Articles Peter Kinkaide – I SupportHER
Peter Kinkaide -CEO, Raintree Capital – Why I SupportHER @RaintreeEMD
Meet Peter Kinkaide, the CEO of Raintree Capital, the parent company of Raintree Financial Solutions, Raintree Wealth Management, and Raintree Corporate Finance.
Our businesses are focused on helping investors access diverse investments in the public and private markets. Our goal is to change the way Canadian’s think about investing their money by educating and providing them with independent, innovative investment solutions. My career started in corporate finance and investment banking. I joined Raintree in 2012 and took on the CEO role in 2016.
Why did you become a SupportHER member?
To reinforce my beliefs inequality and to commit to eliminating gender inequality.
How do you support and empower women in your professional life?
I am the founder of Women & Wealth Inc., a not-for-profit organization that hosts events on International Women’s Day to empower, inspire and support women across Canada who are, or are on their way to becoming, confident and passionate leaders of our businesses, organizations, governments, schools, and communities. Together, we seek to help close the gender gap and promote gender equality within our society. This year we are hosting two galas for the first time – in Edmonton and Calgary. Our goal with the Women & Wealth Gala’s is this:
1) Shine a light on gender inequality and close the gap
2) Empower people by setting a stage to learn from women who have made extraordinary achievements
3) Donate the net-proceeds of the event to a charity that supports initiatives that are in line with our vision and mission
4) Bring awareness to an important day
5) Host a great party that seems to make people smile, laugh, learn and sometimes cry (but in a good way!)
How do you support and empower women in your personal life?
For me it’s pretty simple – I weigh my decisions against whether I am perpetuating biases or inequality in my actions. For me, I still believe in gender diversity and the fact that women and men are not the same – but that doesn’t mean we are not equal. We have clear biological differences that I think should be celebrated – whereas I think the challenge is we’ve used those in the past to marginalize women. So I try my best not to apply labels and really deal with people for who they are, not what they are.
What advice would you give to business leaders navigating today’s issues with diversity in the workplace?
At Raintree, we focus on finding the best person for the job regardless of gender, race or religion. We lead with values in our organization, which I summarize as doing to others what you would want to do to yourself – the golden rule. Everyone in a position of privilege needs to acknowledge – not everyone else is as privileged – so it’s important to think about your decision making in the context of how this impacts others. As it relates to women – we want to attract more into our workforce – both at head office and within our group of financial advisors.
Who are the most inspiring women in your life?
To start with, my Mother and Grandmother, who escaped Czechoslovakia separately in the 1960s. After leaving with effectively nothing, my Mother completed her Ph.D. in Psychology at the University of Alberta. She was a child psychologist and one of the first Albertan’s to have a private practice. She is incredibly intelligent and an extremely hard worker. My Grandmother looked after my brother and I growing up. She taught us many of life’s lessons, how to carry one’s self, how not to give up, to be thankful for what we have. Both women were huge role models for me.
