FINANCIAL SERVICES

Geoff moved from technology to financial services following his early career work on systems and databases with the BC Government. His decision to join Scotiabank was based on its industry leading training programs coupled with its worldwide presence through branch and correspondent bank locations. Geoff embraced the learning opportunities at BNS to develop the fundamental understanding he has used in many subsequent engagements working on improving the value, and mitigating the risks, involved in financial intermediation, arbitrage, equity markets, consumer credit, and investment portfolios for business, personal and private  banking clients.

 

After a brief break to take on retail management, Geoff returned to financial services by joining Investors Group - again because of their internationally recognized programs to train and develop professional financial planners. He was among the earliest in Canada to earn his Chartered Financial Planner (CFP) designation, and to become one of the youngest Division Managers in the company. These were also the initial days of computerized client information management and financial planning software, and with his technology background he embraced the opportunity, working with the training and development of his team to have the first fully computerized division in the country.

 

Although working full time, Geoff saw the importance of better integration of business practices, training, development, personnel management and technologies, so he decided to go back to school. He did that by taking on a full-time executive MBA course load at Simon Fraser University to broaden his understanding of cognitive learning and behaviour principles, and where he developed and validated the foundation of much of his later and current methodologies, tools and inspired learning programs.

 

Recognizing the need for financial planning to become a more accessible and more disciplined profession, Geoff joined CIBC where leadership saw a fit for his academic work on professional competency development and moved him quickly to head office. While at the bank he was involved in the measurement, management, training and development of professional sales solutions for bank clients. His initial project was as a team member for the launch of Debit Cards nationally, a role that enabled him to apply his understanding the banking fundamental of fractioning with his experience in client needs analysis and consumer behaviour to assist in Debit’s highly profitable success for the bank. Taking advantage of Davidson's sales, relationship management, technology and consumer segmentation expertise, he was given senior roles and responsibilities in the launch of the bank's financial planning and insurance units where his teams developed of the initial sales, service and support process, salesforce automation, and advancement of the bank's financial planning and customer relationship management applications.

 

Geoff has had the pleasure of seeing the learning, tools and programs he created in those roles being implemented to deliver extraordinary results for companies around the world. Elements of these leading edge solutions are at work every day across many other banks, insurance companies, investment firms, and businesses spanning everything from manufacturing and logistics to transportation and retail.