From stranger to well-known name

But Riyahi didn’t waste any time getting out into the community. Once settled, she spotted a job ad looking for someone with a financial background. Riyahi, a graduate of MacEwan University in Edmonton, fit the bill; she has a bachelor of business administration from the university, with a concentration in finance and accounting. She won the job with what was then MetLife Inc. and has been there ever since – occupying the same desk for more than two decades.

The company and the job have changed considerably, however. After several mergers and acquisitions, MetLife became Sun Life, and Riyahi’s job has transformed as well. The focus no longer is primarily on selling insurance but is on providing clients with financial advice. It’s a change that suits Riyahi, a certified health insurance specialist. “I’m a numbers person,” she says. “I always enjoyed investment. I find it fascinating.”

Building a client base in a community in which you don’t know anyone can be daunting. Riyahi believed the best way to become part of her community was to be involved in it. She started by serving on the board of a local transition house for abused women. She also began working with immigrants and newcomers through the Colchester Regional Development Agency.

That work led Riyahi to establish a local network of women new to the area, the International Ladies Group, which was profiled in a CBC-TV documentary. Next year marks the 25th anniversary of the group, which helps women new to the community to settle in and meet people.

“It’s networking, and it’s fun,” says Riyahi. The impetus in forming the group was simple: to make people feel at home. “We connect so no one will feel alone,” adds Riyahi, who is still active in the organization.

The Sun Life advisor understands isolation. A native of Iran, Riyahi moved to Canada in 1982 with her husband and young daughter while pregnant with their second child. She was the only Iranian in Truro when she moved there. “It was a big transition. I tried to blend in and adopt the culture while keeping my heritage,” says Riyahi, who was active in the Halifax-based Iranian Cultural Society for several years.

Today, Riyahi is part of the fabric of work and life in her adopted homeland. “When I look back at my life,” she says, “I feel that I am a very lucky person because I have the privilege of living in one of the best countries in the world and in a community in which I feel that I am first a member and second an immigrant.”

Being active in her community is one way Riyahi says, “Thank you.” She just completed a two-year term as chairwoman of the regional development authority and has sat for six years on the local hospital foundation board. She is also the chairwoman of the Nova Scotia Minister of Immigration Advisory Board.

Riyahi’s volunteer efforts have been recognized by Sun Life. In 2011, Riyahi was a runner-up in the firm’s annual Volunteer of the Year award and thus received a $3,000 donation to the charity of her choice. “It’s a huge honour,” she says.

As a result of Riyahi’s community activity, she is well known and her name is familiar to many of the area residents. That’s good for business. Today, for example, Riyahi gets a lot of referrals from clients, colleagues and friends. In Truro, she says, “At least one person out of 10 will know my name.”

Over three decades, Riyahi has built a $10-million book of business. Today, her clients are primarily businesses and government agencies, including Crown corporations. She also has many individual clients.

The key to Riyahi’s success is patience. Like settling into a new community, it takes time to establish roots and to be trusted. Riyahi’s first meeting with a client, for example, is about getting to know one another. Business is not on the agenda; it’s about relationship building.

Building that relationship, Riyahi adds, may take several meetings before any paperwork is signed. “It may not be business at first,” she says, “but it will be business over the long term.”

For Riyahi, the obligations inherent in being a financial advisor are significant: “You need to pay attention. You need to understand. You always need to know what is happening in the field.”

Riyahi, perhaps unusually, does not chafe under the increasing regulation demanded of her profession.

“Business has changed for the better,” she says. “The rules and regulations build more trust between advisor and clients. They feel better knowing things are monitored. I am very transparent about this.”

Transparency and accountability are the cornerstones of client service, says Riyahi: “Saying something doesn’t mean a whole lot. Doing things does.”

When Riyahi is not active in the community or with a client, she likes to be physically active. She skis, runs long distance and hikes. “I enjoy the outdoors,” says Riyahi, who has also discovered a passion for yoga.

© 2014 Investment Executive. All rights reserved.