John Nicola

CFP®, CLU®, CHFC

Executive Chair and Chief Investment Officer

Overview

John Nicola is Executive Chair and Chief Investment Officer of Nicola Wealth, the firm he founded in 1994.

A veteran of the financial services industry since 1974, John led Nicola Wealth as Chief Executive Officer for more than three decades before transitioning to his current role at the end of 2025. The firm opened with eight people and roughly $80 million under management. Today it manages $18 billion for over 5,000 households, with a team of more than 500 across British Columbia, Alberta, and Ontario, ranking among Canada’s largest independent, non-bank investment counselling firms.

That growth rests on a conviction John built into the firm from the outset: lasting success is worth more when it is shared. Under the Share the Pie philosophy, advisors, portfolio managers, and staff hold equity in the business, and a portion of annual profits is directed to charitable causes through the Nicola Wealth Private Giving Foundation and the Nicola Wealth Gives Back committee. John examines the philosophy and the five decades behind it in his recent book, Share the Pie.

His expertise spans investment management, estate and financial planning, and business planning, with a focus on wealth building, exit strategies, and shareholder agreements.

John was named to Business in Vancouver’s BC500 list of the province’s most influential business leaders in 2025 and 2026. In 2025, he was inducted into the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame in recognition of his decades-long contributions to business and philanthropy, and was named to Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 List alongside David Sung, highlighting their shared commitment to giving back.

Earlier recognition includes the Lifetime Achievement Award from Wealth Professional in 2023 and, in 2022, a second Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Pacific Region, which also made him one of 10 National Winners of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year National Award. He was recognized as one of Canada’s Most Admired CEOs in 2016 and named B.C. CEO of the Year (Small-Medium Private Company) by Business In Vancouver in 2015. He first won Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Financial and Professional Services, Pacific Region) in 2011, and in 1999 served as Chair of Top of the Table, the highest membership tier of the Million Dollar Round Table.

A Founding Member of CALU (Conference for Life Underwriters), John has contributed to the organization for many years, including as Chair of its 2003 annual meeting. He served as Board Chair of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice and has lent his business acumen to Covenant House, Union Gospel Mission, International Justice Mission, Vancouver General Hospital Foundation, St. Paul’s Foundation, and BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.

John and his wife, Claire, have been married for more than 50 years. Their three sons, Chris, Jason, and Jared, all work in the business, and in 2026 Chris succeeded John as Chief Executive Officer, carrying the firm into its second generation of family leadership.