur with over 20 years of professional experience working for both public and private companies including Westport Innovations, The Jim Pattison Group and KPMG. Steve has an MBA from UBC along with a Chartered Professional Accounting Designation (CPA, CA) with over 5 years auditing experience. Steve oversees all accounting, financial reporting, IT, cash flow management and financial management of the funds. Outside of work, Steve enjoys time with friends, trips with his family and a round of golf.

Matthew Boulton, EVP – Fund Management

Matthew joined Amur Financial Group in 2015 and oversees fund management related activities of the group including Amur Capital Management our captive Exempt Market Dealer. Matthew also acts as AFG’s representative with the Canadian Alternative Mortgage Lender’s Association and the Private Capital Markets Association. Matthew graduated from Carleton University with a BA and obtained his MBA in 2012 while working as a business banker with TD Canada Trust. Matthew has continued his studies through UBC Sauder School of Business Executive Education program, the Institute for Canadian Bankers, the Canadian Securities Institute and the Institute for Financial Services Education. As a volunteer, Matthew chairs the Kwantlan Polytechnic University (KPU) joint Finance and Investment committee and is a Director and Treasurer of the KPU Foundations. Matthew and his wife have two young children and he enjoys golfing, coaching, cycling, playing guitar and the outdoors.

Colin Atwood, VP of Sales, Alpine Credits

Colin has been with Alpine Credits since 2006. He joined the group with a background as a financial planner at Sunlife for over 7 years. Before that, he shaped young minds as a teacher at both private and public schools in BC. He holds a Bachelor of Education degree from Queens University and has been mentoring and leading the commercial broker team at Alpine Credits for well over a decade. Colin enjoys spending time with family and friends and the occasional round of golf.

Gelareh Dadres, Director of Sales, Alpine Credits

Gelareh (Gel) Joined Amur Financial Group in 2018 and has taken on key management roles in the sales organization. Gel has been instrumental in the development of the sales team and implementing new technologies and business processes. She joined the group with a background in unsecured lending for over 5 years. Before that, Gel managed the Sales Training for new hires at Home Trust focusing on mortgages and credit cards. She holds a Bachelors of Arts degree with a concentration in Law and English literature from Carleton University. In her spare time, Gel enjoys spending time with her friends and family focusing on her teenage son (who keeps her hands full). Aside from that, she enjoys reading, travelling and learning about different cultures.

Michael Tees, SVP, Commercial Mortgages

Michael came to Amur Financial Group with 25 years of corporate finance experience with a number of Canadian and foreign chartered banks. His finance experience includes real estate finance, construction finance as well as both private and public companies operating in diverse industries. He has also worked for the Canadian Bankers Association on special assignment during a review of the Bank Act. Michael received a Governor in Council appointment to the Board of Directors of Farm Credit Canada, and was appointed to both the Governance and Audit committees Michael also volunteers his time as a member of the Loan Review Committee for the Indian Agriculture Program of Ontario which provides financing to Indigenous business operating in the agriculture industry. Michael earned an honors undergraduate degree from the University of Toronto and an MBA from the University of Washington, Seattle.

Micah Verceles, Director of Sales and Operations, Sequence Capital

Micah has been with Amur Financial Group since January 2014, where he has had the privilege of working with every origination brand of AFG. Micah earned his Diploma of Technology in Financial Management at BCIT in 2004. In 2006, he received his Real Estate Finance Diploma from the Sauder School of Business at UBC. Since then, he has worked for one of Canada’s largest lenders as an underwriter, an independent mortgage consultant and even a lender. Throughout the years he has brokered and funded billions of dollars’ worth of transactions.

Clint Grayson, Director of Operations & Sales, Mortgage Maestro Inc.

Clinton is the current Director of Operations & Sales for Mortgage Maestro Inc. and brings decades of business experience in a broad range of disciplines ranging from military, enforcement, business analysis, operational analysis, consulting, sales, sales training, management, entrepreneurship, business development and financing. In his tenure, Clinton qualified for some of the industry’s highest recognitions including President’s Club for 2014, 2016, 2017, Gold Club in 2018 and Platinum Privilege in 2019. Clinton is the current President and Chair of the Board for the BC Lenders Group Association. The group is committed to providing support to Mortgage Brokers, broker associations and lenders by increasing the level of professionalism, knowledge and efficiency through education. Clinton identifies as a life-long learner who believes in constantly increasing his knowledge through continuous education, reading and industry best practices and mastermind sessions. Clinton enjoys spending time with his family and friends, skiing, CrossFit, practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and making this world a better place together.

Mark Townsend, VP of Corporate Development

Mark has many years of experience in investment banking, private equity, capital markets, corporate strategy and financial operations. In addition to his role as VP Corporate Development at Amur Financial Group (AFG), Mark is also Director of Turnham Green, a family office. He has been directly involved in over $2.5 billion of M&A and financing transactions and has experience working with companies in Canada and the US across a wide variety of industries. Prior to joining AFG, Mark most recently worked for Tricor Pacific Capital, a Vancouver-based single-family office, and previously worked in investment banking and M&A advisory at Cairn Merchant Partners and CIBC World Markets in Toronto. Mark graduated with Dean’s Honours from the Honours Business Administration (HBA) program at the Richard Ivey School of Business. Outside of work, Mark enjoys spending time with his wife, two children and dog, long rides on the bike and spending time in the great outdoors.

Chris Corsetti, Chief Legal Officer

Chris has unique background in law, investments, business and securities regulation. Chris obtained his BA from SFU then worked at several financial institutions ending as Financial Advisor with CIBC. Chris holds a Certificate in Investment Dealer Compliance and Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) designation from CSI. Then Chris attended law school and returned to work in private practice in downtown Vancouver. Chris spent 5 years as in-house legal counsel at the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada, responsible for enforcement in the Pacific Region (BC). Prior to joining Amur Capital Management Chris was General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer for a national Investment Dealer and General Counsel for a national Investment Fund Manager.

Sonal Goyal, Vice President of Finance

Sonal joined Amur Financial Group in 2018 and is responsible for establishing financial policies, procedures, controls and reporting systems apart from overseeing finance operations and ensuring the business is running efficiently for the Group and supporting new business initiatives. Sonal brings in 15 years of professional experience working with both publicly listed and private companies in the banking and telecommunications sectors across Asia, Africa, and North America. Sonal has a Masters in Accounting and Business Statistics and holds Chartered Professional Accounting designation (Canada) along with Chartered Accountant designation (India) with over 5 years of auditing and consulting experience with EY. Sonal is an active volunteer with the British Columbia Chapter of ICAI (Institute of Chartered Accountants of India) and enjoys spending time with family in her spare time.

Khatereh Pourasadollahi, Director of Marketing

Khatereh joined Amur Financial Group in 2021. She has been instrumental in developing the company’s Digital Marketing Strategy and is focused on the implementation and execution of the key elements of the strategy. Khatereh is a business professional with 7+ years of international marketing experience and her work has centered around identifying key trends and insights, setting long-term strategic direction, and collaborating across organizations in the health and finance industry. Khatereh is an Industrial Engineer who continued along her educational pursuits in business by obtaining a Master’s degree in Global Leadership, an Executive MBA in Strategic Management and a Ph.D. in Business Administration with a specialization in Marketing. Outside of AFG, Khatereh enjoys her time as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Leadership at the University Canada West.

Jason Schoen, Fund Manager

Jason has been with Amur Financial for a total of 19 years. He is a licensed mortgage broker joining the group originally under the Alpine Credits brand and has worked in a variety of positions including senior mortgage broker on the sales team, General Manager of Alpine Credits and currently works with the fund management team as a senior underwriter/risk manager. Away from the office, Jason enjoys spending time with family and friends, camping and barbequing.

Luke Doupe-Smith, Fund Manager

Luke joined Amur Financial Group in 2022. He is an experienced banking and finance professional with over 12 years of experience in Finance, culminating in a Business Advisory role with CIBC. Luke brings a background in analysis, underwriting, sales, relationship management, and risk management. Prior to finance, Luke completed his BA at UBC in Economics and Political Science. Currently, Luke is a Candidate with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute and is working toward completing his CFA designation. As a member of the fund management team, Luke puts his analysis, underwriting, and risk management skills to task in reviewing existing and new opportunities for our brands. Away from the office, Luke enjoys spending time with family and friends, baseball in the summer, snowboarding in the winter, and taking adventures in the world to see new places and experience different cultures.

Ricky Ogange, Fund Manager

Ricky joined Amur Financial Group in 2019. He is responsible for Underwriting and Risk Management, as well as special projects within Fund Management. Previously, Ricky served as a senior mortgage broker and lending specialist under the Alpine Credits brand. Besides a mortgage brokerage license, Ricky holds a Bachelor’s degree and post-graduate qualifications in development studies and information technology, project management, and international business management. In his free time, Ricky enjoys causal-comparative research, golf, and spending time with family.

Daisy Mazo, Office Manager and Corporate Secretary

Daisy joined the administration team at Amur Financial Group in 2016. Her disposition to continually learn, presented an opportunity for her to gain experience in all of the key roles of administration, which culminated in her position as the Team Lead. Since 2020, Daisy transitioned into a dedicated role as the Office Ambassador where she is responsible for efficient functioning of the office, new employee orientation and training. In 2021, Daisy added the role of Corporate Secretary for all board and advisory meetings to her repertoire. When not at the office, Daisy appreciates time with her five children, loves playing sports, camping and fishing with her family.

Karly Jones, Director of People and Culture

Karly joined Amur Financial Group in 2022, after previously working in HR Management roles with Kirmac Collision and Scotiabank. At Kirmac, she was the organization’s first HR professional and was responsible for all HR and payroll functions across the employee lifecycle. Karly established and maintained an effective “win-win” working relationships amongst the employees and business leaders. In addition, Karly led projects implementing recruitment software and automating time, attendance and payroll software. She holds her CPHR designation, BBA from SFU and HRMT Post Baccalaureate from KPU. Outside of work, Karly loves to cook and bake, read, compete on her Peloton, and spend time with her three young kids and husband.

Brian Wang, Director of IT

Brian joined Amur Financial Group in 2022. He is an enthusiastic and seasoned IT professional with the determination and drive to deliver. Brian brings in 18 years of experience working with large publicly listed companies in the United States, that specialize in Information Technology, Agriculture, Manufacturing and Healthcare across Asia Pacific and North America. Brian holds his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Jilin University. As the leader of the IT team, Brian’s main focus is on his leadership, technical expertise, business relationships and project management. Outside of work, Brian enjoys playing basketball, video games and spending time with his family.

Advisory Council

Kurt Wipp, Executive Chairman

Kurt joined Amur Financial in 2005 and oversees the strategic direction of the group. Along with his brother Brent, he has been responsible for increasing the Group’s funds under management from $5 Million to $700 Million and expanding its operations across Canada. Kurt has over 25 years of business experience in roles involving investment banking, corporate strategy, international structured finance and board of director representation. During his career, Kurt has lived in Milan, Montreal, Auckland, Dallas and London (UK). He has an MBA from studies at the University of British Columbia and Università Bocconi (Italy) and a Joint Honors degree in Economics and Business from Simon Fraser University. In his free time, Kurt enjoys the outdoors, travel and spending time with his family.

Brent Wipp, Director

Brent has over 30 years’ experience in the peer to peer private loans industry and is one of the founding directors of Amur Financial. He acts as the Managing Director of the group and in his role has overseen the development of Amur Financial Group’s proprietary software and ensures the streamlined operation of the company. Along with his brother Kurt, they have been responsible for increasing the Group’s funds under management from $5 Million to $700 Million. Brent is a registered mortgage broker in both British Columbia and Alberta and has a Diploma of Technology from Selkirk College. In his free time Brent enjoys playing squash, travel, the outdoors and spending time with his family.

Kevin Budd, Director

Kevin is President of Pacific Southshore Ventures Inc., with investments in a number of private businesses. He is also President of Monashee Capital Corp; a firm that provides M&A advisory and general corporate finance advisory. Prior to this, Kevin was a Senior Officer and Vice President of Methanex Corporation whose responsibilities were leading transaction and capital markets activities. He holds an MBA from studies at the University of British Columbia and the London Business School (United Kingdom). Kevin also received an honors degree in Mechanical Engineering from Waterloo University.

Wade Nesmith, Director

Wade co-founded Creation Capital Corp. in 2018 and led that company through its acquisition of Greenlane Biogas in 2019, with the resulting company, Greenlane Renewables Inc., being listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. Greenlane is now listed on the main board of the TSX and Wade chairs the company. Wade founded Primero Mining Corp. in 2008, acting as CEO until 2010 and Chairman until 2018. He was founding Board member of Westport Innovations Inc. and Silver Wheaton Corp. and was previously Superintendent of Brokers (Executive Director) of the British Columbia Securities Commission (1989–1992), and then a senior partner, specializing in securities law with Lang Michener LLP (now McMillan LLP) (1993 to 1998). He has been a director of more than 20 companies since 1993. Wade obtained his LLB from Osgoode Hall Law School.

Steve King, Director

Steve is the President and CEO of Alaris and has served in that role since he co-founded the company in 2004. He has also served on the board of directors of Alaris since the company went public in 2008. Prior to creating Alaris, Steve spent 12 years in the investment banking industry in both Toronto and Calgary, advising both public and private company entrepreneurs on their capital raising needs. He is also a director of Metropolitan Investment Corporation, a private investment company. In addition to overseeing the daily operations of Alaris, Steve is involved in every facet of the investment process and is an integral part of the relationships that are created with each of Alaris’ partners. Steve is a married father of three children and an avid sports fan, player and coach.