Meet the Team

Aashti Vijh

PR Coordinator

Aashti embarked on her career in public relations after completing an honours bachelor of arts from the University of Toronto and post-graduate certificate in corporate communications from Seneca College. After almost two years in the PR agency world, Aashti joined the RateHub team as the company’s PR Coordinator. In her role, Aashti is responsible for getting RateHub noticed and noted by all of Canada’s top media outlets and influencers, while building on RateHub’s reputation as Canada’s go-to personal finance resource. In her free time, Aashti can be found planning her next travel adventure, exploring Toronto’s west end and curating Spotify playlists for every occasion.

Alyssa Furtado

CEO & Co-Founder

Alyssa studied business and math at Queen’s University, before going into management consulting for two years. She left the corporate world in 2009, launched RateHub.ca on January 1, 2010 and hasn’t looked back since. Passionate about building amazing products that help Canadians make smart financial decisions, Alyssa uses her expertise in SEO to drive people to the site. She empowers the team to do their best work, which is a large part of what makes the company culture so great. Family, friends, travelling and kiting are important to her, and she is happiest when all four are combined. Alyssa lives in Leslieville with her husband Rob.

Brandon Legault

Software Engineer

Brandon was born in a small mining town of about 8,000 people, where his interest in computing and technology was ignited at the age of 4 when his uncle built him a DOS game. He graduated from St. Lawrence College's computer programmer analyst program in 2009 and worked in the print industry for four years, later working at a design startup and as a senior developer and development operations administrator at Bombardier Transportation before joining RateHub. Outside of work, he loves spending time with his wife and daughter. He's also a huge sports fan (Maple Leafs and Blue Jays) and keeps active with volleyball in the winter and baseball in the summer.

Chris Richard

Chief Technical Officer

After graduating from the Computer Engineering program at Waterloo, Chris spent five years in Seattle working as a software engineer for Microsoft. In moving back to Canada, Chris joined the RateHub.ca team and helped turn the website into what you see today. From coding the mortgage calculators, to developing new features of the site, he doesn’t get away from his screens often. But don’t expect to find Chris on Facebook or Twitter. When he manages to leave his lines of code, Chris spends time with his wife and two kids, and brews his own beer at his home in Kingston.

Chrissy Spilchuk

Graphic Designer

After earning her Bachelor of Design from OCAD University, Chrissy worked for NATIONAL Public Relations. Now an integral part of the RateHub.ca team, she does everything from design UI elements with respect to UX for the site, create marketing collateral, and offer her “eye” and insight on all projects. As a designer, it’s no surprise Chrissy also loves to paint. When she’s not in the office, she likes to run, cheer on the Toronto Maple Leafs and is a master of the air hockey table. Chrissy is also a huge animal lover and hopes to adopt a Corgi soon. (Kingston will have to do, for now.)

Cody Kukay

Associate Product Manager

After graduating with an Honours Specialization in Political Science degree at Western University, Cody worked in government affairs, corporate strategy and marketing for the oil and gas industry. Cody joined RateHub with an extreme passion for technology, finance and for helping others make smarter financial decisions. His attention to detail, critical thinking and business acumen helps bridge all the gaps to turn ideas into products for RateHub users. When he’s not at work, Cody enjoys spending time with his dog, Lily, studying design, and planning his next travel adventure.

Craig Sebastiano

Managing Editor

After graduating from Ryerson University’s School of Journalism, Craig worked in a variety of writing and editing roles at CTV, Rogers, and PwC. As part of the RateHub.ca team, he’s responsible for the blog and managing a team of freelance writers. Craig likes to educate others about investing and personal finance. Outside of work, he enjoys photography, going to the movies, and playing tennis.

Dave Beauchesne

Web Developer

Dave graduated from Algonquin College with a Diploma in Computer Engineering Technology, before working as a QA Engineer at Protecode in Ottawa. He eventually left to join Benson and start CanIPayLess.com, where he got his first real experience as a web developer. Now an invaluable part of the RateHub.ca team, Dave builds dynamic, interactive web pages, tools and widgets, using mostly HTML/CSS, JavaScript and PHP. When he’s not working, Dave can be found gaming, exercising or watching TV series on Netflix. He also loves reading science fiction and physics books, travelling and learning new languages.

Greye Smyth

Software Engineer

Hailing from the mountains and valleys of Vermont, Greye made the move north to pursue his Bachelor in Software Engineering at Queen's University. After completing an internship with Ericsson and graduating with First Class Honours, he took a position on IBM's open-source team in Toronto. Having left the corporate world to return to Kingston and join RateHub.ca's new development arm, Greye is putting his engineering skills to use on new features and helping to keep the site running smoothly. Out of the office, Greye likes working on indie games and other hobby tech projects, reading novels, watching movies, and taking in the ambience of Kingston's downtown and waterfront.

Idriss Bouhmouch

Business Development Manager

Idriss was the first bilingual member of the RateHub.ca team. He manages French operations, as well as handles business development across the country, and therefore plays a large part in cultivating RateHub.ca’s growth. As one of the most extroverted members of the team, Idriss is very sociable, so you’re sure to notice his presence at a networking event. And with his finance background, he loves working for a site that promotes best practices in personal finance management. Idriss is both a family man and a die-hard Habs fan. If you’re one of our partners, or would like to be, Idriss is your main point of contact!

Jacob Foster

Software Engineer

Jacob grew up near Vancouver and moved out east in 2011 to attend Queen's University for Software Design. After completing a 16-month internship with IBM and finishing his degree, he joined our development team in Kingston. As a Software Engineer, Jacob enjoys the variety of getting to work on both the front-end and back-end of RateHub.ca. Outside of work, you're most likely to find him attempting to expand his musical horizons or watching football, rooting for the Seahawks and BC Lions. He also loves travel, dogs, and a good craft beer.

Jane Switzer

Associate Editor

Jane graduated with an English degree from Queen’s University in 2010 and started working in journalism, the closest she could get to being Harriet the Spy. A native Torontonian, she’s had stints in newsrooms across the city and her work has appeared in the National Post, The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, and Maclean’s. Driven by her interest in financial journalism, she completed the Canadian Securities Course and joined RateHub, where she works alongside Craig writing and editing articles for the site’s blog. When not working, she can usually be found with her nose in a book or petting a stranger’s dog.

Jennifer Pollock, CPA

Director of Finance & Operations

After graduating from the Queen’s School of Business, Jennifer decided to pursue her CPA designation at EY in their Private Mid-Market group. Her finance background has made her passionate about financial education and loves working with the RateHub team to help people make informed decisions. Outside of work she enjoys theatre (especially musicals), reading, travelling, and checking out new restaurants.

Kaman Hui

Digital Advertising Specialist

Kaman is a digital marketing enthusiast. Shortly after earning her commerce degree from University of Toronto, she decided to kick-start her career on the agency side. Specializing in SEM, she managed accounts for various clients ranging from telecommunications to automotive. Now a part of the RateHub.ca team, Kaman helps to develop, execute, and optimize our SEM, PPC and email marketing strategies. When she’s not at work, Kaman is most likely dancing, eating or watching a movie at the theatre (all genres except for horror). She recently caught the travel bug as well!

Kayla Reyes

Associate Marketing Manager

Born and raised in Winnipeg, Kayla later moved to Waterloo, where she went to Laurier's School of Business and Economics. After graduating with a BBA in Marketing, she moved to Toronto and worked as a Marketing Coordinator at Harlequin - yes, the publisher of all things romance! Now at RateHub.ca, Kayla’s goal is to further increase our presence online. When she’s not digesting all things marketing-related, Kayla loves going out for brunch, traveling (especially to see her adorable nephew Grayson in Seattle) and cheering on her favourite sports teams (Raptors and Seahawks).

Kerri-Lynn McAllister

Chief Marketing Officer

Kerri-Lynn (KL) met Alyssa at Queen’s School of Business and is RateHub.ca’s longest-standing employee. She’s an obsessive comparison shopper, which lends itself nicely to her role as the master marketer of a financial product comparison website. KL loves connecting with smart people and sharing best practices, and working alongside the particularly smart RateHub team and her dog, the office mascot, Kingston. Outside of work, she enjoys “cultural” travel which involves seeing new cities, eating local food and, of course, shopping!

Kingston

Office Dog

As the heart of the team, Kingston plays a key role in supporting and uplifting staff on a daily basis. When she's not “busy” sleeping in her bed under Kerri-Lynn’s desk or greeting all visitors who open the door to the RateHub office, Kingston can be found shuffling between laps and begging for food. She is known to dress up on all major holidays, as her need for constant love and approval never stops. And if you spend time to give her a good cuddle, she'll try to steal a kiss (just watch out for the doggy breath).

Matt Hands

Associate Marketing Manager

A native of London, Ont., Matt made the decision to move to Waterloo to pursue a degree in communications studies at Wilfrid Laurier University. After completing his HBA, Matt worked and travelled for a year before starting post-graduate program at George Brown College in Toronto. While completing the sport and event marketing program, Matt was able to fulfill a life-long dream of working at MLSE as an intern for the Toronto Marlies. He graduated from George Brown with honours and spent the next three-and-a-half years honing his marketing skillset at CARPROOF. A recent addition to the RateHub team, Matt is looking forward to the challenge of growing both ad sales and the deposits vertical. Outside of the office, Matt enjoy's being active, digesting all things related to sports (most notably the Toronto Maple Leafs), and checking out the latest movie releases.

Meghan Caddey

Office Manager

Meghan recently moved to Toronto from London, Ont. She graduated from Western University with a Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies, specializing in Human Resources. After graduation, she worked for the Canada Revenue Agency before making the big move to Toronto. Meghan is excited to work for a vibrant and growing company with a great culture! In her spare time she enjoys exploring the city and yoga.

Nathanael Morrison

Senior Software Engineer

After spending most of his childhood in Quebec's Laurentians, Nathanael began creating web applications as both a hobby and career. Beginning in high school, he worked for a Kingston company designing and building their online store. While studying computer engineering at Queen's University, he also created client-facing portals for CMC Microsystems. Nathanael then spent eight years with his brother leading a team to create a new web content management system used by enterprises to power their intranets. He's now a part of RateHub.ca's development team following his passion and looking to explore new challenges. Outside work, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, early morning runs, cycling, and gaming.

Nicole Laoutaris

Communications Manager

A bonafide city-person, Nicole was born and raised in Kitchener, Ont. before making the big move to Toronto in 2012. She graduated from Wilfrid Laurier with two bachelor's degrees—one in Communications and the other in Film Studies—before deciding to pursue a career in PR by completing a post-graduate certificate in Corporate Communications from Seneca College. Nicole cut her PR teeth in the entertainment industry, working for the Toronto International Film Festival. At RateHub.ca, Nicole plans to share compelling and exciting stories about the great things we're doing: with the press, in the community, and online. She loves Barre exercise classes, koala bears, coffee, and podcasts (she recommends Gilmore Guys, and You Must Remember This).

Rebecca Yaffa

Associate Account Manager & Office Administrator

Rebecca graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a bachelor's degree in business administration. After graduation, she worked in various roles including association management and IT support. She joins the RateHub team with the goal of providing support for our users and business partners. Outside of the office, Rebecca is usually cooking, listening to NPR podcasts, reading finance and fitness blogs, or strolling through Queen’s Park. 

Reza Mostmand

UX/UI Designer

Reza has worked as a designer for more than 12 years. He studied graphic design at George Brown College in Toronto and has worked in a broad range of environments and organizations where he developed and directed numerous promotional, educational, and social campaigns. He joined RateHub.ca as a user experience designer and will be working on rethinking the design of existing products as well as offering solutions for exciting new products. When he's not designing, Reza spends time with his two kids, plays one of his many instruments, or does calligraphy and painting.

Simon Mills

Content Marketing Specialist

After graduating from Ivey Business School, Simon worked as an intern at Salesforce. Simon joins the RateHub team with a passion for all things fintech and personal finance while bringing with him start up marketing experience from Top Hat and Vox Pop Labs. Simon is excited to work with the RateHub team to expand our content marketing efforts. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, travelling and spending time with friends.

Wallace Welles

Senior Software Engineer

A lifelong Kingstonian and tech geek, Wallace started taking things apart and figuring out how they work at an early age. Even before having a Windows PC at home, he began learning Visual Basic and HTML. He studied at St. Lawrence College, earning a Computer Programmer Analyst diploma. Wallace spent 10 years at a tech startup before spending two years in the health care system. He's now a part of RateHub.ca's development team doing what he loves, making stuff work together. Outside of work, when not chasing his four boys, he enjoys watching Netflix with his wife, playing video games, or playing guitar.