Kelly A. Baird CPA, CA
Chief Financial & Operating Officer
With a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University leading to her first job with Touche Ross (now Deloitte), Kelly was introduced through her audit clients to the investment industry just as the market turmoil of October 1987 hit. She has never looked back — thriving on the pace of an environment characterized by continual challenge and change, and on the need to be adaptable in response.
After leaving public accounting in 1991, Kelly chose to work behind the scenes in the investment industry in increasingly senior roles. She developed her regulatory and operations expertise, hands-on approach and unflappable demeanour through her time with the Canadian Investor Protection Fund, Connor Clark, and Thomson Kernaghan, before joining Newport Private Wealth in 2004.
Kelly has overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of Newport, including reporting, systems, finance and administration. She and her team work closely with the firm’s independent custodian, administrators, auditors and legal counsel to ensure efficiencies and best practices are in place.
In Kelly’s view, her role “is all about overseeing systems and people and ensuring that we have the right ones on the team to deal with change and challenges in practical and proactive ways. We have built our firm, and specifically the operations platform, to be scalable for growth and responsive to change, be it driven by markets, regulation or client expectations.”
Away from the office, Kelly can be found with her Kindle, using her well-stamped passport or listening to all things CBC and Springsteen.