Meet Private Ocean Wealth Management's Channing Hussey, a 2019 North Bay Women in Business winner
North Bay Business Journal asked 2019 Women in Business Awards winner Channing Hussey to fill us in on her background, responsibilities and community involvement, and insights into what makes her a notable professional in the region.
Professional background:
Greenberg Traurig, LLP 2008-2012
Assistant to Managing Partner ¦ Office Administrator, 2008 to 2010
Litigation Legal Assistant, 2010 to 2012
Partners In Leadership, LLC 2012-2014
Operations Project Manager ¦ Executive Assistant to SVP, Operations, 2012 to 2013
Marketing Manager, 2013 to 2014
Mosaic Financial Partners, 2014-2018 (Acquired)
Operations Office Manager, 2014 to 2015
Director of Operations, 2015-2018
Private Ocean, 2018-current
Principal, Director of Operations, 2015-2018
Education:
Bachelor of arts, business administration – emphasis economics at California State University, Fullerton – 2008
G2 Leadership Institute (MBA alternative) 2017-2016
Misc. Culture and Coaching Certifications – Partners In Leadership - 2014
Certified Legal Assistant (Paralegal) – Association of Legal Administrators - 2009
Certificate of Interior Design - Interior Designers Institute, Newport Beach - 2005
Staff: Indirectly responsible for 50+ staff (entire firm)
Tell us about yourself and your company: I am a decisive and collaborative leader who has the proven ability to drive company growth through innovative people and culture management, operational process implementation and strategic initiatives. I have a comprehensive background in operations, marketing, technology, legal/contracts, sales and human resource management and a demonstrated ability to build cohesion, trust and project engagement across organizations.
Private Ocean is a comprehensive wealth management firm with locations in San Rafael, San Francisco, and Seattle. Formed in 2009 as a union between two of the Bay Area's most innovative wealth advisories, we are deliberately structured to give clients the intimate experience of a small firm, while harnessing the power, depth and discipline of a much larger one.
Is there a major accomplishment in the past year or so that you would like to share?
In 2018, Mosaic Financial Partners decided to aggressively approach finding a succession plan for the founder, Norm Boone. I oversaw beginning to end management of the research, execution and closing of the Private Ocean acquisition.
Starting first, with analysis of if an internal purchase would be desirable, leading to hiring an investment banker – DeVoe and Company – to represent Mosaic for an external sale then approaching multiple buyers, selecting Private Ocean, completing the sell side work plus representing 20+ staff for hiring into Private Ocean, and all other logistics that take place to close then integrate two companies into one.
What is the achievement you are most proud of?
I am affectionately known by many as the “Chief of Getting Sh*t Done,” because of my ability to see opportunities and challenges, clearly identify a path forward and execute on the plan flawlessly.
More important to me than a specific achievement is how I do what I do –it's what drives me in all areas of my life. I believe that in business, people are our greatest assets.
Inspiring greatness out of people to achieve greater than they believed they could achieve (particularly advocating for, encouraging and lifting women early in their careers) is my greatest joy.
I've done something right each time a colleague or friend has advanced in a role, been promoted to a new position, moved on to making a bigger impact in their community, and so on. I do this through coaching, modeling and pushing people to think bigger – to never see a problem as a problem – but to see them as opportunities, to find solutions and to be the change needed.
That weaves into everything I do, from building culture at Private Ocean, placing 100+ women into leadership positions at the Junior League, creating career path and development opportunities for administrative professionals with “Office Ninjas”, advocating on behalf of my community on the board for the Marina Community Association as a few examples.
What is your biggest challenge today?
With the acquisition of Mosaic, there are certainly challenges in the integration of Mosaic staff, process, and technology into Private Ocean's way of doing things. Bringing together two companies with rich histories and cultures may, on paper, seem easy, but the process goes far beyond numbers.
We care about a singular product – our people, and bringing along the hearts and mind of people in a meaningful way that connects them to their new organization is much more challenging.