Desjardins praised Ménard’s management expertise, monitor file, and emotional intelligence. Ménard had beforehand served as CEO at Jarislowsky Fraser, the place he organized the transition of a founder-led group into a brand new technology of management. Desjardins says he chosen Ménard each as a result of he thought he may lead the Canadian division of Fiera nicely, and since he might function a possible successor to Desjardins as international CEO. On condition that Desjardins had beforehand stepped down from his function earlier than being requested to return by the board, he’s inserting further emphasis on succession planning. Ménard, he says, can supply traders a bit extra readability as to the place Fiera’s international management could go.

For his half Ménard stated he was excited to embrace the problem of labor at Fiera after conducting all he might at Jarislowsky Fraser. He was additionally trying ahead to working extra instantly with purchasers and pushing Fiera’s advisor outreach work ahead.

“I began at Constancy Investments, so I do know the advisory enterprise fairly nicely. I believe once we mix the non-public asset alternative and the flexibility to develop nicely suited merchandise for advisors, that might supply them and their purchasers an incredible alternative,” Ménard says. “I do know as a result of I’ve been at different locations that attempted to develop such an providing, and as I’m studying the depth and the sophistication of those merchandise I’m very enthusiastic in regards to the alternative to develop. Within the Canadian market I believe we’ve got below-benchmark market share throughout the advisor group.”

Ménard defined what he sees as the important thing areas of alternative for advisors now. Specifically the higher-yielding earnings they’ll get for his or her purchasers via non-public property like credit score, infrastructure or actual property. Fiera has already been in a position to develop extra liquid merchandise that supply these exposures, accessible via an institutional platform that enables advisors to entry these institutional-style investments. Desjardins added that a lot of their retail advisory distribution comes via a partnership with Canoe Monetary which gives retail advisors the liquidity and valuation they want in this sort of funding.

Below Ménard’s management, and the brand new divisional construction at Fiera Capital, Desjardins believes that advisors and Canadian traders might be higher served by the corporate.