Jeff Chan

Jeff Chan

Jeff Chan

Director of ESG Investing
Canada Post Pension Plan

Institutional Connect is pleased to feature Jeff Chan, Director of ESG Investing at the Canada Post Pension Plan, in this speaker spotlight. In this interview, Jeff shares what motivated him to pursue a career in responsible investing well before it became a mainstream priority, and reflects on the career advice that helped shape his professional journey. He also offers his perspective on how the responsible investing landscape is evolving, highlights key areas where young professionals can build meaningful expertise, and shares practical advice for those who are three to five years into their careers and looking to navigate the next stage of growth in the investment industry.

Institutional CONNECT: In your early career, you focused primarily on responsible investing when it wasn’t yet in the spotlight. What motivated you to pursue this path before it became a mainstream priority?
Jeff Chan: Growing up, I always knew that I wanted to find a career where I could help people. Obviously, when you’re younger you think that means a career in medicine, healthcare or something adjacent to those fields. However, during my undergraduate studies, I discovered the field of sustainability. I didn’t know what it meant, but I did know that it interested me. Plus, as I gained more experience in that area, I realized that it was something where I could help people. I decided to pursue a Masters degree in sustainability management and through a coop at RBC, was introduced to the world of finance. I found it very interesting to blend the values of sustainability with the rigor of finance. To me, utilizing capital as a driving force for positive change while making money is an awesome thing to be doing, and so I decided to choose that as my career path. Now, working at a pension plan, I have a fiduciary responsibility to safeguard people’s hard earned retirement savings while also making decisions in the right way. At the moment, I can’t think of a better way for me to help people in my career.

Institutional CONNECT: What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received, and how did it shape your approach?

Jeff Chan: I’ll provide 2 pieces of advice: (1) never try to be someone you’re not and (2) always look out for yourself. For my first point, always be yourself, no matter the situation. At the end of the day, even if you don’t get that job or that promotion, if you stick to being who you truly are, you will walk away with your integrity, which is worth more than anything. This industry is all about your reputation, and you don’t want to be known on the street as the person who doesn’t have integrity or who isn’t honest. You might be able to get away with it in the beginning, but over your career, it will come back to haunt you.

Regarding my second piece of advice, the harsh reality is that everyone is replaceable. The only person who is truly looking out for your best interests is yourself – don’t count on anyone else to do that, no matter how nice you think they are. Therefore, with any decision you make or any situation you find yourself in, it’s important to put yourself first. Always advocate for yourself and put your priorities and what you want first when it comes to making decisions.

Institutional CONNECT: How do you see the responsible investing landscape changing in the years ahead, and what areas should young professionals focus on to position themselves for those opportunities?
Jeff Chan: In my opinion, the field of responsible investing is going to evolve significantly in the years ahead. Everyone has seen how much fire the discipline has come under following the US election last year, which necessitates an evolution. This has already and will continue to result in organizations refining how they approach responsible investing, with a stronger focus on linking ESG factors to true drivers of financial value. If you ask me, this is a very positive development as it will lead to much more clarity on different approaches and a real emphasis on materiality. The industry needs this kind of evolution, especially with issues like physical climate perils worsening and becoming more frequent each year. There will also be developments resulting from AI – AI will change the way in which we process information, but also presents challenges like the responsible use of AI and its energy consumption. Technical skills are important for success generally, however, a few areas that I would call out are inter-disciplinary and critical thinking, strong communication skills and empathy.
Institutional CONNECT: What is your No. 1 advice to young professionals who have been with the industry for 3 – 5 years?

Jeff Chan: Don’t get too caught up in the rat race. The financial services industry incentivizes a culture of non-stop work and doing anything possible to earn that next promotion or that next dollar. That’s all fine and well, and of course it’s important to work hard and strive to go above and beyond when it comes to your career – who doesn’t want to be extremely successful, make positive contributions to their organization and be compensated well? However, don’t lose sight of the things that are truly important in life. Find time for what’s important to you – whether that be travel, being present with your loved ones, going to the gym or just sitting down to relax and having that coffee/tea. If you don’t find the time to live the life that you want now, how can you be certain you’ll be able to live that life later on? Be reflective over why you’re doing what you’re doing vs just trying to get to that next career milestone or that next pay bump. Make the time for this – we can get so caught up in the hustle that we forget the importance of reflection and mindfulness. And most of all, don’t compare yourself to others around you. You can only control what you control, and we all know that comparison is the thief of joy. If you keep comparing yourself to other people, nothing will ever be good enough. So try to be the best version of yourself and put your best foot forward – that is all you can ask of yourself. To me, this is the key to a long, rewarding and balanced career. Remember – we are all human beings, and there is a whole lot more to being a human than working; work to live, don’t live to work.

Jeff Chan, Director of ESG Investing at the Canada Post Pension Plan will present at NextGen Forum on March 3rd at Vantage Venues
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