In 2006, founder and president Jeff Owens intentionally sought to make BPG Wealth Management more diverse because he realized the people who would be inheriting his clients’ wealth would be female and younger — and he wanted employees who could relate to this clientele. Owens began by recruiting Alice Tang, a Hong Kong native who started a second career as a financial adviser in 2000. Together, they’ve created a team that’s two-thirds female and nearly 40% millennials. It manages about $250 million in client assets. The firm hosts innovative prospecting events such as “Pub Talks” for professionals in their 20s and 30s, as well as events aimed at boosting the confidence of female investors, another target market for the firm. When looking for new professionals to join BPG, Tang said previous experience in finance isn’t something that she requires.
“I look for their commitment, ability to communicate, whether they are a team player and their emotional intelligence,” she said. “If you have all these, finance is not difficult.”
For instance, Jessica Porter had been a marketing director at Ferrari and came into Oregon-based BPG as an adviser about six years ago. With her own hard work and coaching from BPG’s senior team, Porter became a partner last year.
Contact Tang at alice@bpgnetwork.com to learn more about BPG Wealth Management’s diversity and inclusion initiatives.
— Liz Skinner