What career opportunities are available in financial services?
Careers in financial services are not limited to individuals with economics, finance or accounting degrees. Find out what could lie in store for you with a career in financial services.
Alumni Guests
Flora Do (BA' 04, Economics and International Trade)
Flora Do is Vice President, Term Investments & Savings, RBC InvestEase and Head, RBC Healthcare. Flora is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the Term Investments and Savings and RBC InvestEase businesses, product development, distribution strategy, and pricing and yield management; with the ultimate goal of serving clients’ savings, financial planning and investment needs as part of the PSI team. Flora is also responsible for leading RBC’s Healthcare segment to drive innovative value propositions, new client growth and strategic partnerships. Prior to joining P&CB, Flora was Vice President, Strategy and Client Insights, Wealth Management, acting as a primary point of connectivity across Wealth Management lines of business globally and to the broader RBC enterprise. Flora's teams enabled business growth and cross-WM and RBC partnership through strategic initiatives and insights based on data analytics and client experience. Prior to joining RBC in 2013, Flora worked for Deloitte’s Financial Services consulting practice in Toronto, with experience leading large-scale projects for global financial institutions across North America, the UK, Europe, the Caribbean and Asia. Flora is active in the community within and outside RBC and serves as cosponsor of the MOSAIC ERG, on the board of the National Ballet of Canada and is chair of the board of a non-profit that serves adults with mental and developmental challenges (CORE). Flora was previously a member of the Wealth Management Diversity Leadership Council and the 2020 Employee Giving Cabinet Co-Leader for Wealth Management. Flora holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours Economics and International Trade) from the University of Waterloo.
Micheal La Fleur (BA'03, Economics)
As Head of U.S. Private Placements at TD Securities, Mike La Fleur is responsible for originating, structuring and executing traditional private placements across a wide variety of sectors and industries for U.S., Canadian and global companies. Mike joined TD Securities in 2010 and has over 12 years of experience in capital markets. In addition to his Economics degree from Waterloo, Mike holds an MBA from the University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management (2008).
Gaurav Pokharel (BA'12, English)
Gaurav brings 10 years of experience in the executive recruitment industry, having supported global, national, and boutique search firms. A multi-lingual immigrant raised in Canada, Gaurav is driven by his lived experience, bringing a deep commitment to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity at the senior executive levels. At Massey Henry, a firm that exclusively focuses on financial services executive recruitment, he supports the sourcing and assessment of VP and C-Suite candidates, and also oversees marketing and communications efforts. Gaurav holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Waterloo, where he has been featured as a panelist and mentor for students. He is also a Mentor with Skills for Change, an organization that provides learning and training opportunities for immigrants and refugees to participate in the Canadian workplace and wider business community.
Trish Villanueva (BA'12, English)
Trish Villanueva, Global Head of Security Operations at Scotiabank, started as a SOC analyst over 10 years ago and has gone on to build Security Operations Centres in 4 continents around the world. Trish has been involved in responding to some of North America’s prolific breaches and has consulted on security operations for 100+ organizations globally. Currently, she manages a global team of cybersecurity professionals, including Cyber Threat Intelligence, Global Incident Response, and Data Loss Monitoring, in over a dozen countries where Scotiabank’s global presence exists.