When David Toyne and I had breakfast in the fall of 2009, it was an important moment for me. At the time, Steadyhand was barely 2 years old and was struggling to get on investors’ radar. Here I was sitting across from a senior Bay Street executive who wanted to join our small team. His desire, or should I say, insistence, was reaffirming.

This month, David is wrapping up his day-to-day job at Steadyhand. As he said in his note to clients and friends, “It’s been a joy to build Steadyhand’s presence in Canada, connect with clients across the country, and help shape how we talk about planning, investing, and retirement—not just in portfolios, but in real life, with real Canadians!”

I first met David when he was with State Street Trust Company Canada. I saw him in action as he piloted the company through an amazing period of growth. We became friends while he was President of Thomson Financial Canada.

In 2012, David wanted to do something meaningful and not have to report to a boss in the U.S. His pitch was simple. He’d give us an instant presence in Toronto, Canada’s largest market, and provide much-needed sales DNA.

And what a presence it was. David knows a zillion people and is a natural connector. Both attributes contributed mightily to why a Vancouver-based company has almost half its clients in Ontario.

It was also clear that David would bring energy to the firm. It reached all the way from a shared office in Toronto to the headquarters in Vancouver. We all fed off his drive and positivity, and needless to say, Christmas parties were a lot more fun.

David’s claims to Steadyhand fame were numerous.

His interview with Neil and me was done with all of us wearing ‘duck bill’ N95 masks. No, it wasn’t Covid. One of Neil’s kids had been exposed to SARS, and we were being careful. It looked and felt ridiculous.

David single-handedly pushed us to start the Founders Fund in 2012, which turned out to be an important part of our success.

He became a champion of the advice-only planning (AOP) community. He searched for AOPs that could help our clients, organised semi-annual round-tables where planners could share with and learn from each other, and he spurred us to set up an AOP directory.

David also championed (along with Lisa and Salman) our YouTube channel and has been the face of it right from the start.

And of course, he was ever present with clients in person and on the phones, and at our ‘Where to from Here’ and ‘Steadyhand Intro’ presentations.

David’s imprint on Steadyhand will include a long list of ‘Davidisms’. For example:

• “Our goal is to serve millions of Canadians, not just Canadians with millions.”
• “I’d rather have a thousand experiences than one experience a thousand times.”
• “We should be relentlessly curious”

David and I had a lot of fun doing things together, although at times we bickered like an old married couple. We pushed each other to be better, which meant I’d always hear when I screwed up or needed to pick up my game.

As a Purpose shareholder and Steadyhand client, David moves on to pursue his other passions, knowing that the leadership and client service teams he helped build are pushing forward to improve the client experience. And we know that he’ll continue to bring his usual energy and passion to whatever he’s doing, including a few Christmas parties, I hope.