This Kelowna CEO is proving empathy and inclusion are good for business

The best success stories don’t come from people who have led frictionless lives, and in the case of Reece Tomlinson, it couldn’t be truer. The Kelowna-based CEO and founder of RWT Capital, a mid-size boutique merger and acquisition (M&A) firm, is one of the few women—and even fewer trans women—leading a firm of this scale in the industry, working with major clients like tire and restaurant giant Michelin and medicinal cannabis manufacturer Cryopharm.

Recently named one of WXN’s 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, Tomlinson spent the first decade of her career presenting as a man in the finance world. She leaned into the conventional trappings of success: sharp suits, luxury watches and boardroom acumen—before recognizing these were a form of “armour.”

She soon realized that the strength of her business relied more on the qualities she identified with as a woman: emotional intelligence, creative problem solving and collaborative leadership.

Now, she’s leading the pack with a company that’s advised on more than $3B in transactions—and actively championing and mentoring other women in finance to do the same.

Tell me a little more about yourself and your career background before founding RWT Growth Inc. How did you arrive in the position you’re in today?

I grew up in Winnipeg in kind of a working-class family. When my parents split up, I went from a middle-class type upbringing to not having a lot of money whatsoever. That really instilled in me this notion of wanting to have drive and not be in that situation ever again.

From my lens it was a pivotal thing that was ingrained into me. I had this big, big work ethic and a love of business.

Then, I did my MBA, followed by my CPA. I led companies and had leadership roles in North America and in Europe; I led a team and a company based out of London and got to do a lot of business around the world, which was really interesting.

So I did my CPA because I was like, “I really love this,” and it turns out that in CPA school, you don’t actually learn a lot about corporate finance. I decided not to finish my CPA and to just follow my passion, which was really just doing transactions.

[Moving to Kelowna], to be honest, I wanted a better existence. I love being outside, I love the outdoors. I wanted to be closer to the mountains, closer to skiing—all those things. I just needed a change.

When I started RWT, I built up this global network and, although we’re based in Kelowna, very little of what we do has actually been historically in Kelowna. It’s been mainly international, Canadian-based. Really, wherever our clients are.

You started RWT Growth Inc, which has seen over $3B in transactions since you started—what made you want to found a business like this? Can you explain to—someone like me—whom this is all incredibly Greek to?

We’ve advised on $3 billion. Advising doesn’t mean they’re all successful—but we’ve advised on $3 billion.

We help companies buy other businesses—or sometimes investors or institutional groups buy companies. We help owners and ownership groups sell companies. And then the third element that we do, which is maybe a bit smaller but still a really profound part of our business, is what we like to call strategic advisory surrounding buying and selling.

At its simplest: we’re helping buy, sell and we’re helping with the strategy behind those as well.

What does it mean to you to lead a successful business (and in some ways be responsible for the health of your clients’ businesses) in these financially uncertain times?

So, from my experience leading companies—and also just advising on this—really, it’s all about staying agile, staying grounded, being able to pivot quickly, and looking at opportunities objectively.

Because I think what you’re seeing right now, probably more than ever before, is this constantly changing landscape where you have to be willing to let go of previous groupthink—whatever ideas or strategies were guiding you before. What you thought was a good idea three weeks ago might no longer be the best way to move forward as a business.

Most of our clients are looking for confidence. They’re looking for steady hands during this period, and they’re looking for ways to diversify—to reduce risk so they’re no longer singularly focused on just one market, one product, or one path forward.

RWT hinges on being a values-driven, and empathetic company. Can you explain how and why the industry needs this kind of leadership? Is seeing a diverse person in this role encouraging diversity in the industry overall?

That’s a great question. I mean, I think M&A—and investment banking as a whole—are highly transactional, which can be their downfall. But the thing about that is, people are still at the core of all these transactions.

When you talk about empathy, emotional intelligence, and the softer skills that go into what we do—especially in the segment of the market we play in—it really matters. Because, again, we’re usually dealing with owners. We’re not dealing with a professional leadership team that’s like, “Well, I’ve been told we need to sell this division, so let’s just sell it,” with no real emotional attachment. There’s normally a lot of emotion involved.

So I think understanding that emotional side is incredibly important and it’s something I think women do really, really well. It’s a space that needs more women. When I got into this industry, I didn’t see a lot of people like me. That was one of the reasons I felt strongly about making myself a bit more visible because there is space for more women, and I want to help create that space.

You’ve earned the inspiring accolade of being named one of the winners of the 2024 Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Awards, as chosen by the Women’s Executive Network, known as WXN. What does this title mean to you?

It’s such a big honour, obviously, and I think it means even more because I know what it’s like to feel unseen or underestimated in business. As a woman in finance, I still spend a lot of time having to prove that I belong.

So being recognized by WXN, it’s not just personal validation. It’s also something that shows other women that they can do it too. If they don’t feel like they fit the mold, or they feel like they’re the one person in the room who’s different, they can still stand up, step into their power, and accomplish big things.

In an industry that has traditionally lacked diversity, what intentional practices have you implemented to ensure equity and inclusion are not just values, but embedded in the culture of your firm?

At RWT, we take culture seriously. Equity and inclusion aren’t just ideals for us—they’re built into how we hire, how we operate and how we lead. We intentionally recruit beyond the traditional finance pedigree and place real weight on values alignment, merit and emotional intelligence. We’ve also created a flexible work environment that supports professionals who are balancing caregiving responsibilities or other life priorities. For us, high performance and humanity aren’t mutually exclusive. Our goal is to foster a culture where people feel safe showing up as themselves and where diverse perspectives are viewed as business assets.

What advice would you give to other underrepresented leaders—especially trans and queer professionals—trying to succeed in spaces that have historically excluded them?

The biggest piece of advice I can offer is this: don’t contort yourself to fit outdated expectations. I spent years mimicking traditional archetypes because I thought that’s what leadership was supposed to look like. It was exhausting and, ultimately, unfulfilling. The turning point in my career came when I stopped leading from ego and started leading from empathy and authenticity. When you lean into what makes you different, rather than hiding it, you begin to access a kind of clarity and power that’s magnetic. So much of leadership is about self-trust. Build that first. You belong in every room you walk into, even if no one in that room looks like you.

How has mentorship played a role in your journey? Do you intentionally create mentorship opportunities for women or others with underrepresented backgrounds in your industry?

Mentorship has shaped my leadership more than any textbook or degree ever could. Early on, I didn’t always have access to mentors who truly understood my path, so I learned to piece together guidance from those I admired and trusted. Today, I try to lead by example. That means creating space for others to speak up, take risks and grow into roles they may not have imagined for themselves. I also sit on several boards and actively look for opportunities to support emerging leaders who haven’t always had a seat at the table. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can offer is not advice, but belief.