28th Annual Canadian Conference

28th Annual AIMSE Canadian Conference

This year, we are excited to present our Annual Canadian Conference virtually! Avoid the Toronto winter this year and attend the conference from the comfort of your home. Instead of holding a full-day conference, we will be hosting a series of weekly webcasts, providing you with the same great sessions and access that you have come to expect from the Canadian conference.

Fee

$175.00 AIMSE Members
$450 Non-Members (including annual membership valued at $350.00)

Sponsorship Opportunities

Click here to view the 2021 Canadian Conference Prospectus

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Schedule

Speakers

Janet Rabovsky, Chief Investment Officer, Fairwater Capital

Janet Rabovsky is a senior investment professional with 30 years experience. Janet recently joined a family office after more than 20 years consulting to pension funds, endowments, foundations, charities and other asset pools on their governance, investment strategy, implementation and monitoring needs. In addition to advising clients, Janet is a specialist in alternative investing. Prior to consulting, Janet was Director, Investment for bank-owned fund company and managed a global equity portfolio for an Australian semi-goverment organization. Janet spent 5 years in various finance, accounting and pension roles post-graduation.

Janet is a regular contributor to Benefits Canada Online and is a frequent speaker on a range of topics. She is also a Board member and Chair of the Teacher’s Pension Plan (Newfoundland) and advises the Board Investment Advisory Committee for the Jewish Foundation of Toronto. Janet has a B.A. in English from the University of Toronto and an MBA for Schulich School of Business York University.

Peter Fink, Senior Consultant & Director of Co-Investments

Peter is a Senior Consultant & Director of Co-Investments at Prime Quadrant. Peter has over 30 years of business development and relationship management experience, working with institutional and family office investors. He has been increasingly involved with alternative investments for a number of years.

Prior to Prime Quadrant, Peter had worked at Kensington Capital in Toronto, and previously for two alternatives investment managers in the U.S. Before that he had been in senior roles with Russell Investments and Citigroup, both in Canada and the U.S.

Peter has a B. Comm. (Economics) from the University of Toronto and an M.B.A. from Columbia University. He is a member of the Investment Committee of the Holland- Bloorview Hospital and was a former member of the Investment Committee of the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto.

Brad Haughey, Director, Client Relations
Brad joined Black Creek Investment Management in October 2017 and brings 18 years of investment industry experience with him. At Black Creek he works with the business development and client relations team to help deliver in-depth communication to clients and investment consultants on our investment philosophy, process and investment strategies.

Prior to Black Creek, Brad was a Vice President, Marketing & Client Services with Sprucegrove Investment Management, where he had marketing and client service responsibilities for clients, consultants and prospects across the United States and Canada. Previously, he was a Vice President and Product Specialist, Canadian Equities, with Greystone Managed Investment and a Vice President with McLean Budden, working as a product specialist covering international equities. Brad also worked at SEI Investments in performance measurement and portfolio analytics.

In addition to his CFA® Charter, Brad holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Queen’s University, and an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Windsor.

Brent Clepper, Vice President Business Development, eVestment
Brent is currently SVP of Business Development focusing on Asset Managers located in New York, California, and Ontario (Canada). Clepper brings to eVestment a wealth of sales and business development experience in fintech and financial services. Prior to joining eVestment, he was enterprise sales manager with Infinity Info Systems, a consulting and services firm. He’s also held sales and business development positions with Kurtosys Systems, Stratfor and Thomson Reuters.

John Molesphini

John is currently part of eVestment’s Leadership Team and is Global Head of Insights, where he focuses on enhancing the relationship with leadership at client firms and also discussing industry trends and eVestment’s data and analysis with broader client and industry audiences. Previously, he was Global Head of Client Success, managing efforts to ensure eVestment’s clients realize their full value and satisfaction with their subscriptions while having an amazing client experience. Prior to that, he has served as the Director of eVestment’s Global Sales Specialist team, an Omni Specialist on the eVestment Business Development team, and Vice President and Manager of Client Service. Prior to joining eVestment in July 2006, John worked for a hedge fund for a short time and before that, he spent four years at INVESCO, most notably as a Marketing Support Manager which included the consultant database reporting team. John began his career as a financial advisor with Quick & Reilly (now part of Bank of America Merrill Lynch).

Sherry Lee Gregory, Vice President, Institutional Sales and Consultant Relations – Guardian Capital LP

Sherry Lee Gregory is the Vice President, Institutional Sales and Consultant Relations for Guardian Capital LP (GCLP). She joined Guardian in 2020 and targets business opportunities with pension plan sponsors and other institutional investors and will lead responsibility for relationships with Investment Consultants. She brings to Guardian extensive experience in the financial services sector, with proven skills in sales, relationship management, consulting and consultant relations. Prior to joining Guardian, she spent the last five years as Vice President, Consultant Relations with Franklin Templeton in Toronto. Previously, she spent nearly a decade with RBC Investor & Treasury Services in Canada and the US, and five years with AON Consulting. Sherry Lee received a Bachelor of Commerce (Co-op) from Memorial University of Newfoundland and an Executive MBA from St Mary’s University.

Joe Connolly, Partner Asset and Risk Management, Morneau Shepell

Joe is a Partner in Morneau Shepell’s investment consulting practice with over 20 years’ experience in the investment industry. His area of work encompasses assisting regulatory and non-regulatory clients with all aspects of the management of their pension fund investments, which includes performance evaluation of investment managers, investment policy reviews, fund structure and asset-liability analyses (including immunization of plan liabilities), purchasing of annuities and investment manager searches.

Joe is also the National Practice Leader for First Nations clients at Morneau Shepell. He works with Chief and Councils from across Canada, advising on all aspects of the management of their investments. Joe is the lead investment consultant for one of the largest Deferred Profit Sharing Plans in Canada and he has developed and implemented the investment governance structure for the some of the largest pension plan windups in Canadian history.

Through his career, Joe was able to develop strong skills as an Economist and as a Director of Research and Trading for investment management companies. At Nuala Beck & Associates Inc., Joe was responsible for all facets of proprietary equity and industry research. The firm’s groundbreaking “New Economy” research methods were widely recognized throughout the investment industry in North America. Joe was acknowledged for much of the research in Nuala’s national best selling books: Shifting Gears: Thriving in the New Economy, Excelerate: Growing in the New Economy, and Why Canada Wins.

Joe holds a specialized Honours degree and a Master’s degree, both in Economics, from York University. He is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Benefits and Pensions Monitor magazine, Current committee member and past Chairperson of Executive Membership Committee of the Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM), and past Chairperson of the Investment Advisory Board at Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO)
professionals.

Greg Heise, FSA, FCIA, FCA, Partner, George & Bell Consulting
Experience
Greg has worked in the pension and investment fields for 28 years with a diverse group of clients, including multi-employer and jointly-trusteed pension plans, various non-pension trusts and large national and international corporations.

Greg has extensive experience in the areas of plan design, valuation, compliance, administration, executive retirement income planning, investment policy, manager selection, asset-liability analysis and performance evaluation.

Greg has served as lead actuary for numerous pension plans in Western Canada, providing actuarial and investment advice along with advocacy with the regulatory authorities. He has served as a member of working groups to review and effect change to the funding rules for both defined benefit and target benefit pension plans in B.C. and Alberta.

Prior to joining George & Bell, Greg was a partner at a national human resource consulting firm, leading the significant growth of its retirement practice in Vancouver.

Greg is a frequent speaker on actuarial matters at industry events, including events sponsored by Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP), Pacific Business and Law Institute, and Shareholder Association for Research & Education. He is a member of the faculty of the IFEBP teaching the Advanced Trust Management Standards course to Trustees of both public sector and private sector pension plans. He regularly presents on a variety of topics to administrators of multi-employer pension plans and regulatory authorities.

Qualifications & Education
Greg is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, Society of Actuaries and Conference of Consulting Actuaries.

Greg has served as Vice President of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries’ Pension Plan Financial Reporting Committee. He was a key member of a Designated Group of the Actuarial Standards Board that rewrote the Standards of Practice for the Valuation of Pension Plans, which supported important changes affecting multi-employer pension plans that took effect December 31, 2010.

He graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1993 with a Bachelor of Mathematics in Honours Actuarial Science and a minor in Statistics.

Ryan Kuruliak, CFA, Senior Vice President, Proteus Investment Consulting
Ryan has been a key member of the Proteus investment consulting practice since 2001, became a shareholder in Proteus in 2012 and a shareholder in Hub International Inc. in 2018. Ryan is part of the senior executive at the firm and was a member of the Proteus Advisory Board before Proteus became part of Hub. He is also the Chair of the Capital Markets & Asset Mix Committee, and a member of the Business Development Task Force.

Ryan has direct experience as the primary or co-consultant for many of Proteus’ largest and complex clients including defined benefit, defined contribution and hybrid pension plans; endowments and foundations; insurance entities; and Canada’s first Employee Life and Health Trust.

Ryan provides clients with expertise in asset allocation strategy and implementation; investment manager research & search, due diligence, evaluation, reporting and search; governance evaluation and implementation; custodial/actuarial/DC record keeper review and search; and fiduciary education.

Ryan has spoken at industry conferences and events, has been published in numerous industry publications and contributed regular investment articles as a member of the Benefits Canada Expert Panel.

Ryan is a holder of the right to use the Chartered Financial Analyst® designation and a member of CFA® Society Toronto. He has earned the Canadian Investment Manager (CIM) designation and has completed the requirements for the Retirement Plans Associate (RPA) designation offered by the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans and Dalhousie University. Ryan graduated from Brock University with a First Class Honours Degree in Computing and Business (BCB), specializing in finance.

Kimberley Woolverton, Executive Vice President, Head of Distribution, Foyston, Gordon & Payne

Kimberley joined FGP in 2018 to lead the institutional client servicing team and has led our firm-wide sales, marketing and client service activities since 2019. She is also a member of FGP’s Investment Committee and the FGP Executive Committee. Kimberley’s investment career began in 1994. She held positions at The Guardian Group of Funds, Lincoln Trust Company, and Merrill Lynch before moving into institutional business development and client servicing roles at Burgundy Asset Management and Aberdeen Asset Management. She is a graduate of McGill University (BSc) and is a CFA charterholder. Kimberley has been actively involved with the Association of Investment Management Sales Executives (AIMSE) and currently serves as the President of AIMSE Canada and as a member of the U.S. board of directors.

Julie Cays, Chief Investment Officer, CAAT Pension Plan

Julie brings more than 35 years of experience in the capital markets. She has served as the Chief Investment Officer at CAAT since 2006, where she has been instrumental in shaping the Plan’s investment portfolio to meet long-term funding goals. Julie is a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, and is a past Chair of the Pension Investment Association of Canada. She is also the Chair of the J.W. McConnell Family Foundation’s Investment Advisory Committee and on the University of Waterloo’s Pension Investment Committee. Julie is the recipient of the Canadian Investment Review’s CIO of the Year Award for 2020, which recognizes her leadership in pension investing and her role in the success of CAAT’s investment program. She has a BA in Economics from the University of Waterloo and is a CFA charter holder.

Joyce Hum, CFA, MBA, Director, Consultant Relations, Institutional Sales & Service

Joyce is responsible for developing and managing relationships with Canadian institutional investment consultants in collaboration with BMO GAM consultant relations directors globally. In addition, she educates manager research and field consultants on BMO GAM investment strategies. Joyce has over 25 years of experience having worked with global and national consultants in similar roles at Guardian Capital LP and State Street Global Advisors. Previous to that she held a consultant role with Towers Perrin, Asset Consulting Group. In the industry, she is known for building long-term relationships with clients and providing exceptional service. Joyce received her MBA from the Schulich School of Business and became a CFA charterholder in 1999.

Federico Cervantes, MBA | Partner

Federico is the Head of Investment for Canada and is part of the North America Investment Leadership Team.He leads various Institutional Investor relationships with assets under management ranging from $150M to over $10B. In addition to his client role, Federico is responsible for developing Aon’s Investment Consulting market presence and communicating Aon’s local and global research to clients and the broader market.

Federico brings over 30 years of industry experience and helps his clients understand and implement investment strategies that align with their objectives and governance structures. He specializes in governance structure, asset allocation strategy, investment manager structure and selection, alternative investments and delegated investment solutions.

Before moving to Toronto in 2009, Federico was the practice leader for Investment Consulting in a global professional firm in Mexico City, overseeing, among other things, the delivery of investment consulting to institutional investors in Mexico and Latin America. Previously, he was investment manager for the Savannah College of Art and Design in the U.S. and served as Director of Institutional Investors for GBM Grupo Bursátil Mexicano in Mexico City.

Federico holds an MBA from the Universidad Anáhuac and a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from the Universidad Panamericana.

Luis Ramirez, Principal, MercerPosition and Responsibilities

Luis Ramirez is a Principal in the Investment Consulting team for Mercer Canada. He is responsible for providing pension and investment advice to clients and business development in the Canadian Prairie marketplace. Luis is based in Calgary, Alberta.

Areas of Specialization
Luis has over 27 years of experience in financial services working with both large and small companies in Canada and the United States. He has worked with some of Canada’s largest companies on defined contribution, retirement, investment and savings plans and has consulted to numerous pension and investment committees. Luis helps clients with investment selection and monitoring, DC record keeper selection and review, asset allocation, fiduciary / governance best practices and policies, Investment Policy Statements, and comprehensive fee analysis.

Background
Prior to joining Mercer in 2015, Luis was in a similar role with Aon, and has held previous roles including Regional Director for Sun Life Financials Western Canadian Group Retirement operations and 14 years with Fidelity Investments Group Pensions.

Luis holds a Bachelor of Arts in Labour Management Relations from the University of Toronto, Pension Plan Administration Certificate (PPAC) and is Past Chair of the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute’s (CPBI) Southern Alberta Region.

Naomi Denning, Principal, Eckler

Naomi is a Principal in Eckler’s investment consulting practice. She brings over 30 years of investment consulting experience with a wide range of clients – including pension plans, government funds, endowments/foundations, employee life and health trusts, health and welfare trusts, family offices, insurance companies and other reserve funds. Located in Vancouver, Naomi is a key member of Eckler’s national investment practice, working primarily with clients in BC and Western Canada.

Her specific areas of expertise include governance, investment policy and risk management, asset allocation, manager selection and monitoring. In addition to consulting responsibilities, Naomi is a member of the Investment Research Steering Committee, which oversees investment manager and strategy research. Naomi has a particular passion for helping boards improve their governance and decision-making. She has also participated extensively on board and advisory committees. She has completed numerous governance projects with investment boards to assess their structure, processes, focus and time allocation, and decision-making effectiveness.

Naomi is a global citizen having lived and worked in the United Kingdom, Australia and Hong Kong before coming to Canada. Prior to Eckler, Naomi was Head of Investment, Asia Pacific, for a global consulting firm for over 20 years. She began her career in the UK and qualified with the UK Society of Investment Professionals.