I recently had the opportunity to share my thoughts with Wealth Professional Canada Magazine on how we can bring more women into investment advisory roles. For years, we’ve framed the conversation about women in investment advisory as a gender issue. But here’s the truth:
- This isn’t a gender war—it’s an industry continuity challenge.
- We don’t need more mentorship—we need real sponsorship.
- If we want to recruit and retain the best talent, we need to think differently.
Why does this matter?
Women represent less than 25% of roles in key areas across finance, such as investment advisory, asset management, and capital markets, and at senior levels, this figure drops to just 18%. The representation of women of colour diminishes even further as they move up the ladder, holding only 4% of C-suite positions in financial services.
We need to move beyond performative initiatives and build workplace cultures where sponsorship is intentional—where leaders actively open doors, advocate for top talent, and ensure a level playing field.
This is why I started Catalais Consulting Ltd. After 16 years in finance, I saw firsthand how outdated systems were holding the industry back from its full potential. At Catalais, we help firms reimagine workplace culture, leadership, and business succession, and integrating DEI values into every part of your core operations and business growth strategy—because the future of finance and other sectors depend on building high-performing teams where talent can thrive. Thank you David Kitai for for inviting me to join you for this important conversation!
I’d love to hear your thoughts—what do you think to do differently to bring in more talent into investment advisory today? Let’s keep the conversation going.
