Creaghan McConnell Gould is pleased to announce that Jen McCain will be supporting the CMG team as a Special Advisor as of March 3, 2025. In some way, shape, or form, Jen has been part of a successful family business her entire life, equipping her with a wealth of first-hand knowledge and experience to offer to both CMG and the highly accomplished Canadian business families we’re privileged to serve.
Jen’s background as the President of Irie Capital Corporation — a privately held investment and holding company — combined with her role as a partner at JSM Capital Corporation — a single-family office — brings significant value to CMG and our clients. She also serves as a Director on the McCain Foods Group Holding Company Board and Chair of the Shareholder Engagement Committee.
Jen was born in a small town in Atlantic Canada where the community was tight knit, a shaping force in her life ever since. She’s naturally drawn to CMG for its collaborative approach to exploring meaningful topics together. By tapping into her background, she looks forward to guiding and supporting others who are also part of the family business ecosystem.
“I’ve been involved in the family business space in both informal and formal roles and I’m passionate about supporting family enterprises. I have lived experience and can share knowledge and learnings and stories that can help enable decision-making. It’s a great fit with CMG’s expertise.”
Jen’s education reflects this deep business focus as well. She has a Master’s of Business Administration with a major in Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability from Simmons University in Boston. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management with a major in Entrepreneurship and Innovation from Dalhousie University.
Synergy with the CMG approach
When it comes to supporting Canadian business families reach their full potential, CMG is a leading force in Canada. To Jen, there’s a lot to love about the company she’s joining.
“I love the team. They have such a wrap-around approach to supporting their clients. The clarity and the executional drive that they have makes them a really trusted partner.”
She also values CMG’s future focus, constantly thinking about what comes next. That includes how current leaders let the next hand take the wheel, ensuring a strong legacy and sustained impact. It’s a scenario that she’s intimately familiar with in her own family.
She knows firsthand that success in the family business ecosystem often hinges on relationships, individual and shared values, and personal aspirations — the human side of things. By providing personal support and sharing her experience, Jen’s goal is to help family members make the best decisions for them and their business. And she’s excited about working with CMG to guide clients across generations.
Jen believes she can have a particularly strong impact on the rising generation, in part because she’s one of them and can speak a common language. In addition to achieving strong business results, this generation can have a positive, lasting impact on society.
As a millennial herself, she has a deeply passionate drive around social and financial value creation. She believes many stakeholders are thinking about what the purpose of a business is and how it can be positioned for good.
“It’s important to develop the various sources of capital whether it’s financial, social, cultural, or intellectual, and I know CMG is passionate about this as well. You can’t just develop the financial capital of the family without evolving the other forms too.”
Jen’s two takeaways for business families:
- Adopt a beginner’s mindset. For a family business to enjoy success across generations – regardless of the challenges faced and solutions tested before – embracing a mindset of adaptability is essential. One of her favourite quotes comes from renowned Zen monk Shunryu Suzuki:
In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind, there are few.
This quote bolsters Jen’s belief that sustained success requires approaching challenges with curiosity, humility, and emotional awareness.
- Harness the opportunities of evolution. Jen notes that we’re in the fourth industrial revolution – after the ages of steam power, electricity, and computing. This current stage involves innovations like artificial intelligence, robotics, and the internet of things. She believes businesses can seize this moment to maximize their impact and their success.
“If it’s managed responsibly, the evolution of today will lift the quality of life for populations across the world,” she says. “And businesses will play a huge role. I’m excited to be a part of it.”
To get in touch with Jen, you can reach her at jen@cmgpartners.ca.
Download and read this announcement as a PDF here.
Paul Russell is a freelance writer based in Toronto. He writes on topics in financial services.