Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 46
46
( 2025 )
SPONSOR CONTENT
CI has a family feel with entrepreneurial spirit
W
hen Debra
Church talks
about her
colleagues at
CI Financial
Corp., she often refers to them
as family. For more than two
decades they’ve been there for her,
supporting her through triumphs
and tragedies. “There is true
support here,” she says. “It’s hard
to put into words. CI has been a
place where I’ve witnessed great
compassion, both to me personally and to other colleagues.”
That family atmosphere may
seem unusual, given that CI
Financial is a global wealth and
asset management company with
operations across Canada, as
well as in the United States and
Australia. CI currently manages
and administers approximately
$518 billion in client assets.
Church started 24 years ago
with CI subsidiary Assante
Wealth Management, managing
its inbound call centre. She soon
switched to human resources with
CI and filled a variety of roles
over the years. Today, she is a
senior talent acquisition partner,
responsible for establishing CI’s
university recruitment program as
a notable brand on campuses such
as University of Toronto, Toronto
Metropolitan University and
University of Waterloo.
“We’re a big player in the
industry, but everybody knows
each other here and we have a
true open door policy,” she says.
“If you want to meet somebody,
tap on their door or send them an
email for a coffee chat. It’s really
that simple.”
That open door policy is part
of what Manisha Burman calls
CI Financial’s “entrepreneurial
spirit.” Burman is CI’s executive
vice-president and chief human
resources officer. She says
maintaining that small office feel
is crucial to the way CI conducts
business.
“We’re a big player in the
industry, but everybody
knows each other here and
we have a true open door
policy.”
— Debra Church
Senior Talent Acquisition
Partner
Employees at CI Financial open the market to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its listing on the Toronto Stock
Exchange.
“Regardless of your level and
what role you have, you can do
meaningful work at CI,” says
Burman. “We make decisions
quickly and empower the experts.
Our business benefits because we
can outpace our competitors. Our
employees benefit because they
feel the impact of the work they
do, which is highly engaging.”
The result, says Burman, is a
company that can manoeuvre
like a small company, but with
the profile of a larger firm with
sophisticated capabilities and
offerings. “It’s the best of both
worlds, both for our clients and
our employees,” she says.
Empowering employees means
nurturing them and taking an
interest in their careers as well,
says Burman. “We’re working on
a system where we’re looking at
all employees, identifying who’s
