Fort Capital team members from across the country recently gathered in Ottawa over three days for our annual retreat. Our people work in different offices and cities for most of the year, so these few days together are something we treasure.
The Setting: Our Capital City
With the continuing, intense focus on geopolitics absorbing our clients and transactions, we felt that a “field trip” to Ottawa was timely. Many in the firm had not been to Ottawa as a true visitor (even if they had been as a student!), and it was very satisfying to be in and around the capital city for our retreat. Trips to the Senate and the Canadian War Museum were interesting; the CWM was particularly touching and reminded all of how lucky we are to live in a great country that has stood on the side of freedom in such important ways. Lest we forget.
A focus on our brand
This year, our theme was a focus on brand. We asked ourselves three questions: What sets Fort Capital apart? How do our clients experience working with us? And what values guide every engagement we take on?
They say that “brand” is what people say about you when you are not in the room. Through sessions and open conversation, we looked at the qualities that define how we work and how we want to keep showing up for our clients, and how we want them to feel (and talk about us).
Reflecting on the year, setting goals for the next
We also set aside time to review the past year: what went well, what we learned and where we’ve grown as a firm. From there, we set goals for the year ahead, so the whole team is working toward the same priorities.
Time together
Without a doubt, some of the most valuable moments happened outside the sessions. Having colleagues from every office together, sharing meals and ideas, helps us work better as a team when we’re back in our own cities. While we are all intensely focused on ensuring we use technology (and AI in particular, it seems) to improve our service to clients, it always comes back to people, and how we work together. Ottawa ’26 was a great opportunity to grow that strength of our firm.
We left Ottawa with a clearer sense of who we are and where we’re headed, and we’re excited about the year ahead.