Odlum Brown: A Century of Leadership

Few businesses celebrate a century of success. The team at Odlum Brown, a Vancouver-based independent, full-service investment firm, takes pride in this achievement, knowing its disciplined investment advice, objective research and value-added financial planning services have furthered the organization’s core purpose: to help its clients achieve their financial goals.

“Part of what aligns our team members around this purpose is our firm’s strong commitment to creating and nurturing a culture of accountable and intentional leadership,” says President and CEO Debra Doucette. “This culture is the secret sauce that sets us apart and has contributed to us reaching this milestone.”

Over its 100 years in business, the 100% employee-owned firm has expanded to six locations, more than 370 team members and over $18 billion in assets under management. As it has grown, Odlum Brown has remained true to acting in clients’ best interests, no matter the circumstances. In a 2022 Client Insights survey, facilitated by an external consultant, 96% of the firm’s clients expressed satisfaction with Odlum Brown and 97% with their individual advisor.

“Guided by their Odlum Brown advisor, clients experience many meaningful impacts,” Doucette says. “These include securing comfortable retirements, navigating difficult life transitions and, actually, we often guide several generations of a family on their financial journeys.”

While the focus remains on clients, a supportive corporate culture underpins Odlum Brown’s century of success.

“Openness, collaboration and respect are absolutely foundational for us,” says Odlum Brown’s Chief People and Culture Officer, Barbara Bahry. “When we help each other thrive, we all thrive.”

While driven by a team-oriented vision, Odlum Brown’s leadership is also passionate about supporting individuals on their journeys to being intentional and accountable leaders who drive measurable business results.

“We view leadership as a core competency that is inextricably linked to our business strategy,” Bahry says. “That is why we are so focused on building and sustaining a community of leaders. When team members possess a leadership mindset and take ownership of their contributions, the results for our clients and our business are extraordinary.”

Odlum Brown’s leadership extends into the communities in which it operates. The firm passionately supports more than 150 community organizations nationwide, earning a prestigious Canada’s Volunteer Award in the Business Leader category from the Government of Canada.

“I’m consistently blown away by my colleagues’ passion for making a meaningful and lasting difference in their communities,” Doucette says. “We have also been named one of Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Cultures since 2017 and one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies since 1999, so our foundation is really strong. I truly believe that what we’ve built over the past 100 years has set us on an exciting path for the future, and I look forward to bringing our clients, team members and community partners along on that journey.”

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