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Ravina Bains, vice president, commercial banking and Canadian wealth-management sales integration, at Bank of Nova Scotia in Toronto has been named winner of the Investment Industry Association of Canada’s (IIAC) 2018 Top Under 40 Award at a luncheon in Toronto on Thursday.

The award, which was introduced in 2014, aims to recognize and celebrate the next generation of young professionals in the investment industry. Previous winners include Neal Weston of Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ Canada Ltd. in 2014; Christina Anthony of Odlum Brown Ltd. in 2015; Lori Pinkowski of Raymond James Ltd. in 2016; and Matthew Rodier of TD Wealth Private Investment Advice in 2017.

Ravina Rains, vice president, commercial banking and Canadian wealth-management sales integration, Bank of Nova Scotia
Ravina Bains, Bank of Nova Scotia

Bains, who was among 28 nominees for this year’s award, joined Scotiabank in 2016 as national director, Aboriginal financial services, and took on her current position this past March. Prior to joining Scotiabank, she served as director of policy for the federal Department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada and continued her Aboriginal policy work at the Fraser Institute.

Bains serves as co-chairwoman of the commercial banking national women’s group and is a committee member of impact at Scotiabank, the latter being a group that seeks to help individuals in Canadian wealth-management maximize their professional potential.

She is currently working toward a PhD and she holds a master’s of science in law from the University of Oxford and a bachelor of arts from the University of British Columbia.

“Ravina is a highly successful executive in the wealth-management business at Scotiabank. She has further distinguished herself through her extensive experience and commitment to advancing policy issues related to the indigenous peoples of Canada both prior to and in her current role with Scotiabank,” says Ian Russell, president and CEO of the IIAC, in a statement. “This work and her advocacy for women in leadership and as a board member for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business were all determining factors in being selected the 2018 award recipient.”

In a joint statement, Gillian Riley, executive vice president, commercial banking, and Alex Besharat, senior vice president and head, Canadian wealth management, at Scotiabank added: “The needs of clients are becoming increasingly complex [and] the financial services [sector] is having to adapt to bring clarity to this complexity. Ravina is exactly the kind of emerging leader whose primary attribute is the ability to bring together teams and skill sets from across the organization toward a common goal — delivering comprehensive solutions to clients.”

Bains will also be recognized at the 2018 Investment Industry Hall of Fame gala dinner and induction ceremony in Toronto on Thursday.