Helping business owners achieve their goals

Pierre-Marc Chéry has over 15 years of experience in the financial industry as an account manager. He works hard to help entrepreneurs from racialized groups achieve better representation in the business community.

Let’s learn about his journey!

Pierre-Marc, what’s your favourite part of your job and why?

My favourite thing is talking to clients. As an account manager, I get to help our members achieve their goals, including the biggest one of all—growing their business. I get an inside look at how certain industries work, find out what’s new in some sectors and even get a sneak peek at the latest innovations.

What qualities make a good account manager?

You need to like people and be as interested in them as you are in their businesses. That's how you develop solid relationships and truly work together.

It's also important be a good listener in order to understand your clients’ needs and adapt accordingly.

Plus you have to be a good communicator.

What are the biggest challenges in your line of work?

Managing your time and your priorities is a big one. Account managers are constantly putting out fires. So your schedule is always getting turned upside down, but you still need to be diligent about following up and communicating with people.

It's also important to adapt to the market and keep up with the competition. And you need to stay on top of what's happening in the different industries, whether it's legislative changes or technological advances.

On top of that, you have to make sure that meeting business goals doesn’t overshadow working with clients and analyzing their files. At the end of the day, my job is to take care of people and help them achieve their dreams.

How did you get involved with so many different organizations and associations?

I’ve discovered a lot of different organizations by word of mouth from accounting and law firms I deal with as an account manager. When I met with these organizations, I realized I needed to do more for my community, because we don’t pay enough attention to successful Black entrepreneurs. These people should be held up as role models.

I saw an opportunity to put my experience as an account manager to work for these organizations and get a clearer understanding of the services they offer. There's still a lot of work to be done to make sure the Black community is well served and properly represented in the business community.

Why is this work so important to you?

Because I think I can make a real difference. I've realized that a lot of people won’t ask for help, but they will take it when we reach out to them. What I want is for the entrepreneurs in my community to have the same opportunities for success as anyone else. I don’t want a lack of information or accessibility holding them back.

In your opinion, what should businesses be doing to foster equity, diversity and inclusion?

We need to continue promoting inclusion and training people on discrimination and unconscious bias. We also need to recruit diverse talent, and not just for entry-level positions. We need to see diversity at the management level too.

Something like a mentorship program for members of cultural communities could help prepare people who are interested in going into management.

Tell us about a time when you felt you had a real impact?

I’ve been a judge for a number of business pitch contests, and one of them was for high school students. I felt like the students were extra motivated because they were pitching to and getting feedback from an actual account manager. It was like they were real businesspeople.

Last question—what advice would you give to young people starting out in your line of work?

First, I'd tell them to stay motivated and persevere. It's not always easy, but hard work and a good attitude are the keys to success.

Second, I would tell them to find a good mentor. A mentor can show you first-hand what it takes to succeed and get you into networking events so you can grow your contact list.

Best of luck!