Howard Heads our Mid and Back Office Consulting Services at First North. Howard is responsible for leading large-scale transformative operational programs as well as managing resource allocation to meet client needs. Howard is a process design and subject matter expert in securities industry operations and related systems, including Custody and Back-Office Clearing both in Canada and Internationally.
Howard has worked in the regulated financial services industry for 30+ years with CIRO members, OSC regulated Asset Managers, and Canadian Banks. Howard has a background that includes operational support, process improvement and automation, platform migrations including IB/CB conversions, platform design & architecture, and client relationship management.
Howard was born and raised in the beach neighbourhood of Toronto and currently lives in Durham with his wife and two sons. In his spare time, Howard enjoys running, playing baseball, and horror movies. Howard is a supporter and regular contributor to both United Way and The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
John Heads our Front Office Consulting Services at First North. He is a subject matter expert in both CIRO and OSC regulated entities advising on middle and front office services.
With over 30 years of experience in senior and C-suite executive roles, he has successfully grown and transformed various enterprises, from large integrated wealth advisory branches to new independent asset management firms at both bank and independent environments.
His core competencies and strengths include strategic planning and execution, change management strategies and digital and technological tool management. He extends a hands-on approach in assisting clients to identify and then bridge any internal gaps in order to meet their business objectives while always maintaining strong business relationships with key stakeholders.
John resides in Toronto with his wife and has two adult children; Jaclyn and Jon. In his spare time, he is the drummer for the band Guilty5 that performs at corporate, charitable and festivals. He is also co-chair of Healing in Harmony; a charity that raises money for the Child Life Department at SickKids Hospital. John is fluent in English and Italian.
Governance & Regulatory Consulting Services
Paula Amy Hewitt Heads our Regulatory and Governance Consulting Services at First North. Paula is a regulatory specialist with a unique combination of 20-years legal, governance, regulatory compliance, capital markets and operational experience. Paula has held executive roles within Canadian and Multinational financial services companies including General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Privacy Officer, Chief Anti-Money Laundering Officer, and Head of Insurance Compliance. In these roles, Paula applied diverse subject matter expertise to deliver solutions that address complex global regulatory requirements while facilitating business outcomes across multiple regions.
Paula also has a proven track record of bridging emerging industries with traditional financial services, capital markets, and risk underwriting. Her experience includes General Counsel for three publicly listed psychedelics companies and Acting Chief Compliance Officer for a cryptocurrency dealer. Listed among the top 200 Psychedelics Lawyers in the world, she successfully listed the first company to make psilocybin available to consumers on the TSX and the first psychedelics company on the Global Select Tier of NASDAQ.
Paula founded the Toronto Travelling Gourmets Dining Club and sits on the Board of Governors and Regional Board of Directors for Ontario of Portage Drug Addiction Rehabilitation Centers. She previously served on IIROC’s Ontario District Counsel and its registrations subcommittee, the IIAC’s Derivatives Committee, and the IAPP Canada Advisory Board.
Rob Heads our Operations Consulting Services at First North. He has more than 30 years of experience and proven success in senior leadership roles in Brokerage Operations within the financial services industry. Rob’s main responsibilities include ensuring the operational efficiency and growth objectives of First North’s clients and serving as a strategic subject matter expert.
Over the years he has successfully collaborated with CIRO and OSC regulated entities to transform their operational platforms and business models delivering cost efficiencies and process improvements. Rob’s customer focus has resulted in a broad network of progressive partnerships that he has assisted to adapt to new realities and seek innovative solutions.
Rob resides in Oakville with his wife of 28 years and their daughter. He is a regular contributor to Sick Kids Hospital, Oakville Trafalgar Hospital and multiple cancer related charities. In his spare time, he enjoys golf and travelling and is an active long-time volunteer with the Oakville Hornets where he currently manages their Junior Team.
John Packwood is the Founder and C.E.O. of the First North Group of companies that includes First North Consulting (Business and Technology) and Securities Industry Data Exchange (SIDE Industry Platform). John focuses on the overall strategy of the companies, including product and services expansion, as well as new partnerships and has been directly involved in every project since its inception.
John began his career at the Canadian Depository for Securities (TMX Group) including serving as advisor to the CEO on business and technology integration. Prior to starting First North, John worked as Vice-President in sales & trading areas for Fidelity National Information Services, Goldman Sachs / NEON and Numami Securities.
John was born in Windsor Ontario and resides in Blue Mountain with his wife Nicole and their son Marshal. John has collaborated in other industry initiatives including a Canadian government funded research product with the University of Toronto pertaining to Green Energy and is currently participating and collaborating with partners in East Africa for regional development and Vietnam for technology innovation. John has been a key presenter including for forums such as IEEE, MaRS, and EUSN (Gov’t of Canada) and is a supporter and contributor to both the War Amps Foundation and The Rotary Club.
Business Transformation Consulting Services
Renatto leads our Business Transformation engagements at First North. He is a subject matter expert in Operational Design. With over 10 years of experience in Capital Markets, International Banking and Banking Technology, he has extensive knowledge of various financial instruments, operational processes and cloud technology. Renatto has been actively involved in standing up a new dealer, carrying broker conversions, data reconciliation, end-to-end process review, optimization and automation.
He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science (B.A.Sc.) and a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) from the University of Toronto and is bilingual in English and Spanish.
Renatto and his wife live in Toronto with their two daughters. A geek at heart, Renatto enjoys reading, playing video games and spending time playing hobby tabletop games and painting miniatures. Renatto is also a Board member for the Centre for Spanish Speaking People; a nonprofit organization that assists newcomers, provides legal services and representation to Spanish speaking people.