2017 Hot List Recipient
2020 Hot List Recipient
2021 CEO of the Year
Accolades
Media
The Ernest Lagna Award, the highest honour for a Loyola Maryland male student-athlete
1995
Innovating in the whitespace of wealth management
In wealth management, most leaders compete in crowded waters, jostling for space in the same lanes as everyone else. Michael Konopaski prefers a different course, making his mark by steering into calmer waters and making bold moves once he’s there.
It’s a philosophy rooted in what strategists call the “blue ocean” − the space where fewer compete because the model is too unconventional or too far removed from industry norms to fit neatly into their existing playbooks.
That approach defines Designed Wealth Management, the independent dealer Konopaski co-founded in 2021. But the seeds of his refusal to compete on the same terms as others were planted decades earlier, in a career shaped as much by calculated risk as by a deep resistance to doing things the way they’ve always been done.
Konopaski’s first lesson in value creation came well before high school. As a five-year-old attending Toronto Blue Jays games with his father, he collected abandoned paper programs from the stadium floor and resold them in his neighbourhood. The logic was simple: find something others overlook and turn it into opportunity.
By the time he graduated from university, that instinct had hardened into a clear principle where work should be rewarded for results, not time. He went straight into performance-based compensation, rejecting salary roles in favour of commissions that let effort and ingenuity dictate earnings.
The decision drew him into the investment dealer world, as both an advisor and someone deeply familiar with the infrastructure that makes a dealer run. When the dealer his father started in 1987 sold in 2020, Konopaski found himself for the first time in his life, without work.
He also applies this philosophy to advisor recruitment: “I don’t waste time trying to convince someone why they should leave their dealer. I only speak to advisors who have already decided to move and then focus entirely on solving their problems.”
Konopaski is clear about the patience such a model requires. New independent dealers often experience slow early growth as the market waits to see proof of concept. But then, as early adopters thrive, momentum can accelerate quickly.
Konopaski’s long-term view is informed by his doctoral research on entrepreneurial families and how businesses survive for generations. Many of the firms he studied simply weren’t interested in selling; the idea was unthinkable. Some had been passed down for centuries.
This “seventh generation” mindset − making decisions with the impact on future generations in mind − runs through his philosophy. “Why would I sell my shares?” he asks. “Fidelity never sold to anybody.” His goal is not to build for a payday but to create something structurally and culturally durable enough to remain independent indefinitely.
Konopaski’s measure of leadership success is simple: if his team members reach higher levels than him, he’s done his job.
That ethos extends to letting others lead visibly, especially CEO Gillian Kunza, his business partner. Konopaski hired her early in her career in other business start-ups he had founded, and she was a natural fit to co-found Designed come 2021. “From day one, my goal was for her to become better than me,” he says.
Konopaski is blunt about the state of the Canadian investment dealer market: the largest players operate with such established profitability that they have no reason to significantly innovate. If Konopaski has a competitive edge, it’s an ability to see where the industry is headed before most of his peers, a skill sharpened by his years in academia, where theories are backed with data.
That creates an opening for independent firms willing to experiment and to survive long enough for the market to notice. Like the “hockey stick” growth curves he’s observed at other dealers, he expects Designed Wealth Management to reach a point where early skepticism gives way to rapid adoption. Until then, he’s focused on educating his niche audience and refining a model he believes no one will copy.
For Konopaski, staying in the open water is not about avoiding competition entirely; it’s about operating where his model can thrive without being forced into the compromises that come with chasing the largest possible market.
“In the end, the advantage isn’t that we’re better than anyone else,” he says. “It’s that we’re built to do the things they can’t and won’t do.”
Spotlight
In the fall of 2020, at the height of COVID lockdowns, Konopaski took two weeks alone on Vancouver Island to think. He had no plan, but he had what he calls “an accumulated stock of knowledge” about how the industry worked and, more importantly, where its gaps lay.
He saw space for an independent dealer free from the constraints of large insurers, mutual fund companies, US private equity owners, or rigid, scaled-first operating models. It wouldn’t compete on price or size. Instead, it would stand out by being fundamentally different.
By September 2021, Designed Securities had opened its first account. From the outset, Konopaski positioned it in that “blue ocean” space − avoiding head-to-head competition and instead targeting a narrow segment of advisors who valued flexibility, customization, and independence over the mass-market appeal of larger firms.
The firm’s business model is deliberately one most competitors would avoid. It’s less profitable than traditional dealer structures and not built to appeal to external shareholders. Konopaski notes that only a select segment of Canadian advisors are a direct fit − those who are entrepreneurial. But for those in that segment, the alignment is strong enough that other dealers don’t have appealing solutions.
“Part of the differentiation comes from leaning into the unique needs of advisors. “In your target market, you can be everything to everyone,” he says, “You just have to think customize, not scale.”
Designed Wealth Management is Canada’s fastest-growing dealer. Through its outstanding culture, and its commitment to collaboration and customization, it has become the advisor’s dealer. With maximum flexibility and support, Designed attracts advisors who want a dealer where they are free to be themselves. Designed is dedicated to working with advisors and understanding the needs of the clients they serve. They are a dealer where advisors can enjoy their work with clients and bring their best ideas forward, across a variety of needs.
Company Profile
13
Provinces and Territories
$6.5 billion
assets under administration
60%
women in leadership, including CEO
45
number of employees
1st firm in Canada
approved for dual registration
Bio
Spotlight
Milestones
Media
Accolades
Company Profile
Michael Konopaski
Managing Director at
Designed Wealth Management
How a niche-first strategy is allowing Designed Securities to thrive without chasing scale for its own sake
Read on
“I don’t waste time trying to convince someone why they should leave their dealer. I only speak to advisors who have already decided to move and then focus entirely on solving their problems”
Michael Konopaski,
Designed Wealth Management
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2017 Hot List Recipient
2020 Hot List Recipient
2021 CEO of the Year
Accolades
Media
Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2019
2021
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2012
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2015
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2016
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2019
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2021
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
QUICK FACTS
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
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Milestones
2011
2012
2015
2016
2019
2021
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2012
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2015
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2016
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2019
Curabitur feugiat eget leo id tempus. Maecenas commodo, nibh at ultricies pulvinar, ipsum erat porta metus, et tempus justo tellus euismod dolor.
2021
Fundserv is the indispensable connectivity hub for the Canadian investment industry. Headquartered in Toronto, we electronically connect Manufacturers, Distributors, and Intermediaries, enabling them to buy, sell, and transfer investment funds. With more than 100 employees, Fundserv serves hundreds of members—executing up to 63 million yearly network transactions—and provides online access to more than 70,000 investment fund products.
Established in 1993, Fundserv is a private corporation that is owned by the industry we serve. Our 10 shareholders are a cross-section of Manufacturers, Distributors, and Service Providers who represent our members.
We operate using a cost-recovery model, meaning any unused profit may be rebated back to our members. In addition to our network and applications, we lead and facilitate industry committees and working groups that promote automation initiatives and establish the industry’s electronic standards.
By ensuring every trade is processed timely, accurately, and securely, Fundserv has rightfully earned a reputation for service excellence—a hallmark of more than 25 years in the investment industry.
Company Profile
Karen Adams
President and CEO at Fundserv
Career highlight
Before becoming CEO of Fundserv, Karen Adams held a variety of leadership roles around the world – and she learned that listening and understanding are key to both providing service and developing talent
Read on
IN Partnership with
In Partnership with
In Partnership with
1995
2015
2017
2017
2019
2019
The Ernest Lagna Award, the highest honour for a Loyola Maryland male student-athlete
1995
Family business succession publication, with over 150 citations in top journals
2015
Non-Indigenous board member of an Indigenous Economic Development Corporation (EDC)
2017
Gave up tenure at Ontario Tech University
2017
Inducted to Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame
2019
Inducted to the Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame
2019
Milestones
From ballpark hustles to performance-based careers
Redefining success in a static market
Published October 6, 2025
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Quick Facts
Taught over 10,000 business students at Trent University and Ontario Tech University
First non-lawyer in a multi-discipline partnership (MDP) with lawyers in Ontario
Favourite quote
“See the animal in his cage that you built? Are you sure what side of the bars you’re on?”
“In the end, the advantage isn’t that we’re better than anyone else. It’s that we’re built to do the things they can’t and won’t do”
Michael Konopaski,
Designed Wealth Management
Designing something that didn’t exist
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Copyright © 1996-2025 KM Business Information Canada Ltd.