Leith Wheeler

Office address Suite 1500 - 400 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6C 3A6
Website www.leithwheeler.com
Year established 1982
Company type investment management
Employees over 100
Expertise investment management, institutional, private client, mutual funds, equities, financial planning, bonds, and alternative assets
Parent company N.A.
CEO and key people Jim Gilliland, President and CEO

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel is a Vancouver-based investment firm that provides a comprehensive range of investment management services to individuals, families, and institutions. Today, Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel manages over $20 billion in assets. It has headquarters in Vancouver and offices in Calgary and Toronto.

History of Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel was founded in 1982 by Murray Keith and Bill Wheeler. Over its 40-year history, the firm has achieved a number of firsts:

  • launched the company’s first suite of mutual funds in 1994
  • worked with its first Indigenous client in 2004
  • was a signatory to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment in 2013 – one of the first independent investment firms in Canada to do so

The company has also built strong ties with the University of British Columbia. In 1986, Murray Leith co-founded the Portfolio Management Foundation program at UBC. And in 2015, the Leith Wheeler Investment Lab was launched at the UBC Sauder School of Business.

Products and Services of Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel

Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel offers a wide range of investment management services, including:

  • portfolio management
  • discretionary investment management
  • investment advice
  • financial planning
  • estate planning

The firm's investment philosophy can be summed up in two words: Quiet Money. Their approach is quiet and humble while managing their clients’ funds efficiently. No bells and whistles here – only low-key financial expertise.

Culture at Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel

Leith Wheeler is proud to be an independent firm. This allows them to make decisions aligned with their values and priorities, always putting their clients’ interests in mind.

The company takes a team approach to portfolio management while tapping into individual strengths to deliver top results for clients.

As a signatory to the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment, ESG principles are part of Leith Wheeler’s investment process. The firm invests in companies it is comfortable with, recognizing that ESG practices in business have an impact on overall financial performance.

About Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel President and CEO Jim Gilliland

Jim Gilliland took over as President and CEO of Leith Wheeler in 2013. He joined the company in 2009 as Head of Fixed Income. Before that, he was Vice President of HSBC Asset Canada from 1993 to 2001, then Managing Director of Barclays Global Investors from 2002 to 2009.

Gilliland earned a BComm degree (with honours) from the University of British Columbia. He holds a Master's degree in Financial Engineering from the University of California Berkeley and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder.

Gilliland serves as chair of the Faculty Advisory Board for the Saunder School of Business at his alma mater, UBC.

Future at Leith Wheeler Investment Counsel

Leith Wheeler has a strong team of investment professionals, a proven track record of success, and a commitment to providing clients with a high level of personalized service.

As Leith Wheeler says on its website, “wise investing means thinking about your tomorrow.” As it looks to the future, the company continues to focus its efforts on serving its clients while staying true to its values. That means Quiet Money, investors first.

Russell Investments launches new global balanced portfolio

New portfolio offers low-medium risk investors diversified, stable returns with competitive costs

Industry veteran takes aim to how banks offer structured notes

CWB Wealth and Leith Wheeler executive takes on strategic advisor role at fintech

5-Star Leading Women in Wealth

Wealth Professional spotlights 50 women who tackled the turbulent climate of the wealth industry in 2021 – and really made their mark

Canada's largest high-yield bond issue rises in trading debut

The issue has been described as investment-grade quality trading at high-yield spreads

Canadian curve inversion is the deepest in almost 20 years

Traders are betting on the BoC cutting rates

Canadian curve inversion reaches deepest since 2000

Traders have increased wagers on rates cuts since last week even as inflation remains close to the Bank of Canada’s target

Canadian bond investors are expecting a rate cut

Bonds due in more than a decade are yielding less cash

Canadian bonds due after 10 years yield less than cash

Softening economic data, pessimism from the Bank of Canada, and a global bond rally have been a backdrop for falling yields

Ontario's drought of debt sales sets up fall spree

A rush in autumn sales may weigh on the performance of the province's fixed-income securities

Rate-hike fever hits Canadian bond market

There’s money to be made in Canada’s short-term bond market, according to some fund managers