The Elias Zapatinas Memorial Bursary
November 9, 1990 – May 16, 2020
Elias Zapatinas was born on November 9, 1990 in Toronto, Ontario. He was the eldest son of Greek immigrants, Athanasios (Tom) and Spyridoula (Roula) Zapatinas and brother to Michael and Theodora. In 1993, the Zapatinas family relocated to Calgary, Alberta, where Elias grew up to be an outstanding role model in his community.
From a young age, it was evident that Elias showed a resolute will and an ability to succeed. Whatever he put his mind to, whether it be academics or sports – he excelled in it.
Elias taught himself how to play hockey, tennis and golf, and he learned how to skate and ski. He displayed a natural talent in every sport, but his passion was soccer. He pursued soccer his entire life, playing as a young boy and into his adulthood. One of his proudest achievements and fondest memories was helping lead his men’s soccer team for five years, climbing from the lowest division to the top premiere league in Alberta.
With a steady work ethic and a humble nature, Elias was always among the top students of his class during his school years. Nothing made Elias prouder than sharing his school achievements with his parents, who had moved to Canada and provided him and his siblings with academic opportunities. Elias had a profound respect and gratitude for his parents’ sacrifices, and it persistently drove him to seize every opportunity he could that would better himself and his family.
In 2008, Elias was accepted into the University of Calgary’s science program with hopes of becoming a dentist. After his first year of university, he developed an interest in business – specifically finance – and transferred into the Bachelor of Commerce program. He graduated with honours from the Haskayne School of Business in 2013 with a major in finance. He did all this while working two part-time jobs.
Upon graduating, Elias was offered a position at Nexen Energy (now CNOOC Limited) through the company’s competitive accounting or finance new graduate program – a program which only accepted five students per year. While completing the program, Elias studied for three years to receive his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation which he was incredibly proud of. Once Elias received his designation, he accepted a full-time role in Nexen’s Corporate Planning group.
During his time at Nexen, Elias met his life partner, Jillian Lam, with whom he spent six beautiful years with. At Nexen, Elias gained the admiration and respect of his colleagues and managers, developing genuine and lasting relationships.
Despite already accomplishing so much, Elias was a high achiever. He constantly looked for ways to challenge himself and improve his knowledge and his skills. This mindset led him to pursue a new goal – to enter the Capital Markets industry and become an investment banker at one of Canada’s top five banks. It was a challenging pursuit but with the help of caring mentors and friends he met throughout his career, he worked tirelessly to achieve his goal and it became his proudest career accomplishment.
He was accepted as an Investment Banking Analyst at GMP (now RF Capital Group) in 2017. In 2018, he accepted a position at BMO Capital Markets, one of Canada’s top investment banks, where he was promoted to an Associate in 2019.
At BMO Capital Markets, Elias devoted himself to be a respected contributor. His biggest motivation was to be a valued teammate, one that managers could depend on, and one that his colleagues could be proud to work with. It was there that he also made true and lasting bonds with people that he greatly admired and genuinely loved to work with.
Even after accomplishing his goal, Elias never forgot his own journey and the support he received along the way. Elias was dedicated to mentoring industry-peers and friends who were inspired by him and who wanted to follow in his footsteps. Despite working extensive hours, Elias reviewed resumes, made introductions and gave advice and encouragement to those who asked him for help, displaying an unwavering commitment and loyalty to helping others succeed.
Elias will forever be remembered for his selflessness, generosity, honesty and determination – both to his career and to his family, life partner, friends and colleagues.
BMO Capital Markets, in conjunction with Elias’ loved ones, are proud to announce a University of Calgary Haskayne School of Business Award in Elias’ honour.