AGF and Nicola Wealth are going for repeat wins this year
Nominations for the 2026 edition of the Wealth Professional Awards are open, and past winners are already working hard to repeat their victories from 2025. AGF Investment Management Ltd., winners the 2025 award for mutual fund provider of the year and excellence awardee for employer of choice, are seeking a repeat win for their mutual funds and new victories as an employer and an alternatives manager. Nicola Wealth won two big prizes in 2025, holistic advisory team of the year and dealer of the year, while three of their advisors won excellence awards across different categories.
Leaders from Nicola and AGF spoke with WP about what their success in 2025 meant for their businesses. They shared some of why they participate year after year and how they’re planning for the 2026 awards.
“We were incredibly proud to be named mutual fund provider of the year in 2025. It's a recognition that just reinforces that we're focused on the right priorities, and that's really driving innovation in mutual fund strategies and continuing to deliver our really robust and diversified product shelf, all while providing exceptional service to our client base and financial advisors,” says Meaghan Kelly, Chief Marketing & Product Officer at AGF.
For all the joys that come with recognition, Kelly noted that the awards offer AGF a value beyond a trophy. She sees the event as a chance to celebrate excellence across the wealth and asset management industry in Canada, and to support their partners, peers, and clients in the wealth space. The awards show is also a chance to have a bit of fun and celebrate with the team and with other industry peers.
Nick Spencer sees a similar value in the awards, as a chance to celebrate success but also to reflect on how that success actually came about. Spencer is Vice President, Private Wealth at Nicola Wealth. He explains that the dynamic nature of the awards show each year allow participants to gauge the way this industry is evolving and test whether they’ve really achieved what they set out to do. When they have succeeded, and that success is recognized with a WP award, it can mean a great deal to everyone involved.
“I think specifically winning the holistic advisory team of the year, really speaks of how it impacts the client. At the end of the day, our number one goal, is to do well by our clients,” Spencer says. “We regard holistic advice as a collaborative and coordinated effort. So, effectively, our operating model is really founded on integration, discipline, and a commitment to achieving long-term outcomes for clients. So being named holistic advisory team of the year, it really just validates that.”
Beyond a chance to recognize their wins and consider how the industry is changing, Spencer remarks that the awards event gives him a chance to see how others in the industry are working and succeeding. That knowledge, and the spirit of friendly competition it fosters, can reinvigorate a drive to be the best.
Now as he and his team prepare their nominations push for the 2026 awards, Spencer says that he’s going to need to show how Nicola has committed to continuous improvement and delivered for clients.
“We can’t stand still in this industry,” he says. “We have a duty to deliver better every year.”
This year, Nicola aims to show how they’ve deepened their planning work and integrated their planning and investment management. That comes with the provision of learning opportunities and the additional supports they’ve given their advisors to better enable them to deliver on high quality advice.
At AGF, the nominations push comes with the knowledge that asset management innovation continues. Meaghan Kelly notes that her firm and their competitors have pushed their innovation forward in the past year. In their nominations pitch, AGF will be highlighting their successful product launches and performance-based awards, as well as their initiatives to diversify their client base and continue to serve the mutual fund market which represent a significant share of Canadians’ investable assets. She stressed, too, the value of these awards to her firm and the industry as a whole.
“The Wealth Professional awards continue to be broadly seen as a great recognition within the industry,” Kelly says. “And so participating for us is a way to celebrate our industry and also recognize the important work that all of us are doing across it. We love to support our peers, our partners and our clients, all of whom can be recognized at these awards.”
Nominations for the 2026 WP awards are now open - Nominate yourself or a deserving individual or firm here
