CLAIRE DRAGE

Broker, team leader and trainer
Mortgage Alliance The Lion’s Share Group

Claire Drage remembers the ‘advice’ she got when she took her first job as a mortgage broker’s assistant: “I asked what it would take to become a top-producing broker [and was told] to not concern myself with that, because finance is a man’s world,” she says. “Well, look at me now!” Drage credits her success largely to her solid support team. “I couldn’t do what I do without my amazing staff, team leaders and agents,” she says. “I provide them with all the tools, systems, processes and authority they need to work effectively and make decisions without me micromanaging them … which gives me the time to make sure we continue to adapt, focus and then do it all over again.”

For Drage, the most triumphant moments are when her team is able to come through for one another and their clients – such as witnessing a team member going from zero to $30 million in volume as a result of training, or seeing a client get to retire earlier than expected thanks to a passive income portfolio they arranged.

Drage has been receiving recognition as a leading broker since 2014, and this is her third appearance on the Women of Influence list. She affirms the importance of these recognitions not just for herself, but for all the female professionals and leaders who are working diligently behind the scenes. “Women in general don’t pound their own chests or shout from the rooftops how much volume they are doing,” she says. “We can sometimes be the silent success stories that no one will hear about.”

FSCO license: M08007610