Connor, Clark & Lunn Private Capital – Regional VP, Sales Management

Overview

Our client, Connor, Clark & Lunn Private Capital (“CC&L PCM”), is well regarded in the industry as one of Canada’s largest independently owned high-net-worth investment management firms. They have expanded rapidly over the last several years, now managing approximately $17.5B in financial assets.

Their rapid growth has been fueled by several factors, including their reputation for delivering consistently strong portfolio performance. Their unique product offerings have helped distinguish the firm, with their diverse portfolios of institutional grade assets and the integration of private markets and public markets asset classes covering all major asset classes.

CC&L PCM’s business success depends on its ability to attract, retain and motivate exceptional people. Simply stated, by meeting the personal and professional needs of their people, they will be in the best position to satisfy and exceed the interests of their clients.

Each team member brings a unique skillset, experience and perspective to the team, and with an ethos of mutual trust and respect, open dialogue is encouraged. Everyone is empowered and personally accountable for making the greatest impact in their roles. However, the CC&L PCM team wins together, not individually. The culture is entrepreneurial, collaborative, friendly and client centric.

The target is to hire two RVPs; one for the East and one for the West. As the RVP, you will have exceptional leadership skills and executive presence. You will work in a collaborative executive leadership team alongside the Managing Director, Business Management & Operations and the Managing Director & Chief Investment Officer to help set the culture and will embody the firm’s cultural values in everything you do.
 
Impact & Value

The RVP, Sales Management is critical to the success of CC&L PCM, as the new individual will be a key contributor to the growth of the firm through attracting new high-quality sales talent, helping improve sales productivity and performance of existing Wealth Advisors, supporting the retention of transferred assets and defining new sales strategies. They will, therefore, be instrumental is growing the top line revenues of the business.

Responsibilities

Defining and owning the Sales objectives and goals for the Region

• Set in collaboration with MD, Business Management the Sales goals (e.g., Net Sales, referral targets, etc.) for the Region and how this breaks down by individual including new sales and attrition analysis.
• Own Sales results; including analysing and understanding results at firm and individual team levels, drivers of performance and benchmark to market (qualitative and quantitative)
• Build plan to achieve sales goals, including required hiring, team performance improvement, generation of leads through different channels, etc.

Defining and owning the strategy and execution for the hiring in the Region

• Collaborate with MD, Business Management in defining the hiring strategy and align hiring targets to sales growth and transitioned client requirements
• Execute the hiring strategy (e.g., attracting talent to the hiring funnel, candidate management, role representation, offer terms, registration requirements, etc.)
• Co-ordinate and maintain the hiring database and activities in Salesforce, website features, and marketing tools for hiring
• Own hiring results in the Region; including analyzing and understanding results, drivers of success and benchmark to industry (qualitative and quantitative competitor job models and compensation)

Onboarding & Training of new Wealth Advisors & Associate Wealth Advisors in the Region

• Build and maintain an onboarding and training program that supports achieving sales and service targets in years 1 and 2, and positioning each for longer-term success
• Define and oversee onboarding and training program for 6 months – content specific to CC&L PCM offering and sales/service success
• Support individual training, including meeting with each team member alongside regular cadence coaching (quarterly in 1^st year) to support integration and grasp of training concepts
• Deliver training content on topics related to direct experience and specialized topics

Coaching and managing relationships at an individual level

• Define tailored coaching needs for each individual Wealth Advisor based on their profile (Caliper coaching guide – strengths and areas of development) and recent performance (through analysing their performance)
• Implement this coaching plan, including meeting with each Wealth Advisor on a regular cadence (targeted approach, could be bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly as defined in coaching plan)
• Build strong, trust-based relationships with Wealth Advisors, with an emphasis on top producers who have the most influence and voice
• Support the team (as needed) by removing hurdles/roadblocks, implementing ad hoc trainings, providing tools, etc. to ensure people are successful in their roles

Day to day oversight of the team

• Participate in client meetings as needed (those requiring a leadership presence)
• Oversee compliance status across all books/Wealth Advisors and address any escalations related to fulfilling regulatory obligations and following policies and procedures (e.g., annual KYC completion, audit action items, etc.)
• Assign leads based on strategy/approach and track success of closing. Refine process based on results

Asset transfer strategy and implementation and leads assignment 

• Collaborate with MD, Investments in defining and maintaining strategy & plan for asset transfers; including criteria for transfers (i.e., rules for who would receive the assets, capacity to receive, timeframes, process, etc.)
• Implement individual retirements inline with strategy/plan, working in close collaboration with retiring Wealth Advisor, defining plan and key milestones and running process with receiving Wealth Advisor
• Implement ad hoc transfers within the team based on specific needs (e.g., reaching capacity, geographical needs, client preference, etc.), working closely with both transferring and receiving Wealth Advisors to ensure smooth transition
• Monitor and report on success of asset transfers, and implement corrective actions where necessary

Leading and supporting implementation of initiatives

• Lead the implementation of sales initiatives with sales team, in collaboration with other areas of the business
• Support the implementation of firm wide initiatives, advocating for and being the voice of the sales team

Culture alignment and implementation

• Act as the ‘voice’ of the sales team within the organization in various forums (e.g., leadership meetings), as well as the culture lead for the Sales team to ensure alignment with broader firm
• Define and implement recognition initiatives for the Sales team
• Define and implement plan for Sales events and offsites, including partner/non-partner approach
• Build and foster a formal/informal mentorship culture through specific programs/activities
• Define and execute on professional development programs for Wealth Advisors in alignment with professional development plan for the rest of organization
• Foster engagement within the Sales team and with other teams through socials, lunch and learns, targeted activities, etc.

Skills/requirements for this role

• Strong communication skills
• Relationship building skills
• Ability to build trust and confidence with Wealth Advisors
• Coaching skills and experience. Have empathy, be collaborative & flexible
• Ability to develop sales growth strategy
• Ability to set goals, take ownership for them, and manage the team to achieving them
• Sales leadership experience in a HNW set-up
• Client focus
• Registered individual (preferably)