Meet Our Team

Jeremy Clark has been in the financial industry for almost 25 years. He was born in Sarnia, Ontario, and spent his childhood in Sarnia and the great state of Michigan (hence his slight midwestern twang). Jeremy obtained his B.Sc. (Neuroscience) from McGill University in Montreal in 1998 and spent the remainder of 1998 and 1999 taking courses at the Canadian Securities Institute in Calgary. In late 1999, he joined the Calgary financial planning firm Waddell & Associates as an intern. 

Over the next several years, Jeremy worked in all areas of the Waddell enterprise, including personal and corporate tax, financial planning, and estate planning. In 2006, he became a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute. In 2007, Jeremy and his former partner purchased Waddell & Associates from the previous owner and renamed it Clark Hetherington Financial Ltd. 

Since then, the firm has grown to the point where it manages hundreds of millions in assets which serves many Canadian business leaders. In early 2019, Jeremy assumed majority ownership of the now-renamed CH Team. 

Jeremy is passionate about giving back to the community. In 2014, he was named as Co-Chair of the Advisory Board of the McGill University Faculty of Science. In 2014, he was named to the FundEX Investments National Advisor Council. In 2017, he was elected Chair of the Council. In addition, he is Past President of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra Foundation and the Clark family is one of the founding families of the Calgary Police Foundation. 

In 2015, Jeremy created the Clark Science Executive Leadership Fund (SELF) at McGill University. This innovative program is a collaboration between the Faculties of Science and Management and allows scientists to receive practical business training in a structured format. To date, more than 50 prominent professors and graduate students have completed this program and the reviews have been excellent. 

He is an avid athlete and enjoys tennis, cycling, and golf. His daughters Keiko and Chloe are his constant companions in these activities, and numerous charitable dinners as well!

Erika Stewart began her career in financial services in 2009, while simultaneously graduating Cum Laude from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax with a Bachelor of Commerce degree. Having gained over ten years of progressive experience in the industry, she has obtained extensive knowledge in various aspects of financial management and operations.

In 2011, Erika obtained her Mutual Fund Sales license while working at a local financial institution in Nova Scotia. Shortly thereafter, she and a senior advisor opened a new advisory firm in the community of Bedford, NS. Erika’s propensity for implementing processes and streamlined business routines was critical to the successful creation and subsequent growth of the company.

In 2014 Erika and her husband David embarked on a journey across the country to start a new life in western Canada, where Erika started her career with The CH Team.

Beginning in a support role, it wasn’t long before she was mentoring junior associates and implementing procedures office-wide within the insurance, and financial planning divisions of the firm.

A very active and energetic individual, Erika regularly combines her love of fitness with her love of charity and has gone so far as to cycle 220 km over two days while participating in the Alberta Ride to Conquer Cancer. When not attending a spin or yoga class she can be found reading, cooking or diligently researching her fantasy football strategy. She proudly resides in Calgary with her husband and her daughters, Cadence and Mikaela.

After a successful sales career with Canon and Minolta and building some of the largest mailrooms in Alberta for Neopost, Brian Trafford made a life-changing decision to enter the financial services industry.

In 2006, Brian joined BMO Nesbitt Burns as an Investment Advisor where he spent the next seven years learning his craft and becoming a specialist in the field of wealth management.

In 2013 Brian joined The CH Team. For the past six years, Brian has been committed to providing the best solutions to  clients, specializing in tax, insurance, estate and financial planning.

Brian is highly specialized in wealth creation and has a passion for life long learning. He received his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta in 1988.

He has completed the CSC, CPH, and WME securities courses, as well as obtaining his Life License (LLQP), and Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation from the Financial Planning Standards Council.

Brian is actively involved with both his church and the Knights of Columbus, taking on the roles of Deputy Grand Knight (2014-16), Grand Knight (2016-18), and now as Chancellor for his parish Council. He also enjoys serving as a lay instructor to both current and prospective Catholics.

Brian spends his free time reading, traveling with his wife Julia and studying history, politics, theology and philosophy as his hobbies. Brian and Julia have two sons, Josh and Jordan.

Stephanie Murray began her accounting career in 2009 when she graduated from the University of New Brunswick with a double major in accounting and economics.

She began her career providing accounting and tax services to small business clients in Central Alberta. In 2012, Stephanie became a Chartered Accountant, placing on the national honour roll in the 2011 Uniform Final Examination.

Following this, she transitioned into business advisory by obtaining her designation as a Chartered Business Valuator. As a business valuator, Stephanie performs business valuations, general consulting, and corporate litigation assistance.

Today, Stephanie combines her accounting, tax, and business advisory skills as Senior Relationship Manager  for The CH Team. Stephanie also maintains an associate position in accounting public practice; she leverages these two roles to gain new experiences and apply them to helping both the business and her clients succeed.

Although she still calls the Maritimes “home”, Stephanie has fallen in love with Calgary where she lives with her husband. In her free time, she trains and competitively participates in running and cycling races. To date, her favourite experience has been racing in the World Duathlon Championships held in British Columbia in 2017.

Devin Gorgchuck graduated from Edwards School of Business at the University of Saskatchewan in 2013 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in management. Although his focused discipline was marketing, he found his passion was finance and changed course in his last year.

2014 was a year of change for Devin as he made the short move from his hometown of Saskatoon to Calgary. He got to work and obtained his mutual funds licensing through the Canadian Securities Institute. However, his marketing interest was piqued when he was presented with an opportunity to work for French fashion company Zadig et Voltaire, one of Holt Renfrew’s leased partners. As General Manager at Zadig et Voltaire, he enjoyed applying his education in retail marketing to increase the store’s revenues while managing and instilling in his sales team the importance of providing an exceptional client experience.

In 2016 Devin decided to pursue his finance interest and move into the wealth management industry where the mutual funds license he previously obtained was put to use.

In July 2020, Devin moved from a licensed associate role to a Senior Relationship Manager. Although his role has changed, he continues to strive to provide an exceptional holistic client experience.

When not in the office, Devin’s passion for art and design often leads him to enjoying time painting. Devin is a self-declared soccer fanatic, cheering for his beloved Tottenham Hotspur in the English premier league. His passion for soccer has provided many past enjoyable opportunities coaching under-16 girls in community youth soccer and Aden Bowman high school boys soccer teams.

He has also been a divisional placement evaluator, field marshall and an ambassador for his community’s youth soccer association at Saskatoon Youth Soccer annual general meetings. He has also volunteered as Marketing Director for the U of S Relay for Life, fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society.

Nicole Leonard started her career in finance in 2010 with the credit union. In 2012, she moved into independent wealth services where she completed her securities license (CSC) through the Canadian Securities Institute. In 2013, she also completed her Life Licensing Qualification Program (LLQP) with the Alberta Insurance Council increasing her offering to both life insurance and accident and sickness products. In 2017, Nicole completed her Wealth Management Essentials (WME) course in order to further develop her education and start providing investment advice to clients. She is currently on track to completing her Certified Financial Planning (CFP) designation in order to offer full financial plans to our clients.

Nicole’s philosophy as it relates to client service starts with honesty and authenticity. There must be a level of comfort when it comes to investing and insurance or the client-financial professional relationship isn’t complete. Nothing should ever be so complicated that our client leaves confused. Part of Nicole’s role (and the role of The CH Team) is assisting clients as they move through the transitions of life whether it be making big purchases, college funding or retirement. 

In her downtime, Nicole enjoys staying active with golf, yoga and cycling with her partner and husband Jesse. She loves tech and innovative developments. A self-proclaimed ‘foodie’ you will either find her at one of Calgary’s local restaurants or behind her pizza oven cooking up classics. She enjoys local art and regularly attends ‘First Thursday’ events at the Esker and the Glenbow. She also tries to get to the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York every year for her birthday. She is passionate about the protection of animals as well as human rights and is a proud pet mom to her Pomeranian Coco and her Cavalier Penny.

Jesse started in the financial industry in 2005 at a major bank in Canada and worked with clients to solve their diverse financial needs. During his time, he became an expert in banking, credit products, mortgages, and car loans. Trying to further his career in 2013, he decided to complete the Canadian Securities Course which introduced him to the vast world of wealth management. Intrigued and motivated with what he learned; he quickly secured a position in a practice management role with the same bank. There he worked with hundreds of investment advisory teams across the country, assisting them to modernize their business so that they could be better prepared to deliver a higher level of service to their clients.

As time passed, he developed many best practices and was approached by several wealth management teams to become a permanent member of their team. He completed his Wealth Management Essentials course in 2019, which helped him become proficient in understanding and communicating what is happening in the world and the markets.

He’s worked with households large and small to help achieve their long-term financial planning goals all while considering the taxable implications of changes made. 

Jesse has a passion for sharing knowledge and enjoys working with clients around education and strategic planning. With his deep understanding of emotional intelligence, he understands the importance of patience and the need for detail to assist clients through their unique situations.

Jesse and his wife Nicole, enjoy being active through biking, golf, and international travel. He can be found at fun new restaurants around Calgary and tell you where to get the best pizza, even though he’s the self-proclaimed best pizza chef in Western Canada. He shares two dogs with Nicole and would most likely be open to getting 2 more if his schedule would allow for it.

Born and raised in Calgary, Bryce graduated from SAIT in 2002 with a Geomatics Engineering Diploma. After several years of working in the land surveying industry, he decided to take a chance and begin a career in Emergency Medical Services. Working in rural Alberta, he eventually obtained his Advanced Care Paramedic designation and spent a year working with the Alberta Fixed Wing Air Ambulance service before moving back to Calgary in 2008. He spent the next 15 years with Calgary EMS and had the privilege of taking care of many people during their most difficult times.

In 2020 Bryce developed a curiosity for investing which eventually led him back to SAIT, where he is wrapping up a Business Administration Diploma majoring in finance.

He completed the Canadian Securities Course in 2022 and is currently completing additional courses through the Canadian Securities Institute. He is very excited to leverage his life experience and education into exceptional service for clients. 

During his down time Bryce enjoys spending time with his wife and daughter, whether it be watching their daughter at swim competitions or walking their dogs. An avid cyclist, Bryce has raced both on road and mountain bikes, competing in many Alberta Cycling and 24-hour mountain bike races. He is currently the President of the Breakaway Racing Society, which is proud to support a group of 38 competitive amateur cyclists based out of Calgary.

Hayley began her career working various retail positions building a strong foundation in customer service. After spending several years in this industry, she made a shift to office administration by taking a position at Graham Construction. Working as a Corporate Receptionist, she learned the intricacies of office administration and the construction industry in general.

After two years at reception Hayley progressed within Graham advancing to Pre-Construction Administrator for their Infrastructures Work Winning division. Lending to her creative flare, this role allowed her to undertake various graphic design projects, web design, and client event planning. 

Hayley brings substantial demonstrative and transferable skills from her past experiences to her role at The CH Team. Coupled with a can-do attitude and a keen interest in financial services, she has made a wonderful addition to the team, competently advancing to the role of Office Coordinator.

Hayley was born and raised in Calgary, where she has happily laid her own roots and proudly calls home. When not in the office, Hayley enjoys spending time playing soccer, practicing yoga, travelling, cooking, and tending to her collection of house plants.