Branch Management Team

Luciano Blandi

VP & Market Leader, BMO Private Wealth

Luciano Blandi is Vice President and Market Leader for the GTA North region with BMO Private Wealth. Luciano has been a leader at BMO Private Wealth for 10 years and has over 30 years of experience in wealth management. Prior to taking on the role of Market Leader he was a Private Wealth Consultant with BMO Private Bank for 10 years, where he was responsible for working with high net worth families to develop an integrated financial plan in effort to aid them in realizing their financial goals.
 
At BMO Private Bank, Luciano has assembled a remarkably talented and passionate group of individuals with diverse expertise. Backed by the heritage, stability, and resources of BMO Financial Group, they are intent on being the best — and only — option in the eyes of their clients. In so doing, Luciano leads a team of advisors including Private Wealth Consultants, Trust Professionals, Senior Private Bankers, specialized planners and Investment Counsellors. They provide financial planning and expertise in banking, investment management and wealth services to their Private Banking clients.
 
Luciano has also been the proud recipient of ten consecutive Platinum Council awards over his tenure with BMO Private Banking.
 
Luciano received his Bachelors of degree in Economics from York University and is a graduate of the BMO Dalhousie University MBA program. In addition, Luciano is a Certified Financial Planner, a Chartered Investment Manager and is a Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute.
 
Luciano and his wife, Rita enjoy being involved in their community are proud parents to Julian and Sofia. As a family they are heavily involved in sports and the arts.
 

Liza Cheong

Director & Assistant Market Leader, BMO Private Wealth - Assistant Branch Manager, BMO Nesbitt Burns

Liza joins the GTA North Branch Management team as Assistant Market Leader from The Dorfman Group, the region’s largest (revenue) portfolio management team, where her responsibilities included: operational efficiencies, team management, client service offering, training of team members, ultra-high net worth account management (20+ HHs), compliance, discretionary portfolio management trading/coordination, insurance planning & estate planning.  
 
From 2015 to 2017, Liza was the Assistant Branch Manager at the Uptown Branch. Her responsibilities included: providing supervision, motivation, sales coaching, sales training, business development counsel to 42 IAs & 22 SAs; business/market development, sales enablement, insurance results, financial planning results & overall Branch management; creating/developing & implementing process efficiencies, client service models ideation, client event planning; fostering strong relationships amongst BMO FG’s various divisions including P&C, Commercial & Private Bank.
 
Liza joined BMO Nesbitt Burns in 2013 as a Practice Management Consultant, covering Eastern Canada. In this role Liza acted as a business consultant to the firm’s top IAs providing coaching on processes & business drivers; she lead & develop strategic head office projects supporting growth and development in the field and provided subject matter expertise to other lines of business within the firm and the greater organization.
 
With over 23 years of experience in financial services, Liza spent the majority of her career within the Power Group of Companies holding such roles as Financial Security Advisor; Regional Manager, Retirement & Investment Services; Regional Manager, Practice Development and National Sales Manager, Investment Sales Distribution.
 
Liza was proudly part of a ground-breaking team of finance professionals who developed the Settlement to Employment Program at Algonquin College (Ottawa) which helped newly arrived Canadians find jobs in the finance field. Within this program, Liza taught the Certified Financial Planning curriculum as well as the Life Licensing Qualification Program.

Liza holds standard Securities, Options, Supervision and Insurance Licenses. Liza is a certified Wilson Learning Sales Coach. She holds the Chartered Life Underwriter CLU® designation which is an advanced designation that expands on the knowledge gained in the CFP® education program with a focus on estate planning and wealth transfer.

Liza received a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. She is past Treasurer of the Montreal Chamber Orchestra, past Board Member of the Hong Kong Canada Business Association and past volunteer at the Distress Centre of Ottawa in addition to supporting numerous charities and organizations in our communities.

Ali Kiani-Felavarjani

Branch Operations Manager

Ali has been with BMO Nesbitt Burns since 2018. He started in the Ottawa Lansdowne Branch as a Branch Operations Administrator. Having excelled in that role for several years, Ali joined the BMO Private Wealth GTA North team as the Branch Operations Manager with focus on the Investment Management side of our business.

Prior this BMO, Ali had started his career and another financial institution where he was able to build on his customer service and sales skills for over 3 years. He then moved to a competitor firm where he was introduced to the Compliance side of the investment management business to which he was highly interested.

Ali has completed the Canadian Securities Course, Conduct and Practices Handbook, Derivatives and Options Fundamentals Licensing Course, Branch Manager’s Course & Options Supervision Licensing.

Ali is married, loves to travel, spend time with friends and attend local festivals.