Get To Know Us

Derek M. Sanders CPA, CA, CBV, CFA

  • Member of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators
  • Member of the British Columbia Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants
  • Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder
  • Past Member of the CICBV Board of Directors
  • Past Chair of the CICBV Education Committee
  • Past Chair of the CICBV Publications and Research Committee
  • Member of the CICBV Professional Practice Standards Committee
  • Past Treasurer of the Kelowna Art Gallery

Derek has been working in the area of business valuations, mergers and acquisitions and financial litigation support services since 2004. Prior to joining Spence Valuation Group and SVG Capital Group, Derek worked for national firms in valuations, transaction advisory and audit roles, in London, Kelowna and Vancouver.

Derek has extensive experience in the valuation of privately-held companies in support of purchase and sales transactions, shareholder disputes, corporate reorganizations and estate freezes. Derek has also prepared business valuations and guideline income calculations for family law purposes, loss quantification analyses and limited critique reports for litigation purposes and through SVG Capital Group has advised numerous business owners through the marketing and sale of their businesses. He has experience with businesses operating in a variety of industries including a broad range of manufacturing industries, service, construction, distribution, technology, and retail.

Derek served on the CICBV Board of Directors from 2015 through 2021. Mr. Sanders was Co-Chair of the 2016 CICBV National Conference, a Member of the Organizing Committee for the 2013 CICBV Western Regional Conference and is also an active member of the Okanagan CFA Society. In addition, he has lectured and presented on numerous topics related to business valuations, litigation support and mergers and acquisitions including lecturing at the Mini MBA for Lawyers in Vancouver and was a past contributor to the Law Society of BC in the development of its financial curriculum for the Professional Legal Training Course. He was the silver medalist when he wrote his national CBV exam and placed in the Top 10 in B.C. when he completed his CA exams.

Derek can be contacted at [email protected].

Oliver McCluskey MBA

  • Masters of Business Administration, Quantic School of Technology
  • Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Finance, McGill University

Mr. McCluskey works exclusively in the areas of business valuations, mergers and acquisitions and related matters. Prior to joining Spence Valuation Group and SVG Capital Group in 2021, Oliver completed his MBA while working for a Nasdaq 100 global apparel business as a Financial Analyst. Oliver has also worked at a national retailer as an Operations Planner gaining experience in imports, research, analysis and executive reporting.

Oliver can be contacted at [email protected].

Michael Bach M. Fin.

Mr. Bach specializes in business valuations, mergers and acquisitions, and related matters. He joined SVG Capital Group and Spence Valuation Group in 2023 as a Business Services Manager – M&A. Prior to this, he was an Associate Partner at Keystone Partners, a specialized mergers and acquisitions firm located in Tallinn, Estonia. During this time Michael focused on facilitating low to mid-market transactions within the European market.

Mr. Bach can be contacted at [email protected].

Sheldon Gardiner

  • Current board member and advisor for 2 growing technology companies in the Okanagan
  • Current Executive In Residence with Accelerate Okanagan
  • Past founder and CEO of 2 companies which both were subsequently sold (1 to a public company)
  • Co-founder or partner in several other ventures
  • Past board member for Central Okanagan Economic Development
  • Past board member of Community Kitchen Food Bank (Calgary)

Sheldon has been working in the area of business valuations, mergers and acquisitions since 2003. After going through the sale process on his own (twice), Sheldon realized he could help other founders/entrepreneurs in the sale of their companies. Sheldon has worked with many entrepreneurs growing or selling their companies across a wide range of industries. He has extensive experience in business development, marketing, finance and M&A and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan. Sheldon is very active in the Kelowna community volunteering for several causes. He and his wife along with their 2 daughters make their home in Kelowna.

Sheldon can be contacted at [email protected].

Donald M. Spence FCPA, FCA, FCBV

  • Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators
  • Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia
  • Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario
  • Chartered Arbitrator, ADR Institute of Canada
  • Member of the British Columbia Arbitration and Mediation Institute
  • Past President of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators (CICBV)
  • Past Member of CICBV Board of Directors
  • Past Chair of the CICBV Accreditation Committee
  • Past Member of the CICBV Education Committee and Regulatory Issues Committee

Mr. Spence has been involved exclusively in business valuations, mergers and acquisitions, financial litigation support and related matters since 1985. Mr. Spence has acted on behalf of companies involved in a wide variety of industries throughout Canada as well as acting as an arbitrator on issues involving business valuation and financial matters. Mr. Spence has qualified as an expert witness and given testimony in the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the Expropriation Compensation Board of British Columbia.

Mr. Spence is a Past President of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators (‘CICBV’) (1998 to 1999) and a Member of its Board of Directors (1992 to 1999). In addition, Mr. Spence also served as Chair of the Accreditation Committee and a past member of the Education Committee and Regulatory Issues Committee of the CICBV.  Mr. Spence was the Editor of the Business Valuator and a facilitator of the Valuation Law Review, quarterly and semi-annual publications published by the CICBV.

Mr. Spence has lectured at various professional development seminars for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the University of Toronto (MBA Program), McGill University (Chartered Accountants Uniform Final Examination Preparatory Program), the Appraisal Institute of Canada, various Canadian Chartered Banks, the Canadian Association of Financial Advisors and the Certified General Accountants Association.  Mr. Spence contributed to the books Mergers and Acquisitions of Privately-Held Businesses, The Valuation and Pricing of Privately-Held Business Interests and Canada Valuation Service as well as authoring articles in the Business Sales and Acquisitions Digest and The Bottom Line.

Mr. Spence can be contacted at [email protected].