Helping to launch a subsidiary from scratch
Julie Yoshikuni always knew she wanted to be in the financial industry – but exactly what and where she would go was still up in the air when she graduated from university.
Still it didn’t take long before Yoshikuni, armed with a business degree with a specialization in commerce and economics from the University of Toronto, landed her first job at Fidelity Investments as an administrative assistant in the company’s finance division.
It was there that she received some words of wisdom that she turned into action.
“At the time, someone gave me some advice that the finance area was a great place to start out because you can see how a company runs and what makes it tick,” says Yoshikuni, now vice president, Investment Products and Marketing at Empire Life Investments. “This way, I got exposure to different areas of the firm, which helped me get a better focus on the company.”
With that in mind, she soon became a financial analyst and then transitioned from finance to a product role. Her timing couldn’t have been any better: the mutual fund industry was in full gear and opportunities to work in different areas and progress through a company were plentiful.
Nobody succeeds alone – and it’s really understanding what you need for that team, motivating them, providing a vision and empowering the team [that’s needed] to be successful.
Yoshikuni moved on to AIM Trimark where the next stage in her development – the chance to build and manage a team at a senior level – awaited her. When a different opening came up at Sun Life Financial, she grabbed it, knowing she could take her knowledge of product and apply it to the insurance side. Even now, she is involved with the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association on its seg fund committee, providing input into the industry organization on next steps and developments.
But the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – and her proudest achievement – came next at Empire Life where she was responsible for overseeing product development and marketing of the company’s new mutual fund subsidiary, including creating its vision, the products, the brand and the value proposition.
“There were a lot of moving parts to this and a huge commitment on the part of the company,” says Yoshikuni. “This wasn’t launching just one or two funds – it was launching a subsidiary from scratch and that’s a lot of work.”
Team leader
But another achievement she holds just as dear is her proven ability to build and lead teams wherever she has worked. Yoshikuni is modest about her leadership skills, insisting that it’s the team as a whole that makes projects run smoothly.
“Nobody succeeds alone – and it’s really understanding what you need for that team, motivating them, providing a vision and empowering the team [that’s needed] to be successful.”
Yoshikuni says balancing both a demanding work and private life (she is married and has a teenage son) has been difficult at times but has enabled her to more easily multi-task, given her a clearer perspective and ability to focus on projects while at work.
She credits Catalyst, a non-profit organization aiming to expand opportunities for women in business, with helping her achieve this healthy balance, and gives kudos to Les Herr, former president and CEO of Empire Life, for supporting Catalyst’s work.
For young women just starting out in the financial services industry and asking for a word of advice, Yoshikuni recommends they take on every assignment and every task with commitment and a sense of purpose – just as she has.
“Make the most of every opportunity – seize them. Every opportunity is a chance to demonstrate what you can do.”
