2019/2020
Officers:
President: Co-Chairs
President, Global Currency Services Inc.
Carinta Mannarelli founded Global Currency Services Inc. in the year 2000. In her role as president, she has been honoured with several awards and recognitions including Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2002 (Guelph Business Enterprise Centre), has been nominated for the YMCA’s Women of Distinction award, has received several Employers awards and has been listed on Canada’s Top 100 Female Business Owners numerous times (published by Profit Magazine).
Co-Chair
Michael Smith serves as the Co-Chair of the Canadian Money Service Business Association. Michael is a 35 year veteran of the Foreign Exchange Markets, he was the founding partner of GFX Partners a leading MSB that was sold to AFEX. Michael now serves as a Canadian director for IFX Canada and as a consultant to other MSB’s helping them with their business plans. Michael has been publishing a daily FX commentary for many years through his company Maryknoll Consulting that is widely read and provides insight as to movement in the FX markets.
Director of Membership
Karene Lewis is a Certified Human Resources Professional, since 2014 and an active member of the Human Resources Professionals Association (HRPA), since 2010.
With over 15 years’ experience in the financial services industry, in both retail banking and credit unions. Karene is a seasoned professional, with experience in a variety of areas within the financial services sector, in roles such as Manager, Risk & Compliance, Business Relationship Manager, Branch Manager and Financial Services Officer. Karene’s areas of knowledge and expertise include: risk management, compliance management, managing high risk client relationships, AML/CFT, KYC, on-boarding, monitoring, customer due diligence, enhanced due diligence and regulatory compliance.
Karene has held the position of Director of Membership for the Canadian MSB Association, since 2015. She became an active volunteer with the Canadian MSB Association, in 2013 and has since been a strong volunteer and contributor to various committees, including the Board of Directors, Conference Committee, Finance Committee, and Advocacy Committee.
Director of Advocacy
Marc Lemieux
Mr Lemieux is a lawyer. He was trained in Canada’s two legal systems and is admitted to the Bars of Quebec and Ontario.
He founded Lemieux Business Law in 2015, a boutique law firm that focuses on the special needs of users and suppliers of banking, finance and payment services.
Prior to that, Me Lemieux practiced in the financial services group of a national law firm (McCarthy Tetrault, from 1990 to 2006) and a global law firm (Dentons Canada, from 2010 to 2015). He also served as Vice-President, Legal Affairs and Corporate Secretary of a publicly traded company in the energy sector (Gaz Metro, from 2007 to 2010).
His clients include money services businesses (crypto-currency distributors, providers of FX advice and products, domestic and cross-border money remitters, and operators of ATMs) and payment service providers.
Mr Lemieux is a sessional lecturer at McGill’s Faculty of Law, where teaches Banking and Payment Law and Banking and Credit Law.
Director of Finance
Finance & Risk Management Director, Vancouver Bullion & Currency Exchange
Michael Cox is the Chief Compliance, Officer, ACAMS certified and Finance & Risk Management Director for Vancouver Bullion & Currency Exchange. VBCE is the leading private foreign exchange company in Western Canada which partners with the top commercial banks to deliver a wide range of FX and payment services and products to ten of thousands of customers globally.
Michael has over 20 years of extensive experience overseeing and monitoring the implementation of a compliance regime including AML. He brings a culture of leadership, guidance and supervision to all employees in matters relating to compliance and risk management.
Directors at Large
Chief Compliance Officer & Legal Counsel, Cambridge Global Payments
Karen Bannon is the Chief Compliance Officer & Legal Counsel for Cambridge Global Payments. Cambridge is an international foreign exchange and global payments business operating in Canada, US, UK and Australia. Karen is a Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist (CAMS) and became a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian MSB Association in 2013.
Karen is a lawyer, graduating from the University of Windsor Law School in 2003 and called to the Ontario bar in 2004. She began her legal her career in private practice then spent a number of years in the Legal & Compliance Department at the Royal Bank of Scotland (formerly ABN AMRO, Bank N.V.). In her current role, Karen is responsible for Cambridge’s global Compliance regime, specifically all matters concerning anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing (proceeds of crime, BSA, sanction programs, KYC and related staff training).
President & CEO, Trustex Currency Trading Corporation
Yasser El-Riffaey is the Founder, President & CEO of Trustex Currency Trading Corporation, a company that specializes in corporate foreign exchange, helping corporations saving time and money in their FX business.
Yasser has been in the finance and foreign exchange field for more than 33 years, previously in his role as a Senior V.P. for the Americas for a large international corporation, with his extensive knowledge and experience he created the first Virtual Trading Desk online. Yasser has served as a director on several boards of business organizations and was a member of a team raising 21 million dollars for the Spark of Life Campaign for a Neuroscience Program.
Inderpal Bharat, Chief Compliance Officer - Americas, Xpress Money Services (Canada) Ltd.
Inderpal is a finance professional with extensive experience in banking, financial services and compliance regulations spread over two countries. His role with Xpress Money encompasses the entire gamut of Compliance function including regulatory, AML/ATF, and also responsible for all matters relating to banking relationships.
Georgia Stocia
Georgia Stoica, has over twenty years of financial service industry experience and specializes in the regulatory compliance of money remittance activities.
She is responsible for the internal compliance, anti-money laundering, anti-terrorism and sanctions programs of Globle Foreign Exchange Inc and Trans-Fast Remittance LLC (foreign entity registered in Canada).
Prior to joining money remittance industry, Georgia was an auditor and regulatory specialist with major banks in Canada.
Georgia received a Bachelor of International Economics and Finance, a Bachelor of Engineering and a Master of Business Administration in International Business from international accredited universities. She is a certified anti-money laundering professional with extensive experience in the banking and remittance industries.
Roman Halushchak
Angelo Copolla
CAMLO at Globex 2000 Currency Experts
With more than 12 years of experience with FINTRAC as the Regional Compliance Manager for the Eastern Region and as
CAMLO for a large money-services business located in Montreal.
Angelo possess extensive and intimate knowledge of Canadian AML/CTF requirements and all reporting sectors.
Angelo bring a deep reservoir of knowledge in drafting, implementing and evaluating compliance regimes from casinos, to
financial entities to money services businesses.