Leadership

As President and Chief Investment Officer at Empire Life Investments Inc. Paul leads both the equity and fixed income investment teams who collectively manage certain Empire Life segregated funds¹ and the insurance company’s general funds.

As Senior Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer at Empire Life, Paul Holba is responsible for the management and oversight of Empire Life’s assets. In addition to being a member of Empire Life’s Executive Leadership Team he also sits on the Asset Management Committee and Product Review Management Committee of Empire Life. He continues to work closely with distribution partners to communicate strategies and results.

He joined Empire Life’s retail distribution division in 2009, moving into the Vice-President, Investments role with Empire Life Investments Inc. in 2010. Prior to that, Paul was the Vice-President, Retail Distribution.

Before joining Empire Life, he spent more than 20 years working in the Canadian investment industry through progressively senior roles with global investment management firms and the asset management division of a major Canadian bank.

Paul has a Bachelor of Mathematics with a specialty in business from the University of Waterloo. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute and the Toronto CFA Society.

_{1 Policies are issued by The Empire Life Insurance Company.}

Mark Sylvia joined Empire Life as President and Chief Executive Officer in June 2014. He is also Chair of the Board of Directors for Empire Life Investments. Mark has more than 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, many in a leadership role where he has successfully grown companies by focusing on service, simplicity and strategic partnerships.

Prior to joining Empire Life, Mark was President of Clarity Underwriting Managers Inc., an insurance consultancy firm he founded in 2010. From 1999 to 2010, he was CEO of Echelon General Insurance Company, President and CEO of Trent Health Insurance Service Corp. and Canadian Insurance Marketing Inc., all of which were affiliated companies of EGI Financial Holdings Inc. From 1988 until 1999, Mark was President and CEO of Hartford Life Insurance Company of Canada.

Mark is a Fellow, Chartered Insurance Professional (FCIP) of the Insurance Institute of Canada, and a Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI) of the Life Office Management Association Inc., and is a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Society for Risk Analysis.

Robert provides operations, accounting and financial management leadership in support of Empire Life Investments Inc.'s business.

Before joining Empire Life, Robert worked as Controller, Manulife Asset Management Private Markets at Manulife Financial. His professional experience also includes various management positions at Manulife Financial and PricewaterhouseCoopers where he specialized in international accounting requirements including accounting under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles, the financial management of various subsidiaries, investment finance and audit and assurance services.

Robert has a Bachelor of Commerce from Ryerson University. Robert also holds Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA) designations.

Jennifer provides tax leadership in support of Empire Life Investments Inc.'s business.

Jennifer joined Empire Life in 2015 and was promoted to Vice-President in 2023. Her experience includes planning, review and analysis of tax provisions under International Financial Reporting Standards and related Canadian tax compliance matters, special transactions including mergers and acquisitions and tax planning opportunities. Jennifer’s professional experience also includes senior management positions in public accounting where she specialized in Canadian corporate tax.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Accounting (Honours), Co-op degree from Brock University. She also holds Certified Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA) designations.

Jennifer volunteers on the Board of Directors for the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation and participates in a number of their committees.

Nitasha provides strategic financial leadership, with a focus on financial integrity and operational excellence, to support the overall growth and business strategy of Empire Life Investments Inc.

Nitasha joined Empire Life in 2022 as a Process Improvement Leader. She has been instrumental in spearheading transformative process improvement initiatives across Corporate Finance, significantly enhancing operational efficiency and strategic capabilities. In addition to her current role at Empire Life, she was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Empire Life Investments Inc. in September 2023. Nitasha has 20 years of experience overseeing audit, external reporting and controllership functions of publicly reported organizations.   

Nitasha is a qualified Charterer Professional Accountant (CPA) and has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Toronto.