Institutional Connect West Forum 2024

June 17 - 19, 2024
Rosewood Hotel Georgia, Vancouver BC


To access full agenda and speaker list, please enter the password,
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Steven Asprey

PhD

Managing Director, Quant Strategies Grouop

OMERS Capital Markets

Steven joined OMERS Capital Markets in October 2019. His expertise lies in systematic investment and portfolio management, as well as alternative data and investment data science. Steven is helping to lead the Global Diversified Program team to improve and optimize their data-driven decision-making processes and portfolio management.

Steven was previously in the Capital Markets division of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, working within the Quantitative Strategies and Research team. Prior to that, he was Head of Portfolio Analytics within OMERS Capital Markets. Steven spent over 15 years in London, UK where he held various investment and portfolio management positions in the fund management and investment banking industries.

Steven holds a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario and has completed two Post-Doctorates at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Imperial College, London, UK.  

Samir Ben Tekaya

Vice President & Head of Investment Risk

British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI)

Samir Ben Tekaya joined British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI) in June 2016. As the Head of Investment Risk at BCI, Samir was instrumental in building the investment risk function from the ground up. He oversees the development of multiple frameworks to measure and manage BCI’s investment risks and to enable multiple investment initiatives.

Samir has more than 21 years of experience in investment risk management in both the banking and pension management industries. Prior to joining BCI, Samir was Director, Portfolio Valuations; and before that, Director, Fixed Income and Asset Allocation Risk Management at Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Québec (CDPQ). He also serves as a Director on the Board of Mount St. Mary Hospital in Victoria.

Samir holds a master’s degree in Financial Engineering, and a master’s degree in Applied Economics from HEC Montréal, as well as an engineering degree in Statistics from INSEA Morocco.

Christine Bourgeois
CFA

Managing Director, Currencies

CDPQ

Christine Bourgeois has been Managing Director, Currencies in the Total Portfolio group since February 2017. In this role, she leads the team responsible for conducting fundamental and quantitative currency analysis. She oversees the formulation of recommendations on hedging strategies for CDPQ’s investment teams and for the Currency Committee, which she chairs. She also sits on the Sovereign Credit Committee. Her other functions include participating in identifying and analyzing opportunities in line with asset allocation activities and serving as a currency expert in advising other business units.
Ms. Bourgeois has around twenty years of investment experience. She joined CDPQ in 2000 as an Analyst, Manager Services in the Fixed Income group. She then became an Analyst, then Senior Analyst, Fixed Income and Currencies, working with international bonds and growth markets, respectively. From 2010 to 2017, she worked for CIBC Global Asset Management, where she held the position of Assistant Vice-President, Asset Allocation and Currency Management.
Ms. Bourgeois holds a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a major in Finance from Université de Moncton and a Master’s in Applied Finance from Université du Québec à Montréal. She is also a CFA charterholder.

Doug Chau

CFA, PRM, CQF, M.Sc. PhD

Chief Risk Officer, Head of Research

University of Toronto Asset Management Corporation

Doug joined UTAM in 2017.  He is responsible for asset allocation modeling, risk management and measurement, research, and performance analysis. Previously, Doug worked for 15 years at OPTrust, where his responsibilities included developing strategic asset allocation models, risk factor research, internal and external investment strategy evaluations, implementing performance and ALM systems and developing a set of quantitative tools to inform investment decisions. Doug holds a PhD in Finance from the EDHEC Business School.

Heather Cooke
CFA

Chief Investment Officer

The Audra Group
An affiliate of The Woodbridge Company Limited

Prior to joining The Audra Group Family Office at Woodbridge as their Chief Investment Officer in 2019, Heather Cooke was Fiera Capital’s Deputy Chief Investment Officer and SVP of Private Alternatives. She also chaired the Global ESG Committee and expanded the Multi-Asset Class Solutions platform as SVP of Investment Solutions. Over her 30+ year investment management career, Heather has held senior leadership roles at many leading asset management firms such as Northern Trust Global Advisors, Mercer Global Investments and Unigestion Asset Management Canada. Heather holds a BComm. from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University and is a CFA Charterholder. She also volunteers as a senior advisor to the Institutional Asset Management Committee at The CFA Society Toronto and is a member of The Ticker Club.

Kunal Chavda

Director, Fixed Income

bfinance

Kunal is a Director within the Fixed Income team. Prior to joining bfinance in March 2020, Kunal worked as a Senior Consultant at Buck, where he led all public and private market fixed income research and strategy for UK pension schemes.

Kunal previously worked as a portfolio manager at Barclays Wealth & Investment Management, running a book of multi-asset and fixed income portfolios focusing on court of protection, charity and corporate clients. Prior to this he worked at the bank’s corporate banking arm. Kunal holds a degree in Mathematics from the University of Birmingham.

Tamara Close
CFA

Founder and Managing Director

Close Group Consulting

Tamara is the Founder of Close Group Consulting, which is a boutique ESG advisory firm that uses in-depth capital markets and ESG expertise to assess, design and implement tailored end-to-end ESG integration practices across asset classes for asset managers, asset owners and corporates. She was previously the Head of ESG Integration for KKS Advisors, and has over 20 years of combined experience in capital markets and ESG strategy. Tamara has held various investment management positions for the Bank of Montreal and Credit Lyonnais in the global derivatives and foreign exchange markets and was previously the head of research and risk for a start-up fixed income asset management firm in Montreal. Before founding Close Group Consulting, she spent 10 years in senior management roles within the risk and public markets investment groups of PSP Investments. She is also the founder and creator of the Sustainable Risk Assessment Framework.
Tamara holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification and is a council member of the Canadian Advocacy Council for CFA Societies Canada. She is also a Board director for CFA Montreal and Chair of the ESG Committee. Tamara is an Advisor to the Veristell Institute, a globally focused think-tank on ESG and Corporate Purpose, as well as PracticalESG, a source for ESG thought leadership. She earned a Bachelor in Economics from McGill University and a Master of Science degree in Finance from the John Molson School of Business. She is fluent in French and English.
 

Ariel Fromer Babcock
CFA

Managing Director, Head of Research

FCLTGlobal

As a Head of Research at FCLTGlobal (Focusing Capital on the Long Term), Ariel Fromer Babcock’s work has focused on how frictions stemming from the intersection of public companies with their shareholders may drive longer- or shorter-term behaviors on both sides of the aisle. Among other publications, she is the author of: The Long-term Habits of a Highly Effective Corporate Board, Driving the Conversation: Long-term Roadmaps for Long-term Success, and Moving Beyond Quarterly Guidance: A Relic of the Past. Her research on the investor-corporate dialogue and use of long-term shareholder communications as a tool to better align public companies and their long-term institutional shareholders earned her recognition among the inaugural class of the National Investor Relations Institute’s 40 Under 40 in 2019.
After starting her career as a trader and research analyst at a long-short financial sector focused hedge fund, she moved on to managing value- and equity-income focused mutual fund strategies at both American Independence Financial Services and Calamos Investments. Most recently Ariel worked with clean energy company Tecogen Inc. (NASDAQ: TGEN) as Director of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications. While at Tecogen she was instrumental in establishing a unified corporate communications platform and in developing the company’s growth strategy alongside executive management.
Ariel holds a BA in Economics and Environmental Studies from Tufts University, holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation, and is an active member of CFA Society Boston where she is a Financial Literacy Alliance Leader.

Dave Finstad

CFA

Former Managing Director

British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI)

Dave Finstad recently retired as Managing Director, Partnership Portfolio within BCI’s Public Markets department, where he led the management of the firm’s external absolute return and long-only equity fund investments.
Mr. Finstad has over 30 years of investment industry experience. Previously, he built and led the external management team at the New York office of OMERS, a Canadian pension fund based in Toronto. Prior to that, he spent 10 years at AIMCo in Edmonton, Alberta in a similar position. He also worked for Frank Russell Canada (now Russell Investments) and for the Workers’ Compensation Board – Alberta.
Mr. Finstad has spoken at numerous industry conferences and has written a number of articles across a range of investment topics including manager selection and investment culture. He has a M.Sc. in Finance from the London School of Economics and is a CFA charterholder. 

Andrea Gruza

Vice President Capital Markets

Bonnefield Financial Inc

Andrea joined Bonnefield in 2019 and is responsible for all capital market activities across the firm including ESG reporting, investor relations and fundraising. Prior to joining Bonnefield, Andrea was Vice President, Investment Banking at Lazard where she was active in mergers and acquisitions across multiple industry groups including agriculture, mining and financial institutions. Andrea has a broad, global capital markets perspective, having worked at both CIBC and JP Morgan, as well as in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. Prior to investment banking, Andrea worked for Risk Management Solutions, a global leader in catastrophe risk modelling where she advised U.K., E.U., and Asian clients in the insurance and reinsurance industries.

Brandon Gill New
CFA

Senior Portfolio Manager, Capital Markets Group

OPTrust

Brandon Gill New is a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Capital Markets Group at OPTrust, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans. In her role, Brandon provides strategic direction and oversight over a number of strategies within the plan’s portfolio of C$6B externally managed public-markets funds.

Prior to joining OPTrust in early 2018, Brandon was a Director at BMO Capital Partners, a proprietary private debt and equity fund at Bank of Montreal. She also spent a decade at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. There, she served as a Portfolio Manager in the Alternative Investments Division managing a portfolio of global hedge funds and esoteric investment funds, and as an Assistant Portfolio Manager in the Public Equities Division covering Emerging Markets equities.

Brandon serves on the Institutional Asset Management Committee for CFA Society Toronto, as the Fund Development Chair and Chair of the Investment Committee for the Junior League of Toronto, and as a mentor for Women in Capital Markets.  Brandon holds an MBA from London Business School and a B.A. in International Economics from Middlebury College in Vermont. She is also a CFA Charterholder.

David Greene

Head of Multi-Asset Investment Specialists – Absolute Return and Fund Solutions

Amundi Asset Management

He is responsible for Multi-Asset products and his role involves explaining the investment philosophy, process and performance of the strategies, as well as providing updates on overall financial market performance, economic trends and the company’s economic outlook.

Prior to joining Amundi Asset Management, David was Managing Director of Conning Asset Management (Europe) Ltd, specializing in insurance asset management and responsible for the management of Conning’s non-U.S. Dollar fixed income assets. Before joining Conning, David was a Senior Portfolio Manager at KBC Asset Management Ltd, Ireland’s fourth-largest pension fund management company.

David was educated at University College Dublin, receiving a Bachelor of Commerce and Master of Business Studies degree.

Marc Gauthier

CPA, CMA

University Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer

Concordia University

University Treasurer and Chief Investment Officer – Concordia University

Mr. Gauthier is responsible for the oversight of the University’s and its related entities’ financial position, which are segregated through five distinct portfolios; Benefits (Pension Plan, Group Insurance Plans, Supplementary Retirement Plans and Post Retirement/Employment Benefits), Investments (Pension Fund and Foundations), Corporate Risks (Insurance, self-insurance and ERM programs), Capital Budget (Capital investments and Fixed Assets) and Financing. He has been employed by Concordia University for 31 years; his responsibilities have also included such roles as Executive Director, Finance and Business Operations, Director of Finance and Restricted Funds and prior as a senior financial analyst and accountant. Mr. Gauthier obtained his CMA and graduated from Finance and Accounting at Concordia University as well as from Queen’s Executive Program in General Management.

Trésorier et Chef de Placement – Université Concordia

M. Gauthier a comme mandat la surveillance de la situation financière de l’Université et de ses entités affiliées, répartis en cinq portefeuilles distincts; avantages sociaux (régime de retraite, régimes d’assurances collectives, régimes de retraite supplémentaires et avantages post-retraite/emploi), placements (caisse de retraite et ces fondations), risques corporatifs (programme d’assurance, auto-assurance et GRE), budget des immobilisations (investissements en capitaux et immobilisations) et financement. M. Gauthier est employé à l’Université depuis 31 ans; il a occupé des rôles tels que Directeur exécutif, finances et gestion des affaires, Directeur des finances et fonds avec restrictions, analyste senior et comptable. Il a obtenu son CMA et est diplômé en Finance et Comptabilité de l’Université Concordia. 

Jim Hwang

CFA

Firinne Capital

Jim Hwang is a Co-Founder and the Chief Operating Officer of Firinne Capital, a digital assets investment management company. He also independently consults on various topics including digital asset investing, multi-asset factor modeling, total portfolio allocations, equity factor investing, and organizational design. He previously worked at CPP Investments (CPPIB) as a Managing Director in Capital Markets & Factor Investing, responsible for public markets strategy allocation, and in Total Portfolio Management, heading portfolio design research. Prior to CPPIB, Jim had worked globally, managing portfolio management and research teams at major global institutions including Bosera Asset Management in HK and China, and Barclays Global Investors and UBS Brinson in the US.

Jim holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from U.C. Berkeley and a BS in Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering from MIT. He is also a CFA charter holder. 

Rodney Hill
CPA, CA, ACA (UK)

Chief Risk Officer

OMERS

As Chief Risk Officer, Rodney leads the Risk Management, Compliance and Ethics, and Assurance and Advisory functions for OMERS. Under his leadership, these functions work closely with the businesses units across OMERS to fulfil their mandate, and to provide ongoing monitoring and reporting to senior management, the OMERS Board of Directors and its various committees.

Prior to joining OMERS in 2011, Rodney worked as a Partner at an international accounting firm, where he specialized in auditing complex public and private companies. During this time, he also held several leadership roles with the firm.

A graduate from the University of Kent at Canterbury, with an Honours Degree in Accounting with Computing (Honours), Rodney is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ACA-UK).

He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA, CPA) in Canada. Originally from Ireland, Rodney is passionate about giving back through involvement with community. Rodney also serves on the Financial Committee for Crescent School. He lives in Toronto with his family.

William Hess

Founder, Co-Head of Research

PRC Macro

Previously Will served as President of China Monitor Inc (CMI), a platform for China macroeconomic and industry forecasting and analysis drawing on the extensive resources of partner company China Economic Information Network (CEInet) under the NCRC. Prior to joining CMI he started a small macro advisory firm – China Analytics – in Beijing that was later merged with CMI. Earlier in his career he served as a Director of Sovereign and International Public Finance ratings with Standard & Poor’s in Hong Kong, and as the General Manager of Global Insight’s Beijing office of Global Insight prior to its acquisition by IHS in 2008. 

Kambiz Kazemi
CFA, MBA

Partner and Chief Investment Officer

Validus Risk Management

Kambiz Kazemi is a partner and the Chief Investment Officer of Validus RM, where he heads the firm’s investment products and solutions activities geared towards risk management and hedging as well as overlays and alpha generation. Prior to joining Validus, he was a partner at LFC (acquired by Validus) and previously Senior Vice President and Co-Head of the Equity and Commodity Sales & Trading Desk at Newedge (now Société Générale). With two decades of experience in financial services, his area of focus and expertise are macro and systematic derivative-based strategies. During his career, Kambiz managed multi-asset portfolios and option-based strategies at some of Canada’s most reputable alternative asset managers, including Polar Asset Management. He has actively invested through a wide range of market regimes, including the Great Financial Crisis of 2008 and the 2020 pandemic. Kambiz is a graduate of Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Electricité et de Mécanique de Nancy. He received an MBA from McGill University and is a CFA Charter holder.

Darcie James Maxwell

Head of OMNI Digital Services Canada

CIBC Mellon and BNY Mellon

Darcie James Maxwell is Head of OMNI Digital Services Canada. She is also a member of the CIBC Mellon leadership team.

As Head of OMNI Digital Services Canada, Darcie works with institutional and wealth investors to assess and analyze their business strategy, business requirements, current state environment and technology choices, bringing forward alternatives that designed to meet their business needs. She works across our Canadian and global organization to translate a client strategy into operational reality.

Darcie has more than 20 years of data, investment technology, performance and attribution experience. Her previous roles across the BNY Mellon global enterprise include project management, implementation consulting, and relationship management. She also serves as a member of the Board of Directors for The Learning Partnership.

Bérénice Lasfargues
EFFAS, CESGA

ESG Specialist, SDG Lead

BNP Paribas Asset Management

Bérénice Lasfargues works in the Sustainability Centre – BNP Paribas Asset Management’s (BNPP AM) centre of expertise for sustainability – where she supports the agenda of the ESG research team and promotes BNPP AM’s sustainability expertise both internally and externally. Since joining, she has been working on policy and research development, most recently working on the revamping of BNPP AM’s proprietary ESG scoring methodology or the firm’s approach to the Sustainable Development Goals and impact investing. Finally, as part of BNPP AM’s commitment to be a fully sustainable asset manager, she also works with investment teams to better integrate ESG criteria in their investment process, coordinating the internal network of ESG Champions for investment teams.

Previously, she worked for the OECD, undertaking economic research on green and blended finance. She also held a legislative fellow position in the U.S. House of Representatives and conducted field work on climate change and development in emerging markets for a French consulting company. Bérénice holds masters degrees in Engineering and Environmental Management from Ecole Centrale Paris (now CentraleSupelec) and the National University of Singapore, respectively. She is an EFFAS (European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies) CESGA (Certified ESG Analyst).

Hrvoje Lakota

Managing Director, Portfolio Construction

Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO)

Hrvoje Lakota leads the Portfolio Construction and Strategic Asset Allocation advisory group at IMCO. He also leads IMCO’s inhouse economic research team. These group are responsible for, among other things, conducting asset mix and asset-liability analysis, determining strategic asset allocation for clients, conducting economic research, and developing IMCO’s capital market assumptions. Prior to joining IMCO, Hrvoje was a Partner at Mercer Global Investments (Canada) Limited, where he developed and delivered portfolio construction advice for some of that firm’s largest clients. He led various aspects of investment advisory services, including strategic asset allocation, asset-liability modelling, investment strategy and policy formulation, performance monitoring and evaluation.

Hrvoje holds a Bachelor’s in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, and a CFA Charterholder. 

Matthew Leatherman

Managing Director, Programs

FCLTGlobal

Matt Leatherman is Managing Director and Head of Programs at FCLTGlobal, a nonprofit research institution whose mission is to focus capital on the long term to support a sustainable and prosperous economy. Together with our members, a community of leading companies and investors worldwide, we develop actionable research and tools to drive long-term value creation for savers and communities. As Head of Programs, Matt leads FCLTGlobal’s efforts to grow problem-solving communities of member institutions, executives, and staff and to organize them for action. The programming function both informs and implements FCLTGlobal’s research in this way. Previously, Matt served as Policy Director for the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer, an institutional investor responsible for providing retirement security for the state’s educators, civil servants, and first responders. Matt also chairs the board of the John Rex Endowment, a grant-maker whose mission is to strengthen organizations that center racial equity and justice to improve the social emotional health of children living in Wake County (NC), and is an advisor to Ethical Systems, a behavioral economics think tank within NYU Stern’s Business and Society Program.

Ronald C. Landry
MBA, CPA, CGA

Head of Product and Canadian ETF Services

CIBC Mellon

Ronald C. Landry is responsible for new product and service strategy and development for CIBC Mellon. He drives the product lifecycle and steers the overall direction of product development, including integrating capabilities from our global enterprise and tailored solutions for the Canadian market. Ron also oversees CIBC Mellon’s exchange-traded fund (ETF) servicing business, and has led the company’s drive to effectively grow and service the Canadian ETF segment.
Ron has more than 25 years of experience in financial services. Prior to joining CIBC Mellon, Ron was President of Felcom Data Services, a recordkeeping and fund administration business acquired by CIBC Mellon in 2009. Ron also held progressively senior roles in fund accounting, corporate finance and regulatory compliance at Altamira Investment Services.
Ron is a CPA, CGA, and holds an MBA from Laurentian University. He is a highly active participant in the Canadian fund services industry, including serving on the Investment Funds Institute of Canada’s accounting advisory working group, acting as chair and vice-chair of the Canadian ETF Association (CETFA)’s tax and operations committee, respectively and serving on CETFA’s policy, marketing & PR and tax committees. Ron also participates on the Canadian Association of Alternative Strategies & Assets’ Compliance & Operations Group and the Alternative Investment Management Association’s Alternative Credit Council.

Tanya Lai
CFA

Managing Director, Public Markets

Investment Management Corporation of Ontario

Tanya Lai is Managing Director, Public Equities. She is responsible for IMCO’s public equities assets with a focus on strategy research and implementation and portfolio construction.
Prior to joining IMCO at its inception in 2017, Tanya was the Managing Director of Public Assets at the Ontario Pension Board, leading its entry into emerging markets. She has worked with Canadian-based pensions (both defined benefit and defined contributions plans) and endowments, where she oversaw investment research on traditional/alternative asset classes and multi-manager structure design while leading risk management initiatives.
Tanya has an MBA from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from the University of Toronto. She is a CFA charter holder and a member of the Toronto CFA Society. Tanya serves as a board member on the Investment Advisory Committee of the Public Guardian and Trustee (Ontario) and previously served as a member on the Toronto Investment Board.

Catherine Ann Marshall
CFA

Principal

RealAlts

Catherine leads RealAlts, a real assets investment consulting firm focused on climate change/ESG. Realalts’ goal is to helps clients integrate ESG into investment strategies to improve performance. Since 2008, Catherine has worked with a wide variety of Canadian and global asset owners and investment managers. Prior to becoming a consultant, Catherine held executive roles in institutional investment management.  Catherine has also worked as an Associate Partner at Aon Investment Consulting. She is a graduate of the UK-based Sustainability and Climate Risk certification program and in addition, holds the CFA designation, and has an MA in economics and finance. c.marshall@realalts.com

Katherine Molnar

Chief Investment Officer

Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System

Ms. Katherine Molnar joined Fairfax County Retirement Systems in 2013 and currently serves as Chief Investment Officer of the Fairfax County Police Officers Retirement System, a $1.8 billion plan. Her responsibilities include all aspects of portfolio management and oversight, including strategic and tactical asset and risk allocation, selection and supervision of external investment managers and risk management. From 2001 until 2012, Ms. Molnar was Vice President, Senior Research Analyst at AIG Investments’ Hedge Fund Solutions Group – both in London and New York. At AIG Investments, Ms. Molnar was responsible for due diligence procedures and research including: sourcing new managers, monitoring current hedge funds, analyzing portfolio risk and performance, making new investment recommendations to an investment committee as well as hedge fund asset allocation recommendations for portfolio construction. She was additionally responsible for portfolio reviews and overall asset allocation recommendations for external client portfolios. Previously, she was Vice President, Market Research Analyst at Citigroup Investments’ Alternative Investment Strategies group. Prior investment management experience includes positions at Paribas Asset Management as well as Trevor Stewart Burton & Jacobsen. Additionally, Ms. Molnar spent one year in Warsaw, Poland launching the first retail mutual funds available to the Polish market as well as two years in Frankfurt, Germany as an intern with J.P. Morgan. Ms. Molnar received a B.S. in Business Administration/Finance from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is a CFA charterholder.

Henrietta Pacquement

Senior Portfolio Manager, Head of Investment Grade for the Credit Europe team

Wells Fargo Asset Management

Henrietta Pacquement is a senior portfolio manager and head of investment grade for the Credit Europe team. She served as a quantitative analyst before becoming portfolio manager—and then lead portfolio manager—of the team’s investment-grade portfolios. Previously, Henrietta was a quantitative analyst at Barclays Global Investors. Prior to that, Henrietta was in Paris working for AXA Investment Management in a similar role. Henrietta earned a master’s degree in astrophysics from Cambridge University and has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation.

Robert Patzelt

Acting Chair of the Board of Directors

Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia

ROBERT PATZELT, QC, ICD.D is an executive and business lawyer with over 35 years of experience in organizational leadership, operations, mergers and acquisitions and business development. He is also a respected board director for multiple organizations and the leader of a number of major initiatives in corporate, not-for-profit and non-governmental agencies including some undergoing major transformational change. He is an award-winning business leader who has levered his degrees in business, economics and his Masters’ of law to serve many organizations including most recently as CEO of a publicly traded resource company leading it through the latest severe commodity cycle downturn and a proxy battle. 

He is Chair of the Northwood Foundation and he is a member of the Board of Governors of Northwood which is a $100 million not for profit.  He is also Chair of the Friends of Hope Cottage a soup kitchen feeding the less fortunate. He has been awarded both the Queen’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals for his tremendous service to Canada.  In 2010, he was named co-chair of the Premier’s Council on the Economy.  Recently he was appointed Acting Chair of the Board of Directors for Workers’ Compensation Board of Nova Scotia and was also the Chair of the Board’s Investment Committee and overseeing its $2.2 billion portfolio.  He is also Chair of PACE Atlantic, a community interest corporation that provides low-carbon programs for Canadian municipalities that help homeowners invest in energy efficiency and solar.

Alison Schneider

Vice President, Responsible Investing

AIMCo

Alison Schneider is Vice President, Responsible Investing at AlMCo in Edmonton, Alberta. She is a recipient of both the Canada Clean 50 Award and it’s Top Project Award, chairs the GRESB Infrastructure advisory board and the shareholder responsibility committee of ICGN. She sits on committees for CSA Group, CCGG, the G7 ILN and PRI. Alison is a published author, (The New Frontiers of Sovereign Investment 2017), co-authored ICGN’s Guidance on Diversity (2016), ICGN’s Guidance on Fiduciary Duty (2018) and actively contributes to the development of national and global sustainable finance frameworks. Alison is a volunteer instructor for the Canadian Climate Law Initiative, Institute of Corporate Directors ILN’s Sustainable Infrastructure Fellowship program. She enjoys organizing local International Women’s Day events and is past-president and founder of Edmonton’s professional chapter of Net Impact (2011)

Cynthia Shaw-Pereira

CIPM

Vice President and Head of Asset Owner Solutions

CIBC Mellon

Cynthia Shaw-Pereira is Head of Asset Owner Solutions at CIBC Mellon.

Cynthia is responsible for establishing strategic priorities for CIBC Mellon’s asset owner segment and services for institutional investors active in the Canadian market. In addition, Cynthia works closely with sophisticated clients to understand, identify, and develop new solutions, helping shape CIBC Mellon’s delivery of solutions today and build for the future based on clients’ needs.

She has nearly 20 years of experience in asset servicing. Cynthia’s previous roles across the BNY Mellon global enterprise include client solutioning of performance and risk analytics products and services, and advising on the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) space in the Canadian market.

Cynthia holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto, and certificates in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) and ESG Investing from the CFA Institute. She is a member of the Responsible Investment Association (RIA) Toronto Working Group. 

Graham Sheppard
CFA

Senior Investment Analyst

UBC Investment Management Trust Inc. (UBC IMANT)

Graham is a Senior Investment Analyst with UBC Investment Management Trust Inc. (UBC IMANT). Formed in 2003, UBC IMANT is a professional investment management firm responsible for managing over $5 billion of investment assets on behalf of The University of British Columbia and related entities, including UBC’s endowment fund, Staff Pension Plan, Working Capital and other investment portfolios associated with UBC.

Graham holds several key responsibilities at UBC IMANT, including oversight of UBC IMANT’s Responsible Investing activities. In addition, Graham oversees client portfolio asset allocation, including rebalancing and cash management activities, and helps lead total portfolio strategy research.  

Prior to joining UBC IMANT, Graham held a number of progressive roles with the Investments Division of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia, most recently as Portfolio Manager of Research, managing the group’s macroeconomic and financial market research efforts and portfolio risk management for the company’s $20 billion insurance fund and $1.2 billion pension plan for management employees. Prior to his time with ICBC, Graham worked at ERA Research, specializing in equity and high yield investment opportunities in the global Forest Products sector. Graham’s areas of expertise include portfolio risk management, investment strategy and asset allocation.

Graham is a Chartered Financial Analyst charterholder and member of the CFA Society of Vancouver.  He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance.  

Michael Sager
PhD

Vice-President, Multi-asset and Currency Management

CIBC Asset Management

Michael Sager is a member of the CIBC Client Portfolio Manager team. Dr. Sager partners with all CIBC distribution channels to deliver targeted thought leadership, education, and investment advice and perspective to clients and consultants.
Prior to joining CIBC Asset Management in 2018, Dr. Sager was an Asset Allocation Consultant at Alignvest Investment Management. Previously, he was a Senior Portfolio Manager at the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board, a Fixed Income Currency Strategist at Wellington Management, Head of Currency Research at JP Morgan Asset Management and Putnam Investments, and an economist at the European Central Bank and the Bank of England.

Dr. Sager earned a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Warwick and a Master of Science degree (with distinction) in Economics from the University of London.

Peter Strikwerda

Global Head of Digital & Innovation

APG Asset Management

Digitalization and Innovation are key themes in APG Asset Management, to maintain and enhance the position as a leading global long term responsible investor. Peter Strikwerda is responsible for the definition and execution of the digitalization and innovation agenda’s, adding up to a business transformation including people, process, tech, data.

Peter joined APG Group in 2013 and APG Asset Management in 2017, after a career in (strategy) consulting within Financial Services and in between working at Rabobank and ING, a.o. heading the strategy and analytics department.

Peter holds a university degree in Business Administration.

Siyan Tan
CFA

AVP Total Portfolio

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan

Siyan is AVP, Total Portfolio at the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan. His responsibilities include asset allocation, portfolio construction, cross asset strategy and research, and funding and liquidity. Siyan’s background spans both Tactical and Strategic Asset Allocation in the macro space, previously holding asset allocation and multi asset portfolio manager roles at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, as part of the Total Fund Management and Capital Markets departments, as well as at Mackenzie Investments in the Asset Allocation and Alternatives group. Siyan holds a Master of Finance from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering (summa cum laude) from McMaster University.

Christine Tessier
CFA, CAIA

Deputy Chief Investment Officer

Foresters Financial

Mrs. Christine Tessier is currently Deputy Chief Investment Officer at Foresters Financial, where she contributes to the oversight of the company’s general account and pension assets. Prior to joining Foresters, Mrs. Tessier was head of Investments at CAA Club Group, where she oversaw the company’s corporate, pension and P&C insurance assets. Prior to working in the insurance industry, Mrs. Tessier worked in institutional product development at Invesco Ltd. She was a Principal at Mercer Investments, where she focused on Manager Research. Mrs. Tessier is a CFA charterholder and a CAIA charterholder.

Remi Tetreault
MBA, CFA

Investment Director

Aviva Investors Canada

Rémi Tetreault, Investment Director, works closely with portfolio managers to articulate their investment process, portfolio positioning, and investment performance to clients and consultants in North America. Prior to joining Aviva Investors, Rémi worked as an investment solutions manager for Manulife, a role he progressed to having started at the company as an investment consultant. He began his career with Normandin Beaudry where he held the role of Junior Investment Consultant.
Rémi is a CFA® Charterholder. He earned his Masters of Business Administration in Finance from Université Laval in Quebec.

Terri Troy

Co-Founder

Placemore Capital Inc

Terri Troy, CFA, ICD.D is C0-Founder of Placemore Capital Inc., an advisory firm that works closely with investment managers/GPs and accredited investors to match the right solutions with the right partners. In 2018 Terri retired as CEO of the Halifax Regional Muncipality Pension Plan. She has more than 25 years of experience in investment management, pensions, corporate strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. As CEO of the Halifax Regional Municipality Pension Plan, she transformed the governance structure, investment strategy, and customer service function. Innovative investment strategies implemented included factor investing, portable alpha, and a significant emphasis on private investments including co-investments, syndications/club deals with other large institutional investors, and direct investments, etc. While CEO, Terri was a Board member of a UK based energy company and a Board member of a Canadian financial services corporation. She was a member of Investor Advisory Committees for various global private investments including UK, European and US private equity; UK, Australian and Canadian infrastructure; European, UK, Asian, US and Canadian real estate; and European, UK, and US private debt. Prior to the CEO role, Terri was responsible for the investment strategy for RBC’s 33 global pension plans between 2000-2006. Prior to RBC, Terri held various roles at CIBC including corporate strategy, mergers & acquisitions, and wealth management. Terri has held various leadership roles in the pension industry including being a Board Member of the Pension Investment Association of Canada (PIAC), Chair of PIAC, Chair of PIAC’s Investment Practices Committee and Chair of PIAC’s Government Relations Committee. Terri was a member of the International Limited Partnership’s Association’s Education Committee 2016-2018 and is currently on ILPA’s Teaching Faculty. Over the course of her career, Terri has received many awards including the Leading Pension Plan Sponsor Award and the Top 25 Most Influential Plan Sponsors. Terri has an MBA from York University and an HBBA from Wilfrid Laurier. She also holds the CFA charter and completed the ICD Rotman, Directors Education Program.

Shai Vichness
CFA

Chief Financial Officer

Churchill Asset Management

Shai serves as the chief financial officer of Churchill Asset Management, an investment specialist of Nuveen.

Previously, as managing director and head of senior leveraged lending for Churchill’s parent company, Nuveen, Shai was responsible for initiating Nuveen’s investment program in middle market senior loans and was directly involved in the launch of Churchill Asset Management as an affiliate in 2015. Since the launch of Churchill, he has been a member of its investment committee and has been actively engaged in the management of Churchill, including the development of its infrastructure and operations. Shai joined Nuveen in 2005 and has spent his entire career in the private debt markets, with a significant amount of time spent in Nuveen’s workout and restructuring department.

Shai graduated with a B.B.A. from Baruch College, CUNY. He holds the CFA designation.

CFA® and Chartered Financial Analyst® are registered trademarks owned by CFA institute, Nuveen, LLC provides investment advisory solutions through its investment specialists. Nuveen Securities, LLC, member FINRA and SIPC. 800.257.8787 |  nuveen.com

Ying Wu
CFA

Risk Manager and Chief Compliance Officer

Vestcor Inc

Ying is the Risk Manager and Chief Compliance Officer at Vestcor, where she leads the Risk Management Team and directs all activities related to the assessment and management of investment risks and other enterprise level risks, in addition to leading firm-wide compliance monitoring activities. Prior to leading the Risk Team, Ying held positions in Applied Research where she focused on investment risk analysis, asset allocation and asset & liability management.

Ying has over 12 years of experience working in the investment risk area. She holds an M.A. degree in Economics and is a CFA charter-holder.

Wei Xie

Director, Co-Head of Multi Strategy Investments

OPTrust

Wei Xie is a Director in the Capital Markets Group at OPTrust, one of Canada’s largest pension funds with assets of $20 billion and investment professionals in Toronto, London and Sydney.
Wei leads the management of the external public markets program that covers a broad spectrum of liquid strategies, which includes equities, credit and hedge funds. Wei also spearheads the investment innovation efforts at OPTrust by co-chairing the incubation Portfolio Investment Committee, with a particular focus on Crypto and the application of Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence.
Wei held various progressively senior positions at OPTrust. Prior to this, Wei was the Chief-of-Staff to the Chief Investment Officer, when he supported and advised the CIO in his day-to-day management of OPTrust’s Investment Division. Prior to that, he served as an Investment Strategist for the Global Investment Strategy Group, and an Associate Portfolio Manager within the Private Markets Group.
Wei earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Canada.

Jerry Zhang
CFA, Ph.D

Senior Portfolio Manager, Head of Berkeley Street Emerging Markets team

Wells Fargo Asset Management

Jerry Zhang is a senior portfolio manager and head of the Berkeley Street Emerging Markets team. Previously, he was with Evergreen Investments, where he served in a similar role and as a senior analyst. He began his investment industry career as an emerging market equity research analyst at Oppenheimer Asset Management. He earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from Nankai University and a doctoral degree in economics from Vanderbilt University. Jerry has earned the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® (CFA®) designation and is a member of CFA Society Boston.

 

Clara Zhang
CFA, MBA

Senior Investment Officer, Vice-Chair of ESG Working Group

CN Investment Division

Clara Zhang is a Senior Investment Officer and Vice-chair of the ESG working group at CN Investments in Montreal. Clara focused on global equity research for various sectors over the past nine years and she covered emerging market and Asia Pacific region for seven years and is currently covering the global consumer space. Prior to her current role, Clara had over five years corporate finance experience in pharmaceutical industry (Novartis and IQIVIA). Clara is currently serving on CFA Montreal University Relation Committee and CFA Montreal ESG Committee. She graduated from McGill University (2007) with a Bachelor of Commerce and obtained her MBA from Queen’s University (2012). Clara is a CFA Charter holder since 2012.

Kevin Zhu

CFA

Managing Director, Head of Portfolio Construction Group

OPTrust

Kevin Zhu is Senior Managing Director, Head of Portfolio Construction at OPTrust, one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension funds with net assets of almost C$25 billion.

Kevin has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, including both central banking and total portfolio investment
framework and strategy design for large Canadian defined benefit pension plans.

Kevin joined OPTrust in 2016 where he has been leading Total Fund portfolio management functions, including portfolio construction research and innovation, capital and risk allocation across asset classes and strategies, total portfolio management framework design, and dynamic total portfolio management.

Prior to joining OPTrust, Kevin held the position of Director, Strategy & Asset Mix at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Prior to this appointment, Kevin was Senior Economist at the Bank of Canada focusing on monetary policy research and model development. He holds a MA in Economics from Carleton University and is a CFA Charterholder. In 2017, Kevin was named to Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute’s Public Investor 100.

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