SPECIAL REPORT
WOMEN OF INFLUENCE 2019 KATHY KOZAK Vice-president, strategy and corporate finance Trez Capital
For the past two years, Kathy Kozak has applied her background in securities and investment management to the mortgage industry. Kozak brings more than 20 years of financial services expertise to her role at Trez Capital, where she has helped expand the company’s relationships with commercial real estate financing partners in both Canada and the US. Kozak credits much of her success to the mentors and colleagues she has worked with over the years. “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with amazingly talented and driven individuals and have had exceptional mentors who were invested in my development and advancement,” she says. “I am thankful to be able to work with such great people every day, both inside Trez and across the mortgage industry.” Outside of Trez, Kozak is involved with Women in Capital Markets and the Vancouver Association of Women in Finance, as well as the CFA Society of Vancouver.
KATHY GREGORY Founding president and CEO
RAKHEE DHINGRA CEO and mortgage broker Mortgage Savvy
Rakhee Dhingra started Mortgage Savvy in 2015, making it her mission to challenge the transactional nature of the mortgage industry and focus on building relationships instead. Dhingra spent years climbing the corporate ladder in the financial industry before taking time off to start a family. After a negative experience applying for a mortgage with her husband, she dedicated herself to building a business that focuses on teaching all homebuyers how to purchase a home within their true affordability and pave a path toward financial well-being. From her very first deal, Dhingra built a financial concierge service and uses that mentality today to partner strategically with Realtors and industry leaders to deliver unparallelled service.
KELLY NEUBER Vice-president, marketing Invis Mortgage Intelligence
Kelly Neuber has been a member of the Invis management team for eight years and has developed a solid reputation for the marketing team, which has been rated by brokers as one of the company’s most valuable programs. Twice a year, Neuber hits the road to give educational presentations to Invis brokers, and she “willingly helps new brokers find their niche and develop their voice,” a colleague says. “What I love most about being the VP of marketing for Invis Mortgage Intelligence is that each broker is so different,” Neuber says. “This isn’t a one-size-fits-all business, and that’s what makes my job so challenging and fun.” Prior to joining the mortgage industry, Neuber was a financial planner and co-author of the book The Financial Advisor at the Epoch: Success Strategies from the Inside. In her spare time, she volunteers at Charlotte’s Freedom Farm, a sanctuary for farm animals, and works with the Beagle Freedom Project, which rescues dogs from laboratory research and the dog meat trade.
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Paradigm Quest
The first female CEO in the Canadian mortgage industry, Kathy Gregory started Paradigm Quest in 2005 with $3 million in capital; today, Paradigm employs more than 300 people and boasts over $27 billion in assets. “I am proud of the culture I have created and foster at Paradigm, and I consistently put the Paradigm family first,” Gregory says. “Employee satisfaction rates continue to exceed 95% every year since inception.” Gregory’s many philanthropic endeavours include founding and chairing the Canadian Mortgage Industry Women’s Networking Golf Tournament and founding the BC Women in Mortgages Leadership Summit. To date, these two events have raised more than $300,000 to support the Canadian Women’s Foundation, Canada’s only national public foundation dedicated to improving the lives of women and girls. In 2013, Gregory was inducted into the Canadian Mortgage Hall of Fame, and for Canada’s 150th anniversary in 2017, she was featured in Paulina Cameron’s book, Canada 150 Women. She also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s Canadian Mortgage Awards and was appointed as an honorary chair for the 2018 and 2019 Princess Margaret Cancer Centre OneWalk campaign.
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