Irene Vassalo is Principal at Vassalo & Associates Private Wealth Management, a holistic wealth management firm in Kitchener that, in Irene’s words, “empowers clients to achieve new heights of financial success through tailored solutions that focus on financial planning opportunities to grow, protect, and share wealth.”
Irene joined She Shares in 2019 and became a sponsor of the women’s giving circle in 2024. Learn more about Irene, her business, and her reasons for supporting St. Mary’s through this Q&A, which has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: How did you get started in financial services, and how has your career shaped your sense of philanthropy?
A: Philanthropy and helping others have always been important to me. My major in university was social work, but I had also been working part-time at a bank through school and really enjoyed it. When I graduated, it seemed a natural fit for me to merge my work experience with my passion for helping others and I became a financial counsellor.
Vassalo & Associates advocates for both our clients and others within our community. Philanthropy is not only at the heart of my own values, but those of our business as well.
Q. What made you decide to join She Shares?
A. I had been looking for an opportunity to get involved in our community and saw a She Shares luncheon advertised on the Chamber website. I went and listened to a marvelous guest speaker who spoke about the power of collective impact, and I was so impressed that I signed up that day.
What really drew me in was that this is an all-women group. I was brought up in a Portuguese Catholic household in Kitchener and I was very familiar with St. Mary’s and its history with the Sisters of St. Joseph. St. Mary’s was the go-to hospital when my family needed care. Joining She Shares felt like the perfect fit.
Q. How have you seen She Shares evolve in the years since you joined?
A. There were around 30 members when I joined, and now we’ve surpassed 100. We have strength in numbers, not only financially but also in terms of voice and perspective. This group of women shares a vision for local healthcare that is based on empathy and compassion. When you get a group like that together, it creates miracles for our community.
It’s so exciting to be part of something that has tremendous impact, both right now and in the future with the new hospital on the horizon. To be at the forefront and have a voice that can help shape local healthcare, that’s amazing. That’s why Vassalo & Associates decided to sponsor the group: it’s about the connection, the women of She Shares, and the potential for great impact that we have working together.
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