Who We Are
Our senior management team each possesses 20+ years of global capital / financial markets experience across investment and risk management, strategy, fundraising, corporate finance, M&A, company law, and ESG. We bring experience from top-tier global investment firms and investment banks. As a boutique firm, we take a high-touch approach, with our senior professionals directly engaged in each client project.
Tamara Close, MSc, CFA
founder + Managing partner
Tamara Close
Tamara has over 25 years of combined experience in capital markets and ESG strategy. She is based in Montreal and works with investment management firms and asset owners to advance their ESG integration practices across both risk and value frameworks. She was previously the Head of ESG Integration for KKS Advisors, a global ESG Advisory firm. Tamara has held various front office investment management positions for the Bank of Montreal and Credit Lyonnais in the global derivatives and foreign exchange markets and was previously the head of research and risk for a start-up fixed income asset management firm in Montreal. Before founding Close Group Consulting, she spent 10 years in senior leadership roles within the risk and public markets investment groups of PSP Investments. She is also the founder and creator of the Sustainable Risk Assessment Framework
Tamara holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification and is a member of the ESG Examination Subcommittee for CFA Institute, a council member of the Canadian Advocacy Council for CFA Societies Canada. She is a Board director for Evovest, an investment management firm using artificial intelligence and evolutive learning techniques to manage investment portfolios. She is also a Board director for CFA Montreal and was previously the Chair of the ESG Committee. Tamara is also a member of the Investment Committee for the JGH Foundation. Tamara is a Strategic Advisor to the Veristell Institute, a globally focused think-tank on ESG and Corporate Purpose, and an Advisor and Contributor to PracticalESG, a source for ESG thought leadership. Tamara is a regular contributor to industry journals and author of thought leadership on ESG, risk management and sustainable investing and is a sought after speaker. She earned a Bachelor in Economics from McGill University and a Master of Science degree in Finance from the John Molson School of Business. She is based in Montreal and is fluent in English and French.
Paul Lacoursiere, CFA, MBA, BSEE
Managing Director
Paul Lacoursiere
Paul is a Managing Director at Close Group Consulting based in London, UK. He has over 20 years of combined experience in capital markets and ESG strategy. Paul was most recently the Global Head of ESG Investments for Janus Henderson Investors, a global asset manager with more than $310 billion in assets under management. He was responsible for integrating ESG across all the firm’s strategies. Prior to this, Paul led the build-out of the ESG research team at Aviva Investors as Global Head of ESG Research. Paul had previously held numerous roles in investment and research at Aviva, including as Head of Investment Specialists and Directors and as a Portfolio Manager for a fixed-income strategy. Before his time with Aviva, Paul held positions at Barclays Global Investors as a Senior Strategist for Fixed Income and as a Portfolio Manager at Munder Capital Management
Throughout his career, Paul has provided bespoke investment solutions to large institutional clients and worked directly with many major pension, sovereign wealth, and insurance organizations globally. Paul is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA); he holds an MBA in finance from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BSEE in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan.
Harry Schmidt, MSc
manager
Harry Schmidt
Harry is a finance professional and advisor at Close Group Consulting. Leveraging his experience working over numerous engagements and within investment teams, he works closely with clients in capital markets to enhance their ESG, sustainable investing, and impact strategies. Before CGC, Harry worked as a dedicated sustainability analyst on the Global Sustainable Equity Strategy at Janus Henderson, responsible for ESG and impact research, company engagements, and sustainability management, such as the strategies article 9 designation against the EU SFDR regulation. Before Janus Henderson, Harry worked as an ESG research and strategy consultant at KKS Advisors supporting engagements across multiple asset classes, including as lead on an outsourced ESG team for a prominent European private debt investor.
Harry holds a first-class BSc degree in economics from the University of Manchester and an MSc in specialized economic analysis with a focus on international trade, finance, and development from the Barcelona School of Economics.
Brice Le Gac, MSc
associate
Brice Le Gac
Brice is a consultant, conducting ESG research for CGC. He supports the firm’s global client engagements, as well as ESG and climate change product development efforts. He is based in Montreal. Prior to joining CGC, Brice worked as a Financial Analyst in the Corporate & Investment Banking and Private Banking divisions of Société Générale in Paris and Geneva. He also conducted independent ESG research analyzing corporate ESG disclosures and their potential benefits to investment decision making. Brice earned a Master’s degree in Management Accounting & Corporate Finance and a Bachelor’s degree in Management Science at the Institut d'Administration des Entreprises in France. He is a level 3 CFA candidate.