Meet Our Team

Darren Morcom

Darren K. Morcom

 BBA, CFP®, CFA®

Senior Wealth Advisor, Senior Portfolio Manager

Darren is a Senior Wealth Advisor and Senior Portfolio Manager at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth and is the founder of his practice ‘’The Morcom Wealth Management Group’’. Darren began his career in wealth management in 1998 and after 19 years at his prior bank owned firm he joined Wellington-Altus Private Wealth in 2021. Darren is passionate and committed about providing effective and customized wealth management solutions to clients and their families. Through his many business contacts and access to the vast resources at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth, Darren has assembled a dedicated team devoted to helping families achieve prosperity, financial security, and personal well-being. 

Darren’s clients also benefit from his ongoing professional development. By meeting stringent accreditation, Darren is a registered Portfolio Manager, allowing him to offer customized discretionary investment management services to private clients, institutions, foundations, and trusts.

Darren holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation (CFA®). This global program’s rigorous curriculum and work experience requirements make the CFA® charter one of the most recognized achievement in the global investment industry. Darren also holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional designation and a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Degree from Okanagan University College and is also Life Insurance licensed through the Insurance Council of BC. Through a proven track record of success, Darren and his team have been recognized as a 5 star advisory team by Wealth Professional Canada. Originally from Saskatchewan, Darren has proudly called Kelowna home since 1997.

Jeff Buskell

Jeffrey M. Buskell

BSBA (Hons), CFP®, CIM®, FCSI®

Senior Wealth Advisor, Senior Financial Planner &

Associate Portfolio Manager

Jeff is a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM®), CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute (FCSI®). He brings over 20 years of Financial Services experience in creating holistic wealth management strategies for his clients. Jeff is registered as an Associate Portfolio Manager enabling him to offer customized discretionary investment management services. He has a passion for building strong relationships and helping business owners, individuals, institutions, families, foundations and trusts meet their unique set of financial goals.

Jeff and the team are committed to the highest level of service and professionalism, and they leverage their experience, extensive network of resources, and access to a comprehensive range of investment options to deliver best-in-class service and portfolio management to their clients, resulting in the team being recognized as a 5-star Advisory team by Wealth Professional Canada. He proudly holds an Honours Bachelor of Science in Business Administration Degree (BSBA Hons), Certified Professional Consulting on Aging (CPCA®), Elder Planning Counselor (EPC) and Personal Financial Planner (PFP®) designation and is Insurance licensed for British Columbia and Alberta residents.

Jeff has lived in Kelowna since 1994 and takes advantage of everything the four seasons playground has to offer. He feels extremely fortunate to call the Okanagan home with his wife and two young children.

Kent Fearns

Kent Fearns

Investment Advisor

Kent brings a wealth of knowledge and a solid commitment to provide clients with honest and sound advice. Kent has worked as an Investment Advisor since 2007 and has an extensive background in all aspects of wealth management. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Economics from The Colorado College in 1995. Prior to entering the financial industry, he had a ten-year Professional Hockey career playing throughout North America and Europe.

Kent continues to enjoy a regular game on the ice and he and his family have proudly called Kelowna home since 2007.

Joanna Penich

Joanna Penich

Investment Associate

Joanna has been an integral part of the group since 2012, bringing more than five years financial services experience when she joined our team. As an Investment Associate, she focuses on monitoring and enhancing the client experience, excelling in the day-to-day administrative needs of our clients and prides herself on providing exceptional service.

Emmy Pachenski

Emmy Pachenski

Investment Associate

Prior to joining the team in 2019, Emmy spent five years as a Financial Services Manager. She takes great pride in delivering professional, comprehensive, and efficient client care. She not only aims to elevate the standard of client service but also displays a strong commitment to personal and professional development. Emmy’s work ethic is characterized by her diligence and keen attention to detail. Outside of the office, Emmy is a passionate learner who continues to pursue her goals and enjoys keeping active with her young family in the Okanagan.

Haleigh Penner

Haleigh Penner

Associate

Haleigh became part of Wellington-Altus Private Wealth in November 2021. Since joining, she has centred her professional approach around meeting the needs of clients. Haleigh believes that the foundation of excellent service lies in cultivating strong relationships, and she goes the extra mile to offer an unmatched client experience.

Haleigh has an inherent ability to listen and communicate clearly, ensuring that each client not only feels valued but genuinely understood. Driven by a great passion for her profession, she is always on the path of growth and development, supported by the guidance of her colleagues at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth.

Haleigh was born and raised in Kelowna; her innate connection to the Okanagan is reflected in her desire to build long-lasting, trusting relationships and create experiences that cultivate community and a sense of belonging for others. This connection goes beyond her professional duties; she is an active participant in the athletic, societal, and environmental communities.

Outside of  her professional life, you can find Haleigh leading classes and training fellow instructors at SpinCo – a local, boutique spin studio. She is a lover of the outdoors and enjoys spending quality time with her loved ones. She feels an immense amount of gratitude to call the Okanagan home and is inspired to continue her community-driven work at Wellington-Altus Private Wealth.

Additional Resources

Judith-Charbonneau

Judith Charbonneau-Kaplan

LL.B., LL.M. tax

Vice-President, Advanced Wealth Planning

Judith joined Wellington-Altus in May 2022 and is based in Kelowna, BC. She works with advisory teams and clients across Canada to bring innovative tax strategies to their wealth plans. Judith believes a client’s objectives must drive any tax plan and loves helping clients find personalized solutions to their planning needs.

Prior to joining Wellington-Altus, Judith spent over 10 years at top-tier law and accounting firms advising clients on complex tax issues. Passionate about tax and making tax planning relevant and accessible to all, she regularly prepares presentations on various tax issues and has contributed to numerous publications on selected tax topics. She has been a speaker at various Canadian Tax Foundation conferences and a facilitator and lecturer for CPA Canada’s “In-Depth Tax Program”.

Judith graduated from the Université de Montréal with a Bachelor of Laws in civil law and a Master of Laws in taxation (jointly with HEC Montréal). Judith is a lawyer with the Barreau du Québec and a Canadian Legal Advisor with the Law Society of British Columbia.

Outside of work, she is an avid runner and cyclist, and loves to explore local trails. She can often be found enjoying the outdoor mountain playgrounds that surround her home.

Michael-Naito

Michael Naito

CPA, CA, TEP

Associate Vice-President, Advanced Wealth Planning

Michael joined Wellington-Altus in May 2022 and is based in Kelowna, BC, where he works primarily with advisory teams and their clients in interior British Columbia. Michael has a strong background in Canadian income tax and, combined with his TEP designation, excels at addressing his clients’ wealth needs.

Prior to joining Wellington-Altus, Michael dedicated 10 years to gaining experience and knowledge in a public accounting practice setting, primarily specializing in Canadian domestic taxation. Within this role, Michael provided domestic tax expertise to owner-managed businesses with a focus on corporate reorganizations, and succession and estate planning. These experiences resulted in Michael becoming a technical leader within the firm, educating both tax and non-tax professionals on timely topics to ensure they had the knowledge required to help their clients navigate the current tax and business environment.

Michael graduated from Okanagan College with a Bachelor of Business Administration with an accounting specialization. Michael has also obtained his CPA, CA and TEP designations.

Outside of work, Michael enjoys taking in everything the Okanagan has to offer. He is an avid road cyclist and mountain biker. Michael is also a facilitator for the CPA Canada “In-Depth Tax Program” and is the Member Services Officer for the STEP Canada Okanagan Chapter.

Connie Gale

Connie Gale

B.Ed, CFP®, CHS®

Associate Vice-President, Wellington-Altus Insurance

Connie joined Wellington-Altus in 2019 as the inaugural Manager of Insurance and is based in Winnipeg, MB. She began her journey in the wealth services industry at one of Canada’s pre-eminent insurance companies and has obtained both life and investment licensing designations. She values employing a holistic approach to best serve the interests and needs of clients and has spent many years fostering strong relationships and helping clients build and manage their wealth. Connie is passionate about educating both advisors and their clients on how to effectively preserve and pass on wealth. Connie graduated from the University of Winnipeg with a Bachelor of Education and holds her CFP® and CHS designations. She is licensed across the country to provide life, accidental and critical illness solutions through Wellington-Altus Insurance Inc. Outside of work, she loves to cook, enjoys travelling and is fanatic about baseball. Between May and September, she can be found at Shaw Park with her husband Clint and daughter Madison cheering on her hometown Winnipeg Goldeyes.