Michael Taylor, CFO and chief compliance officer of Nicola Wealth Management (NWM) began writing a newsletter for the company shortly after he joined. Entitled Kaizen, a Japanese word meaning to continuously improve, it is a philosophy he helps the firm successfully achieve every day.
Taylor’s initial mandate when he joined the company in 2007 was to determine the feasibility of expanding beyond NWM’s single pooled fund at the time into a series of proprietary pooled funds. In less than five years, Taylor built a platform that expanded NWM’s offering from a single $70 million fund to 13 funds valued at $1.1 billion today.
He spent months performing due diligence and research to prepare a report exploring the financial structures of proprietary funds; it would become the foundation for NWM’s expansion into fund manufacturing.
Taylor co-manages the NWM primary and balanced mortgage funds, where he is responsible for selecting the funds’ assets and third-party suppliers and shares accountability for their performance.
After crafting the financial structure that would allow the firm to become a successful fund manufacturer, he deftly handled a litany of risk management and compliance issues that not only improved NWM’s standing with the BC Securities Commission but also allowed the firm to register as a portfolio manager, investment fund manager and exempt market dealer.
John Nicola, chairman and CEO of NWM, said, “While his skills and abilities have certainly elevated the firm’s business development, Mike is a consummate team player. His creative problem-solving ability laid the groundwork for the firm’s future growth both financially and administratively, stewarding business initiatives that have brought both efficiency and scalability.” •
