Global X Canada president and CEO Rohit Mehta is combining global influence with local expertise to provide Canadians with innovative investment solutions

(Editor’s Note: This article is based on Season 1, Episode 4 of Diverse Dividends, CFA Society Toronto’s video podcast series, featuring Rohit Mehta)

There are those who are born natural leaders, destined for success, and who inspire others to achieve remarkable things. Rohit Mehta, president and CEO of Global X Investments Canada (Global X Canada), a financial services company that offers exchange-traded funds (ETFs), is such a leader.

“What I knew I loved early on was the financial services industry and interacting with people,” says Mehta. “I had different opportunities to lead, I really loved that, and I feel like I excelled at it. At that point in time, I started seeing an opportunity to lead an organization, and many of my mentors would say, ‘You have the skill set or the disposition to be a successful leader in this industry.’”

Looking at Mehta’s career trajectory and everything he has accomplished, it’s safe to say Mehta and his mentors have been proven right.

Early foray into finance

Mehta’s start in the financial services industry was an auspicious one. In high school, he met his parents’ financial advisor, and, after asking many insightful questions, was offered his first job: a summer position with RBC Dominion Securities. The only catch? He had to wait until the following summer, when he would be eligible at the age of 17.

That summer at RBC Dominion Securities in Sarnia, Ontario, where Mehta grew up, led to additional summer positions, including during his university years at Western University, in the London, Ontario office (where he also happened to meet his wife).

“That really provided me with a foundation on the wealth side. It really solidified my love for this industry and my passion for it,” says Mehta.

After university, that passion led him to the asset management world, starting at VenGrowth Asset Management, which later became First Asset. There he spent 10 years, focusing on ETFs and taking on increasingly senior positions, up to president, along with a role within the executive team at CI Financial. After a stop at Guardian Capital LP, Mehta landed in his current role leading Global X Canada (Horizons ETFs at the time).

The three Ps of leadership

Mehta says support from his parents, immigrants to Canada “who came here to build a family and to give us opportunities”; his wife, who is his biggest supporter and advocate; and his mentors have helped him to build his impressive career and become a trusted and proven leader. Global X Canada has more than $40 billion in assets under management and more than 100 ETFs in its portfolio, making it clear that Mehta and the rest of the leadership team have established a strong path to success in the market. He says leadership needs to be encased in honesty and integrity, and that it comes down to three foundational principles.

“As we build at Global X, we’ve really framed it around three Ps: performance culture, product innovation and the power of data. As we build as an organization, those are our guiding values. Performance culture turns into transparent, inspired, empowered, accountable, rewarded [teams],” explains Mehta, who also highlights the importance of diversity of thought in achieving common goals.

Building brand awareness

Mehta played a key role in the 2024 organizational rebrand from Horizons ETFs to Global X Canada. He says the driving force behind the change was building awareness of its parent company, South Korea-based Mirae Asset Global Investments, and the global firepower that comes with it.

Shortly after Mehta joined Horizons ETFs, he went across the country to connect with partners and clients, where he learned there was very little understanding of Mirae, which had purchased the company in 2011. “I started sharing facts and information about Mirae – we’re an $80 billion organization, we’re privately owned, we have businesses in 19 markets around the world, we’re one of the largest ETF providers globally, with over $150 billion in global ETF assets,” notes Mehta.

This prompted the executive team to come together in 2023, and the rebrand launched on May 1, 2024, when the company also rolled out 17 new ETFs. “Ultimately, if I frame what it brought together, it was our global strength and our local expertise. And the global strength today is incredibly important for organizations. They want the comfort of knowing you have this global strength to tap into, whether it’s for resources, whether it’s for knowledge – just overall, a global network is incredibly important. And then we’re able to couple that with local expertise.”

Preparing for the future

Mehta highlights three main trends that will impact the financial services industry in the years to come: the aging population, wealth transfer and technology. He notes that AI is already impacting all facets of life and will continue to take centre stage. “It’s really enhancing how we can do things, whether it’s speed, efficiency, risk management. With that theme in mind, we’ve built solutions, whether it’s trying to get exposure to companies that are in AI infrastructure or that are using AI in their system.”

Mehta also notes that the power of innovation will continue to drive Global X Canada forward, highlighting the work of the digital innovation and data analytics group in bringing systems together with a data visualization tool, something that’s being rolled out by Mirae globally.

Above all else, passion fuels success

Along with strong skills, expertise and inspiration, it’s Mehta’s longstanding passion for the financial services industry that has put him in the leadership position at one of Canada’s largest ETF providers. His advice to anyone who wants to carve out their own path, whether in this industry or any other, is to make passion the priority.

“Be curious, take initiative and find your passion,” advises Mehta. “Figure out what you want to do, and it’s okay to try something and figure out that it’s not right for you. The career life is a long period of time, so it’s important to find something that you really love doing.”

Written by

Lauren Huneault is a content and marketing professional with 15 years of experience in content creation and strategy. Lauren has spent the last 14 years focused on producing relevant educational content to help aspiring and current business owners successfully navigate the challenges of the Canadian business landscape. She has served as writer and editor of trade publications including Your Convenience Manager, Octane and Franchise Canada.