How career autonomy and mentorship propelled Canada’s top female advisor to excellence

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Not long after Shelley Appleton-Benko found out she was ranked #1 on Canada’s Top Women’s Wealth Advisors list, she received a text from her nephew, also a client, highlighting why she had achieved the honor. :

He congratulated Ms. Appleton-Benko, vice-president, director and portfolio manager at Odlum Brown Ltd. in Vancouver, on the win and wrote: adding that he “always felt appreciated.”

Ms Appleton-Benko says she aims to treat all her clients like family, giving them the same advice and respect, regardless of the size of their portfolio.

“What I love about my job is that I get to help so many different people,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if you have 100 dollars or 100 million dollars. my goal is to get to know you and your goals.”

Ms. Appleton-Benko originally wanted to be a teacher growing up in British Columbia, but found that educating people about finances was a better fit. His career choice was partly influenced by his accountant father, who found working with numbers appealing.

After graduating from Simon Fraser University, his first financial gig was at the former Vancouver Stock Exchange (VSE), which after several years on the job sent him on a three-month stint to support the United Way. The experience opened his eyes to different career options in finance. When the assignment ended, Ms. Appleton-Benko told her then-boss she wanted to try something new, and he introduced her to Nancy McKinstry, an adviser to investment dealer Audlum Brown.

Ms. Appleton-Benko felt an immediate connection to Ms. McKinstry, then one of the few women in the industry, who soon became her boss and lifelong mentor.

“Nancy paved the way for many women at the firm, helping to shape the firm’s culture as well as sharing her commitment to the community,” she says.

Ms. McKinstry retired from Audlum Brown in 2004 and served as a corporate director for several entities.

Looking for a voice at the table

Ms. Appleton-Benko wanted to work for a smaller, independent financial firm with an entrepreneurial spirit, which also prompted her decision to join Odlum Brown 27 years ago.

“I love that no one ever said. “This is your ceiling. that’s as much as you can do or earn in this career,” said Ms. Appleton-Benko, who started as an assistant at the firm in 1996 before becoming an investment adviser a year later. He then became a director and portfolio manager, roles he has held for the past two decades.

“I still don’t have that feeling. I’ve always been super ambitious and driven.”

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Being an independent firm also gives it greater flexibility with investment strategies.

“No one says. “You should buy this stock or follow this recommendation,” he says. “I wanted to have a voice at the table. Here I always felt that what I had to say was important and that people were listening. That’s always been key for me.”

Wanting it all with the support of family and colleagues

Ms Appleton-Benko, a married mother of two, now aged 19 and 25, says the support of her family and colleagues has been essential to her career success to date.

“Working in a team environment is the only environment [for me] because I wanted to be a wife, mother and have my own career. I wanted it all,” she says. “It wasn’t accepted at all when I started, but I remember everyone being very welcoming at Odlum Brown.”

For example, when Ms. Appleton-Benko decided to return to work a few weeks after the birth of her first child, the company provided her with a refrigerator to store her breast milk.

“There were no restrictions,” she says, adding that other women at the investment firm, including current president and CEO Debra Duquette, were also starting families at the time. “There were many examples who showed that it could work.”

Her husband, Tim Benko, also championed her career and made some significant adjustments. He retired from his energy job after their second child was born 20 years ago, at a time when fathers gave up their careers to raise a family was extremely rare.

“People made fun of him then. But he said: “You have this great career. So I’ll be Mr. Mom for a few years while you grow your business,” she says. “It was a great decision because it took a lot of pressure off me and it was great for our kids and family.”

She adds that her husband has since started his own successful business ventures.

Educating the next generation

After having great mentors in the business, Ms. Appleton-Benko pays it forward by mentoring the firm’s younger consultants. For any new and aspiring professionals, he recommends taking as many courses as possible as soon as possible to get the designations they need to advance their careers.

“Once you have those designations, it opens up a lot of other opportunities,” he says.

Ms. Appleton-Benko also suggests making and maintaining a lot of networking to build your book of business.

“You want to create a center of influence so you can tell people what you’re doing,” he says, which can include not only individual investors, but also professionals like accountants and lawyers, who often have clients looking for investment advice. customers.

“Sit down at a table where you don’t know anyone and start telling people what you do and why you love it.”

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