Our team

Steve Chen

Vice President and Head of First West Capital

Steve Chen

Vice President and Head of First West Capital

Steve is passionate about creating long-term relationships with our clients and helping them to overcome barriers to growth.

An entrepreneur at heart, Steve believes in the synergy of great financing and strong partnerships – which led him to join our team in 2019. He understands the ups and downs on the road to growth and truly enjoys collaborating with high-performing businesses to help them achieve their objectives. As Head of First West Capital, Steve leads all facets of the business from origination, deal execution, portfolio management, risk management and is ultimately accountable for the driving the overall growth and profitability of the business.

From start-ups to multinational corporations, Steve has 15+ years of experience in growth and M&A financing and has held roles at BDC Growth and Transition Financing and BMO Asset Based Lending, as well as VanCity Capital and CIBC Leveraged Finance.

He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA Charterholder) and received an honours degree in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. Steve is also a board member of the Vancouver Chapter of the Risk Management Association, and a member of the Accounting Standards Board, Private Enterprise Advisory Committee.

About Steve

  • His two daughters and wife are the best things in his life.
  • Steve loves the NBA, golf and watching live sports.
  • His three favourite food groups are salt, fat and acid. Generally speaking he prefers savoury over sweet, however, at any point in time he may have an apple pie for breakfast.

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Geoff Devereux

Director

Geoff Devereux

Director

Based in Vancouver, Geoff is responsible for deal origination and execution, investment analysis, and ongoing portfolio management.

Geoff is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and enabling value creation for his clients. With a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities entrepreneurs face while building a company, he is committed to understanding client needs. He values collaborating with high-performing businesses to develop creative financial solutions to help them achieve their goals.

Geoff has over ten years experience in working capital, mezzanine, subordinate and quasi-equity financing and has held roles at BDC in their senior commercial lending and junior capital groups. His professional background consists of a variety of senior accounting roles at early stage and growth companies in technology and professional services, supporting management with his expertise in analysis, reporting and fundraising. Having been on the both sides of the table, Geoff has a great appreciation for the needs of all stakeholders in the financing process and works diligently to ensure all needs are met.

Geoff graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelors of Arts in Sociology. Geoff is also a board member of the Fraser Valley Chapter of the Risk Management Association.

About Geoff

  • Geoff loves spending time with his wife and daughter exploring the West Coast on family adventures.
  • He probably spends a bit too much time exploring the virtual worlds of video games with his daughter.
  • He also enjoys kicking off a vacation with a trip to the nearest used book shop to find a good “page turner” novel in preparation for some serious relaxation.
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Mary Liu

Associate Director

Mary Liu

Associate Director

Mary is a key liaison between First West Capital and our clients and provides deal evaluation, investment analysis and ongoing portfolio management.

Mary’s expertise in due diligence and underwriting provides our team support with crafting innovative junior capital solutions. With a background as a business valuations analyst, she discovered her passion for number crunching and financial analysis, leading her to join our team in 2019.

Mary has over 5 years experience in finance with a focus on business planning and client relations. She is committed to helping our clients grow, acquire and transition effectively.

Mary holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia, as well as a Diploma of Finance with Distinction from the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She is currently working towards her CBV designation. Mary is also a mentor to students in the career mentorship program of the BCIT Student Association.

About Mary

  • Mary loves animals and currently has 3 cats and 2 dogs in her household. She hopes to eventually live on a farm with all her animals.
  • She plays dodgeball several nights a week to stay active.
  • Mary loves travelling, particularly to Europe (she lived in Vienna as an exchange student during her time in university).
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Artur Delorme

Associate

Artur Delorme

Associate

Artur supports the First West Capital team with deal evaluation, investment analysis and ongoing portfolio management.

With his experience in corporate finance and passion for delivering strong financial advice, Artur provides the team with creative junior capital solutions to help our clients grow.

Artur joins the team with over 4 years as a business partner at First West Credit Union. With his role in the finance department, he brings a focus on financial planning, budgeting, and financial analysis. Prior to moving to Canada, he spent over 5 years managing small and mid-sized enterprises in the Education industry in Brazil. He has also worked for many years as a sell-side analyst which involved completing valuations and providing recommendations for public listed companies. Artur is committed to helping our clients grow, acquire and transition effectively.

Artur graduated with a Masters in Finance at IBMEC University in Brazil and holds a Bachelor in Economics. He is currently working towards his CPA designation.

About Artur

  • Artur loves to spend time outside with his two young boys at the local park or closest lake.
  • He is a big fan of barbequing for family and friends, but his main passion is Japanese food.
  • As a lifelong sports fan, Artur played soccer for many years and now he loves to volunteer as a soccer coach at the local club in Chilliwack. For the past few years, Artur has also been training for triathlons and long-distance races.
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Carmel Tang

Operations Advisor

Carmel Tang

Operations Advisor

As Operations Advisor, Carmel keeps our team in order. She is responsible for auditing, managing account files, and leading the essential administration on our team. Her client-focused approach ensures all financial transactions run like clockwork and that all our i’s are dotted and t’s crossed.

Carmel’s attention to detail and technical skills to manage the behind-the-scenes funding administration and so much more! Carmel is known for going the extra mile to keep things running smoothly, and is the go-to for transactions, marketing support and client relations.

Having worked in the credit union industry for almost 20 years, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team, including many years in retail and commercial lending administration.

About Carmel

  • When Carmel isn’t working, you can find her with her friends and family, going to car shows and working on her home.
  • She lives in Tsawwassen with her two wonderful daughters.
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Work with us

If you’re a driven, collaborative and entrepreneurial financial professional, you’ve come to the right place.

It’s crucial to partner with people who will see you through challenges and successes, and truly care for your business. I always prefer to work with people who I like and respect, and who provide solutions – it makes all the difference to the long-term success of the business. That’s why we work with First West Capital.
Reut Rothstein, Executive, Crossworks Manufacturing