Shafi Shaikh

As a Senior Small Business Advisor at Meridian, I service Members in the Greater Toronto Area. I understand that for most entrepreneurs, their business is their life and I admire their commitment and dedication to their business. My role is to make their lives easier by providing flexible and customized solutions that can save them time and money. I try to see beyond business, and how their success affects their personal life and aspirations.

I was attracted to joining Meridian because of its co-operative principles and values of putting our Members’ interest first and strong focus on providing a differentiated Member experience, while serving community and local initiatives.

With over 25 years of financial services industry experience, I have held variety of roles at a Major Bank for the past 17 years, such as Credit Analyst, Personal Financial Advisor, Investment Specialist, with the last eight years as a Small Business Advisor. I have been living and working in the Greater Toronto Area for the last 21 years, and as an immigrant understand the challenges faced by newcomers. Prior to arriving in Canada, I worked for five years in India for Rural Finance Corporation as Branch Manager that was lending Financial Support to Farmers’ Co-op, Dairy Farmers Co-op and teachers Co-operatives.

I hold a Masters of Business Administration and a Bachelor of Commerce degree, Professional Financial Planning certificate, Canadian Securities Course (CSC) and Financial Analysis course.

Outside of work hours, I volunteer with group of individuals that raises funds for international development in areas of health and education in association with IDRF, which was selected as one of the 25 Best Run Charities by the Financial Post in December 2014.