Joanna Rotenberg

Joanna Rotenberg’s story is rooted in family and a lifelong commitment to excellence and authenticity. Born and raised in Thornhill, just north of Toronto, she grew up surrounded by the love of her parents, grandparents, and extended family. From the beginning, Joanna’s life was shaped by an awareness of resilience. This was a value carried forward by her grandparents, who survived the Holocaust. Joanna’s parents also separated when she was an early teen and her father, a physician, moved to the United States. Joanna’s mother role-modeled resilience at the time, resuming her early education as a teacher, and with it, eventually helping hundreds of first-graders learn to read.

Joanna’s grandparents were central figures in her life. As teenagers in Poland during the Holocaust, her paternal grandparents lost much of their family and survived for years living in the Polish forest. After the war, they rebuilt their lives in Israel, later moved to Brazil, and eventually settled in Canada to be reunited with family members who had come before. That journey, marked by repeated dislocation and reinvention, profoundly influenced Joanna’s worldview. She grew up hearing less about the traumas of the Holocaust itself and more about the enduring values it had instilled in her family.

Education was a central theme in Joanna’s life. From a young age, she was motivated by the encouragement of her mother and grandmother, both teachers, and her father, who believed in the value of education to support one’s independence. All celebrated her achievements and nurtured her curiosity. For her, school was about the pursuit of knowledge and the belief that working hard could create new possibilities. Her early teachers saw her determination, with one calling her “Little Miss Lawyer” in ninth grade.

Joanna went on to pursue both a law degree and an MBA. Initially convinced she would become a lawyer, she discovered through her studies and internships that her true passion lay in strategy and leadership. That realization led her to embrace opportunities that combined analytical rigour with the ability to shape big-picture outcomes.

CAREER

Her full-time career began at McKinsey & Company, a place where she learned to find her voice. At first, she assumed that others in the room had the “right” answers, but she soon realized the value of her own perspective and the importance of speaking up. McKinsey also taught her to stay resilient in the face of change and thrive in ambiguity, facing each new challenge with curiosity and flexibility versus fear.

From there, Joanna’s career path took her into senior leadership roles in banking and asset management. At BMO, she assumed her first executive role, entering the office with a clear resolve: to lead as her authentic self, rather than trying to be someone she was not. That authenticity became the foundation of her leadership style, encouraging others to bring their true selves to work. She later held leadership roles at Fidelity and ultimately took on her current position as Managing Director of Advice and Wealth Management at Vanguard, where she works at the intersection of strategy and execution, shaping the future of wealth management while building and empowering high-performing teams.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED

For Joanna, business has always been a team sport. She takes pride not only in the business outcomes she has helped deliver, but in the people she has mentored along the way. She believes that mentorship is for life, extending beyond direct reports to anyone whose potential she can help cultivate. Building strong teams requires not only talented individuals but also a culture of resilience and low ego. She believes in creating conditions for psychological safety, healthy debate and collaboration, and an ability to not take oneself too seriously. These factors help each member to contribute at their best and elevate the entire team to its full potential. This work is never done!

Like every senior leader, Joanna has faced setbacks in her career. She recalls both academic challenges and professional disappointments, and while they sting in the moment, she views each as a chance to learn and grow. A personal motto she embraced early on is that “everything happens for a reason, even if you don’t know it at the time.” This continues to guide her approach to adversity. For her, resilience means dusting yourself off and moving forward with greater strength and better perspective.

Beyond her professional life, Joanna is engaged in her community. With family roots in both health and education, she has given back to those sectors as a board member and treasurer at Sinai Health, a leader at the Rotman School of Management, and an active volunteer in her children’s school. For her, these roles are an extension of her values, a way to contribute to institutions that shape lives and help create opportunities for others.

Joanna is also honoured to become a Member of the Horatio Alger Association of Canada, an organization that aligns with her own story and values. Having grown up in a family where perseverance and education were the keys to progress, she believes in the Association’s mission to provide scholarships to deserving young people who have overcome adversity. She sees the Association as a spark igniting potential and creating leaders for tomorrow who will, in turn, give back to future generations.

While her career and community service are sources of pride, Joanna is clear about where her greatest joy lies, her family. She and her husband are raising three children in Toronto, and she treasures the time they spend together, whether on a hike or traveling, around the dinner table, or simply enjoying each other’s company. Just as her grandparents and parents shaped her life, Joanna is dedicated to passing on the same values of resilience, curiosity, and authenticity to her own children.