OPENERS 3 MINUTES WITH… THANE STENNER

Thane Stenner, CIM, FCSI

Former managing director, TIGER 21 Canada director, wealth management; portfolio manager StennerZohny Investment Partners+, Richardson GMP, Vancouver

FORUM: TIGER 21 is a peer-to-peer networking group for high-net-worth clients. How does the group help its members become excellent stewards of their investments?

Thane: The group acts like a personal board of advisors where, under complete confidentiality, every member can share their challenges and complexities of man-aging significant wealth with peers who are in their shoes. This is done within a safe harbour environment, as well as in a respectful, “care-frontational” way that members truly value. It’s a remarkable place to keep learning from and sharing with fellow members who truly care.

For TIGER 21 Canada there are 10 group meetings each year. These are pro-fessionally facilitated, day-long meetings where, in addition to exploring critical issues related to finance and lifestyle, members hear from top finance experts who often introduce them to a variety of investment opportunities.

FORUM: Why are you stepping down as managing director of TIGER 21 Canada?

Thane: My national multi-family prac-tice, which serves ultra-high net worth investors, has been blessed with signifi-cant growth and it’s my main day job, so it was important for me to focus even more there. Additionally, the growth of TIGER 21 Canada has been excellent over the last four years since I launched it and, to be fair, it needed to have full-time attention. So it was the right time to hand over the management reins.

FORUM: Looking back on the last four years, were you able to achieve all your goals for TIGER 21 Canada?

Thane: I’m pleased that we have achieved our goal of launching four dynamic Canadian groups in Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver, and we were able to do this by attracting a particular high-quality entrepreneurial membership. Additionally, we have world-class chairs leading each of the groups.

FORUM: What work still needs to be achieved?

Thane: Given the population, level of wealth being created, and the liquidity events occurring in Canada, TIGER 21 Canada should be able to double its membership over the next two to three years. The TIGER 21 experience helps many members successfully transition from being focused entrepreneurs or senior executives to becoming disciplined managers of their personal wealth. We also attract members who are still active in their own business, and who can benefit from being connected with similarly positioned people. The plan is to keep our existing groups strong and vibrant while creating new groups to add to the collec-tive intelligence of the whole organization.

FORUM: What have you learned the most from your continued association with TIGER 21 Canada?

Thane: The members are very accom-plished and come from various industries and sectors, so I am fortunate to have learned a lot from them over the last four years. Hopefully I have also been able to add to the collective intelligence in the four groups as well. I remain as chairman emeritus and as a member, so I look for-ward to my continued learning experience. My past managing director role connected me even more to the North American marketplace at the grassroots level.