Danny Popescu

Early life

Danny Popescu’s entrance into the high-velocity life of finance began with his first job in the industry as a bank teller. As he analyzed daily transactions and industry best practices at the bank, Danny learned about finance and wealth management from the ground up.

A Toronto native, he decided to make his mark within the financial services industry in Vancouver, B.C., where the life-long skiing enthusiast knew greater peaks beckoned — on the slopes and with his career.

Early career achievements came quickly. By the time he was 32 years old, Danny ranked as the number one advisor at Canada’s largest asset management firm. At 33 years of age, Danny became a partner at a national investment firm. At age 39, he was named one of Business in Vancouver’s Top Forty Under 40 and at age 46, he was named one of Canada’s Top 50 Industry Leaders of 2021 by Wealth Professional.

Career

When the investment firm where he was working at was sold to a bank, Danny Popescu decided it was time to make a move — and make a mark.

From his 10+ years of experience at this point, he knew that in the bureaucratic world of bank-guided investing, there would be a limit to the ways he could help investors achieve their dreams. More so, he understood that the preference in large institutions was to promote equities, their own investment products, and other vanilla investments. And yet, he knew that substantial returns could be achieved through pension-type investment vehicles such as private equity, private real estate and private credit and other alternative asset classes.

In Canada, these types of investments had traditionally not been offered to retail investors by large financial institutions. For investors who did seek out private investment vehicles, there were a variety of barriers to accessing them. By founding Harbourfront Wealth Management in 2013, Danny Popescu resolved to change that — and transform an entire industry.

He launched Harbourfront with an $11 million personal investment and six employees. In 2022, the enterprise value of the firm rose to $425 million, when the Boston-based private equity firm Audax Private Equity Group poured a nine-figure investment into the company. Today, Harbourfront has grown to nearly 300 professionals across the nation.

With 30+ branches across Canada, Harbourfront Wealth Management is one of the fastest growing independent dealers in Canada. The company is now on track to reach a $1.5 billion enterprise value by 2027.

Danny Popescu has prioritized the establishment of an inclusive, diverse workplace. He has implemented a progressive advisor initiative, offering his employees an ownership stake in the firm. He attributes the firm’s growth to the shared sense of responsibility his advisors feel for both themselves and their clients, causing them to be aggressive when pursuing the most valuable opportunities in alternative investments.

Harbourfront Wealth’s shared ownership model reflects the core ideas of entrepreneurship and partnership that led Danny to establish the firm in 2013. The firm values autonomy, innovation and agency in both its advisors and its investors. Its success is built on forging and maintaining trusting relationships in working together to build financial security.

Danny’s leadership in creating an attractive place to work was recognized in the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® Canada 2023 – Pacific regional winners | EY Canada with a featured profile in BCBusiness Magazine.

Along with these awards, Danny Popescu credits the Audax deal with bestowing a feeling of validation on his firm and his advisors, many of whom took risks in leaving institutional firms to jump into offering non-traditional asset classes to retail clients.

The equity infusion has attracted attention from the press, as well as markets in other countries. This success, along with an internal advisor growth of over 22% in 2023, has made Harbourfront one of the fastest-growing securities dealers in Canada.

THE HARBOURFRONT GIVES FOUNDATION

But success in business is only part of his story. Danny and his family have also established a charitable giving arm, the Harbourfront Gives Foundation, as a way to support a range of organizations. Over the last ten years, the Harborfront Gives Foundation has supported causes spanning health, children, education and community development. As of July of 2022, the Foundation has donated over $425,000 to 65 charitable organizations in Canada and across the globe.

Danny actively supports the work of the Foundation. In 2006, in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the British Columbia Children’s Hospital, he climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak. He has also raced in the Test of Metal, a 67-kilometer bicycle race along the mountain roads of British Columbia, to help the Canadian Diabetes Association raise funds for diabetes treatment and research.

A recent example of the way the Foundation is making a difference through its Harbourfront Holiday Meals campaign. Over the 2022 holiday season, Harbourfont raised money to provide thousands of meals for children in need. Healthy meals will be delivered throughout the Summer of 2023 through Food Banks Canada’s After the Bell program to address the growing issue of child hunger in Canada.

The Harbourfront Holiday Meals campaign is one of many Harbourfront Gives Foundation initiatives aimed at providing a lifeline to people and communities across Canada. The Foundation contributes to Canadian-approved charities aligned with its core values as an organization. One of the benefits of Harbourfront Gives Foundation is that it does not have any paid employees, so more of the donations reach those in need. Harbourfront Gives has supported a long list of charities including:

• Canadian Cancer Society
• Make-A-Wish Canada
• Canadian Feed the Children
• Isthmus
• B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation
• Save the Children
• Ability Online
• BCSPCA
• Doctors Without Borders
• Diabetes Canada
• Covenant House
• Thirst Project
• Comox Valley Food Bank
• Comox Valley Transition Society
• Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society
• YANA
• Uncles & Aunts at Large
• Campbell River Hospice Society

Achievement

Danny Popescu is more than a leader in the North American financial services industry. He is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, writer, public speaker, and devoted husband and father.

Danny has delivered over 300 lectures, which include joint speaking engagements with Kevin O’Leary from CBC’s Dragon’s Den, industry professionals and other entrepreneurs. A mentor to many in the industry, Danny created a nonprofit advisor training platform and has mentored more than a thousand investment advisors throughout his career. He has received numerous awards and is frequently interviewed by leading news organizations.

Media

• This Wealth Management Firm Is Valued at $425 Million And Is On Track To Establishing $1.5 Billion In Enterprise Value By 2027
• Danny Popescu: With Children Returning to School, Food Banks Canada Continues to Need Your Support
• Danny Popescu: Interview With Harbourfront Wealth Management’s Founder
• Danny Popescu, Founder of Harbourfront Wealth Management: Building Bonds Through Employee-Owned Firm
• Subway, Nestle, Harbourfront Wealth: Canadian Companies Join Fight Against Hunger
• An Exclusive Interview With Danny Popescu, CEO of Harbourfront Wealth Management
• CEO Danny Popescu: Innovative Leadership Leads To Big Growth For Harbourfront Wealth Management