As Head of RBC Estate & Trust Services and President and CEO, Royal Trust Corporation of Canada and The Royal Trust Company, Leanne Kaufman is responsible for the strategy and overall management of the business which provides wealth protection and transfer solutions across generations to high net wealth Canadian families.

Kaufman is currently a director on the Royal Trust Board and a member of the Wealth Management Canada Operating Committee. She is a lawyer by profession and brings over 15 years of experience, knowledge and a client-centric focus to the business.

Kaufman first joined Royal Trust in 1999 as a trust officer prior to which she was a lawyer practicing commercial litigation. Since her role as trust officer, she has continued to provide in-depth solutions for clients and their families as vice president for the Professional Practice Group, a team of professionals responsible for technical expertise, analysis and policy development, along with the education of the Estate & Trust Services staff at all levels.

She was also Vice President and head of Indigenous Wealth, a team dedicated exclusively to establishing long-term planning and legacy solutions for Indigenous communities across Canada.

Kaufman earned her Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen’s University and her Masters in Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University where she is a former adjunct professor. She was also the author of The Executor’s Handbook; 4th Edition, published by CCH, and a contributor to the Financial Post. Kaufman is the chair of the Member Services Committee for STEP Canada nationally.