Neil Ouditt Director, Associate Advisor Program, Manulife Financial NEIL OUDITT Trinidad For Neil Ouditt, the appeal of Windsor as a place to attend university in Canada was obvious. "If I'm not in Vancouver, the warmest part of Canada is Windsor!" jokes the Trinidad-born man. On a more serious note, Windsor's appeal to Mr. Ouditt went far beyond its climate—warm though it is, by Canadian standards. He was drawn to Windsor by a desire to study at the school's business school, which is widely known in the Caribbean, he says. The degree Mr. Ouditt completed at Windsor—a BA in economics—proved to be a stepping-stone to his current career. He began working in financial services right after his graduation, and was eventually hired by Manulife Financial. Toronto-based Manulife, with its market capitalization of more than $55 billion (Cdn.), ranks as the fourth-largest insurance firm in the world. Mr. Ouditt's work at Manulife has made him a sought-after speaker in the North American financial services industry. As the creator and architect of the company's Associate Advisor Program, he has done a lot of work on developing succession plans for senior financial advisors—for example, working on strategies for bringing new financial planners into the business and developing coaching and mentoring programs for them, grooming them as senior financial advisors. Since he first started working on the program, Manulife's rate of retention of financial advisors has increased dramatically. Mr. Ouditt intends to keep working in the financial services in Canada, which he now considers his home; he's been a Canadian citizen for about 15 years. He also feels a strong sense of loyalty to the University of Windsor, and serves on its Alumni board of directors. "I have a huge affection for Windsor, and I would recommend it to anyone," he says. Especially as an international student, far from home and in a different culture, he liked its small, friendly campus. "I loved going to school there," he says. "It was very easy to meet people. It was a nice start and a nice way to be brought into the community."