feature/ 10 Most influential women
Alyssa Richard
Patricia Giankas
Where: President, RateHub, Toronto
Where: CENTUM Metrocapp Wealth Solutions Inc and ScoreUp (president & CEO), Toronto, Ont. The # of years in the business: 38
The # of years in the business: 3 Patricia Giankas
Why are you influential? In both my personal life and my business career I have endured many trials and tribulations in all facets of life. I had it all and then later lost it all, partly due to family illnesses. These life lessons only make you stronger. Now I have returned with a vengeance. I am a visionary and my brain never sleeps. I have completed enhancing a software that increases credit scores and helps clients regain their financial health. I am now in a new chapter in my life. I have found inner peace in the acceptance that every experience is a life lesson. All the chips are falling into place and the potential is endless. I am elated that doors keep opening!
Who’s influenced you? The woman who had the greatest influence in my life was my very first manager in 1975. I was unaware that she had been suffering with cancer, but she came to work every day and worked very hard. There was a point when I thought she did not like me. She would inundate me with a lot of work and made me shed tears. Almost like the movie The Devil Wears Prada. As she continued to pile work on my desk, I did not complain. It was my first office job. I did not quit. I wanted to prove to her and prove to myself that I can do it. I was so much engrossed in trying to please her, that I never saw the twinkle in her eyes as she threw the work at me. A year later she fell in her bathroom and was off work. Two days later, she phoned me the evening before she passed and said that she loved and believed in me, and that she sees me being successful in life. It was a bittersweet moment.
Is a list like this even necessary today? In business leadership, males and females can’t be categorized into gender-specific styles. Situation will dictate leadership style before sex does.
Career Milestones: After graduating from Queen’s in 2007, she worked two years with Bain & Company consulting in U.S. financial services. There she was introduced to mortgage websites and the power consumers can have by making better decisions with their financing options. Left Bain & Company in 2009 to start RateHub.ca.
Alyssa Richard
RateHub.ca: - We launched in 2010 - Now employes 11 full-time staffers - Ranking No. 1 on Google for many key mortgage rate search terms
Why are you influential? I’m passionate about two things: building an online brand and empowering consumers. RateHub.ca acquires users exclusively online, which is a testament to our tools and resources, search engine optimization strategies, and partnerships with other websites such as Yahoo! Finance Canada, Kijiji, etc.
Who’s influenced you? 1) My mom is someone who believes she can do anything and, therefore, she tries until she succeeds. 2) When I first started RateHub.ca, one of my mentors was a woman named Lib Gibson. Lib played a critical role in helping me start the business.
Is a list like this even necessary today? In business, I think men and women are on equal playing fields now, especially when it comes to acquiring talent, growing revenue and maximizing profit. But it hasn’t always been that way. Warren Buffett said he “was privileged to work during a period when it was only necessary to compete against half of the population.” In the financial services, which is still typically dominated by men, it’s nice to highlight women who are making positive changes in the industry.
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