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The 2026 Wealth Professional Awards brought together Canada’s leading financial advisors, wealth managers, investment professionals, and firms for an evening celebrating excellence across the industry. Beyond recognizing outstanding achievements, the awards highlighted the qualities that continue to define success in today’s evolving wealth management landscape.
Conversations with this year’s winners revealed a shared commitment to putting clients first, embracing innovation, and delivering value that extends well beyond investment performance. While every winner has built their success differently, several common themes emerged.
For many of this year’s winners, wealth management is about much more than growing portfolios. It’s about helping clients navigate every stage of their financial lives.
Canadian Advisor of the Year winner Christy Bartram, Senior Investment Advisor and Associate Portfolio Manager at TD Wealth Private Investment Advice, believes comprehensive planning has become essential. By expanding conversations beyond investments to include estate planning, tax strategies, and retirement planning, advisors can deliver greater confidence and peace of mind for their clients.
Similarly, Generation Private Wealth, winner of Holistic Advisory Team of the Year, continues to differentiate itself through an integrated approach that considers every aspect of a client’s financial well-being. From succession planning to health planning, the firm’s philosophy reflects a growing industry focus on total wealth management rather than isolated financial advice.
While some winners have broadened their services, others have built their success by remaining deeply specialized.
Portfolio/Discretionary Manager of the Year winner Francis Sabourin Wealth Management has demonstrated the long-term value of disciplined active portfolio management through years of consistent performance. Its approach reinforces the importance of conviction, research, and adapting investment strategies to individual client needs rather than relying on one-size-fits-all solutions.
The same philosophy is reflected by RPIA, winner of Mutual Fund Provider of the Year. By maintaining a singular focus on public credit and investment-grade fixed income, while continuing to invest heavily in research, technology, and specialist expertise, the firm has built a reputation as a leader within its chosen field.
Behind every successful advisory business is a high-performing team.
MLD Wealth Management, recognized as Advisory Team of the Year (10 Staff or More), credits its success to a culture built on loyalty, resilience, discipline, and a shared commitment to clients. As wealth management becomes increasingly complex, strong collaboration and specialist expertise are proving just as valuable as technical investment knowledge.
Across the award winners, one message remained consistent: outstanding client outcomes are rarely achieved alone.
This year’s awards also recognized individuals making an impact beyond their own businesses.
Som Seif, Founder and CEO of Purpose Unlimited and recipient of CEO of the Year, continues to champion leadership that serves the broader interests of Canadians, encouraging the industry to be bold, innovative, and forward-thinking.
Meanwhile, Shannon Lee Simmons, founder of the New School of Finance and winner of the Financial Literacy Champion award, highlighted the growing importance of financial education at a time when many Canadians are facing economic uncertainty. Her work demonstrates how improving financial literacy not only empowers individuals but also helps advisors build stronger relationships with future generations of clients.
The achievements recognized at the 2026 Wealth Professional Awards reflect an industry that continues to evolve alongside the needs of Canadians.
Whether through holistic financial planning, specialist investment expertise, exceptional teamwork, or leadership that extends beyond the business, this year’s winners share a commitment to raising the standard of professional advice.
Together, they represent the innovation, integrity, and client-first mindset that continue to shape the future of Canada’s wealth management industry.
Congratulations once again to all of this year’s winners and finalists. Your achievements inspire the industry and set the benchmark for what’s possible.
A sincere thank you to our sponsors and partners for your invaluable support in making this celebration possible. Your commitment helps recognize and elevate excellence across Canada’s wealth sector.
We look forward to celebrating the industry’s next generation of achievements at the Wealth Professional Awards 2027.
In wealth management, much of the work happens behind closed doors—in conversations with clients, long-term planning sessions, moments of uncertainty, and years spent earning trust. Success is rarely defined by a single transaction or milestone. It is built over time through consistency, expertise, and a commitment to putting clients first.
The professionals recognized in this year's Wealth Professional Awards exemplify that standard. They have embraced change, navigated economic uncertainty, adopted new technologies, and continued to deliver advice that helps Canadians build and protect their financial futures. Their achievements remind us that excellence is not simply about growth; it is about leadership, resilience, and the confidence they inspire in the people they serve.
This commemorative guide celebrates those accomplishments. Within these pages are the individuals, teams, and firms whose work is shaping the future of Canada's wealth industry—not only through business success, but through innovation, collaboration, and a willingness to raise the bar for the profession as a whole.
To every Excellence Awardee and Winner, congratulations. Your achievements deserve to be recognized, and we are proud to share your stories.
We hope this guide stands as both a celebration of what has been accomplished and a reflection of the strength, ambition, and momentum driving Canada's wealth profession forward.
View the full photo gallery here.
The recipient of this award will be revealed at the Wealth Professional Awards Gala.
Stage 1 – Nominations
The call for nominations was open to all wealth management professionals and organizations—including financial advisors, advisory brokerages, BDMs, fund providers, and service providers—from across Canada.
Nominations were open from November 24, 2025, and were extended until February 13, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. EST.
To submit a nomination, entrants went to the Nominate page of this website and provided the nominee’s contact details and a brief reason for nomination within a 300-word limit.
Stage 2 – Research
The Wealth Professional Awards team conducted research and drew on the knowledge and information gained through Wealth Professional to support and supplement the nominations received and to ensure that no one deserving of recognition was missed. Excellence Awardees were determined from both pools of information.
Stage 3 – Excellence Awardees
Once all nominations had been considered and the research was complete, Excellence Awardees were selected in each category (except the Lifetime Achievement category) and notified via email or phone.
All Excellence Awardees were then invited to complete a detailed submission, providing an opportunity to address the category criteria in greater detail. All submissions remained confidential unless otherwise indicated and were not shared with any third parties other than the judges.
Excellence Awardees were officially announced in March 2026 on the event website and were promoted in Wealth Professional magazine and online channels. Promotional packages to leverage their achievement across marketing and promotional activities were made available for purchase.
Stage 4 – Judging
All submissions from the Excellence Awardees were forwarded to the independent judging panel, comprising industry leaders and senior representatives. Each section of the submission form was scored against an evaluation scale. The cumulative scores from each section created a total score for each finalist. Each category had a minimum of three judges voting, and the cumulative total scores were added together to determine the winner. The evaluation scale and questions were based on the category criteria.
Voting commenced in April 2026, and the judges' assessments were impartial, balanced, incisive, and fair. Any judge with a conflict of interest in a category recused themselves from judging that category.
Stage 5 – Winners
Winners were announced at the awards ceremony on June 4, 2026, and on this website. They were also promoted in Wealth Professional. Promotional packages to leverage their achievement across marketing and promotional activities were made available for purchase.
