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Jamie Brown has made the journey from the den of a dragon back to Canaccord Genuity Corp.
Mr. Brown is rejoining Canaccord Genuity as vice chairman and managing director of investment banking. Before January 2015, he was managing partner and a key leader at Difference Capital Financial Inc., the merchant bank co-founded in 2012 by Michael Wekerle, a dragon on CBC's business-oriented reality TV show, Dragon's Den.
Canaccord Genuity was a natural landing spot for Mr. Brown who worked for the firm for 16 years until 2013. Canaccord Financial Inc. was founded in Vancouver by Mr. Brown's father, Peter Brown, who stepped back as chief executive in 2006 and retired from the independent brokerage firm in 2014. During that time, Canaccord bought Genuity Capital Markets in 2010.
The younger Mr. Brown previously worked on both sides of the border to grow Canaccord Genuity's North American business as the firm increasingly sought international clients. When he left, Mr. Brown was vice chairman and president of its U.S. division.
Now based in Vancouver, Mr. Brown will target banking business in sectors such as diversified industries, technology and life sciences. It's a natural fit with the focuses Mr. Brown had at Difference, namely the technology, media and health care and life sciences spaces.
In his new role, Mr. Brown will also use skills and relationships built previously at Canaccord Genuity to work with the investment advisor-oriented transaction business, the company said in a release.
"He has significant cross-border transaction experience and is well positioned to market the firm to corporate issuers and financial sponsors in western Canada," David Kassie, chief executive of Canaccord Genuity Group Inc., said of Mr. Brown in a statement.