Patti Shugart is Managing Director and Head Global of Corporate Banking and a member of the Operating Committee at RBC Capital Markets. In her role, Ms. Shugart oversees a client-facing team of more than 500 professionals globally who specialize in lending, trading credit and loan portfolio management for our corporate and institutional clients. She also chairs the Loan Portfolio Review Committee and the Commitments Committee which determines the firm’s global lending decisions.

Ms. Shugart is a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. She sits on the bank-wide RBC Diversity Leadership Council, is a co-founder of RWomen, a global internal forum dedicated to fostering and developing female talent, and she chairs the Women in Capital Markets’ Advisory Council. She is also the current Executive Champion for the Toronto RBC Race for the Kids and is RBC's Executive Sponsor for the United Way’s Women United group. Ms. Shugart has been recognized for her outstanding contributions to the industry through the Champion of Change award from Women in Capital Markets in 2016. She was named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women by Women's Executive Network in 2015 and 2017, and received the Women in Capital Markets Award for Leadership in 2010.

Ms. Shugart is also a board member at Branksome Hall and sits on the Advisory Board for the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. She has an MBA from the University of Toronto (Rotman) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Queen’s University.

Ralph Sehgal is Managing Director and Deputy Head of Corporate Banking, a global business with offices across Canada, the US, Europe and Australia. He leads a team of professionals in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver that provide client coverage across a broad range of industries and also sits on a number of internal committees, including the Corporate Banking/Global Credit Operating Committee.

Prior to joining RBC Capital Markets in 2009, Ralph spent 13 years at CIBC World Markets in a number of roles, the most recent of which was Managing Director and Team Leader covering large corporate clients. Ralph also spent a number of years living and working abroad in Finland, Switzerland and England for Credit Suisse.

Ralph is a member of the United Way Toronto's MIG Cabinet. He is a graduate of the University of Guelph holding a Combined Honors degree in Management and Economics, as well as Queen’s University where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree. Ralph also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Patrick Shields is a Managing Director at RBC Capital Markets and Head of Corporate Banking in New York.  He leads a team of bankers that deliver relationship coverage, credit product structuring and transaction execution across the credit ratings spectrum. Sectors covered include industrials, consumer, healthcare, municipals, infrastructure, power & utilities, financial services, media, telecommunications, and technology.

He also provides senior level coverage for several corporate relationships including automotive clients. He has been actively involved in the auto sector since 1995.

Mr. Shields is a member of the Global Loan Commitments Committee, US Regional Operating Committee and Corporate Banking Global Operating Committee.

Since joining RBC Financial Group in 1990, he has held various account coverage and management positions, working in Corporate and Investment Banking offices in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and New York. Prior to joining RBC, Mr. Shields worked for five years as a middle market lender at Manufacturers Hanover. He holds an MBA from Loyola University at Chicago and Bachelors of Science in Accounting from D'Youville College.

Ken Klassen is a Managing Director/Group Head, Corporate Banking in London.  He heads up Corporate Banking in Europe and Australia, across all sectors and is a member of the European Operating Committee, Global Loan Commitments Committee and Corporate Banking Global Operating Committee. Ken moved to London in April 2017 and prior to his current responsibilities, he led the Corporate Banking business in New York for Communications, Media, Entertainment, Technology, Healthcare and Consumer.

Ken has worked in financial services for over 25 years. In 2005 he transitioned to the New York office of RBC Capital Markets, having spent four years with RBC in Toronto. Prior to that, Ken held senior corporate banking and investment banking positions with TD Securities in Toronto.

Ken received his MBA from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, BC and undergraduate degree from Trinity Western University, Langley, BC.

John Miron is a Managing Director and Head, Canadian Real Estate Corporate Banking with RBC Capital Markets.  John's primary focus is real estate lending (including revolving loans, bridge loans, term loans, construction loans, commercial mortgages etc.) to REITs, REOCs, Private Equity Funds, Pension Funds and Institutional Investors in Canada.

John holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce Degree in Finance and is a Chartered Professional Accountant / Certified Management Accountant.

Ian McArthur is a Managing Director and for the past 7 years has been providing Investment Banking senior coverage to the oilfield services sector in Canada. In addition to these responsibilities, Ian McArthur is Head, Corporate Banking - Energy, Canada. In this role, he leads a team of 9 professionals in providing the loan requirements and associated debt products to oil&gas/utility/pipeline/oilfield services industry sectors. Mr. McArthur also chairs the Energy Operating Committee which provides industry oversight to the energy lending activities globally.

Mr. McArthur has been with the firm for over 25 years. Prior to taking on his current responsibilities in February 2008, Mr. McArthur was Managing Director and Head, Project Finance, a group he was associated with for some 15 years. Mr. McArthur holds the degrees of MBA (honours) from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary.

Jim Allred is a Managing Director and Head of U.S. Energy Corporate Banking for RBC Capital Markets. Jim joined RBC in 2008 and has over 35 years of corporate finance experience in the Energy industry. Previously, Jim has held senior management positions with Bank of America and Societe Generale as well as a position within the energy industry as Vice President and Treasurer of Link Energy, a crude oil gathering and transportation company.

Jim has served on educational and charitable boards including the Alumni Advisory Board of the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas - Austin and the Forge for Families which assists underprivileged children in Houston. Jim graduated from the University of Texas in 1986 with a BBA degree in Finance.

Nicole Kidd is Managing Director, Corporate Banking and Head of Institutional Client Management for Asia-Pacific, where she has responsibility for covering a team focused on Australian and Asian financial institutions, together with managing a portfolio of Australian corporate clients. Nicole aims to ensure that these clients are met with the highest possible coverage across RBC’s comprehensive suite of products and services.

Nicole joined RBC’s London Branch in July 2007 in the Syndications Team where she held the roles of Vice President, and then Director responsible for syndicating European Infrastructure, Oil & Gas and Leveraged Finance transactions. Nicole returned to Australia with RBC in February 2011 to start our Corporate Banking activities in Australia and subsequently added Institutional Client Management to her repertoire in 2015.

Prior to joining RBC, Nicole was a Portfolio Manager in the Structured & High Yield Debt Fund at AMP Capital Investors, concentrating on Subordinated Infrastructure and Leveraged lending in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the USA. Nicole commenced her career at National Australia Bank where she held a variety of roles during her nearly ten years including Property, Project and Infrastructure Finance, and Leveraged Finance.

Nicole has a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Newcastle, Australia and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New England, Australia. She is also admitted as a Legal Practitioner in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Australia.