Professional Experience

Agora Dealer Services Holding Corp., Toronto, ON                                                                                                                           April 2018 - Present

Agora is the leading cloud-based Wealth Management & Dealer Services (MFDA) platform.  We’ve invested in creating cutting-edge web-based technologies dedicated to delivering the best possible online experience, so independent advisors can invest in developing clients and enhancing their client relationships.

Chief Operating Officer

Independent Mutual Fund Dealer, Toronto, ON                                                                                                                                  2016-Jan 2018

An independent investment dealer firm offering an innovative advisor platform to service clients.

Sales Leader | Western Canada

DGWM at Assante Capital Management Ltd., Vancouver, BC                                                                                                       2015-2016

High-net-worth financial planning practice with approx. $500 million under management

Director of Practice Management & Marketing

Led the execution of strategies approved by the partners and managed day-to-day operations.  Tracked and reported key performance indicators on a weekly and quarterly basis.

• Demonstrated effective leadership and sales training skills to set-up team members for success
• Increased Administrative team efficiency and accuracy through a people and process restructuring
• Established service and partnership agreements to minimize business risk and follow best practices
• Increased accountability with the implementation of a sales discipline, process and tracking system

IG Wealth Management, South Surrey/North Vancouver, BC                                                                                                        2009-2015

Consultant/Division Director

Developed, through financial literacy seminars, a successful financial planning practice focused on the BC Consulting Engineering community.  Delivered full-service financial planning which resulted in the purchase and management of mutual funds, stocks and bonds, insurance, mortgages and other debt products.

• Achieved significant client acquisition from delivering 60 financial literacy workshops annually
• Recognized for top client acquisition in BC month over month during 2014
• Increased closing rates to 80% from 20% due to implementing an incremental close sales process
• Recruited and trained new Associates who were results driven and results oriented

Quantum Wealth Management Corp.,Vancouver, BC                                                                                                                 2007-2010

A financial technology firm created to revolutionize the delivery of financial services to the public

Co-Founder, VP Marketing & Product Development

Created the business plan, presented to investors, built the technology and product platform, coordinated the branding and created the advisor education needed to transfer assets to Quantum:

• Raised 10% of the capital needed to get to Beta test phase
• Pioneered the development of an early "robo-advisor" mutual fund portfolio trading technology
• Acquired 1 dealer and transferred $40 million of client accounts to the platform
• Developed an industry leading, compliant paperless account opening and risk profiling system
• Created and implemented the dealer and advisor on-boarding project management system

Practice Management Contributor

  Horsesmouth

  April 2006 – July 2006 (4 months)

  Contributed 7 articles on practice management, all receiving Top 10 reads.  This is a subscription based website so the articles cannot be posted:  5 Step System for Building COIs, 10 Things your Newsletter Must Do, 3 Techniques Top Advisors use to Articulate Value to Prospects and Clients, The Everyday Advisor v. The Branded Advisor, 10 Proven Referral Tactics, How to Work the Media, System for Articulating Value.

Practice Management Contributor

 Advisor.ca & Advisors Edge

 January 2004 – December 2007 (4 years)

 Contributed over 40 Practice Management and Marketing articles to Advisor's Edge and Advisor.ca for publication to the financial industry in print and online. Many articles were translated into French in print for Conseiller and online for Conseiller.ca. I was regularly highlighted as a top contributor of the Month/Year and then again featured in Special Editorial Calendar Editions. A selection of articles is listed on the  Publications page.

Practice Management Contributor

 Investment Executive

 January 2005 – December 2007 (3 years)

  Print in English and French Editions. A selection of articles is listed on the  Publications page.

YouFoundation, Vancouver, BC                                                                             2004-2007

Practice management and personal branding consulting firm which had two services: a workshop creation and delivery service, and an advisor audit and solution implementation program.  "Build on the foundation of You."

Founder & President

Developed financial advisor marketing and practice management workshops for mutual fund companies, insurance companies and investment dealers.  Workshop participants would then lead the transformation process from "habitual mediocrity" to a world of "routine excellence".

• Delivered over 150 practice management workshops to financial advisors over 24 months
• Increased market share of a major international fund company's product by 26% in one year
• Published over 45 articles on high-profile industry websites
• Continued my push to help financial advisors move from product salespeople to advice-led relationship managers
• Developed a reputation as a practice management content expert

The Newsletter Factory Inc., Vancouver, BC                                                                                       1993-2007

Financial Advisor Marketing and Communications firm serving advisors throughout Canada and the US.

Founder & President

Based on a belief that empowered clients make better decisions when they are informed, created a service to deliver a better client experience through financial literacy.   Developed a system to create personalize communications between advisors and clients. Created and directed all aspects of the strategy, growth and expansion of the company.

• Managed a significant annual operating budget while managing multiple writing and design teams
• Innovated a system to interview advisors and learn and archive their conversational patterns then incorporate them into pre-written article templates
• Delivered over 3,500 marketing projects on behalf of clients
• Created, branded, and successfully sold 2 marketing tools (Referral Guide, Graphic Overview)
• Pioneered the use of financial literacy to help advisors transition from product salespeople to relationship advisors and raise the benchmark for service
• Developed a reputation as a personal finance content expert

School of Hard Knocks, Sheer Try & Exploration

"Pre-Professional" Experience

Teaching Assistant BCIT School of Business

January 1987 – April 1993 (6 years 4 months) Burnaby Campus

Worked as a Teaching Assistant for the School of Business. Exam invigilation for Degree & Certificate bound students in accounting, marketing, and economics. Supported instructors/Professors with teaching assistant related work.

Accountant - CN IMAX THEATRE AT CANADA PLACE and OMNIMAX THEATRE AT SCIENCE WORLD

June 1987 – September 1989 (2 years 4 months) Downtown Vancouver

Established corporate processes and systems for record keeping, bookkeeping, budgeting, payroll and all revenue, sales. and expense centers. Developed a Cost of Goods Sold model for Food & Beverage. Assisted in the development of administration and accounting systems for Corporate Theaters throughout North America as IMAX expanded its Corporate Theatre Business.

Self-Employed-Desktop Publisher - Residential Realty Marketing

April 1985 – September 1987 (2 years 6 months) Richmond, BC

 With an early Apple Macintosh, a laser printer and the first version of PageMaker, I created a small home-based business which helped Realtors create Residential "Sell Sheets" at a 70% cost reduction.

Grocery Clerk :) - Super Valu RIchmond Centre Mall

1984 – 1987 (3 years) Richmond, BC

• Developed a fascination for why people buy what they buy
• Learned to understand customer habits through observation and conversation
• Created a clean and tidy entrance for customers
• Collected grocery carts, packed bags, stocked and faced shelves, aisle clean-up, carried groceries to customer's cars, & compacted boxes for recycling.
• Discovered that I enjoyed a regular client service interaction/exchange

Paperboy :)  The Vancouver Sun

1980 – 1985 (5 years) Richmond, BC

•  Door-to-Door Sales of Newspaper Subscriptions
• 5 Territories delivered to 6 days per week (i.e. quickly learned to leverage time through hiring/managing friends :) )
• Collected monthly revenue and paid invoices from the Newspaper
• Lots of very nice Christmas cards from my clients who were great neighbours (who appreciated a dry newspaper in a wet environment:) )
• Learned how to cater my service to clients with different needs.

Currently mass market investors pay the highest fees yet receive the least value and advice.

Our platform allows their existing IA’s to lower their fees and deliver HNW wealth management to them.