Londoner and GLC Asset Management Group president named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women

Header image for Interrobang article CREDIT: GLC ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP LTD
Ruth Ann McConkey was named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women for her professional achievements and exceptional community development.

London native, Ruth Ann McConkey, has been honoured with being named one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women for 2017.

This recognition is awarded by the Women's Executive Network to 100 strong female leaders throughout Canada that demonstrate professional achievement and continuously inspire others to live outside the boundaries.

McConkey was born and raised in London and graduated with an honours bachelor in business administration from Western's Business School, which has been renamed to Ivy Business School.

When she graduated, the economy was in a recession so she relocated to Toronto as an opportunity arose. She grew her professional skills for ten years in Toronto and was offered a position at London Life and moved back to London in 1994 and has been here ever since.

In early 2011, Great West Life, Canada Life, and London Life amalgamated to form GLC Asset Management Group Ltd., and McConkey was offered the president position of the company.

“My job is to work with my team of fabulous people to produce investment performance for our clients. Making sure we are making all the decisions in people's best interests as we manage the money that they have for their retirement,” said McConkey.

GLC Asset Management is responsible for managing just over fifty billion dollars in assets. They are an investment management firm with locations in London, Winnipeg, and Toronto.

On top of her presidential role at GLC, McConkey spends a majority of her time volunteering. Most of her volunteer work is centered around the Sisters of St. Joseph's and she has been there for over ten years.

“They are a great group of women that do a lot of good in the community. Looking after people, social justice, and environmental. I like to say they are ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) before ESG was a popular thing,” said McConkey.

McConkey plans to continue to volunteer with the Sisters of St. Joseph's and as she gets older, she will have more opportunities to get out in the community and give back.

She is passionate about the development of the younger generation and has spoken at Western University a few times to talk about careers and how people can navigate our industry specifically.

When asked about what this award meant to her, McConkey said, “The best thing about the award is to demonstrate to young people what can be accomplished. The media's attention that comes with it is nice to be able to show that there are a lot of people who are very successful in a lot of different walks of life.”

McConkey wishes to encourage young people to look outside a strict career path. There are a lot of employers in the city that have a number positions from entry level positions right up to senior roles.

“You may not find the exact position that you want, but you may find something that is a little bit different but it is worth a try,” said McConkey.

The entirety of her career involved viewing different positions as an opportunity to see where it would take her. She approached every position with an open mind and saw it as a chance to broaden her skill set.

McConkey received the award at a gala celebration event in Toronto late last year.

To learn more about GLC Asset Management, visit www.glc-amgroup.com.

To learn more about Women's Executive Network and the winners of Canada's Most Powerful Women visit www.wxnetwork.com