June 2015

The winds of change are blowing as we head into summer at Allan Financial! We’re thrilled to welcome Katie Ezerins to the team as our new Office Manager. Katie joins us from a career in event coordination, and we’re so excited to have her working with us. She’s the first person you’ll talk to when you call, and the first person you’ll see when you walk in the door.

Maria Markham, Ross’ Executive Assistant, is moving on to pursue a career in nutrition! We are sad to see her go, but excited for her to embark on this new journey following her passion. “One of the biggest things Ross has taught me is to take risks. So I’m doing it! Thanks so much to this team, our clients, and everyone in our community for making it such a difficult one to leave. I will miss you all!”

Women and Finance: Never before have these two words been more promising.

According to PriceMetrix, recent statistics suggest that record numbers of women are graduating from business schools; that online female consumers have 70% consumer power; that intergenerational wealth transfer is moving money to women in record numbers. And the financial services industry is starting to pay attention.

Several women at Allan Financial had the honour contributing our voices to this conversation at the Scotiabank/HollisWealth “Women in Wealth” conference in Toronto this month. Danielle Allan took to the stage as a millennial expert on a panel entitled, “It’s Not Just About Twitter,” hosted by Patti-Jo Wiese. The chat was all about community building and the benefits of social media for business. Our favourite creative, Randal Kurt of Bemoved Media; Olympian and Senior Investment Adviser Michelle Cowell of Benson Kearley IFG; and Digital Strategist Carolyn Wheatley of High Road Consulting were also in the mix.

We heard powerful insights on bravery from Cassie Campbell (two time Olympic gold medalist and Hockey Night in Canada commentator), Tuula Jalasjaa (Managing Director & Head, HollisWealth), Barb Mason (Chief Human Resources Officer, Scotiabank), and two dynamic sessions from our powerful colleagues, Michele Soregaroli (Transformation Catalyst), and Christine LaLiberte (Insightful Wealth Group).

Attendees walked away with a better understanding of gender issues in the workplace, personal branding, social media, and the importance of women leveraging networks and their individual communities. Check out the rest of the beautiful images, captured by Randal Kurt, here.

We think the best takeaway of the conference was the simple, strong wisdom of Cassie Campbell. She spoke about power, courage, influence and impact. Her tip: ”believe you belong.”

 We do.

 And our participation as women is changing the game.