Steve Chen

Steve Chen

VP & Head, 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 Managing Director, Steve is a strategic member of the Western Canadian team and is responsible for origination, execution and portfolio management.   

From start-ups to multinational corporations, Steve has 13+ years 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.