“I worked with 31 men,” Regional Financial Advisor Sharon Gallant says of her first job in the finance world 28 years ago. After starting her career in accounting, she moved into financial advising. “I was the only female; it was a hard industry to break [into] because it was a male- dominated industry.” Around the same time, her colleague Krista Ahern began her career in finance, and over time, she advanced from working at a bank’s contact centre to being a financial advisor.
“For me, financial planning allows me to get to know what’s really important to my clients in terms of their financial goals. We can then put a plan in place with advice on getting them there,” Ahern says. “I've never thought of it as a sales position but more of a helping position.” Candace Champion echoes that sentiment. She too started out in the banking industry, working as a teller, but continued to expand her education so that she could help more clients. “I soon got my mutual funds licence because I wanted to be able to do more [for my clients].
A Wealth of Riches
PEI’S POWERHOUSE TEAM AT CU FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
By Cheryl Young | Photos Atlantic 360 Photography
With over 125 years of collective experience between them, the women of CU Financial Management are making inroads in wealth management across Prince Edward Island. Refreshingly, in an industry typically dominated by men, in PEI, three of the five financial advisors at the Atlantic Canadian firm are women. Alongside them are three associates, and this powerhouse team of six is unstoppable.
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