“The management team here has been incredibly supportive and really want to see you succeed. They care about all of their people and help them reach their goals and targets by providing things like women’s mentorship programs, quarterly seminars on prospecting and building your book, and resources that help you get to the next level. Any time you ask for something, Wil and Ronnda step in to help. They are very willing to provide connections to prospects and marketing to help you build your name and get it out there. Plus, they train our staff so our teams can provide excellent client service. Any questions you have, they get back to you right away.
Wil and Ronnda also provide an environment that is very entrepreneurial – they are there when you need them, but they are trusting and never too prescriptive. The personal touches make a difference, like just stopping in to say hi and ask how you and your kids are. If I’m sick, they understand it’s because my six- and four-year-old are sick. They make me feel I am an important part of the team. It’s a family environment.
This management team is very pro-women. They see our potential and put a lot of resources behind us. There are too few women in this industry and it’s not easy for us – we need a little more support because we are not typically expected to work in finance and business. It helps to see a network of other female advisors succeeding and supporting each other – if you can see it you can be it. That is a tremendous part of being at this branch.”
Marion Reems, BBA (Hons), CIM®, Senior Wealth Advisor, Portfolio Manager and Managing Partner with the Brezer, Vos, Mandell, Reems & Hao Wealth Management Group at BMO Nesbitt Burns at the Vancouver Core Branch and one of Canada’s Top Women Advisors 2023 (Globe and Mail/SHOOK Research)
“Transitioning to a new firm is intense. You need to learn new policies, procedures, processes, technology platforms – everything – but client portfolios need to be managed right away! Wil and Ronnda were phenomenal during this roller coaster. During our first two months they designated a SWAT team from TO to help us onboard all our clients. These five guys knew the forms to sign and how to upload the documents and facilitate the transfers. Wil and Ronnda were very hands-on with that process, like drill sergeants. We were in the office for 12-hour days and on weekends and Wil was there too, hand-in-hand with us through all the pain points, reminding us to keep our minds on the end game. He has been absolutely phenomenal, taking a lot of the stress on himself. If we have a question or problem, he says, “Leave it with me.” We threw everything at him and he stick-handled it or found the right party to ask and wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Ronnda had our backs the whole time, liaising with Wil and executing solutions behind the scenes.
Now, we are settling in and our client offerings are much more robust. Recently we were able to help our biggest client to create an alter ego trust and donor advised fund, completely in-house with BMO’s teams of experts. We’re really seeing that we can literally do everything here and never need to outsource these services. And all other colleagues in the branch have been very helpful, collegial and collaborative. Sales Assistants for other teams gave us a full court press of support, which was really cool to see. This refreshing environment flows from the top down. Wil does not have a big stick approach – he just sits down with us every day to ask how we are doing. There is no fear here, just support.”
Shawn Labelle, BComm (Hons Fin), CFA®, Senior Investment Advisor and Portfolio Manager at Dekker Hewett Labelle Wealth Advisory, which joined BMO Private Wealth in February 2023