Alumni Program

Complimentary exclusive educational programs for Alumni. Where continuous learning meets world-class expertise.

Two alumni webinars
March 24th: From the trading floor, what you need to know right now.
March 31st: A modern framework for succession.

Feburary 2027: Agri-study tour to New Zealand.

Exclusive Webinar

RBC Capital Markets

From the Trading Floor: What You Need to Know Right Now

March 24th, 2026

11:00 AM MT

Complimentary

This is a rare, invitation-only opportunity for Program Alumni to go beyond the headlines and get a direct line to the expertise that drives decisions at the highest levels of Canadian finance.

RBC Capital Markets brings their trading floor perspective straight to you. This will offer a candid market update, insights into where Canadian interest rates may be heading, and a practical look at how SWAPS can be used as a powerful tool for flexible, strategic financing.

Whether you’re managing debt, planning capital investments, or simply want to sharpen your financial lens, this session is built to give you clarity and confidence in an uncertain economic environment.

What You'll Take Away:

  • A current read on Canadian and global markets
  • Interest rate insights direct from RBC’s trading floor
  • A clear explanation of SWAPS and how they can work for your business
  • Time for your questions, answered by industry experts

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Muskaan Gauri

Associate – Interest Rates and FX – Western Canada

Muskaan Gauri is an Associate with the Interest Rates and FX team at RBC Capital Markets. She joined the bank in 2022 and supports mid-market and corporate clients across Western Canada in managing their interest rate and foreign exchange risk. Based in Calgary, Muskaan works to develop and execute effective hedging strategies tailored to client needs. She holds a Bachelor of Management, Finance (Minor: Economics), and Bachelor of Science, Computer Science from the University of Lethbridge, Dhillon School of Business.

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Lana Difrancescomarino

Vice President | Risk Solutions Group – Rates | RBC Capital Markets

Lana has 10 years of experience in Capital Markets, providing tailored Interest Rate and FX risk management solutions to a wide range of commercial, corporate, & wealth management clients across various industries – with a focus on agriculture. Prior to joining RBC, Lana has worked in early-stage technology and holds a Bachelor of Commerce, (Hons Finance, Minor: Economics) from the DeGroote School Business, McMaster University

Reserve For March 24th Finance Webinar Today

Exclusive Webinar

The Wise Owners Succession Model

A Modern Framework for Family Agricultural Businesses

Presented by Matthew Gal

March 31st, 2026

11:00 AM MT

Complimentary

Succession planning is one of the most consequential, and most avoided, conversations in agriculture. The question isn’t just who takes over the farm. It’s how your family preserves, governs, and grows what it has built across generations.

On March 31st, Bridges to Success welcomes Matthew Gal for a webinar on The Wise Owners Succession Model. This is a flexible, family-centered framework that reframes how agricultural families think about ownership, structure, and long-term continuity.

At its core, the Model invites families to see themselves not as having a family business, but as being a business family; one that owns and controls its capital base with wisdom, intention, and a shared code of conduct. It emphasizes fit over formula, clear roles over assumptions, and governance over guesswork.

What You'll Explore:

  •  The Philosophy Behind the Model Understand the distinction between a “family business” and a “business family” and why that shift in mindset changes everything about how decisions get made, how conflict gets managed, and how wealth gets preserved.
  •  Structure, Roles & Governance Explore how the corporate structure is used to clarify roles (shareholders, directors, officers, and employees)and why separating family meetings from business meetings creates healthier dynamics and better outcomes.
  • Shareholders Agreements as a Code of Conduct Learn how a well-crafted shareholders agreement goes beyond legal protection to become a living framework for family alignment and decision-making.
  • Built for Canada – A National Lens The Model’s flexibility makes it adaptable across provinces and agricultural sectors.
  • The Future of the Farm: Ag-Tech & the Capital Base One of the most forward-looking elements of this session explores how emerging agricultural technology reshapes succession planning. From precision agriculture and robotics to data platforms and genomics, new technology isn’t just changing how farms operate, it’s changing what counts as a capital asset, who can contribute meaningfully to the business, and what governance structures need to protect.

Why This Session Matters:

The best succession plans aren’t built in a lawyer’s office at the last minute. They’re built over time, with the right framework, the right conversations, and the right structure to hold it all together.

Whether you are early in your succession thinking or well into the process, this session will give you a clearer picture of what thoughtful, enduring farm succession can look like for your family, your operation, and the generations that follow.

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Matthew Gal

Agriculture Law & Succession Planning Expert

Practicing in Southern Alberta

Matt was born in Lethbridge, Alberta and grew up in Lethbridge and Calgary. Matt’s primary practice areas are agriculture law, commercial, corporate, purchase and sale of a business and technology Law. He also has extensive litigation experience, including appearing at all levels of court in Alberta. Matt enjoys using his acquired litigation experience to identify and manage potential issues that may arise in corporate and commercial matters. Matt is particularly interested in agricultural law, and assisting farm families with succession planning in a variety of ways. Additionally, Matt is interested in the law and technology, including cybersecurity and the interactions between law and artificial intelligence.

During law school, Matt was the co-editor-in-chief for the Alberta Law Review and played on one of the school’s hockey teams. Matt is involved in the Lethbridge community and served as the Vice Chair of Finance for the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce and was previously a board member at the Galt Museum and Archives for three years.

Matt practices primarily in Coaldale, Taber, and Lethbridge in Southern Alberta.

Reserve For March 31st Succession Webinar Today

Where World-Class Agriculture Meets World-Class Peers

Some trips change your perspective. This one changes your business and reminds you why the people around you matter just as much as the destination.

Bridges to Success invites Program Alumni to join an exclusive agri-study tour to New Zealand in February 2027. This a rare opportunity to step outside your own operation, expand your global agricultural lens, and reconnect with the network that has always pushed you to think bigger.

New Zealand is not just a breathtaking destination. It is one of the most innovative, export-driven, and sustainability-focused agricultural nations on the planet and one of the most instructive places in the world for Canadian farm families and agribusiness leaders to learn, compare, and be inspired.

This is not a vacation. It is a 12-day immersive journey through one of the world’s most innovative, export-driven, and sustainability-focused agricultural nations which has been curated specifically for agricultural business leaders like you, alongside the peer network you’ve built through Program Alumni.

Why New Zealand?

New Zealand’s farmers are among the most efficient and export-focused in the world. With less than 5% of their land used for arable farming, agriculture accounts for 46% of all goods exported. This a remarkable testament to productivity, innovation, and a relentless focus on quality. From the dairy heartland of Waikato to the vineyard-draped hills of Hawke’s Bay, the high-country Merino stations of Mackenzie, and the horticultural powerhouses of Canterbury and Central Otago, New Zealand offers a complete picture of what modern, forward-thinking agriculture looks like.

February 2027 — Why Now?

February is summer in New Zealand. This is the height of the growing season, when operations are at their most active and most visible. It is the ideal time to see farms running at full capacity, and the ideal time to leave a Canadian winter behind and return home with a fresh perspective and renewed energy for the year ahead.

The itinerary has been carefully designed to balance agricultural education with the extraordinary landscapes and culture that make New Zealand unlike anywhere else on earth.

This is the trip that rewards the years you’ve invested in your education, your business, and your network. Don’t let a spot pass you by. Spaces will be limited to 25 to preserve the quality and intimacy of the experience.

CTEAM/CFAME/EDP Alumni programming delivery is being continued through Heather Broughton and Bridges to Success

Sign Up for Fall 2026 Program Updates!

Explore what’s ahead this spring while getting ready for programs & courses starting in the fall.