Give us a call 1.800.948.8548
Investment Professional Leadership Program
Develop the leadership skills you need to build a thriving investment advisory business and take your investment practice to the next level.
Download a Brochure
Purpose and Impact
Investment professionals today face a shifting, disrupted business landscape. In addition to weathering market upheavals, effective investment advisors must navigate complex and often competing stakeholder interests. Cutting through the noise and making strategic decisions with confidence is critical to success.
The Investment Professional Leadership Program from Ivey Business School is designed to help high-performing advisors future-proof their leadership skills while addressing the industry's unique challenges. Throughout the program, you will hone your capabilities as a practice leader and develop the skills necessary to thrive in a new world of client expectations.
In addition to a one-week intensive with Ivey faculty, you’re also matched 1:1 with a top-tier Executive Coach to tackle a real-world Action Plan specific to your practice. It’s not about lectures — the Ivey experience is interactive, fast-paced, and highly practical.
Participant Profile
The Investment Professional Leadership Program is designed for experienced mid-career financial advisors looking to take their practice to the next level and enhance their leadership abilities. Ideal candidates are seasoned professionals who have established a strong foundation in financial advisory and are now eager to refine their strategic thinking, leadership agility, and communication skills.
Participants are typically:
- Mid-career financial advisors who have built a successful client base and are looking to scale their practice further.
- Professionals managing a team or preparing to take on more significant leadership responsibilities within their firm or independently.
- Advisors who want to deepen their ability to navigate complex client relationships, handle difficult conversations, and lead their teams through periods of market uncertainty.
- Individuals committed to staying ahead of industry trends, including regulatory changes, digital transformation, and other market shifts.
- Those who aspire to develop a strategic action plan for long-term success and maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly changing industry.
The program is selective, ensuring a cohort of high-caliber professionals. The program Director will approve successful applicants after a thorough review of the initial application to assess fit and readiness for this advanced leadership development experience.
Learning Outcomes
Leadership Agility and Communication
- Build leadership agility to adapt quickly to changes in the financial advisory landscape.
- Master the art of navigating difficult conversations with both clients and employees.
- Strengthen your communication skills to lead with clarity in complex situations.
Strategic Thinking and Decision-Making in Complexity
- Identify and respond to key trends shaping the financial advisory business in Canada.
- Develop strategic insights to stay competitive, manage regulatory challenges, and integrate ESG factors into your practice.
- Lead your team effectively by focusing on team management, technology integration, and modern service models.
Navigating Change and Transformation
- Align your teams, clients, and followers with transformation. Understand the change process (digital, future of work, competition) and build a culture of innovation in your practice.
- Prepare yourself to sustain long-term effort and personal growth. Build personal and team resilience.
Executive Coaching for Impact
The Investment Professional Leadership Program includes personalized 1:1 executive coaching to help participants apply key learnings and sustain their growth long after the program ends. Coaches provide tailored guidance, working closely with participants to refine their leadership skills, enhance strategic thinking, and implement their action plans within their advisory practice.
This coaching ensures accountability, offering ongoing support to help participants navigate challenges, embed new strategies, and drive meaningful improvements in both their leadership and business performance.
CIRO Accreditation
This program is approved for 20.0 CE Credits through the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization.
How You Learn
The Investment Professional Leadership Program is deeply experiential, grounded in case research, and facilitated by expert faculty from Ivey Business School. Our real-world Case Method of Learning is not about textbooks and lectures – it’s about learning by doing. You’ll identify specific, practical learning takeaways through deep discussion and simulations, then develop an implementation plan with feedback from other leaders. You’ll complete the program having gained new skills, heard insights from peers, and developed a clear strategy to tackle specific challenges back at work
Learn more about the Ivey Experience
Expert Faculty Led Sessions
Ivey Case Method
Online Learning Activities
Peer Learning Teams
Simulations And Role Play
Industry Guests
Executive Coaching
Return on Investment
By participating in the Investment Professional Leadership Program, you will accelerate your career growth and enhance your leadership capabilities in the following ways:
- Enhanced Leadership Agility: Develop the skills to lead effectively through uncertainty, adapt quickly to market changes, and make confident decisions under pressure.
- Improved Client and Team Communication: Master the art of difficult conversations with clients and employees, improving relationships, trust, and long-term retention.
- Strategic Insight: Gain a deeper understanding of emerging industry trends to position yourself as a thought leader in the financial advisory space.
- Actionable Growth Plan: Leave the program with a customized action plan that integrates key learnings into your practice, allowing you to drive measurable improvements in client satisfaction, business development, and leadership impact.
- Long-Term Development: Work with an executive coach post-program to sustain your personal and professional growth, ensuring continued success and relevance in the evolving financial services industry.
Organizations that invest in sending their financial advisors to the Investment Professional Leadership Program can expect significant benefits, including:
- Stronger Leadership: Advisors will return with heightened leadership skills, enabling them to manage teams more effectively, improve collaboration, and foster a culture of continuous growth.
- Improved Client Outcomes: Advisors will be better equipped to handle complex client relationships and communicate more effectively, leading to stronger client loyalty and long-term business sustainability.
- Strategic Business Growth: Participants will develop strategic thinking skills to identify and act on key market opportunities, regulatory changes, and technology integration, driving innovation and competitiveness in the organization.
- Future-Proofed Talent: Advisors will return prepared to lead the business through future challenges, equipped with the knowledge to navigate ESG considerations, digital disruption, and the complexities of post-pandemic markets.
- Action-Oriented Implementation: Each participant will craft and implement an action plan tailored to their practice, ensuring the organization sees a direct, measurable return on its investment in leadership development.
Participant Testimonials
The program allows you to expand your thinking — for me, that was incredibly engaging and valuable. The experience has absolutely had an impact on my leadership style. It has made me more confident in my strategic perspective and ability to communicate those insights.
Neela White, Portfolio Manager, 3Macs - Raymond James Ltd.The program’s intent is to help create that next generation of advisors — future leaders in the modern wealth management industry. This program creates a safe environment for advisors from different firms and geographies to gather through interactive sessions at some stunning locales, step out from their businesses and talk candidly with their peers.
Jamie Coulter, CEO, Raymond James Ltd.As an advisor, you don't often get the opportunity to hear insights from other firms. This program gave me a valuable opportunity to talk to other advisors, compare notes, and see if there is a better way of doing things.
John Riedl, Senior Wealth Advisor, National Bank FinancialThe program has helped me realize that I need to be agile and adaptable and spend time on skills I didn’t fully appreciate. The quality of information that has been provided by industry experts and Ivey faculty has been stellar.
Diane Perry, Senior Portfolio Manager, 3Macs, Raymond James Ltd.The faculty members are remarkable — not only are they deep thinkers, but they also adapt to the dialogue in the room and reflect back a truly meaningful learning experience.
Ben Lapshinoff, Senior Wealth Advisor, National Bank FinancialFAQs
Organizations and participants in Canada may benefit from the Canada Job Grant or the Canada Training Credit to offset a portion of program fees. Visit our Funding Resources page to learn more.
Our Program Managers will contact all registered participants prior to the program start date with instructions to join our online Learning Management System. Once logged in, you will be able to create a class profile, view other participants' profiles, and access a list of assigned pre-reading, cases, and activities. Plan to review and complete preparation work in advance of each class session.
At Ivey, we embrace learning as an interactive experience. Rather than lecturing, your faculty facilitators will guide the group through hands-on activities, discussions, cases, simulations, and more. To get the most value from your learning experience, you should expect to be present and engaged in class sessions. To learn more, click here to visit our Learning Experience page.
Related Programs
Empowering People and Teams
3 days
Foster collaboration and performance by deepening awareness of team dynamics and practicing decentered, empowering leadership.
Managing Risk and Building Resilience
3 modules over 8 weeks
Level up your ability to manage risk, communicate under pressure, and drive organizational resilience, ensuring your team can navigate crises and capitalize on opportunities for long-term success. Next Session Starts September 17
Leading Digital Innovation and Change
3 days
Accelerate digital transformation in your team, department, or organization. Harness innovation strategies and new technologies to drive successful change. Next Session Starts November 24
Related Content
Developing Personal & Team Resilience
A panel of Ivey Coaches share advice for how to develop resilience as a leader, drawing upon their collective experiences working with diverse leaders.
Why Inaction is the Biggest Digital Risk
Rob Austin looks at the threats businesses face while trying to compete in an increasingly digital landscape.
How action learning supports long term leadership development outcomes
Bryan Benjamin and Rosa Cendros share insights for why action learning is so beneficial for leadership development and how The Ivey Academy uses action learning in our to enhance the participant experience.
