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Training and teamwork work hand in hand at IGM

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This article was published 12/03/2024 (556 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Fiona Melville says she had never considered a career in the financial services sector until she had a practicum with IG Wealth Management (IG), one of the IGM Financial Inc. group of companies.

In 2017, the college where she was studying to become an administrative professional placed her with IG for the practical work experience she needed to complete her certificate program. Just as she was finishing up, the company had an opening in one of its administrative offices.

Although she hadn’t yet determined her ideal career path, Melville was grateful to land a fulltime job with one of Winnipeg’s largest and most established employers.

“I had seen that there are lots of possibilities and opportunities,” she says. “There is room for both personal and professional growth.”

Two promotions later, Melville is an event manager with field and events marketing where her responsibilities include organizing and running employee events ranging from forums to holiday parties. She also supports the senior event leads on the team with their programs, assisting with operational tasks such as developing websites for registration, creative asset management, and communications.

“I’m exactly where I want to be,” says Melville, who’s part of a 15-person team that includes colleagues from IG sister company Mackenzie Investments. “I am so fortunate to work with such a fantastic group of individuals who support and uplift one another every day.”

IGM is one of Canada’s leading wealth and asset management companies. It shares certain corporate functions with its subsidiaries, but the two companies operate separately.

When applying for what Melville now calls her dream job, she realized she had acquired knowledge and skills over the years with IG that might give her an edge over an outside applicant with more event planning experience.

Her first job processing documents had familiarized her with the range of financial products, services and supports that IG offers its clients. In her next role as a vice president’s executive assistant, she learned more about IG’s operations – and discovered her passion for organizing activities for her colleagues.

Chief human resources officer Cynthia Currie says IGM always advertises job openings internally first. “Promoting and transferring employees plays a key role in IGM’s career and succession planning,” she says, adding that employees also benefit when they try different things and are open to learning.

She points out that people leaders and employees work together to create development plans each year. These development plans primarily focus on what employees can learn on the job, including special projects and development assignments.

IGM also has seven employee-led volunteer communities known as business resource groups (BRGs). One of the benefits of BRGs is that they provide career development, mentoring and networking programs to their members and allies.

While the BRGs offer intentional learning opportunities, countless other interactions take place organically as colleagues provide each other with informal mentoring and support.

Currie attributes that to IGM’s inclusive, mutually respectful culture. “We appreciate everyone’s perspectives, and we’re all open to learning from one another,” she says. “Collaboration is the essence of the company.”

Melville says that message is reflected in IG’s approach to remodelling its downtown Winnipeg head office building. The work on her floor is now complete, revealing an open-concept space where the leadership sits with their teams instead of in offices.

“This allows for more interaction and collaboration among the different departments and leaders,” she says. “You can feel a strong sense of community throughout the floor.”