Jonathan Aikman

Full Bio

Jon is the founder of an artificial intelligence education and consulting firm, NordAi Analytics. He is the founder of a law firm, Matrix Law. He has advised several provincial, federal, U.S. and international agencies and governments on AI, fintech, and risk oversight.

Jon is currently an adjunct faculty member at Queen’s University, Cornell University and York University. He has taught courses on fintech, alternative investments, equity investments, impact investments, artificial intelligence and finance, finance for global managers, advanced portfolio management, corporate finance and other undergraduate, graduate and executive courses.

Previously, Jon was Chief Investment Officer (CIO) and Portfolio Manager (PM) for two alternative investment firms. He was directly responsible for managing an absolute return private debt fund. Jon managed the alternative private debt fund directly which had exceptionally strong risk-adjusted returns and a diversified portfolio of loans, bonds, equities, ETFs, fixed income instruments, and other private debt funds. The fund won the Portfolio Management Association of Canada (PMAC) portfolio management award for risk-adjusted performance while he managed it.

Jon was managing director of an alternative investment firm for a diversified public holding company, which included real estate, real assets, investment banking, and asset management divisions. He was responsible for building a diversified portfolio of leading global alternative investments and sat on the investment committee of the holding company also. His mandate included researching, acquiring, and managing a portfolio of hedge funds, private equity, private debt in both onshore and offshore jurisdictions, including Canada, U.S., Europe, Asia and offshore. Jon spent considerable focus on insurance and reinsurance investment products in both onshore and offshore locations.

Jon has broad international experience and worked as Vice-President and Counsel at a bulge bracket investment bank in London, U.K.  Prior to joining the investment bank, he worked as a corporate finance counsel at a silver circle law firm in London, UK working on launching and advising hedge funds, private equity funds, and mezzanine funds in structuring, capital raising, and secondary transactions. Some of his clients included leading European and U.S. investment banks, global private equity firms, and global investment asset managers.

Jon has a law degree (JD) from Queen’s University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Oxford, Brasenose College.  Jon completed several advanced certificates on artificial intelligence and fintech from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and crypto-assets from Duke University.  Jon is a Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) and qualified lawyer in Ontario and a solicitor on the role in England & Wales.  He holds the certified anti-money laundering specialist (CAMS) and the certified crytpo-asset anti-financial crime specialist (CCAS) designations.

In terms of volunteer and advisory work, Jon sits on several investment committees,  the endowment and pension fund for Victoria University at University of Toronto, and the investment committee for the Canadian Bar Association’s many funds. He is an advisory board member for the Master of Financial Innovation & Technology and the Master of Finance programs at Queen’s University. He was previously a member of the Senate of Queen’s University.  He was an invited member of a think-tank at the Federal Reserve of Chicago focusing on risk management, market stability and systemic risk issues. 

He is also the author of a book published by Bloomberg Press on the 2008 Global Financial Crisis, entitled “When Prime Brokers Fail” published by Bloomberg Press, 2010. He is currently completing another book on fintech and investments.

Academic Degrees

MBA (2006)
University of Oxford, UK

JD (1999)
Queen’s University, Canada

MA | Philosophy (1996)
University of Guelph, Canada

BAH | Philosophy (1994)
University of British Columbia, Canada

Academic Experience

Smith School of Business | Queen’s University
Lecturer, continuing adjunct (2011 - Present)

York University | Queen’s University
Lecturer, continuing adjunct (2025-2026)

Cornell University | Canada
Lecturer, term adjunct (2020-2026)

University of Guelph | Canada
Lecturer, term adjunct (2015-2016)

University of Toronto | Canada
Lecturer, term adjunct (2009-2020)