Masterclass CFA ®
Instructors and Curriculum

Dr. Emrul Hasan CFA, FRM

Dr. Emrul Hasan is currently a lecturer at the University of British Columbia, Canada. Dr. Hasan has been training CFA candidates for over 7 years. Prior to teaching at UBC, he was a lecturer of Finance and Economics at the Beedie School of Business of Simon Fraser University (SFU). He also served in the Faculty of Finance, Accounting and Risk Management at the British Columbia Institute of ... Technology (BCIT). He earned his PhD in Finance at the Beedie School of Business at SFU, Canada, and an MA in Financial Economics from York University, Canada. Before working in education, he spent several years as an Investment Analyst and Consultant at different investment banks and think-tanks such as Fraser Institute and Asian Tiger Capital Partners Ltd. In these positions, he leveraged an adept understanding of venture capital, private equity, M&A and different robust valuations techniques when providing sound advice on investment, financial and portfolio management.

Dr. Hasan serves as our resident Economics expert, covering topics such as International Trade, Monetary and Fiscal Policy and Currency Exchange Rates. Furthermore, he has contributed to The Princeton Review’s research and development department for the CFA® exam, having developed, written, proofed, and edited content for the Level 1 CFA® self-paced course materials.

Maria Kutscher CFA, CFP, CRPC, AAMS

Maria teaches Investment Planning at the University of California, Irvine. Prior to teaching, she most recently served as the Senior Vice President of Institutional and Private Client Advisor at Bank of America Private Wealth Management. Maria previously held senior leadership roles at UBS, TIAA and other notable investment firms where she trained advisors, portfolio ... managers and developed investment policies and asset allocation models. Maria earned her bachelor’s degree from California State University – Long beach, and her master’s in business administration and international marketing from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Professor Kutscher is our expert in Ethics and Professional Standards, and Portfolio Management teaching topics such as Standards of Professional Conduct and Global Investment Performance Standards.

Outside of teaching, you can find Maria actively engaged in the local nonprofit community and spending time with family and friends.

Dr. Charles Alan Blaylock CFA, CTP

Dr. Blaylock is a lifelong Finance professor, having taught at various universities since 1999 including Kennesaw State University and Murray State University. Currently, Dr. Blaylock teaches at Henderson State University where he has initiated and led the development of a new finance program. Professor Blaylock is also the faculty advisor to his university’s investment fund. He earned both his Ph.D. ... in Finance and MBA from Mississippi State University and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and the Certified Treasury Professional (CTP) credential. Dr. Blaylock earned his bachelor’s degree from Delta State University.

Dr. Blaylock is a Fixed Income expert and in the self-paced course and teaches topics such as Fundamentals of Credit Analysis and Asset-Backed Securities.

Martin McNish CFA

Martin is currently a Portfolio Manager at Odlum Brown Limited, where he began his career in 2008. He was a finalist for the Investment Industry Association of Canada Top Under 40 award.
Additionally, Martin has been teaching Level III CFA® content for over four years and currently is an instructor at University of British Colombia’s Sauder School of Business. Martin received his ... Bachelor (B.B.A.) in Accounting and Finance and his Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2013.

Martin McNish is our Quantitative Methods, Derivatives and Alternative Investments expert and covers topics such as the Time Value of Money.

In his spare time, Martin is very philanthropical having founded Give a Damn Vancouver, a non-profit that raises money to fund charities that pitch the organization on there cause. To date, Martin and Give a Damn Vancouver have raised over $250,000 for over 42 charities. He has previously sat on the Board of Directors for Silver Harbour Centre and Camp Kerry Society.

Chris Ansell CFA, MBA

Chris is the Course Director at MSc Global Finance at Coventry University in London, an accredited institution by CFA Institute. Chris has been teaching Finance since 2011, starting as a visiting lecturer at Cranfield University school of Management. In the past, his experience includes providing CFA review courses around the world, including courses for CFA London, CFA Ireland ... and CFA Paris. Professor Ansell reinforces his teaching curriculum for CFA exams with examples from his experience as former Equity Analyst at an International Investment Bank. Professor Ansell worked in the private sector for over 30 years including holding senior positions at BT, Nomura Asset Management and Fortuna International Ltd. Chris received his MA from University of Cambridge and his MBA in Accounting and Finance from Cranfield University.

Professor Ansell is our expert in Corporate Finance and Equity Investments teaching topics including Equity Securities and Equity Valuations.

Dr. G Todd Jackson CFA, CPA, CMA, CFM, CFE

Dr. Jackson is a tenured Professor of Accounting at Rogers State University. He has been teaching Accounting for over 27 years, having previously been a tenured Professor of Accounting at Northeastern State University and Oklahoma Baptist University. Prior to teaching, Dr. Jackson spent seven years as the CFO in the nonprofit sector. Dr. Jackson earned his Master of Accountancy ... from the University of Oklahoma and his Ph.D. in Business Administration from University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, where he studied accounting and finance.

Dr. Jackson serves as our expert in Financial Reporting and Analysis and teaches topics such as Understanding Income Statements, Balance Sheets and Cash Flow Statements.

Albert Matousek CFA

Albert is a CFA charter holder with ten years of combined work experience in equity research and investor relations. Albert currently works in Equity Research in the Canadian Bank sector. Previously, Albert worked in investor relations and as a financial analyst. Albert graduated with an Undergraduate Degree in Physics from McGill University and holds an MBA in finance.

Cheryl Wu CFA, CPA

Cheryl started her career at one of the big four accounting firms. After spending three years in the audit practice, she transitioned to strategy advisory, where she worked directly in supporting strategic decision making. Cheryl passed all 3 levels of CFA exams consecutively over a year and half and was awarded charter in 2018. Her focus is on delivering test taking strategies and is excited to support students in their CFA journey.

Mark St. Marie CFA

Mark graduated from Cornell University with a degree in chemical engineering and worked for 15 years as process engineer/manager at Exxon, Mobil and Clean Harbors Environmental. He worked for Diamondback Capital Management, Vermillion Asset Management as a senior equity analyst, portfolio manager and equities and derivatives trader. For the past 7 years Mark has engaged in several entrepreneurial ventures. Mark is a CFA charter holder.

Maxim Treff CFA

Maxim started his journey in investment banking in 2004, where he focused on derivatives, equity and private equity. Maxim decided to pursue his MBA and focus on helping families plan their financial future. He currently spends most of his time teaching finance at Canadian post-secondary institutions, and working as a financial planner. Throughout his journey Maxim acted as a subject matter expert for the CFA and the CFP program.

Nicki DeGroot CFA

Nicki is a consultant working in Corporate Finance She spent several years working in finance at Optum and Cargill. She also worked in buy-side fixed income research. She has developed a deep understanding of corporate decisions from both inside the firm and the outside investor’s perspective. She has an MBA from the University of Iowa and currently serves as a Finance and Accounting tutor with The Princeton Review’s Tutor.com.

Travis Lockhart CFA, FP&A

Travis is the Director of Pricing and Risk Analytics at ProService Hawaii. He teaches at the U of Phoenix Kapolei, and was the Lead Faculty Area Chair in the areas of Strategic Analysis and Planning, Functional Management, and Financial Planning, Control, and Risk Management. Travis holds an MBA and an MS in Finance degree from Northeastern University. He is a CFA Charterholder as well as a Certified Corporate FP&A Professional.

Vikram Iyer CFA

Vikram is a top-rated University Professor and exam-prep trainer with more than a decade of CFA Program Prep teaching experience. His areas of teaching expertise include Corporate Finance, Fixed Income, Statistics, Accounting, Portfolio Management and Derivatives. Vikram also participates with CFA Institute’s mentoring programs and is currently one of the designated mentors in Toronto. He earned the CFA Charter in 2009.

David Kaczorowski CFA

David is a chartered financial analyst (CFA). He is an adjunct Professor of Finance at The University of San Francisco and St. Mary’s College of California. He is also the former director of the CFA Society San Francisco’s live CFA exam prep program. Mr. Kaczorowski holds a BS in Finance from the Boston College Carroll School of Management, and an MBA in Investment Management from the Yale University School of Management. Before becoming a teacher, he spent over 18-years working and gaining experience in the financial industry.