PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES OF CONVENTION
Allison Taylor Invico Capital
HISTORICALLY, WOMEN ARE NOT THE ONES MAKING INVESTMENT DECISIONS IN THE HOUSEHOLD. THAT IS NOW SHIFTING. WOMEN ARE MAKING MORE MONEY THAN EVER BEFORE AND HAVE A LONGER LIFESPAN THAN MEN. IT’S IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO BE EDUCATED AND KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT FINANCE AND INVESTING. — ALLISON TAYLOR, INVICO CEO
Allison Taylor is always up for a challenge, whether it’s running 50 marathons before she turns 50 (a feat she accomplished well before the sell-by date), or co-founding a highly successful alternative investment management firm. In fact, the CEO of Invico Capital Corporation in Calgary and a winner in the WXN BMO Entrepreneurs Awards thrives on facing challenges head-on.
Born and raised in New Germany, N.S., Taylor had always set her sights on a career in finance, starting with a degree in actuarial science. “Going into finance drew on the analytical capabilities I always had. I’ve always believed it’s important to choose a career you enjoy and that you can excel in.”
Although she never thought of herself as a feminist, she fell into the role naturally. In high school, the girls took home economics on-site while the boys boarded a bus to take an industrial arts class. “I didn’t want to do home economics because I already knew how to cook, so one day I just got on the bus with the boys, and the school decided there wasn’t much they could do. I guess you could say I was a female leader at a very young age.”
She credits her parents for pushing her and her siblings to excel. “My mom always worked and supported my dad through law school. She was a strong person and had multiple careers and was always pushing my siblings and I to achieve the best we could achieve.”
Taylor co-founded Invico with Jason Brooks after working together at Ernst & Young (EY). There, they often teamed up on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in private capital markets. “Allison was extremely tenacious, a go-getter, bright and analytical. She was always someone I wanted on the team,” says Brooks.
He adds that both of them focused on opportunities outside of the mainstream, which led them to found Invico in 2005. It was a bold move, given they were heading into new territory: providing everyday investors with access to alternative investments typically reserved for high-net-worth investors. “Once we started seeing the opportunities, we agreed it was a risk we were both willing to take,” says Brooks.
Alternative finance has become a rapidly growing segment of the investment industry. “While it may be non-traditional and fairly new, it has been quite topical,” says Taylor. “It’s one area that sets us apart.”
Today Invico manages over $1.2 billion in private capital. This is particularly impressive when you consider that, according to a 2021 Citywire Alpha Female Report, out of a database of more than 16,000 fund managers, women made up only 12 per cent of fund managers globally. The report also indicated that it will take 127 years to reach gender parity at the current pace.
Taylor is a true standout when it comes to championing gender equity in an industry where less than five per cent of CEOS are women. At Invico, the majority of staff are women, including representation at every level of the firm, from administration to the management and executive teams. Invico’s C-suite is 50 per cent female, while women represent 50 per cent of the team that oversees all
deal flow and performance of energy-related investments.
“We had the advantage of building Invico from the top down and considered gender equality as an important feature of our culture,” says Brooks. “When you start an organization you can do a lot more than entrenched organizations with male-dominated teams. Having that diversity within the firm is a real strength.”
Hiring a majority female workforce wasn’t so much a formalized effort for Taylor. “Obviously, it was all about looking for the best talent. It just happens that it’s often women.”
A large part of the company’s success in attracting women is the fact there is a female leader at the helm, she
adds. “That’s highly unusual in this industry. My role has attracted other females looking to excel and be successful in the sector. They want to work in an environment where they are valued and treated well. It has worked out very well, since we’ve been able to attract and retain some great women and offer them a strong career path.”
Well aware of the challenges facing women in the workplace, Invico offers flexible work schedules and a long-standing work-fromhome policy before the pandemic to accommodate childcare needs. “We work around those realities rather than see them as barriers to hiring,” Brooks says.
As a person willing and able to take chances, Taylor often offers positions to immigrants who are qualified in their own countries of origin, and helps them navigate their recertification efforts in Canada. “For a lot of people coming from other countries, their education doesn’t translate to Canada. They might be a CPA in their own country and have to be retrained, even though they are more than capable of doing the job. We are very supportive of them and pay for their re-schooling while working here. That’s been a huge contribution to the loyalty of the people we hire.”
She has also taken a strong interest in women investors, leading seminars and speaking at events. “Historically, women are not the ones making investment decisions in the household. That is now shifting. Women are making more money than ever before and have a longer lifespan than men. It’s important for them to be educated and knowledgeable about finance and investing.”
Outside of the business, Taylor has mentored finance graduates from the University of Calgary and often speaks to students in the finance program on career nights. She is also a member of the investment committee at the University of Calgary and the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) exempt market dealer advisory committee (EMDAC).
When speaking to audiences, she often stresses that while barriers exist for women, it can sometimes be of a person’s own making. “A lot of women feel inequality, but it may not actually be there. I’m trying to mentor women about that. They may think they’re not qualified or credentialed, but people looking at them might not feel the same way. Women sometimes have a bias on not selling their skills as hard as men, and the hiring approach needs to be adjusted to accommodate this mentality.”
During her earlier M&A days, she often felt her credibility was questioned when evaluating deals. “I would tell a business owner they should take a deal based on the value, and they would look at me with a sense of ‘how are you qualified to tell me what my business is worth?’. I felt I had to talk below others to earn my spot. But then I realized some of that might have been my own perception.”
When mentoring other women, she underscores the importance of designations and credentials. “Whether it’s project management, a CPA or engineering, having the credentials immediately puts you on equal footing and gives others the confidence you have something to offer.”
Brooks says that in their days at EY, it was very clear that as a woman, Taylor was coming in on a different playing field. But her perseverance stood out. “You don’t run 50 marathons if you’re afraid of a challenge. For Allison, it was just another challenge to overcome.”
For Taylor, her marathon ambitions represent the importance of applying balance in your approach to life. “Each time I set a marathon goal, it’s a new challenge. My latest goal is running a marathon in all 50 states. I only have 36 states left to go.”
Taylor is especially proud to see that her daughter, who is now in grade seven, is already showing the confidence needed to succeed. “I always tell her not to set her sights too short because she’s female. Although she’s young, she’s already brought up ideas like working at NASA or being a surgeon. As long as she finds something she loves and is passionate about it, I’m happy.”