As deadline for nominations nears, advisor explains how recognition helped hone his business
Francis Sabourin has won a Wealth Professional Award for six years in a row, which has also helped him hone his business. But, he’s pausing this year to give someone else a chance – and offering to hand out awards, Academy Award past winner style, instead.
“I think it’s good for the industry to identify those who are serious about their business in some categories within the awards,” Sabourin, who is a portfolio manager and investment advisor with the Sabourin Wealth Management team at Richardson Wealth told Wealth Professional. “There are many categories, and its standards are getting better year after year. It’s not easy to win because you have to convince 10 judges that you’re the best one.”
“I’m taking a pause because I want others to compete. I’ve met a lot of new people and made friends from across the country. I think our firm is in front with the most Wealth Professional Awards, by far. The second firm is behind us with maybe half of what we have.”
Sabourin won the Advisor of the Year for Alternative Investments in 2021 and was a silver “medallist” for it in 2020. He’s also been named the Global Advisor of the Year for 2016, 2017, and 2019, and the Discretionary Portfolio Manager of the Year for 2018.
Wealth Professional isn’t the only one who’s recognized his work. A French publication, Finance et Investissement, also awarded him a Distinguished Advisor Award in 2016.
Sabourin touts the awards on his website, but said going through the nomination process has also added additional value as it has caused him to regularly review his business to see how to improve it.
“There’s a standard that we keep improving year after year because I need to raise my game for the nomination each year,” he said. “We plan on new marketing tools, new portfolio interviews, and where we need to upscale our game because the competition is stronger year after year. So, it’s an improvement for our business and a testimony about what we do, and our clients are really proud when they see that.”
He’s proud of having won the awards, but also making his business the best he can for his clients. He also speaks and produces a show on alternatives for the Canadian Association of Alternative Strategies & Assets.
The Wealth Professional Awards have 23 awards – 12 individual and 11 organizational – this year, which you can check here. Nominations for them are open until Wednesday, February 23.
You can make a nomination here. There is no fee.
The excellence awardees’ names will be announced in April. A panel of judges will then determine the winners, who will be announced at the in-person Wealth Professional Awards gala at the Liberty Grand in Toronto on June 1.
