Alexander Spencer Melvin, the co-founder and president of CANNEX Financial Exchanges, passed away in his sleep on December 24, 2015.

Alex Melvin was born in 1948, and received his MBA from Queen’s University. Before founding CANNEX, he served as superintendent of Maritime Life’s Ontario agencies. He also served as a member of a number of industry committees including the Canadian Investment Funds Standards Committee (CIFSC) since its inception in 1998.

On Jan. 7, CANNEX announced that Lowell Aronoff will assume Melvin’s leadership responsibilities for CANNEX Financial Exchanges and client relationships in Canada.

“A close friend and business partner for 32 years, Alex was an exceptional man and leader. He will be deeply missed by those who knew him and who had the privilege to work with him," said Aronoff. “The senior management team remains focused on delivering our value proposition to clients and building on our market position. As Alex would have wanted, we plan to continue to grow our business and team.”

Serge Therrien, president and publisher of The Insurance and Investment Journal, also expressed his regret at Melvin's passing. "Every thesaurus should include the words 'Alex Melvin' under the entry for 'gentleman'," he said. "I knew Alex for many years. He was the Rock of Gibraltar, always listening and helping people around him. His goal was to improve things and increase the knowledge of people in the industry and he never tried to gain the glory behind it."

Those who wish to pay their condolences may do so in the online guestbook of the McEachnie Funeral Home.