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Our Leadership
As a modern, effective, and efficient regulator, BCFSA is committed to protecting consumers through fair and efficient regulation of the financial services sector.
We’re proactive and forward looking. We take a risk-based approach to financial services supervision fitted to the dynamic nature of the sectors we oversee.
Regulatory and operational activities of BCFSA are administered by the CEO and approximately 300 team members with diverse expertise in policy, law, investigations, accounting, education, technology, and other areas essential to the successful regulation of the financial services sector.
BCFSA’s focus is on the financial services sector as a whole. We are organized on a functional basis with departments that oversee the entire sector including Supervision, Legal, Policy and Stakeholder Engagement, Compliance and Market Conduct, and Regulatory Services. A Corporate Services and Transformation department provides support to all the core business areas.
Our leadership team members are leading experts in their fields.
Tolga is the chief executive officer of BC Financial Services Authority (“BCFSA”). He also serves as B.C.’s Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Superintendent of Pensions, Superintendent of Real Estate, Registrar of Mortgage Brokers as well as chief executive officer of the Credit Union Deposit Insurance Corporation (“CUDIC”).
Tolga has over 13 years of experience specializing in financial regulation, crisis management, compliance, and innovation. Prior to joining BCFSA, he oversaw financial institutions at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (“OSFI”), playing a key role in maintaining the stability of Canada’s financial system and managing regulatory risks.
Tolga’s career is marked by his adept handling of strategic issues in high-stakes environments, demonstrating his proficiency in regulatory frameworks, commitment to public service, and economic and policy analysis skills, making him a respected leader across various sectors.
He has experience in various roles with the federal government, including Assistant Deputy Minister of the COVID-19 Task Force at Health Canada, Assistant Deputy Minister at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and Director General of Health Canada’s Consumer and Hazardous Product Safety Directorate.
Tolga holds bachelor’s degrees in law and commerce and two master’s degrees in law from the University of Oxford.
Christine Smiley supports the CEO and senior executives to deliver on BCFSA’s mandate through strategic and digital communications, CEO operations, and corporate governance. The Office of the CEO also supports organization-wide initiatives that foster corporate values such as diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Christine played an integral role as project director for the creation of BCFSA as a Crown agency and the subsequent integration of real estate regulation into BCFSA. She has extensive leadership experience in business transformation, corporate planning, project management, strategic human resources, and communications.
Prior to joining BCFSA, Christine spent about 16 years in the B.C. Public Service, largely at the Ministry of Finance. Most recently, she was the executive director, corporate planning & strategic initiatives with the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness during its transition to a new ministry including leading the development of its inaugural business plan and service plan.
Christine holds a bachelor of arts in economics from the University of Victoria and continuous education in leadership and organization development from Queens University, UBC Sauder School of Business, and Psychometrics Canada.
Nez Aquino has more than two decades of experience in the financial services industry and strives to guide and shape a resilient, vibrant financial sector for our province. Nez’s mission is to build strong relations with industry and other regulators and safeguard the interests of consumers in the financial services sector.
Prior to joining BCFSA, Nez held the chief operating officer position at Global Risk Institute in Financial Services in Toronto. She also held progressively senior roles at Vancity since 2006, including finance, retail operations, and most recently as its chief risk officer (“CRO”). As CRO, she shaped the risk management framework of the organization, managing all elements of current and emerging risks. Additionally, Nez gained valuable experience from her five-year tenure at Bank of America in the U.S., where she built upon her expertise in financial and analytics roles, leading her to take on increasingly complex challenges.
Beyond her professional achievements, Nez has also served on the boards of Pacific Blue Cross, S.U.C.C.E.S.S., and the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. She is a recipient of the Influential Leaders Award by Business in Vancouver (2023) and the Financial Excellence Award by Bank of America (2002).
Nez is a CPA, holds an MBA, and ICD.D Designation. She completed her undergraduate degree in Economics.
Jon Vandall serves as senior vice president of financial professionals with BCFSA. He brings more than 15 years of extensive experience in regulation and policy. Along with other members of the senior executive team, he is a leading force behind BCFSA’s work to protect British Columbians’ during some of their most important financial decisions.
Over the course of his career, Jon has spearheaded policy reform and rule-making initiatives related to real estate regulation in B.C. His proven ability to translate strategic direction into operational objectives allows him to develop policy that strengthens the practice of B.C.’s real estate licensees. A strategic communicator who can find clarity out of complexity, Jon has built strong relationships with government officials, industry stakeholders, and other regulators.
Jon has forged a reputation as a team builder who puts people first. He is passionate about fostering a culture that drives remarkable outcomes for both his team and the public. Prior to joining BCFSA, Jon held progressively senior roles with B.C.’s Office of the Superintendent of Real Estate (“OSRE”) including deputy superintendent of real estate. In this capacity, he was responsible for directing policy development and legal strategy for oversight, investigation, and regulatory enforcement actions.
Prior to that, Jon worked as senior policy analyst with the provincial Ministry of Finance, where he provided the Minister of Finance and senior officials with strategic counsel on real estate policy as well as legislative and regulatory amendments. He also worked on developing key amendments to overhaul the Real Estate Services Act (“RESA”).
Jon holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of Regina and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Victoria.
As BCFSA’s Senior Vice President, Enterprise Enablement, Kelly Latzel brings over two decades of leadership experience in corporate strategy, business transformation, financial and risk management, data strategy, AI integration, and client relations. Since 2022, she has led KLG Consulting, a boutique advisory firm specializing in strategic insights and tailored solutions that drive measurable outcomes.
She has a track record of improving organizational performance by successfully implementing complex strategies, while fostering a positive culture that connects diverse team members to organizational goals. Prior to KLG Consulting, she held executive roles at Fulmer & Company Investments, including Special Advisor, Managing Director, and CFO. In these roles, she played a pivotal role in corporate strategy, investment decisions, and supporting portfolio companies in finance, business development, and operational improvement.
At Central 1 Credit Union, Kelly served as SVP, Strategy, Marketing and Communications. Her leadership was instrumental in shaping corporate strategy, improving change management and agile functions, and rebuilding key departments, leading to record-high employee engagement.
Kelly is a CPA and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from the University of Victoria.
Saskia Tolsma is vice president, strategic policy with BCFSA. She is responsible for developing policies and best practices and operationalizing an engagement strategy for BCFSA as a modern, effective, and efficient regulator. She leverages over 15 years of experience in policy and regulatory development, including extensive work with a variety of government partners, regulators, and external stakeholders in order to provide strategic advice on how BCFSA meets its commitments for meaningful engagement and transparency.
Before joining BCFSA, Saskia held progressively senior roles at the Department of Finance Canada. This experience included roles to support the Minister of Finance in developing the federal budget, developing the mandate for the Canada Infrastructure Bank and roles in financial sector policy related to financial services innovation and consumer protection. Most recently this entailed responsibility for the federal government’s review into open banking and supporting the Minister of Finance’s advisory committee on open banking. Prior to joining Finance Canada, Saskia also worked at the Senate of Canada in a policy capacity, particularly on environment and natural resource files. These roles have supported Saskia in developing a strong sense of how to advance priority public policy initiatives and how to manage challenging issues in the public environment.
Saskia holds a bachelor of public affairs and policy management from Carleton University, and a master of public policy from the University of Ottawa.
Joy Tcheng plays a pivotal role in modernizing and strengthening supervisory capabilities and methods and driving best practices to promote sector stability and maintain public confidence in B.C.’s financial services sector. She leads a team of professionals responsible for overseeing the supervision of financial institutions and pension plans, conducting real estate audits, enhancing risk surveillance and analytics capabilities, and developing and implementing effective supervisory practices, reporting and standards.
Over the last 15 years, Joy has held diverse leadership roles in audit, risk management and financial services supervision. Most recently, she was the director of insurance and trust at BCFSA where she made significant contributions to enhancing risk assessment practices, implementing robust data analytics and reporting capabilities, and fostering a strong risk culture in the supervision of Insurance and Trust companies.
Joy holds a bachelor of arts from the University of British Columbia. She is also a Chartered Professional Accountant.
Anita Handregan is responsible for building an education strategy for BCFSA that focuses on elevating standards of practice across the financial services sector while enhancing education on consumer protection.
Anita is skilled at building high-performing teams and strategic partnerships to drive business growth. She has a tremendous track record as a strategic leader in the education field for over 20 years, driving business results through client-focused strategies for some of Canada’s top educational institutions.
Prior to joining BCFSA, she held executive and senior leadership roles in both the public and private sector. Most recently, she was responsible for the program standards and assessments portfolios with SkilledTradesBC, the crown agency that leads and manages the trades training and apprenticeship system in B.C.
Anita holds a bachelor of arts from the University of British Columbia as well as a master in adult education and human resources from Colorado State University.
Doug Copland brings extensive expertise to his role as vice president, legal at BCFSA.
Before joining BCFSA, Doug was a partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, where he practiced in the areas of corporate, commercial, mergers and acquisitions, technology and intellectual property law, serving a broad clientele including for-profit and not-for-profit corporations, cooperatives, credit unions, and other corporate entities for 38 years.
His governance experience, gained through working closely with boards of directors across various sectors, positions him to lead BCFSA’s corporate legal, hearings and corporate secretary teams. His leadership is further demonstrated by his mentorship of high performing teams and his support for organizational succession planning.
He holds a bachelor of commerce and a bachelor of laws from the University of British Columbia.
Kevin joined BCFSA in 2021. He is responsible for oversight of BCFSA’s human resources programs which fosters positive employee engagement in line with the organization’s core values and to deliver on its public protection mandate.
Kevin is an accomplished executive with over 30 years of experience in the human resources field gained from diverse sectors, including the broader public sector, non-profits, and private sector organizations. He has a strong background encompassing employee relations, collective bargaining, compensation and benefits, organizational development, talent management, and enterprise technologies.
His strategic mindset and deep understanding of human resources best practices enables him to drive impactful initiatives and foster high-performance cultures among BCFSA’s over 350 employees. Additionally, he has expertise in talent acquisition, development, and retention.
Kevin holds a bachelor of arts in economics from UBC, a diploma of technology in human resources from BCIT, and has earned the prestigious Certified Professional in Human Resources designation. He has also served on the boards of the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources of B.C., and the International Association for Human Resources Information Management.
