Team

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Eloise Duncan

CEO and Founder

Eloise is Founder and CEO of the Financial Resilience Institute and is known as one of Canada’s leading experts in financial health and resilience in Canada. She is a high-energy social entrepreneur and Certified Management Consultant (C.M.C) with over twenty-five years of experience in financial services, strategic consulting and financial health research, strategy and impact measurement. Eloise was also the previous Founder and CEO of Seymour Management Consulting Inc, established in 2009 and the creator of the Seymour Financial Resilience Index®.

Eloise Duncan was also awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award (October 2021) by the Association of Certified Management Consultants of B.C. in recognition of her Index and her purpose-driven work for Canadians.

Dual nationality Canadian and British, Eloise lives in Vancouver with her family. When she’s not working, she loves skiing, travel and photography.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Kujtim Koci

Director, Research and Analytics

Kujtim is the Director, Marketing and Analytics and an Associate of the Financial Resilience Institute. He has led hundreds of market and social research projects, mainly for international donor organizations like the World Bank, UN Agencies, USAID, NATO, European Union and several Canadian FIs. Kujtim is the lead statistician for Seymour Consulting and works with a team of statisticians and Associates to support the Institute’s projects. As a Fulbright scholar, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pursuing an MBA degree, specializing in Marketing Research.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Gaurangi Gyanesh Singh

Data Insights Analyst

Gaurangi is a Data Insights Analyst and Associate Intern with specialty knowledge in marketing, communications and data analysis. She works with passion to support Institute research analytics, consulting projects, marketing and innovation. A fourth-year student at UBC Sauder School of Business, Gaurangi drives impact in the community, loves to travel and cook.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Shawna Zegarra

Office Manager

Shawna Zegarra is the Office Manager for Financial Resilience Institute, where she supports operations, administration and communications. Shawna also works as a Board, Subscriber and Client liaison and as the Executive Assistant to Eloise Duncan. Her passion lies with helping people who are helping others.

Associates

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Maggie Baker, PhD

Senior Associate, Money Psychologist

Maggie has been a practicing clinical psychologist for 30 years, specializing in couples, relationship issues, anxiety and depression. Over the last nearly 20 years, Maggie has developed expertise in the psychology of money and financial wellness. Although she still works with other types of issues, her main focus is now on financial therapy, public speaking and doing workshops about her book, Crazy About Money: How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices and What To Do About It, behavioural economics and financial wellness. Maggie partners with Eloise and her team on research and work related to money scripts, financial resilience and wellness and the disconnects between consumer and financial goals and behaviours.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

John Lo, MBA

Senior Associate, Research and Analytics

John has 20 years of experience in marketing research and business analytics. Ten of those years were spent working in financial services where he gained hands-on experience in customer analytics, data mining and modelling, working at Vancity Savings Credit Union. John provides tailored analytical solutions in support of strategy development and validation for clients. John helped to create the first Financial Well-Being study working with Eloise Duncan back in 2017, and supports her as an Associate on Institute projects. John also serves on the Institute Advisory Council.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Vesselina Davenport

Public Relations Manager

Vesselina is a seasoned Public Relations Manager with over 15 years of experience in PR strategy, communications, and media engagements. Ina holds an MA in Mass Communications and Journalism and has worked as a journalist in Europe and the United States.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Elisabeth (Lilli) Graf

Behavioural Finance Consultant

Elisabeth is a seasoned professional with five years of experience in the banking and fintech industry. She is an expert at leveraging service and behavioural design to gain profound insights into customer needs, behaviours, and attitudes towards money. Lili works with the Institute’s team and clients to help design prevention solutions and customer experiences that help people build healthy financial behaviours and their financial and overall resilience.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Andra Dauti, Bsc.

Senior Associate, Brand Marketing Strategy and Visual Design

Andra is an Industrial Design Engineer with a diploma from the Hague University of Applied Sciences. With a keen eye on detail and understanding of data, Andra is an expert on Data Visualization and Illustration. Andra’s experience includes branding, visual presentation, content creation, social media marketing and management.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Bardh Ulaj, Bsc

Senior Associate, Brand, Digital Marketing and UX Design

 

Bardh is a Management & Entrepreneurship, Graphic Design and Multimedia graduate with a diploma from the Rochester Institute of Technology. With a passion for user experience and human-centered design and almost a decade of experience in the industry, he has honed his skills in designing effective and visually appealing digital experiences for users. Bardh’s design process is centered around creating designs that not only look great, but also function seamlessly and enhance the user experience.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Alex Krzywdzinska

Digital Marketing and Engagement Specialist

Alex is a seasoned Digital Sales and Marketing Specialist with over four years’ experience in marketing, technology and financial services. She is passionate about developing and executing user-centric digital marketing strategies and insights to help bring to life the Institute’s purpose, social impact and brand.

Team

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Eloise Duncan

CEO and Founder

Eloise is Founder and CEO of the Financial Resilience Institute and is known as one of Canada’s leading experts in financial health in Canada. She is a high-energy social entrepreneur and Certified Management Consultant (C.M.C) with over twenty five years of experience in financial services, strategic consulting and financial health research, strategy and impact measurement. Eloise was also the previous Founder and CEO of Seymour Management Consulting Inc, established in 2009 and the creator of the Seymour Financial Resilience Index®.

Eloise Duncan was also awarded the Distinguished Achievement Award (October 2021) by the Association of Certified Management Consultants of B.C. in recognition of her Index and her purpose-driven work for Canadians.

Dual nationality Canadian and British, Eloise lives in Vancouver with her family. When she’s not working, she loves skiing, travel and photography.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Kujtim Koci

Director, Research and Analytics

Kujtim is the Director, Marketing and Analytics and an Associate of the Financial Resilience Institute. He has led hundreds of market and social research projects, mainly for international donor organizations like the World Bank, UN Agencies, USAID, NATO, European Union and several Canadian FIs. Kujtim is the lead statistician for Seymour Consulting and works with a team of statisticians and Associates to support Seymour’s projects. As a Fulbright scholar, he attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, pursuing an MBA degree, specializing in Marketing Research.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Gaurangi Gyanesh Singh

Data Insights Analyst

Gaurangi is a Data Insights Analyst and Associate Intern with specialty knowledge in marketing, communications and data analysis. She works with passion to support Institute research analytics, consulting projects, marketing and innovation. A fourth-year student at UBC Sauder School of Business, Gaurangi drives impact in the community, loves to travel and cook.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Shawna Zegarra

Office Manager

Shawna Zegarra is the Office Manager for Financial Resilience Institute, where she supports operations, administration and communications. Shawna also works as a Board, Subscriber and Client liaison and as the Executive Assistant to Eloise Duncan. Her passion lies with helping people who are helping others.

Associates

Meet Our Team - Eloise

John Lo, MBA

Senior Associate, Research and Analytics

John has 20 years of experience in marketing research and business analytics. Ten of those years were spent working in financial services where he gained hands-on experience in customer analytics, data mining and modeling, working at Vancity Savings Credit Union. John provides tailored analytical solutions in support of strategy development and validation for clients. John helped to create the first Financial Well-Being study working with Eloise Duncan back in 2017, and supports her as a Associate on Institute projects. John also serves on the Institute Advisory Council.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Vesselina Davenport

Public Relations Manager

Vesselina is a seasoned Public Relations Manager with over 15 years of experience in PR strategy, communications and media engagements. Ina holds an MA in Mass Communications and Journalism and has worked as a journalist in Europe and the United States.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Maggie Baker, PhD

Senior Associate, Money Psychologist

Maggie has been a practicing clinical psychologist for 30 years, specializing in couples, relationship issues, anxiety and depression. Over the last nearly 20 years Maggie has developed an expertise in the psychology of money and financial wellness. Although she still works with other types of issues, her main focus is now on financial therapy, public speaking and doing workshops about her book, Crazy About Money: How Emotions Confuse Our Money Choices and What To Do About It, behavioral economics and financial wellness. Maggie partners with Eloise and her team on research and work related to money scripts, financial wellness and the disconnects between consumer and financial goals and behaviours.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Elisabeth (Lilli) Graf

Behavioural Finance Consultant

Elisabeth is a seasoned professional with five years of experience in the banking and fintech industry. She is an expert at leveraging service and behavioural design to gain profound insights into customer needs, behaviours, and attitudes towards money. Lili works with the Institute’s team and clients to help design prevention solutions and customer experiences that help people build healthy financial behaviours and their financial and overall resilience.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Andra Dauti, Bsc.

Senior Associate, Brand Marketing Strategy and Visual Design

Andra is an Industrial Design Engineer, with a diploma from the Hague University of Applied Sciences. With a keen eye on detail and understanding of data, Andra is an expert on Data Visualization and Illustration. Andra’s experience includes branding, visual presentation, content creation, social media marketing and management.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Bardh Ulaj, Bsc.

Senior Associate, Brand, Digital Marketing and UX Design

Bardh is a Management & Entrepreneurship, Graphic Design and Multimedia graduate with a diploma from the Rochester Institute of Technology. With a passion for user experience and human-centered design and almost a decade of experience in the industry, he has honed his skills in designing effective and visually appealing digital experiences for users. Bardh’s design process is centered around creating designs that not only look great, but also function seamlessly and enhance the user experience.

Meet Our Team - Eloise

Alex Krzywdzinska

Digital Marketing and Engagement Specialist

Alex is a seasoned Digital Sales and Marketing Specialist with over four years’ experience in marketing, technology and financial services. She is passionate about developing and executing user-centric digital marketing strategies and insights to help bring to life the Institute’s purpose, social impact and brand.