Bruno Mercier, Mercier Group Wealth Management
Image courtesy of Mercier Group
The life of Bruno Mercier is full of unexpected yet incredible turns.
Before he became an Investment Advisor, Portfolio Manager, and Vice-President at National Bank Financial, Mercier was hoping to pursue a much different career path: becoming a doctor.
Mercier went to the University of Alberta, where he got his degree majoring in biology with a minor in chemistry with the hopes of taking the next step to becoming a doctor. However, as he puts it, he wasn’t completely ready to go to med school at the time.
After coming to that realization, he did some traveling for three years. However, when he returned home, he didn’t realize his future career was just around the corner, describing the whole thing as an “accident.”
After returning home, his mother’s assistant was on vacation at the time, which led Mercier to cover for them. Eventually, he realized he had a knack for this kind of work and slowly made his way up in the financial world over the past two decades.
“It kind of landed on my lap,” he explained. “It was very fortunate timing, and it’s fortunate that I’m very good at it. The stars lined up.”
Another unexpected turn in Mercier’s life was becoming a sponsor for Free Play for Kids. As he explains it, a friend of his sent him an email encouraging him to sponsor a soccer team back when the organization was still called Free Footie. Today, he’s still a proud sponsor because he wants to “help kids who otherwise can’t generate that step up and accomplish their full potential.”
“I’m very much into helping those who can’t help themselves because they don’t have the tools,” he explained.
While he is an avid sponsor for Free Play, Mercier doesn’t have a major sports background. He said he does participate in some sports such as skating and cycling, but he’s never been what he would call a “star athlete.”
However, his lack of a sports background never fit into the equation when he started sponsoring Free Play. As he explains, it doesn’t matter if Free Play was devoted to sports, arts, or any other hobby for that matter. All that really matters in Mercier’s eyes is he has this opportunity to support the kids in any and every way possible.
“Sports is what Free Play does,” he said. “But it’s all about helping the kids.”
As for the future, Mercier is hoping Free Play keeps growing stronger as the years go on. Not only to give kids these opportunities they wouldn’t otherwise have, but also as a shining beacon in both the community as well as Edmonton overall.
“Hopefully the program keeps on going and helps the maximum people live to their full potential,” he said. “If we invest in Free Play, these kids aren’t causing a bad ruckus. It’s all about making the community a better place.”
