Connor Doyle

About me

I was born/grew up in: Born in Edmonton, AB and lived almost my whole life in Calgary, AB

I now live in: Calgary, AB

I completed my training/education at: SAIT – Broadcast Electronics Technology, Accelerated Accounting Certificate, Project Management Certificate (in progress).

University of Calgary – 2 years Bachelor of Education program (not completed)

Canadian Securities Institute – Multiple programs required for Broker Licensing

Certified Financial Planner – Completed CFP Accreditation

What I do at work

My duties at Olympia Trust Company are simple: Ensure that our organization and our clients are complaint with all industry and legal regulations and requirements. What does that mean in plain language? I make sure everyone is operating inside the regulations. If they are not, I provide direction to correct the situation and bring them back onside.

I am involved in various auditing and reviewing activities and operations. I do my review and compare each against the rules and regulations for each provincial Business Corporations Act, national rules under the Securities Act, the different Canadian Stock Exchanges, and where required the SEC rules in the USA.

My day-to-day work is a mix of reviewing rule updates with law firms and regulators. I review the court rulings that have been made and how they might apply to our company and our clients. At other times, I will be involved in auditing activities within our company, and attending seminars/webinars about anything related to this work. I also work on requests from companies and lawyers to see if an action would be considered compliant. If I determine the action is not compliant, I work to find ways to complete the action within the rules.

If we find a rule/regulation has been broken, my job is to figure out how it was broken and what has to be done to get back on side. I will then provide guidance to prevent this from happening in the future. As a result, a lot of my work is learning, listening, planning, and problem solving in advance and in the moment. There are no special tools for this job. Just a lot of reading and problem solving. Being good at web searches helps too!

My career path is

I thought I would be in TV production and technical work when I was leaving high school. I am currently doing Finance Regulatory work according to my job definition. How did I get here? I started out with a Broadcast Electronics Diploma at SAIT. After I graduated, I found work in the telecommunication industry (telecom). While working in telecom, I started a Bachelor of Education degree but dropped that to take a promotion. When the telecom industry took a bad turn after the Nortel crash, I switched fields to become a financial planner and broker. In this job, I helped my clients with their insurance needs and financial goals. I did that for 7 years before I decided to change again into finance regulatory work. Now I am in a more senior role in the financial industry and loving it!

I am motivated by

I enjoy my work because I get to solve problems for our company and our clients! It is a great feeling to know that you were able to figure out a solution to a problem or develop processes that make everyone’s work better and compliant! It is also rewarding to know that lawyers and executives come to me for advice and guidance, as I am a SME (subject matter expert) in my field.

In addition, I never stop learning! No one person can know everything in the finance regulatory field so there is always something new to learn.

How I affect peoples’ lives

I am here to make sure our business serves our clients in a legal and effective manner. I also help make sure our clients are able to continue to operate and serve their shareholders.

Outside of work I

I like fishing, photography, and games for relaxing. Some online games but also card and board games. I take pictures on walks in the mountains, around lakes and rivers. My camera is water resistant so I can get very close to the water for some interesting shots.

I volunteer at the Annual SAIT Alumni Santa Skate where kids get to do crafts, get photos and skate with Santa!

My advice to others

Be prepared to be adaptive and creative! If you can listen, analyze, and create solutions that are easy to understand and implement then you would do well in this career, or any career!