For more than 25 years, Todd Hirsch worked as an economist for such renowned institutes as ATB Financial, the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Canada West Foundation, and the Bank of Canada. Having had a front row seat to the key issues and trends impacting and transforming our world, Hirsch delivers dynamic, clear-eyed talks on the economy, adaptability, and creativity.
Hirsch served as the vice president and chief economist for ATB Financial for over 15 years. He also previously taught economics at the University of Calgary and for the executive education program at the University of Alberta. In recognition of his work, Hirsch has received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum (2022) and Diamond (2012) Jubilee Medals, the University of Alberta’s Alumni Honour Award, and an honorary degree from Mount Royal University.
The author of four books, Hirsch’s latest, Spiders in COVID Space: Adapting During and After the Pandemic, captures the inspiring and compelling stories of businesses and not-for-profits that reinvented themselves during the pandemic. He was also the host of the award-winning podcast, The Future Of, for three seasons, where he explored what the future might look like for work, communities, art and culture, leadership, and other compelling topics.
A strong advocate of arts and culture, Hirsch currently serves on the board of Calgary’s Glenbow Museum. He previously served on the University of Calgary Board of Governors, was chair of the Calgary Arts Academy, and was a director on the board of the Alberta Ballet.
Justin Bourque is the President of Athabasca Indigenous Investments – a landmark partnership of 23 First Nation and Métis communities partnered with Enbridge to invest in seven pipelines that make up the Trunkline of the oilsands, that move critical energy resources from their traditional lands to global markets and deliver significant economic impacts for these 23 communities.
Justin is also the Founder and President of Âsokan Generational Developments Ltd., a consultancy focused on building bridges between industry and Indigenous communities. Âsokan supports Indigenous resilience and economic sovereignty through negotiation and management of meaningful Indigenous-led industry partnerships, while building an understanding of corporate responsibility and enhancing opportunity through the development of Indigenous ESG frameworks that localize economic benefits for current and future generations.
Justin’s multi-faceted history in Alberta’s energy industry and community building, paired with his traditional upbringing as a Métis trapper in Northeast Alberta, has instilled a deep respect for governance, environmental stewardship, and cultural integrity while creating opportunity today with tomorrow in mind. In recognition of his leadership, Justin was named one of Canada’s Top 20 Dynamic CEOs, one of the 10 Most Innovative Business Leaders to Follow in 2022, and received Junior Achievements’ 2022 Innovator Award.
CFA
Rod Babineau is currently the Senior Leader, Investments for The City of Calgary where he oversees the City’s $6 billion investment portfolio. Prior to joining the City in 2018, Rod oversaw the Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund and other endowments for the Province of Alberta. In addition, Rod has been a member of many boards and investment advisory committees, including pension plans and not for profits.
CAIA
Brittany Jones is Senior Manager of Portfolio Analytics and Research within the Capital Markets Branch of the Government of Alberta. Her branch is responsible for the oversight of more than $40 billion in investable assets, including Government specialty accounts, long-term disability management plans, defined benefit pensions, and endowments. Previously, she was a Trader on the debt and derivatives desk, where one of her main accomplishments was starting a U.S. Commercial Program and growing it to USD $6 billion. Prior to that, she worked in Client Management for a multi-client asset manager with roughly $130 billion in assets under management. Brittany has more than a decade of experience in institutional asset management and government financing. She is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst and has a Bachelor of Business Administration, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
CFA
Relevant Experience/Specialization
Christopher Pinto is a Director in the Investment line of business of WTW.
Christopher has over 20 years of investment industry experience across both institutional and retail/high net worth markets, covering traditional and alternative investment strategies. He has worked within the pension plan, investment consulting and asset management industries, primarily focusing on asset allocation, investment strategy, portfolio construction and manager oversight.
Most recently, Christopher was a Portfolio Manager overseeing the public market investments at a Toronto-based pension plan and prior to that, was Head of Canadian Portfolio Management for the delegated offering at an investment consulting firm. Christopher is based out of our Vancouver office.
Education and Credentials
Christopher graduated from McGill University with a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance & Marketing). He is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the CFA Institute.
CFA
Graham holds several key responsibilities at UBC Investment Management, chief among them being a primary relationship contact for our internal partners to ensure their priorities are well understood and being supported as well as leading our responsible investing priorities. Within the investment team, Graham oversees total portfolio asset allocation, including rebalancing and cash management activities, total portfolio strategy research and investment policy development, and leads oversight of public fixed income investments. Prior to joining UBC Investment Management, Graham was a Portfolio Manager within the Investments Division of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC), managing the group’s macroeconomic, financial market, and fixed income research efforts for the company’s $20 billion insurance fund and $1.2 billion pension plan for management employees. Prior to joining ICBC, Graham was an Analyst at ERA Research, a boutique investment research firm specializing in equity and high yield investment opportunities in the global Forest Products sector. Graham is a CFA charterholder and a proud alumnus of the UBC Thunderbirds.
CFA, MBA
Jacky Shen is the Director of Treasury at Simon Fraser University, where he provides the treasury, investment and responsible investing leadership by supporting the university’s investment governance
duties, implementing investment decisions and responsible investing initiatives, as well as managing debt and operating cash flows.
Jacky has managed SFU’s endowment portfolio to consistently outperformed its benchmarks for all annualized period on a rolling 10-year basis, and to consistently ranked in the top decile for the ten-year
annualized return within the balanced manager universe, as well to consistently ranked among the top performing Canadian universities in the Canadian University Investment Survey. He also successfully
implemented the university’s investment decarbonization plan and guided the investment portfolios toward the university’s 2025 divestment commitment.
Jacky is a trustee of both SFU Academic Staff Pension Plan and SFU Administrative/Union Staff Pension Plan. He is also a Treasury and Investment Committee member of Canadian Association of University
Business Officers (CAUBO).
Jacky has accumulated more than 30 years of experience of investment management, corporate finance, credit analysis, marketing and product development for various organizations including
managerial roles in leading global firms such as HSBC and AIG. Jacky joined Simon Fraser University in 2007.
Jacky earned an MBA degree from University of Pittsburgh, a Master of Global Assets and Wealth Management from Simon Fraser University, and he is a CFA Charter holder.
MBA, CFA
Ryan is City Treasurer for the City of Medicine Hat. He manages the $650 million investment portfolio of Canadian and Global Fixed Income & Equities, Infrastructure, Real Estate, Commercial Mortgages, and Currency. Ryan manages a team responsible for cash management, banking & borrowing, loans & loan guarantees, insurance & claims, grants, and reserves. Before joining the City of Medicine Hat, Ryan was a Portfolio Manager for the City of Calgary. In that role he managed a $4.2 billion portfolio of Canadian & Global Fixed Income, Infrastructure, Private Credit, Commercial Mortgages, and Currency. Ryan has an MBA from Queen’s University and is a CFA charterholder.