British Columbia Steering Committee

Why I'm involved with WCM

I am passionate about promoting gender equality in executive positions, beginning by educating young women about careers in finance and encouraging them to pursue a path that excites them.

Why I'm involved with WCM:

To foster an environment where women can be surrounded by like minded individuals who are actively working towards providing greater opportunities for the next generation of women in finance.

Why I'm involved in WCM

My goal in joining WCM is to help foster a robust and candid network of women leaders in British Columbia.  

Laura Baker works on the Institutional Equity Sales desk in Vancouver, managing relationships with institutional portfolio managers, providing market commentary and generating trade ideas. Laura began her career at Macquarie Commodities and Global Markets in their Equity Rotational Program. Before joining CIBC, she worked as an equity research associate at TD Securities, covering the Metals and Mining space.

Laura graduated from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Commerce. 

Manijeh is a senior governance consultant and lawyer at WATSON Advisors Inc. where she helps boards of directors and their committees through governance reviews, board and director evaluations, and policy manual development. Manijeh also advises boards with respect to governance structures, frameworks and capacity assessments and is a facilitator in WATSON’s Governance Academy delivering governance education programs to both individual directors and boards. Manijeh has over 25 years of experience in governance and law working with private and public companies, regulatory bodies, not-for-profit organizations, member-based organizations, and Crown and public sector organizations. With extensive experience as a director, corporate secretary and general counsel and a deep knowledge of emerging governance issues, including environmental, social and governance (ESG) and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, Manijeh provides thoughtful insight and expertise to boards and management teams that are practical, effective and enhance their organization’s success. She is also is a seasoned tax and corporate law specialist, with extensive experience advising public, private and family enterprises of varying size and complexity with respect to governance, business succession and continuity.

Prior to joining WATSON, Manijeh served as Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary of Calgary-based Alaris Royalty Corp., a TSX-listed equity capital provider to private companies across North America. At Alaris, Manijeh was an instrumental member of the senior executive team, a director on its subsidiary operating boards, and a key advisor to the board with respect to corporate governance and strategic objectives. She also practiced for a number of years as a tax and corporate lawyer at both a large, full-service law firm and a boutique tax and estate planning firm in Calgary where she advised businesses and their owners.

Manijeh holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Alberta and a Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting Concentration) from the University of Calgary. She also has her ICD.D certification through the Institute of Corporate Directors as well as her TEP (Trusts and Estates Practitioner) designation through the Society of Trusts and Estates Practitioners. She is a member of the law societies of British Columbia and Alberta.

Why I'm involved with WCM

I am passionate about helping WCM realize its mission of driving diversity in the boardroom and in leadership positions, and I am inspired to encourage young female professionals to propel to leadership positions in capital markets and related industries.

Why I'm involved in WCM:

To network and grow relationships with individuals in the British Columbia financial community.

Why I'm involved in WCM

I am passionate about helping the organization realize its mission of promoting gender equality in leadership. Careers in finance open this door and in sharing my experience, I hope to inspire others to give it a try.

Why I'm involved in WCM:

I am passionate about women in capital markets being aware of what they want, able to advance and realise their potential and ambitions. WCM supports this.

Why I'm involved with WCM

I am a strong believer that with collaboration and support among women in finance who have shared goals, will not only benefit personal career development, but also improve self-confidence which in turn will encourage us to reach our highest potential.

Pooja has over 15 years of experience in the financial services industry and over 10 years of experience in Wealth Management. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree along with the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Pooja is a Private Client Investment Counsellor at Dixon Mitchell, where she looks after individual clients and families by helping them identify, assess, and fulfill their investment objectives. She is passionate about developing enduring, collaborative relationships with clients where she seeks to understand their essential needs and financial goals.

Pooja is also the proud recipient of the 2022 WCM Emerging Leaders award and the 2022 Wealth Professional Rising Star award.


Why I'm Involved with WCM:

Throughout my career, I was fortunate to have female leaders and mentors in my network whom I could look up to. However, there's still a considerable gap (especially in leadership) in this male-dominated industry. My goal now is to switch gears from being a mentee to a mentor and to encourage and motivate young women to not only consider a career in finance but thrive in it!

Sabrina Haloulakos has over 15 years of experience in the banking industry where she's been responsible for business development, planning, directing, coordinating, and overseeing all operational activities of the organizations she's worked for.

Why I'm involved with WCM
I consider myself very fortunate to work in such a fast-paced, interesting field as capital markets. I'm always surprised at how few young women are entering the industry. My goal is to get out and encourage young women to enter this exciting industry through university and high school outreach programs, and by providing mentorship and networking opportunities. In addition, I believe that it is important to have a venue for women currently working in the industry in British Columbia to get together, exchange ideas and support one another.

Why I'm involved with WCM

I attended a WCM event during university and was inspired by the powerful, successful women. Throughout my schooling and UVIC's APMP, I noticed that my peers in the financial industry were mostly men. My goal is to engage and motivate young women to pursue a career in finance (or at least plant the thought!), by sharing my experiences and providing opportunities to thrive. 

Why I'm involved in WCM

It's wonderful to be in a room with articulate, passionate women who want to support each other and promote capital markets and the opportunities that exist. From a self-serving viewpoint, it is refreshing not to have to explain to each other what we do for a living because we all actually know (and it doesn't look like Wolf on Wall Street).