Philippe Hynes, BComm 02, named Quebec financial personality of the year | Photo credit: Elisabeth Cloutier
“This is a testament to all the work that goes into building a firm,” says Hynes, who is the president of Montreal-based equity fund company Tonus Capital Inc., established in 2007. The group boasts a 10.8 per cent annual rate of return since inception and $70 million in holdings.
“We invest in the same stocks as our clients,” says Hynes on attracting and inspiring confidence among clientele. He says that additional hurdles for newer companies include strict industry regulations and competition.
For Hynes, his time at the Kenneth Woods Portfolio Management Program (KWPMP) at the John Molson School of Business (JMSB) was a springboard for the career that followed post-graduation.
“My education is greatly responsible for where I am today,” says Hynes. He was among the first cohort to enter KWPMP when it was established at JMSB in 2000. Launched with a $1 million donation from Kenneth Woods, MBA 75, the program gives students hands-on experience with a live investment portfolio.
“This is one of the best dividends I could possibly receive from my investment in the youth of today via KWPMP,” says Woods. “Philippe’s example is one future KWPMP graduates can follow.”
Hynes’s Concordia connection runs deep.
Upon graduating from JMSB, Hynes joined Van Berkom and Associates Inc. — one of the largest independent investment firms in Montreal. The company is headed by Sebastian van Berkom, BComm 69, who established the Van Berkom Small-Cap Investment Management Program at Concordia in 2015.
“Sebastian hired at least three more Concordia graduates after I joined his firm,” says Hynes, who worked his way up to partner over the six years he spent at the company.
“Philippe was a great in-depth senior analyst,” says van Berkom. “I was sorry to see him go, though am very impressed with the entrepreneurship he demonstrates at Tonus Capital.”
Hynes is part of a committee supervising the current cohort of six JMSB graduate students in the Van Berkom Small-Cap Investment Management Program. “They’ll be reporting to us on what they’re buying and selling,” says Hynes.
For 13 weeks each winter, Hynes teaches investment analysis at Concordia. His goal is to prepare undergraduates for what they’ll face when they enter the field.
“I’m very proud to be back at Concordia. It’s interesting to be on the other side of the class,” says Hynes, who started teaching at the university in 2007.
Hynes says that he values Concordians as workers: “I’ve been hiring some of my students for the past few years.”