Toronto-based DundeeWealth Inc. has overcome many challenges in recent years and president and CEO David Goodman is confident about the firm’s prospects, he told shareholders on Thursday.

Speaking at DundeeWealth’s annual meeting in Toronto, Goodman said a number of major obstacles have put the company to the test in the past two years. He pointed to such hurdles as the major market downturn, the process of deleveraging the company from debt levels of $750 million to about $100 million, hostile advances and succession issues.

Despite the challenges, DundeeWealth’s management has continued to focus on growth and opportunities, Goodman said.

“We’ve continued on an industry-leading pace in terms of net sales and growth of our company,” he said.

Meanwhile, DundeeWealth has also worked at improving efficiency by cutting costs, Goodman noted: “We’ve delivered the largest expense reductions in the industry, we’ve reduced our workforce by 25%, and we have recurring savings of about $50 million a year.”

Goodman believes DundeeWealth shares have strong potential to grow substantially, given that they’re currently trading at a discount to such competitors as CI Financial and Investors Group.

“We’re committed to bridging that gap,” he said. “We’re committed to building this company.”

Added Goodman: “We’ve grown this business six-fold, now we must do the same for its valuation.”

Also at the company’s annual meeting on Thursday, Goodman announced the appointment of John P. Pereira as chief financial officer.

Pereira replaces Joanne Ferstman, who has completed the transition into her new role, announced in early March, as vice chair and head of Dundee Capital Markets.

Pereira has held a variety of roles at DundeeWealth and its affiliates since 1997, including CFO of Goodman & Co., Investment Counsel Ltd. Most recently, he held the position of executive vice president of finance at DundeeWealth Inc. Prior to joining the company, Pereira worked at a major international accounting firm and one of Canada’s largest insurance companies.