Women in Wealth: Leslie Ballard

Leslie Ballard, BCom/05, always said she wanted to make money with money. She is doing just that in her position with Usher Hahn Wealth Advisory at CIBC Wood Gundy.

When Leslie started at Carleton, she was working part time and did not initially get involved in extracurricular activities. In her second year, she saw some students running around the building and discovered they were participating in the University Business Games (UBG).

“That was the first time it struck me that there was a whole community that I was not involved in, that I was missing,” shared Leslie. “So the following year, I found out the details and tried out for the UBG. I met so many students in my classes who’d been there all year but I didn’t know them. As that progressed and I made friends, a lot of which were involved in the Sprott School of Business. This opened my eyes to more opportunities to get involved.”

Soon Leslie found herself organizing the SBSS Business Banquet with Sprott alumnae Jordana Pourian. She said these experiences and relationships allowed her to be more engrained in the education and opportunities available to her. “It made a huge difference, with my involvement in the school, how much I participated and how much I took out of the experience,” said Leslie.

While in school, she began working for MBNA, which was later purchased by Bank of America, and now TD Bank Group. After graduating, she was offered a position as a junior analyst. In five years she worked her way up to revenue planning and reporting manager. Leslie said she gained invaluable experience from those roles, but after working through 2008 in corporate finance for a major U.S. bank, it was clear that she wanted her hard work to make a difference. She had always been interested in getting into the investment industry and felt her work ethic and desire to challenge the status quo could make a difference for personal investors.

Two years into her transition from corporate finance to personal finance, her connections paid off. One of her former colleagues from MBNA reached out to her about an associate position at CIBC Wood Gundy, and Leslie made the leap. She became a licensed IIROC advisor in 2011 and a Certified Financial Planner professional in 2013, and now spends her days helping investors with comprehensive financial and investment planning.

“I thought this would be that perfect recipe — spending my days working one-on-one with clients appealing to my social side, but I can also be the real nerd that I am working through the numbers and analytics. My work will make a positive difference in people’s lives,” Leslie said about her position.

One challenge that Leslie has experienced is balancing her young family and her career. She said working in an environment where you are expected to always be up-to-date and available makes time management critical. Those working in wealth management develop a personal relationship and work directly with clients, making it challenging when taking time off work.

Leslie is an organizing member of Women in Wealth Ottawa, a strategic advisory group for female advisors in the area. She enjoys how it allows her to get to know other women in the industry. Leslie knows this is a competitive field but she has the mindset that they can all learn from one another to build each other up.

Leslie believes that making connections and networking are important in university and beyond. “One of the most important thing that you could do to set yourself up for success from university is meeting a big network of people. Being open to different ideas, cultures, and taking the time to understand what’s important to other people,” said Leslie.

“Of all the people that you meet in university and in your career, you don’t know who will influence your future, but one of them will. There’s no way to know that in advance. If you don’t make those connections, that won’t happen. This world is all about knowing somebody.”