Don is a seasoned family enterprise advisor, financial executive, and investor with a passion for guiding entrepreneurs, their families, and their advisory teams on the journey to become capable and confident stewards of their financial and non-financial capital, across generations. Over the course of his career, he has embraced roles that allow him to make a significant impact, build great teams, and develop expertise across key technical areas. His mission moving forward is to leverage his extensive experience to support the families he serves. 

Since founding Sterling Family Capital, Don has provided integrated advisory services to entrepreneurs and family enterprises, emphasizing a deep, holistic understanding of each family’s unique and often complex relational and financial needs. Through careful listening and purposeful dialogue, Don empowers effective collaboration and accountability among each family and their advisory team. By keeping the family’s vision at the center, Don ensures that the development and execution of plans and strategies for the protection, growth, and continuity of the family’s financial and non-financial capital remain coherent and aligned with their objectives. 

Prior to founding Sterling Family Capital, Don enjoyed a lengthy and fulfilling banking career, working with two of Canada’s oldest and most respected financial institutions. After starting in his hometown of Winnipeg (and after a year-long posting in Northern Manitoba… just to toughen him up), Don headed to Toronto and travelled a career path guided by curiosity, a desire to listen and truly understand the underlying nature of challenges faced, and a love for building and leading the teams needed to get the job done. Over the course of his banking career, Don was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in senior roles in the commercial banking, capital markets and wealth management businesses, and in leadership roles in finance and risk management. 

Don holds the Family Enterprise Advisor (FEA) designation, is both a CFA and a CAIA charterholder, and has earned the Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA), and Master Financial Advisor–Philanthropy (MFA-P) certifications. He has also earned a certificate in Alternative Risk Transfer from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and the ACI Diploma from The Financial Markets Association. He received his Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) in Finance & Accounting from the University of Manitoba. 

Active in his community, Don is a member of the Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore, the Burlington Chamber of Commerce, and the Centre for Family Business in Kitchener-Waterloo.