How one firm is serving clients without impacting its hours of operation

For many mortgage professionals across Canada, the advent of remote working as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic was one of the biggest adjustments ever to take place in their careers, with in-person client meetings becoming a thing of the past and virtual solutions suddenly taking centre stage.

Not so for Catherine Ellis (pictured top), CEO of the Kelowna, BC-based Cultivate + Evolve Financial, who had embraced a remote working environment years before the pandemic began. The 2021 CMP Woman of Influence – making the list for the fourth consecutive year – said that she had long viewed the remote arrangement as the most effective way to service clients.

“I explained to my clients that it was a more efficient use of time, and I could meet them in the evenings or on the weekends, because I’m not being pulled away from my family as I can do it from home,” she said. “So, it’s been great.

“A lot of clients want to meet [during those hours], which a lot of brokers weren’t able to do previously. Now we can service our clients’ needs and wants, and meet their availability, while still not largely impacting our hours of operation.”

The company Ellis founded started out as Mortgages by Catherine in 2016 before rebranding to Cultivate + Evolve Financial early this year in a move that was aimed at creating and fostering a more integrated experience for clients.

Ellis said that the rebrand had entailed expanding to an integrated service that moved beyond simply securing a mortgage towards an approach that could address the long, short and midterm goals of what they ultimately wanted to achieve.

“With CE Financial, my goal is to assist clients with cultivating whatever needs to be done – whether it’s credit rebuild, savings or income strategy planning, to allow them to be able to set the foundation for homeownership,” she said, “and then be able to evolve throughout their lifetime of ownership within the home space in terms of going from a condo to a single-family, or purchasing an investment property or commercial space.”

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Central to that approach is a strong focus on education – something that’s been a mainstay of Ellis’s career as a mortgage professional. She described financial literacy as a key element in a prosperous future for all Canadians, with the ability of mortgage brokers and agents to offer detailed, concise advice also bolstering the reputation of the profession and driving more customers towards the space.

“The more education and knowledge we can supply to our clients, the more we will be viewed as the professionals. So the more that we can get to the forefront in providing educated and knowledge-backed solutions rather than just rates, the more likely it is that clients are going to come to us,” she explained.

“We’ve seen over the last few years with the heightened stress test, the increased regulation, the change in lending practices, that more clients are coming to brokers. And what’s the main reason? It’s [the ability to provide] solutions, options and alternatives for them.”

Ellis described herself as “honoured” to have been named once again as a Woman of Influence, with those awards showcasing the strong contribution made by women in the mortgage industry – one that was only set to continue and expand in the coming years.

“I’m proud of all the women that have been recognized, and I think it’s amazing that every year it’s continued to grow,” she said. “We’ve seen more and more women recognized and appreciated across the sector, and I’m grateful to be a part of it.”

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It’s been an eventful year for Ellis, with the executive – also a former CMP Rising Star – recently appointed as regional director at Mortgage Professionals Canada (MPC), becoming one of the youngest individuals ever to assume that role.

Education is a central area of focus for Ellis as she steps into the new position, for brokers, clients and referral partners alike – ensuring that they have the tools available and resources through provincial and federal channels to be recognized as experts in their sector.

She’s also earmarked government relations as a priority, something she said MPC has done a “fantastic” job on in the past.

“We’ve seen significant change, and we want to continue to assist with creating affordable housing options for Canadians, making homeownership a reality, and assisting in levelling the playing field for homebuyers to ensure that first-time buyers have the opportunity to enter the market,” she said.

Her final priority in 2022 with MPC will be ensuring that brokers and industry partners know what the association can do for them by educating them not only on the sector, but also what it means to be a member of MPC and what the advantages are to individuals and companies.

“We want to stand apart to ensure that individuals want to be a part of MPC and see what the benefit is to them – including education, government relations and the professional standing in terms of our values,” she said. “Those are all really key to myself, and to members within our community.”