Advocis' first female COO reflects on her unconventional start in the industry, and priorities in new role
Many people might think that as the first female chief operating officer of Advocis, Julie Martini would feel additional pressure. But while she definitely feels the weight of responsibility on her shoulders, that’s not exactly how she sees things.
“I look forward to the day when being the first female or first fill-in-the-blank in a certain position isn't considered newsworthy,” Martini told Wealth Professional. “At the end of the day, how I identify is irrelevant to my appointment, or how well I can do the job.”
Early challenges and opportunities
That attitude is something she carried even in her younger years. During one memorable summer, a 17-year-old Martini did her basic training to join the army reserves as a medic with a combat unit. Beyond giving her newfound confidence, the experience of her total four years of service was a proving ground for her ability to perform well in a traditionally male-dominated field of endeavour.
“I never thought being a woman is going to be an obstacle for me,” she recalls. “It was just like, ‘I’m going through this, whatever anyone says.’”
Looking back on her career, Martini is grateful to have worked at organizations that support the idea of diversity in the workforce. Right after graduating from university, she was hired by an investment management firm as part of a program that welcomed young undergraduates across all areas of discipline. That firm realized that while anyone could learn about financial products, the real value for an organization is to have people who are able to think and solve problems in different ways.
“I wasn’t a business student, but I was trained on the job. Marketing ended up being a natural fit for me and my educational background,” recalls Martini, who took on a progressive series of marketing-related leadership roles within the industry and at Advocis before becoming its COO in May. “I've always loved the variety, and the strategic and creative nature of the work.”
Aside from letting her “get on board the technology train” early on, marketing allowed Martini to hone vital skills, particularly communication and establishing meaningful connections. Whatever her position, she says her job has always stayed fundamentally the same: to pay close attention to people’s current and potential needs and deliver a viable solution.
From history to evolution
“As a professional association, there are aspects to Advocis that haven't changed since we were formed in 1906,” Martini says. “That includes our duty to serve and represent the best interests of our members and our clients, and provide an advisor-centric community for professional development, advocacy, and networking.
“But there are also many aspects that have changed and will continue to change. My job, essentially, is to ensure that we are proactive and adaptable in our response to those changes, which means evolving our operations to better reflect the present and future realities of what our members need.”
A major item on Martini’s to-do list involves the continued push to professionalize Canada’s financial advice industry. She points to Ontario’s title protection regime, which effectively prevents individuals from holding themselves out as an advisor or planner without having credentials that come with certain educational standards.
“There's certainly more to do. … The good news is that Saskatchewan and New Brunswick are following closely behind,” Martini says. “We're going to continue to work with the other provinces and the industry in general to raise the professional bar across Canada.”
Beyond its core identity as a professional membership association, Martini’s mandate will require her to have a hand in how things are run across Advocis’ sprawling umbrella of functions.
That includes credentialling and professional accreditation, providing education-based designation programs, and advocating on legislation and regulations that could impact advisors. The organization also has a P&C broker that focuses on coverage for advisors, and benefits from a still-growing list of partner organizations within the industry.
“We provide a large-scale community for members through our network of 40 chapters across Canada, and dozens of boards and interest-based committees driven by over 400 volunteers,” Martini says, highlighting Advocis’s Technology and Innovation Committee as well as its recently launched DIBE (diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity) committee. “The unique cohort of opportunities we provide has been built and tested over more than a century of history.”
As with many other organizations, Advocis is dealing with hurdles from the residual impact of the pandemic and the current economic backdrop, including staffing challenges, financial challenges, and volunteer fatigue. In the face of that adversity, Martini recognizes the need to manage things in ways that the organization hasn’t done before.
“We’re having to do some things better, some things more efficiently,” Martini says. “Without a doubt, this is going to push me outside of my comfort zone at times, but the end result for our member clients will be worth it.”
