Meridian announces Advisory Board team

2 October 2006by Admin0
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(Calgary, Alberta) Western Canada’s new European style merchant banking firm, Meridian Merchant Capital Canada Ltd., took a major step forward today with the appointment of four high caliber Western Canadians to its Advisory Board.

Chairman Stan Owerko welcomed Robert McPhail from Vancouver, Gary Cochrane and Andrea Bowling from Calgary, and Paul Franzmann from Winnipeg to launch the Meridian Board of Advisors.

“Everyone at Meridian is pleased with our progress in closing six transactions in our first eight months of operation,” said Mr. Owerko, who is also CEO of one of the largest privately held energy marketing firms in North America.  “Adding the depth of diverse expertise and wide-ranging experience of Robert, Gary, Andrea, and Paul to our new Advisory Board will enhance our management’s capability to continue to execute on our ambitious objective of serving small and mid-market private companies in western Canada.”

Andrea Bowling, Bachelor of Commerce and Chartered Accountant, joins the Meridian team after serving as Chief Compliance Officer and later as Director, Finance and Administration as part of the senior executive team at the Alberta Stock Exchange.  In addition to her busy consulting practice, Andrea also dedicated time to a VP Finance position for a large Calgary community association.

Gary Cochrane is a partner in Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, and a member of the firm’s Financial Services Practice Section in the Calgary office.  In addition to serving as Meridian’s corporate counsel, Gary assists major financial institutions in securing loan transactions.  As legal counsel, Gary provides valuable insights and guidance for a number of industries, including oil and gas, banking, and real estate.


Paul Franzmann is the Director of Corporate Development for Ag Growth Income Fund, a Winnipeg-based, publicly traded manufacturer of agricultural equipment, was a partner in a mergers/acquisition and consulting business, and has held senior management positions in a number of private companies.  As a Chartered Accountant and Certified General Accountant, Paul has developed a comprehensive yet broad knowledge base in operational and people management, accounting, taxation, and corporate finance.  Active in the community with his wife Yolande and two children, he is also Treasurer of Sunnyside Child Care Centre Inc., one of the most successful non-profit childcare centres in West Winnipeg.

Robert McPhail is a diversified management consultant, specializing in business and investment analysis, strategic planning, and business advisory services.  Having served in various capacities including President and CEO of  publicly traded companies, Robert is committed to a fact based business agenda for Meridian clients that is grounded in strategy, powered by insight, optimized through measurement, and focused on profitable growth and market leadership.  Robert earned an MBA from Royal Roads University in 2001 and attended the Grenoble Graduate School of Business in France in 2005 where he was awarded the DMC designation for management consulting.



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