Michael Lem (BCom 1987)

Michael Lem
Vice-President, BMO Nesbitt Burns

From the ski slopes to board rooms, U of T Mississauga alumnus Michael Lem has a passion for excellence and achievement.

The investment advisor, financial planner and certified management accountant earned a BCom degree from UTM (then Erindale College) in 1987. Lem has built a strong background in financial services, business and strategic planning. He holds a Certified Financial Planner designation, a Certified Senior Advisor designation, an Audit Committee Certified designation and a Chartered Director designation. Now a vice-president with BMO Nesbitt Burns, he heads The Lem Group--a team dedicated to personal financial planning. 

Lem is a recognized expert in the areas of financial planning and life planning, and lectures extensively in Canada and around the world on these topics. He is also a regular contributor to the Toronto Sun, and his columns on investment strategies, and life, financial, retirement and estate planning have appeared in York Business News and the Voice of the Farmer.

Three decades after earning his degree, Lem continues to be an active and committed member of the UTM community. He currently serves as vice chair on the Business Advisory Board for the Li Koon Chun Finance Learning Centre (LKFLC), and is the past president of the Erindale College Alumni Association at UTM. In  2006, Lem was awarded the University of Toronto Arbor Award for outstanding voluntary service, and he has been named one of UTM’s 40 most outstanding alumni.

He has been an active member of the CMA Canada Board of Governors and now serves as vice-chair of the CMA Canada Council of Chairs. He served as chairman and also as a board member with the Board of the Financial Planners Standards Council. He was awarded a Fellowship to the Society of Management Accountants of Canada in 2003. He has served as first vice-chair and then board chair of CMA Ontario.

In his personal time, Lem is an avid sailor, scuba diver and alpine skiier. During the winter, he can be found on the slopes as a downhill racing and technical skiing coach.

Originally published for Backpack to Briefcase.

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