Career Success Coach | Driving Career Growth for 6-Figure Professionals | Higher Pay | Better Opportunities | Greater Job Fulfillment | sWorks! Signature Series |

A Global Technology SVP walks into a wealth management firm as their new CIO. 

A Director of Analytics moves from MarTech into a VP role in Higher Education.   

A Director of Sales in Financial Services lands Senior Director at a $200M SaaS company.   

A Corporate Controller launches a Fractional CFO practice serving Series B startups.      

Same experience. Different leverage.      

That's The YES Factor™.      

Senior leaders don't lose opportunities because they lack experience.     

They lose them because the people making the decision can't see where that experience takes the business next. 

The narrative is historical. The decision is about the future. That gap is where strong candidacies stall and where external moves quietly fall apart.      

We build what closes that gap.   

The leverage that makes the decision easy for the people who need to say yes.      

I work with Senior Managers, Directors, VPs, and CxOs to build the narrative that hands the decision-maker exactly what they need to say yes and sell it internally.     

Corp-to-corp. Corporate-to-advisory. Expanded scope, new industry, or building a fractional practice from the ground up. 

The path doesn't matter. The leverage you walk in with does.      

I bring something most coaches don't. 

I've sat on the side of both sides of the table where risk is weighed, scope is defined, and one direction is chosen over another. 

I know what decision-makers need to see. 

I know what makes it take to move forward and what makes them hesitate.     

That perspective shapes every piece of work I do.      

I've recruited across Fortune 100 boardrooms and early-stage startups. 

I've built enterprise sales practices from the ground up. I've been the one in the room deciding who moves forward and why.  

That's not background. That's the lens I bring to every leader I work with.      

400+ corporate leaders supported.   
15+ years on the decision side of hiring.   $50M+ in enterprise B2B sales.      

What this looks like in practice:    

One focused Advisory Session. 

90 minutes plus a written strategic deliverable you can use immediately.      

An ongoing Retainer for leaders who are actively in motion and need a strategist in their corner as the moves get bigger.      

When decision-makers can see what changes because of you, the yes follows.      

The next move starts with a conversation. 

DM me or book a call directly from my profile.      

📍 The YES Factor™ 📧 melissa@sworkable.com

Melissa Hodgins

People don’t actually choose the best option.

They choose the one that feels easiest to back.

The human brain is remarkably capable.

It built civilisations.  
It invented aeroplanes.

It also quietly avoids anything that feels mentally expensive.

Because uncertainty creates tension.

Certainty creates relief.

Have you ever watched a room look at two strong candidates and move toward the one that simply felt easier to place?

Not better.

Easier.

That is how many senior decisions actually get made.

Not through spreadsheets.

Through emotional relief.

A large part of my work is making sure that when someone’s experience is evaluated, it doesn’t create friction the room has to work to resolve.

Because when something is effortless to understand, trust builds quickly.

And when trust builds quickly…

Momentum usually follows.

📍 The YES Factor

The Corporate Leader’s Career Transition Coach | The YES Factor™ | When Decision-Makers See What Changes Because of You, The Yes Follows

She didn’t know why.

That’s what she told me when she reached out.

Over 20 years of experience.
Real results.
The right roles.
The right industries.

Doing everything right.
Still not getting chosen.

And that’s the part nobody talks about.

It’s not the leaders who are coasting that struggle.

It’s the ones doing everything right who quietly start wondering what
the market is seeing that they’re not.

Here’s what I saw the moment I opened her resume.

She was telling decision-makers everything she’d done.

Not one word about what their business gets next.

She didn’t have a visibility problem.

Her value was invisible.

There’s a difference.

We fixed that inside The YES Factor.

She walked into a CFO’s office talking about his problem.

She got the VP role.

📍 If everything looks right on paper but the decision keeps going
another way, it’s rarely about experience. It’s about what the room can
immediately see.

📍 The YES Factor

Most senior leaders don’t aim too high.

They aim at what they can see.

And what they can see is usually what they’ve done.

Not what it’s actually worth to the business.  
Not what changes when they walk in the door.  
Not what the organization gets next.

Just the history of it.

So they pursue roles that match that history.

Roles they’re credible for.  
Roles they can defend.  
Roles that make sense on paper.

And they get them.

Which is exactly the problem.

Because capable and correctly placed are not the same thing.

I had a client who was convinced her title was holding her back.

We didn’t change the title.

We changed what she could clearly see about what moved in the business because she was there.

She stopped aiming at roles the market thought she deserved.

She started moving at the level she had already reached.

The shift was significant.

📍 When the business value is easy to see, the level conversation changes quickly.

📍 The YES Factor

Every board conversation mentions AI.
Every investor deck includes it.
Every strategic hiring discussion is looking for leaders who actually get it.

And when decision-makers look at your background
resume, LinkedIn, pitch, narrative
the AI piece is completely missing.

Not because you're not using it.

You're using AI. You're driving results with it.

But you're not making it visible as part of the business outcome.

The M&A integration you led that closed 40% faster
AI powered the due diligence.

The retention spike
AI identified the churn pattern no one was seeing.

The operational efficiency gain
AI removed the bottleneck that had been there for years.

You know this.

Decision-makers don't.

Because it's not in your narrative.

And right now, that gap is costing you opportunities.

The corp-to-corp role that goes to someone who made AI capability obvious in the room.
The strategic seat where they are looking for AI fluency and you did not show it.
The advisory client who needs someone forward-thinking and your narrative still reads like 2019.

From inside your own story, this gap is almost impossible to see.

But it is exactly what decision-makers are reacting to.

And it is costing strong leaders conversations they should already be in.

If you know your track record is stronger than what the market is giving back right now, we should talk.

📍 The YES Factor™

You left corporate to build something of your own.

No more approvals. No more getting your calendar hijacked. No more
brilliant ideas that die in committee.

Finally, your expertise. Your terms. Your future.

Except now you are three months in and the calls are not coming the way
you thought they would.

You are available for strategic advisory work.
You are open to fractional leadership opportunities.
You are leveraging years of experience.

And it sounds impressive. Credible. Senior.

It is also completely forgettable.

Because when someone has a problem that is keeping them up at night,
they do not search for strategic advisor.

They think: Who do I know who has solved this exact thing before?

That is the gap.

You left corporate with a title, a network, and a belief that the
expertise would speak for itself.

And now there is a realization no one knows what to call you for.

Not because the expertise is not strong.

Because the market does not know the one thing you solve decisively.

You are known for being capable of many things.

And general does not get the call.

Here is what shifts it.

Stop describing what you can do. Start owning what you are known for.

Not scope. Not capabilities. Not range.

The problem people called you for when you were still in the seat.

You are the one who makes acquisitions close without imploding.
You are the person pulled in when retention is bleeding and nobody knows
why.
You are who gets called when compliance is about to kill the deal.

That sentence, the exact thing you were known for, is the business.

And the moment that becomes clear, the calls change.

Because people do not buy fractional VPs.

They buy the person who solves the problem that is costing them right
now.

Here is where most leaders get stuck.

From inside a long corporate career, the title is loud.

The reason people pulled you in is quieter.

And that is what the market buys.

That is the work inside The YES Factor™.

📍 The YES Factor | Become the Expert They Hire | Become the Expert They
Buy |

Rooms make decisions before anyone speaks.

That’s not cynicism.

That’s just how evaluation actually works.

By the time someone is sitting across the table, the conclusion is
already forming quietly in the background.

And if something feels uncertain, unclear, or hard to place —

the brain doesn’t work harder to understand it.

It looks for an easier option.

Charlotte (not her real name) wanted VP. Then C-suite.

When we looked at her next move, tech was the right path.

Not because it was obvious.

Because when I looked at what she’d actually built — her results, her
markets, her growth story — it was exactly what a serious tech firm
needs.

But there was a risk.

The room was likely to see: not SaaS.

And once that conclusion forms, strong leaders rarely get the chance to
correct it.

So before she ever walked in, we made that conclusion impossible to
reach.

We didn’t change her experience.

We changed what the business could quickly understand about it.

Her language. Her framing. Her focus.

All of it translated into the vocabulary of their world.

By the time she sat down, the room wasn’t working against her.

It was already moving toward her.

Five rounds. A full case study built around their sales challenges.

She won every one.

📍 The room isn’t waiting for someone to explain their background. The
YES Factor ensures the right conclusion forms early.

I once sat across from the CIO of one of Canada’s largest companies.

He was my client.

I didn’t spend that conversation establishing credentials.
I didn’t walk him through my background.
I didn’t try to convince him I was worth listening to.

We talked about the business.

About the customer.
About what was possible next.

And that conversation reinforced something I see over and over again.

Authority isn’t built by explaining yourself.

It’s built when the room can quickly see what changes because you are
there.

Here is what many senior leaders do when they are preparing for a move.

They explain themselves.

Their background.
Their experience.
Their track record.

All of it logical.
All of it quietly working against them.
And in senior rooms, that is usually where the evaluation quietly
changes.

Because authority isn’t what gets declared in the room.

It is what decision-makers conclude when they can clearly see the impact
of choosing you.

And the moment the conversation turns into proving, the evaluation has
already shifted.

The leaders who get trusted quickly aren’t the ones with the most
impressive answer.

They are the ones who can hold the business problem in front of the room
and move it forward.

That is the shift behind The YES Factor.

📍 The YES Factor

You have been rehearsing the same answer for three days and it still sounds wrong.

"I know I have not worked in this industry, but let me show you how my experience translates."

Every time you say it out loud, you hear it. You are asking them to overlook something.

And the interview is next Thursday.

Here is what is happening in that room that you are not saying out loud.

They are not deciding if you are close enough. They are deciding what their business looks like if they choose you. And if you make them do the work of connecting your background to their problem, they will not do it.

Most people walk into that room explaining their past and hoping someone sees the fit.

You do not have that kind of time.

I had a client in round 3 this week. Director role. SaaS company. 15 years of exactly what they needed. Zero SaaS experience.

She was carrying the same sentence you are carrying right now.

We eliminated it. We did not manage the gap. We made it the reason.

She walked in Tuesday showing them what becomes possible because she is a builder and they have never had one. Not her history. Their future.

Two hours of focused work.  
We changed how she would be evaluated in that room.

She is not hoping they overlook something anymore.

If you have a conversation next week that decides your next year and you are still rehearsing the wrong answer, you are out of time to figure this out alone.

DM me.

📍 The YES Factor™ | Become the Expert They Hire | Become the Expert They Buy |

You already know what the next level looks like.

You’ve been in those rooms.  
You’ve led those conversations.  
You’ve solved the problems that were keeping the business up at night.

And somewhere in the last few months, something started to feel off.

Not doubt. You’re past doubt.

Something quieter than that.

A growing impatience with a process that keeps measuring the wrong thing.  
That keeps asking you to prove what you’ve already proven.  
That keeps putting you in rooms where you have to over-explain what experienced leaders recognise quickly.

That gap — between who you are in the room and how the market is reading you — is one of the most frustrating places to sit.

Because you’re not starting over.  
You’re not figuring it out.  
You’re already operating at the level you’re aiming for.

But the market isn’t reading you that way yet.

And you’re no longer waiting for the market to catch up.

That’s the work inside The YES Factor™.

Making what already moves because of you unmistakable the moment the room starts forming a view.

📍 The YES Factor

Onex

Vice President, Head of Wealth Technology

Wellington-Altus Private Wealth

Senior Vice-President & Chief Technology Officer

Adaptec Consulting

Adaptec helps companies formulate their digital transformation strategy and implement it to enhance their performance through digital technologies. Focusing primarily on the Financial Services vertical Adaptec analyzes the company’s technology infrastructure, processes, people, and organization to both strengthen the organization’s short-term performance and maintain sustainable long-term improvement.

Principal

Manulife

Following a global reorganization, I inherited several technology organizations and took the strategic lead for all aspects of digital and information technology across Manulife Investments and Advisory Services (Securities, Private Wealth, Capital Markets, Independent Advisor Channel). I also oversaw various tactical initiatives to reduce the operating budget of Canadian Retail Wealth Management IT by 20%: I reduced team size and run rates via technology rationalization, renegotiated vendor contracts, leveraged global outsourcing, and digitalized client onboarding and account maintenance activities to drive significant efficiency gains. Moreover, I worked alongside fellow senior leaders to identify and capitalize on synergies and opportunities across the global business, reducing the number of vendor relationships by 50% in North America to generate multi-million-dollar savings and foster stronger partnerships.

>	Acquired global talent and reorganized the technology and IT organizations to form a consolidated, streamlined, and cost-effective team.
>	Envisioned, developed, and spearheaded the implementation of a customer-centric strategy to provide a seamless digital experience.
>	Monitored the industry to remain abreast of the latest trends and led business-wide efforts to promote effective technology usage. 
>	Developed risk management and business continuity processes and provided expert advice to decision makers at all levels.
>	Devised IT, project, and service delivery policies and systems and engaged with stakeholders across the business to foster innovation.

Head of Technology – Retail Wealth Management

All while serving as Head of Technology in Canada, I was asked to take this interim role for John Hancock Investments as this US Retail Wealth organization was being separated from the US Insurance business. I spent considerable time in the US to get oriented with the various business stakeholders and IT teams, acquiring a clear view of the organization’s primary challenges to provide effective leadership and line management to global, cross-functional teams. Ultimately, I successfully completed the initial reorganization within the 10-month mandate, separated the structure, technology, and budgets from the insurance side of the business, and implemented various tactics to effectively save several million dollars.

>	Ensured appropriate levels of operational resilience, reliability, and performance across all IT services and implemented effective governance to satisfy strict internal, regulatory, and legislative requirements.
>	Assumed a lead role in recruiting, hiring, and onboarding the perfect candidate to act as the new VP in December 2019.

Head of Technology – John Hancock Investments (Interim)

My primary mandate in this role was to spearhead IT and infrastructure initiatives for Investments, Advisory Services, and Consumer Markets direct to customer business. Additionally, I identified and implemented synergies between the Investments and Consumer Markets IT organizations via a well-defined plan to modernize the legacy Consumer Markets technology stack while enabling onboarding of Investment products on the platform.

>	Worked with senior leaders to drive organizational transformation and promote emerging technologies and state-of-the-art solutions.
>	Created and established a new, optimized leadership structure comprising a combination of leads from each line of business.

Vice President – Technology, Wealth Management & Consumer Markets

Leading 100+ specialists, I managed the compensation and distribution admin systems supporting Manulife's Canadian Division, consistently going above and beyond to deliver exceptional value to the organization and receive a Stars of Excellence Award in 2015.

>	Strategized and directed the deployment, cost optimization, and innovation of technology standards and solutions.
>	Migrated data centers, executed modernization strategies, and reduced technology risk related to legacy environments.

Assistant Vice-President – Technology & Advisory Services

•	Led IT and Operations within a start-up environment – from business case to launch within just 8 months
•	Developed a Wealth Management platform for high-net-worth clients
•	Identified critical opportunities for cost-effective investment in innovative IT systems and resources, and delivered complex transformation initiatives across technology, processes and people

Assistant Vice-President – Technology & Operations Manulife Private Wealth

In this role, I developed the 5-year technology roadmap and e-Business strategy and managed a $25M+ project portfolio including system migration, upgrade, and client integration initiatives, all the while serving as a member of LOMA's (North American) Group Systems Committee. Other noteworthy achievements include the creation and maintenance of complex IT strategies in line with stakeholder needs and business requirements, modernization of legacy systems, and introduction of innovative IT solutions aimed at gaining competitive advantage and driving operational efficiencies.

>	Project managed the implementation of an end-to-end sales management tool and the modernization/migration of platforms.
>	Played pivotal roles as part of development programs to automate health and dental claims and retire the legacy claims platform.

Assistant Vice-President – Strategy & Projects, Group Benefit Systems

As a Director, I executed a digital strategy for distributor facing technologies, supporting sale of Wealth and Life products across multiple channels. Notably, I developed, tracked, and managed a portfolio of projects including:

>	InSight: product inquiry via secure distributor website
>	XMLife Data Feeds: first Canadian CIIS approved feed following ACORD standards 
>	Retail eService Platform: migration to a new platform
>	Client Manager Portfolio: migration to a browser-based platform
>	Berkshire Integration: business cases for the M&A of MSIL-Berkshire MFDA & IDA

Director – Distributor Facing Solutions

•	Member of the Equinox Senior Management Team
•	Launched the Equinoxfinancial.ca as the first insurance-based business to deploy RSS content syndication
•	Led IT strategy development, expansion and upgrade of technology services, and the technology wind-down

Director (Technology & E-Business)

•	Led the development and expansion of the Canadian Division’s Centralized Web-Content Management & Business Strategy Group
•	Established the Centralized Content Management Team
•	Managed the consumer and secure advisor website, and established  e-marketing and digital services for Manulife
•	Developed long-term strategy for Repsource (secure advisor website) 
•	Drove business technology integrations during mergers and acquisitions, including Zurich, Commercial Union and Maritime Life

Director (E-Marketing & Canadian Division Marketing)

•	Recruited by Manulife to join field organization as a “technology coach”. Worked with independent agents in an effort to leverage technology as a business tool. 

•	Developer of Repsource, an Ontario based internet resource for distributors – First site of its kind in the marketplace quickly embraced by Manulife head office and eventually rolled out nationally to service all distributors of life and wealth products.
•	Recipient of the Manulife Stars of Excellence award (1999)
•	Established role definition for regional Technology Consultants in support of “Project Aurora”, Manulife’s first initiative intended to reinvent their branch structure across Canada

Technology Consultant, (Distribution / Manulife Securities Field Office)

Fidelity Investments

•	Implemented strategies and developed Fidelity’s first Internet presence with a site servicing individual investors and a secured site for independent financial planners.  www.fidelity.ca and www.fidelity.ca/professionalcentre.

Project Director – Technology Marketing

•	Coordinated development of marketing collateral for financial professionals.  Motivated and directed teams of copywriters, designers, production specialists, and printers.

Marketing Account Executive

Royal Trust (Aquired by Royal Bank)

Collections Officer,

I am a Strategic IT Leader with a robust track record of leveraging technology to advance wealth management objectives. My extensive experience at the intersection of technology and financial services enables me to uniquely understand and fulfill the sophisticated needs of wealth management firms.

𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩:
My approach centers on being a strategic partner to the business, not just a leader of IT. I work closely with executive teams to ensure that technology solutions directly support and drive key business strategies, particularly in wealth accumulation, client engagement, and compliance adherence. My expertise in navigating complex mergers, acquisitions, and regulatory landscapes makes me a pivotal asset in aligning IT infrastructure with overarching corporate goals.

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞:
- Innovative Leadership: Spearheaded transformative IT projects that increased firm agility and client-centric service delivery, significantly enhancing client satisfaction and firm reputation.

- Regulatory Compliance: Designed and executed IT frameworks that align with global compliance demands, reducing risks and fortifying trust in client relationships.

- Operational Efficiency and Cost Management: Delivered strategic IT solutions that reduced operational costs by 20% while boosting efficiency and maintaining service excellence across front-office and back-office operations.

- Data-Driven Decision Making: Implemented cutting-edge analytical platforms that provide real-time, actionable insights, empowering firms to make informed decisions swiftly and with greater confidence.

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞:
My career is dedicated to the continuous advancement of technology in wealth management. I am committed to using my deep industry knowledge and technical acumen to help firms navigate the complexities of modern financial landscapes, enhance operational capabilities, and achieve superior client outcomes.

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Melissa Hodgins

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