{"id":1318,"date":"2025-09-02T16:21:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-02T16:21:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/45a283d5-094e-4d03-9c1e-0efab0a4b1e7"},"modified":"2025-09-02T16:21:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T16:21:00","slug":"etfs-advisors-and-the-next-trillion-inside-the-minds-of-two-industry-leaders","status":"publish","type":"episode","link":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/episode\/etfs-advisors-and-the-next-trillion-inside-the-minds-of-two-industry-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"ETFs, Advisors, and the Next Trillion: Inside the Minds of Two Industry Leaders"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canada invented ETFs \u2014 but how did they grow into a trillion-dollar force, and where are they headed next? Pierre Daillie sits down with BMO ETF leaders Alain Desbiens and Tammy Cash to reveal the untold stories, the lessons learned, and what the future holds for advisors and investors.<\/span>Episode Summary<\/span>In this in-depth conversation, Pierre Daillie is joined by Alain Desbiens, Vice Chair at BMO ETFs, and Tammy Cash, Director of Distribution Strategy at BMO ETFs and Global Co-President of Women in ETFs. Together, they trace the remarkable journey of exchange-traded funds in Canada\u2014from their early days as a disruptive upstart, to their current role as an essential building block in portfolio construction.<\/span>Alain shares candid reflections on being one of BMO\u2019s first ETF wholesalers and the skepticism he faced when ETFs were dismissed as a \u201ctrend.\u201d <\/span>Tammy recalls her path into the industry, her passion for democratization of investing, and her leadership in Women in ETFs, a global movement empowering women across financial services.<\/span>The discussion covers the resilience it took to build the industry, the role of education and advisor partnerships, and how tools and technology are reshaping the advisor-client experience. Both leaders also look ahead to 2030, envisioning an ETF marketplace that is larger, more competitive, and increasingly shaped by innovation in active strategies, alternatives, and digital distribution.<\/span>This is more than a story about the ETF industry \u2014 it\u2019s about people, purpose, and the power of advice.<\/span>\ud83d\udd11 Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/span>\u2022 ETFs as Disruption Turned Foundation<\/strong> \u2013 Alain reflects: \u201cAt the beginning I saw that the ETF could be disruptive and it could create waves and I loved it. I knew we were into something.\u201d<\/span>\u2022 Advisor Education Remains Central<\/strong> \u2013 Tammy emphasizes: \u201cIt really is about that education and the intersection of education and partnership today\u2026 making sure that we provide clarity, congruency and real education to advisors and investors.\u201d<\/span>\u2022 Competitive Landscape & DIY Risks<\/strong> \u2013 Alain warns: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people [DIY investors] that buy products and they don\u2019t really understand what they\u2019re buying. That\u2019s probably the worst money you\u2019re buying.\u201d<\/span>\u2022 Women in ETFs & the Future of Advice<\/strong> \u2013 Tammy highlights the opportunity: \u201cToday, sadly, we still sit at 17% representation of women as financial advisors in Canada\u2026 and the opportunity that that presents is significant.\u201d<\/span>\ud83d\udccc Timestamped Chapters<\/strong><\/span>00:00 – Introduction to Insight is Capital<\/span>01:32 – Exploring Early Days in the ETF Industry<\/span>03:03 – Building an Industry: Lessons from the Early Days<\/span>05:37 – <\/span>The Evolution of ETFs and Market Dynamics<\/span>09:43 – Adapting to Change: Insights on Resilience<\/span>16:39 – Women in ETFs: Empowering Female Leaders<\/span>21:52 – Celebrating Women’s Careers in Finance<\/span>23:06 – Legacy and Product Impact on Investing<\/span>24:32 – Challenges in the Advisory Business<\/span>27:13 – The Evolution of Client Experience in Finance<\/span>28:56 – The Return of Key Industry Figures<\/span>30:47 – Investor Education and Transparency<\/span>31:59 – Opportunities in ETF Specialization<\/span>34:37 – The Challenge of Meeting Investor Expectations<\/span>37:19 – The State of Canadian Investable Assets<\/span>38:23 – Diversification Strategies for Advisors<\/span>39:43 – Innovations in ETF Solutions<\/span>41:08 – Navigating Complexity and Competition in ETFs<\/span>42:30 – The Demand for Financial Advice<\/span>43:58 – Personal Reflections on Industry Impact<\/span>45:31 – The Human Element in Finance<\/span>47:07 – Legacy and Leadership in Finance<\/span>#BMOETFs #ETFInvesting #CanadianETFs #WomenInETFs #AdvisorEducation #InvestingInsights #PortfolioConstruction #WealthManagement #FinancialAdvisors #FutureOfInvesting<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Canada invented ETFs \u2014 but how did they grow into a trillion-dollar force, and where are they headed next? Pierre Daillie sits down with BMO ETF leaders Alain Desbiens and Tammy Cash to reveal the untold stories, the lessons learned, and what the future holds for advisors and investors.<\/span>Episode Summary<\/span>In this in-depth conversation, Pierre Daillie is joined by Alain Desbiens, Vice Chair at BMO ETFs, and Tammy Cash, Director of Distribution Strategy at BMO ETFs and Global Co-President of Women in ETFs. Together, they trace the remarkable journey of exchange-traded funds in Canada\u2014from their early days as a disruptive upstart, to their current role as an essential building block in portfolio construction.<\/span>Alain shares candid reflections on being one of BMO\u2019s first ETF wholesalers and the skepticism he faced when ETFs were dismissed as a \u201ctrend.\u201d <\/span>Tammy recalls her path into the industry, her passion for democratization of investing, and her leadership in Women in ETFs, a global movement empowering women across financial services.<\/span>The discussion covers the resilience it took to build the industry, the role of education and advisor partnerships, and how tools and technology are reshaping the advisor-client experience. Both leaders also look ahead to 2030, envisioning an ETF marketplace that is larger, more competitive, and increasingly shaped by innovation in active strategies, alternatives, and digital distribution.<\/span>This is more than a story about the ETF industry \u2014 it\u2019s about people, purpose, and the power of advice.<\/span>\ud83d\udd11 Key Takeaways<\/strong><\/span>\u2022 ETFs as Disruption Turned Foundation<\/strong> \u2013 Alain reflects: \u201cAt the beginning I saw that the ETF could be disruptive and it could create waves and I loved it. I knew we were into something.\u201d<\/span>\u2022 Advisor Education Remains Central<\/strong> \u2013 Tammy emphasizes: \u201cIt really is about that education and the intersection of education and partnership today\u2026 making sure that we provide clarity, congruency and real education to advisors and investors.\u201d<\/span>\u2022 Competitive Landscape & DIY Risks<\/strong> \u2013 Alain warns: \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of people [DIY investors] that buy products and they don\u2019t really understand what they\u2019re buying. That\u2019s probably the worst money you\u2019re buying.\u201d<\/span>\u2022 Women in ETFs & the Future of Advice<\/strong> \u2013 Tammy highlights the opportunity: \u201cToday, sadly, we still sit at 17% representation of women as financial advisors in Canada\u2026 and the opportunity that that presents is significant.\u201d<\/span>\ud83d\udccc Timestamped Chapters<\/strong><\/span>00:00 – Introduction to Insight is Capital<\/span>01:32 – Exploring Early Days in the ETF Industry<\/span>03:03 – Building an Industry: Lessons from the Early Days<\/span>05:37 – <\/span>The Evolution of ETFs and Market Dynamics<\/span>09:43 – Adapting to Change: Insights on Resilience<\/span>16:39 – Women in ETFs: Empowering Female Leaders<\/span>21:52 – Celebrating Women’s Careers in Finance<\/span>23:06 – Legacy and Product Impact on Investing<\/span>24:32 – Challenges in the Advisory Business<\/span>27:13 – The Evolution of Client Experience in Finance<\/span>28:56 – The Return of Key Industry Figures<\/span>30:47 – Investor Education and Transparency<\/span>31:59 – Opportunities in ETF Specialization<\/span>34:37 – The Challenge of Meeting Investor Expectations<\/span>37:19 – The State of Canadian Investable Assets<\/span>38:23 – Diversification Strategies for Advisors<\/span>39:43 – Innovations in ETF Solutions<\/span>41:08 – Navigating Complexity and Competition in ETFs<\/span>42:30 – The Demand for Financial Advice<\/span>43:58 – Personal Reflections on Industry Impact<\/span>45:31 – The Human Element in Finance<\/span>47:07 – Legacy and Leadership in Finance<\/span>#BMOETFs #ETFInvesting #CanadianETFs #WomenInETFs #AdvisorEducation #InvestingInsights #PortfolioConstruction #WealthManagement #FinancialAdvisors #FutureOfInvesting<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/episode\/1318"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/episode"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/episode"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1318"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/episode\/1318\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1318"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1318"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advisoranalyst.com\/podcast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1318"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}