Dave Rae - CEO
Dave started working in the debt collection industry for his father’s company (John Rae) in the summers during his high school and university years. In 1983 Dave headed to the UK to work in the business for a few years, returning to Canada after 3 years. John had previously exited the industry in Canada and wanted to start again, so Dave joined up and got the new Canadian business running with John in 1986. Four years later, Dave bought the entire business from John, bringing in four partners that were part of the management team.
With 100 employees at the time, Dave had a goal to build a culture that was very different than the collection industry was known for at the time. Through his journey, he was exposed to some external influencers (including Ken Blanchard, the author of Gung Ho) that helped create The Allied Way (known today as The Gosling Theory), which laid the foundation for how we aspire to engage with our employees, or Gosling’s as they are known as internally. Today these principles are stronger than ever and continue to support Bill Gosling’s values and vision.
As the business has grown and Dave sees a few more grey hairs, he’s been able to leave the heavy lifting of growth and operations to Kenny Johnston (President) and team, allowing him to focus on his current passion of learning, strategy and sharing his experiences and thoughts for the future company success.
Dave’s focus on the next chapter for Bill Gosling’s planned growth is based on a tripod plan of organic, new products and services and strategic acquisitions. Dave continues to build his network globally and participates with external peer groups keeping him exposed to new and creative ideas that benefit all relevant stakeholders. In his free time, you might find him listening to music, often while drumming, golfing or out on the water.
“The Core Value that resonates with me is Never Satisfied. It is the crux of what keeps the fire in my belly, and the associated desire around making Bill Gosling a great company.”