Michele Devlin

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chief Compliance Officer
Gibsons, BC

LinkedIn

“It’s not your job that dictates your financial future, it’s your choices. There are plenty of CEOs struggling with debt. I found a way to strategically use cash flow to build a wealth generator for my family and my business” – Michele Platje Devlin, Simple Success Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs.

Michele Platje Devlin leads the premier company in Canada for wealth building strategies based on the secure and dynamic principals of whole life policies as CEO and CCO of MacDev Financial Group Corp.—a company she co-founded with her husband, Stephen Devlin. MacDev Financial further secured this distinction through Michele’s proficiency in contracting, agreement settlement, and policy development when negotiating the exclusive rights in Canada to the Bank On Yourself® concept under SET Financial Solutions Inc.

Michele has been a consummate entrepreneur for 20 years out of the three decades she’s been in the business world. She has always been ambitious and has held various executive titles over her professional career. A testament to her abilities to not only have the foresight of the macro-view, but also an innate knowledge of the details needed to understand all aspects of business operations and evolution.

Since returning full-time in 2015 following a serious illness, business has nearly doubled under her leadership. Incredibly, Michele also expanded the company nationally—now operating in every province except Quebec. With the implementation of technological growth strategies to improve business operations, Michele’s vision will ensure MacDev Financial continues to be an industry leader while adding more value and efficiency for employees, agents, and clients alike.

Michele brings a distinctive balance of business acumen, education, research experience and strategic mindset to her work. Her career has afforded her unique opportunities to engage in policy planning and advisement capacities for the government, academia and corporate affairs. This made her a perfect candidate to serve as President of the Gibsons and District Chamber of Commerce, an elected position she held for three years. During her tenure, Michele and her team deployed a sustainable financial framework to create one of the most successful community-inclusive projects on the Sunshine Coast—a visitor information park to greet travelers upon their arrival to the area.

“I’m highly perceptive so I easily identify patterns and inconsistencies—which from a compliance and policy perspective is crucial. This, along with a keen sense of logic, makes me particularly skilled at negotiations and project management. These are essential components of business development and operations.

My aptitude for problem-solving and generating ideas has given me the reputation as the go-to-person when looking for answers. I acquire knowledge in the pursuit and it builds on my relationship with my team. I have a situational leadership style. Everyone has their strengths, so I’ll step back to let team members shine and will step in when needed. Their successes are my successes. I’m not a CEO without them.”

Early in her career, she held a prestigious research associate position with the Department of Economics at Simon Fraser University where she truly realized her passion for research, policy, and business. Ultimately, this led to her contribution to the book Economic Transformations: General Purpose Technologies and Long-Term Economic Growth with Dr. Richard Lipsey; as well as several academic white papers on science and technology policy.

A scholarship award sent Michele to study abroad, garnering her accreditation in the Strategic Management of Technology in a Global Environment from the Politecnico di Milano and in Strategic Management of Telecommunications in a Global Environment from the Helsinki University of Technology. Both compliment her degree in Communication and Geography from Simon Fraser University.

Michele shares homes in Vancouver and on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia with her husband and business partner, Stephen Devlin, and their teenage son. Her passion-project is educating women on successful strategies to overcome adversity, especially when it comes to finances, and is an Amazon Best-Selling Author of two books; Simple Success Strategies for Women Entrepreneurs and her latest, Shine II—Inspirational Stories of Choosing Success Over Adversity.

In her downtime, you’ll find her on the water or in the mountains with her family—though her favourite place really is anywhere they are. Michele is an avid boater and she also enjoys reading, traveling, and outdoor activities such as kayaking, skiing, hiking or walking along a beach. She has a natural curiosity about life, the environment, and the experiences that shape modern society. She is an active life-long learner.

Did you know?

  • Whoosh, Michele skateboarded before most kids in her town even knew what it was—bringing her board back from California in the early 70s.
  • She was a reporter and photographer for a local paper during her college years.
  • Ahoy Captain! Michele holds a commercial small vessel operators license and other nautical certification.
  • A Publisher is one of the work titles she has held.
  • Her first TV debut was on a Korean network interviewing her about Simon Fraser University’s health and welfare programs for students—a two-hour interview!
  • As all Chamber presidents do, Michele was honoured to volunteer her time to her community.
  • She can read upside down text nearly as fast as she can read it right side up—an astonishing skill for someone with Dyslexia.
  • She has completed Master’s level Geographic Information System courses.
  • Michele attended college in California where one of her essays was chosen to be in a creative writing textbook as an excellent example of descriptive prose.