James Cole

James Cole joined Portland Investment Counsel Inc./AIC Limited in February 2000 as Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager. He is the lead Portfolio Manager of the Portland Focused Plus Fund LP, Portland Canadian Balanced Fund and Portland Canadian Focused Fund. Mr. Cole has 31 years of investment experience including 22 years as a portfolio manager responsible for Canadian and U.S. equities. Mr. Cole was the lead Portfolio Manager of Manulife Canadian Focused Fund from its inception in August 2000 to June 2012. At the end of his tenure, the fund had above-average returns in the Canadian Focused Equity category over one year, three years, five years, 10 years and since inception. In 2007, the Canadian balanced fund lead-managed by James Cole won the Lipper Award for having the highest risk-adjusted return in its category for the three years ended in 2006. Prior to joining Portland, Mr. Cole was a portfolio manager with Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc., and prior to this, was Vice President and Portfolio Manager with Beutel, Goodman & Company Ltd. Mr. Cole also was a securities analyst for nine years culminating in 1992 with being ranked in the Brendan Woods survey of institutional investors as the number one communications and media analyst in Canada. Mr. Cole is the immediate Past Treasurer of CFA Society Calgary and previously served as a director of CFA Society Toronto, and Chairman of its accounting and disclosure committee. Mr. Cole holds a degree in economics from Trent University and earned his CFA designation in 1986.