Management Team



First National's management team has extensive experience in the mortgage industry. The team has successfully grown the business into a leading Canadian mortgage originator, underwriter and servicer.

Stephen Smith
Moray Tawse
Jason Ellis
Robert Inglis
Scott C. McKenzie
Jeremy Wedgbury
Susan J. Biggar
Lisa White

Stephen Smith, Chairman, is President and Co-founder of First National Financial. Mr. Smith has been an innovator in the development and utilization of various securitization techniques to finance mortgage asset growth and is a regular speaker at securitization and financial services conferences. He has been a leader in the development and application of information technology in the mortgage industry and FNFLP’s suite of proprietary software, MERLIN®, is the leading mortgage origination software in the industry. In addition, Mr. Smith is Vice-Chairman of the Greater Toronto Transit Authority (GO Transit) and a member of the Board of Directors of The Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company and The Empire Life Insurance Company. Mr. Smith was Ernst & Young’s 2007 Ontario Financial Services Entrepreneur of the Year. Mr. Smith is also a member of the Advisory Council of the Royal Conservatory of Music and a Governor of the Dominion Institute. Mr. Smith has a Master of Science (Economics) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an Honours Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University.

Moray Tawse is Vice President, Mortgage Investments. He directs the operations of all commercial mortgage origination activities and is Co-Founder of First National. Mr. Tawse is one of Canada's leading experts on commercial real estate and is often called upon to deliver keynote addresses at national real estate symposiums. Prior to co-founding First National, Mr. Tawse was Manager of Mortgages for the Guaranty Trust Company of Canada from 1983 until 1988.

Jason Ellis is Managing Director, Capital Markets and is responsible for interest rate risk management, funding, and securitization for all commercial and residential mortgage origination. Prior to joining First National in 2004, Mr. Ellis was with the Asset/Liability Management group at Manulife Financial and with RBC Dominion Securities in Toronto and New York where he traded fixed income and interest rate derivatives. Mr. Ellis holds BA and MBA degrees from the University of Western Ontario and McMaster University and is CFA charter holder.

Robert Inglis is the Chief Financial Officer for First National. Mr. Inglis is responsible for all financial reporting and mortgage accounting systems for the administration of approximately $40 billion of mortgage assets. He is also responsible for ABCP Conduit program administration and NHA-MBS reporting and analysis. Mr. Inglis is the functional head of the Finance and Accounting, Investor Compliance and Human Resources departments. Mr. Inglis joined the Company in 1997 from Price Waterhouse (now PriceWaterhouse Coopers) and was the Director, Finance and Accounting for seven years prior to becoming Vice President, Finance. Mr. Inglis obtained his Chartered Accountant designation in 1991 and received a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Queen’s University in 1988.

Scott C. McKenzie is the Vice President, Residential Mortgages for First National. Mr. McKenzie is responsible for the origination and underwriting of all residential mortgage business across Canada. Prior to joining the Company in 1989, Mr. Mckenzie was Branch Manager with Guaranty Trust Company of Canada where he was responsible for the ongoing operation of a full service branch of the company. Mr. Mckenzie has a Bachelor of Arts (Economics) from the University of Guelph.

Jeremy Wedgbury is the Managing Director, Commercial Mortgage Origination for First National and is responsible for the sales and marketing of First National’s commercial mortgage products. This role includes the management of approximately 25 mortgage originators located in offices across Canada and the credit review of commercial loan products, including CMHC insured loans, CMBS loans, small commercial loans and interim/construction loans. In addition, Mr. Wedgbury is responsible for the assembly and sale of loans originated for the purposes of CMBS securitization. Prior to joining First National in 2004, Mr. Wedgbury worked with other leading commercial mortgage lenders for 14 years, including Manulife Financial and Merrill Lynch Financial. Mr. Wedgbury has a Bachelor of Arts from Wilfrid Laurier University and an Urban Land Economics Diploma (Real Estate) from the University of British Columbia.

Susan J. Biggar is General Counsel for First National and oversees all legal affairs including formation of legal policy, preparation of documentation, contract negotiation and compliance issues. Before joining the Company in 2002, Ms. Biggar was a partner with the law firm of McCarthy Tetrault, which she joined in 1988. Prior to that, Ms. Biggar was with the law firm of Smith, Lyons. Ms. Biggar has extensive experience in all aspects of real estate development, syndication and financing. Ms. Biggar holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto and a Master of Arts from York University.

Lisa White is the Vice President, Mortgage Administration at First National. She manages all aspects of residential loan servicing including regulatory and contractual requirements and the commercial administration team. Prior to joining First National in 2001, Lisa was a Controller at a public real estate investment company and a Financial Analyst within the Corporate Real Estate division of the Toronto Dominion Bank. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Economics and a Diploma in Accounting both from McMaster University. She is certified as an Accredited Mortgage Professional and has been appointed as a Notary Public on behalf of First National.