Speakers

Jeff Aarssen

Jeff Aarssen has been vice-president distribution in the group retirement services division of Great-West Life and its subsidiaries, London Life and Canada Life since 2005. He joined London Life as a group representative in 1980 and over the years held various positions in the organization, including taking on the role of vice-president in the Group Sales Organization in 1997. In 1998 Jeff became a regional vice-president in the former District Sales Division. In July 2000, Jeff then took on the role of vice-president in the Freedom 55 Financial distribution organization. Jeff has been involved in several charities and organizations both within the Industry and the Community. Jeff has also spoken to audiences all over Canada on topics that include leadership, strategy and success and is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario with a BA majoring in Economics.

Keith Ambachtsheer

Keith Ambachtsheer has been a participant in the pensions and investments industry since 1969. He founded his own firm KPA Advisory Services in 1985. Through it, he provides strategic advice to a global clientele in person, and through the
monthly Ambachtsheer Letter. He is the author of three best-selling books, and has been a regular contributor to industry publications since the 1970s. He is the publisher and editor of the new Rotman International Journal of Pension Management, which launched in October 2008. In 1991, Keith co-founded CEM Benchmarking which now benchmarks the organizational performance of some 400 major pension funds around the world. More recently, he played a major role in founding the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management (Rotman ICPM). He was appointed director of Rotman ICPM and adjunct professor of Finance at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto in April 2005. Rotman ICPM is currently supported by 25 Research Partners from nine different countries.

Peter Arnold

Peter Arnold joined Buck to head up the Investment Consulting Practice in 2004.  In 2006, Peter was also asked to lead Buck’s Capital Accumulation Plan (CAP) consulting services. Prior to joining Buck, Peter was the vice-president and Canadian investment practice director at a full-service human resources and benefits consulting company. In this capacity, he was responsible for the development and delivery of all investment consulting services in Canada, including investment policy review and manager compliance verification, manager search and selection, manager structure design and evaluation, Canadian research, and performance monitoring. Peter graduated from the University of Waterloo with a BA in Mathematics in 1993. He has continued his professional growth by completing the Canadian Securities course in 1994, and by obtaining his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 1999. Peter is a member of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts, writes industry articles and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events.

Chhad Aul

Chhad Aul is a vice-president of State Street Global Advisors, Ltd. (Canada) and a senior portfolio manager in the Active and Enhanced Equities Group. His responsibilities include research, portfolio management, and product development for Canadian quantitative equities, including long-only, long-short extension and market-neutral strategies. Prior to joining SSgA, Chhad served as an associate portfolio manager at a boutique quantitative money manager where he managed the firm's Canadian Market Neutral Equity Fund. Prior to that, he worked as a quantitative analyst in equity derivatives at TD Securities. Chhad holds a Masters of Mathematical Finance and a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of Toronto. He has also earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Mary Ann Baynton

Mary Ann Baynton is a consultant to Mental Health Works, an initiative of the Canadian Mental Health Association of Ontario and also serves as the program director for the Great-West Life Centre for Mental Health in the Workplace which is a long-term public service commitment by Great-West Life to this very important social and economic issue. Mary Ann is a member of the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Workforce Advisory Committee, of the Human Resources Professionals Association and of the Canadian Society of Training and Development. Mary Ann's work has included services to the energy, communication, and industrial sectors, federal, provincial, and municipal governments, healthcare, education, and finance sectors.  provides consulting services to organizations who wish to improve or address issues related to workplace mental health. Mary Ann holds a Masters in Social Policy and did her research on innovation and empowerment in policy implementation.

Sarah Beech

Sarah Beech is managing director for Hewitt Associates in Canada, working out of the firm’s Toronto office. Sarah is responsible for ensuring an integrated approach to the market for all Hewitt’s services in Canada. Sarah has more than 20 years’ experience in the benefits industry. Prior to joining Hewitt, she supervised the underwriting department of a major Canadian insurance company. She made the switch to consulting in 1990 when she came to Hewitt. She was Hewitt’s benefits consulting practice leader and for the past 3 years managed our Canadian Consulting business as managing principal. Sarah has worked with over 50 clients to drive overall employee engagement and develop creative and innovative benefit plan solutions. She has consulted on all aspects of design, financial management, administration and implementation of benefit programs, especially flexible benefit plans. Sarah was named to the Aventis Healthcare Survey Advisory Board in 2004, is a member of the GIPC Committee, sits on the Benefits Canada Advisory Board, and is one of Hewitt Canada’s foremost spokespeople and authors on the topics of employee benefits specializing in health care and flexible benefits. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University.

Tricia Benn

Tricia Benn is senior director, Rogers Connect Market Research and Client Services, Rogers Publishing Limited responsible for research among audiences of importance to readers of Benefits Canada, Working Well and Canadian Insurance Business Magazine. Tricia heads up a market research group that is responsible for research-based industry studies and education such as the sanofi-aventis Healthcare Report, the Dollars & Sense Report on Financial Advisors and Canadian Investors and Drugstore Canada’s #1 Pharmacist and Physician Recommended OTC Recommendations. Prior to joining Rogers, she was vice-president in the Washington, D.C. office of Ipsos-Reid, where she led the Public Affairs research team. She has nearly 14 years of market research experience and was elected to the Board of Directors for the national market research association (MRIA) for the B2B Division in 2008

Chris Brisebois

Chris Brisebois is a senior consultant at Eckler. Chris joined Eckler’s Toronto investment practice in 2009, bringing with his 15 years of broad experience from the pension consulting, investment consulting and investment management areas. Chris has serviced a wide variety of clients, including corporate, public sector and multi–employer pension plans as well as non–profit organizations during his career. Chris has special expertise in providing meaningful and practical advice in areas such as asset allocation and investment policy, performance evaluation, modeling and investment manager selection. Prior to joining Eckler, Chris was a vice–president at an investment management firm. Chris also spent a number of years with other major actuarial consulting firms, most recently, as a senior investment consultant, Chris was the key investment relationship manager for over 40 clients, including many of the firm’s largest. Chris also sat on the global Asset Allocation Committee and was responsible for setting the Canadian economic assumptions for asset allocation studies. Chris graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) in 1994.

Chris Brown

Christopher Brown is a founder and the managing partner of Spectrum HR Law LLP. Pensions, employment benefits and executive compensation are Chris’ areas of focus. He counsels clients on the impact of legal and regulatory requirements for pensions, employment benefits and executive and other deferred compensation plans. Chris helps clients by providing practical, strategic guidance on governance, funding and structuring of these plans. He also advises clients on the impacts of mergers and acquisitions or other transactions on their plans, and he works with his colleagues on litigation matters relating to such plans. Chris advises sponsors of both single and multi-employer plans, be they provincially or federally regulated. He also has extensive experience regarding legal issues impacting a wide variety of business trust structures. Between October 2007 and November 2008, Chris served as co-chair of the Alberta-British Columbia Joint Expert Panel on Pension Standards. Before Spectrum HR Law was created, Chris was a partner at a leading national law firm, heading the Pensions and Benefits practice in Calgary and Western Canada. Chris has been practicing law for 16 years. In 2010, Chris was honoured to be recognized again by The Best Lawyers in Canada in the specialty of Employee Benefit Plans.

Ed Buffett

Ed Buffett is president and chief executive officer of Buffett & Company Worksite Wellness Inc. He leads the team at Buffett & Company, forecasting industry trends and developments in worksite wellness. Ed was a member of the federal government’s Action Research Roundtable on Workplace Well-being and has served as a member of the board of HealNet, a national network of researchers aiming to improve decision-making at all levels of the health care system. As an author and advocate, Ed penned the Buffett & Company National Wellness Survey Reports 1997, 2000, 2003, and 2006 as well as numerous features in national publications. He also co-authored Health Promotion--A Sourcebook for Canadian Business, a text that has become a foundation reference for a number of college and university wellness curricula. Ed Buffett was recognized as one of fourteen “Canadian wellness heroes” along with the likes of Terry Fox and Silken Laumen, in the 1996 textbook, Physical Fitness and Wellness. He was one of the inaugural recipients of the Roger’s Media’s Who’s Who in HealthCare Awards. Under Ed’s leadership, in 2005 Buffett Taylor was awarded the prestigious National Quality Institute’s Gold Well Workplace Award. In 2008, the firm won the National Quality Institute’s highest honour, the Order of Excellence.

Mary Jo Bugembe

Mary Jo Bugembe is director of educational programs with the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. She is responsible for the International Foundation’s Canadian courses and programs primarily in the multiemployer and public sectors with some corporate program responsibility. Ms. Bugembe’s duties include researching, developing and coordinating the content and protocols of the International Foundation’s Canadian educational offerings. She previously served as associate director of CEBS operations and associate director of continuing education for the International Foundation. Prior to joining the International Foundation, Mary Jo worked in academic administration at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She received a B.A. degree in business administration from Lakeland College in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. Ms. Bugembe holds the certified employee benefit specialist designation. CEBS is jointly sponsored by the International Foundation and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in the United States and with Dalhousie University in Canada. She is a fellow in the International Society of Certified Employee Benefit Specialists (ISCEBS).

Christopher Cartwright

Christopher Cartwright is vice-president of The Financial Education Institute of Canada where he is responsible for expanding the reach of its services to members of group retirement plans. He has over 30 years of experience in the group savings and retirement industry.  For most of that time, he has specialized in developing and marketing financial and communications products designed for the specific needs of employer-sponsored retirement programs. Chris was a member of the Industry Stakeholders Task Force on Capital Accumulation Plans of the Joint Forum of Financial Market Regulators.  This was the group that drafted the CAP Guidelines released in May 2004.  As well, he was a member of the Joint Forum’s Stakeholders’ Task Force on Harmonizing Investment Rules. Since 1985 he has been a member of the Canadian Pension & Benefits Institute and has spoken at their meetings across Canada. He is an active member of the Association of Canadian Pension Management.

Randy Colwell

Randy Colwell is the regional vice-president for Sun Life Financial, Group Retirement Services in Western Canada. With over 20 years experience in the financial services industry, nine at Sun Life Financial, Randy has held leadership positions in Western Canada business development and client relationship management in the capital accumulation plan business. Prior to joining Sun Life Financial, he led Clarica’s national pension sales and marketing organization. Before entering the capital accumulation plan business, he held senior positions in business development in Sout-East Asia, corporate and strategic planning, as well as public and government relations. Randy is an active member of the Association for Canadian Pension Management (ACPM) and is the former chair of the ACPM’s Alberta Regional Council. He is a member of the Alberta/British Columbia Joint Advisory Group formed to provide stakeholder advice and input into the development of a new joint pension standards act and regulations for Alberta and British Columbia.

Susan Deller

Susan Deller is a principal in the Toronto office of Eckler Ltd. with over 20 years of communications consulting experience in the benefits industry. Her clients range from large multinational and multi-employer plans, to universities, non-profit and professional groups. Susan combines deep subject matter expertise with an emphasis on strategic planning and measurement to help organizations develop and deliver innovative, effective communication programs. A former editor at Benefits Canada magazine, she has written and spoken extensively on the subject of employee engagement. Susan is on the faculty of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits Plans where she teaches on an advanced level training program on leadership, ethics and communication. She also serves on Benefits Canada’s Online Expert Panel and has acted for several years as a judge for Benefits Canada’s annual communication awards. Susan has an MA from McGill University.

Meredith Despins

Meredith Despins is vice-president, Investment Affairs & Investor Education for the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts® (NAREIT), the national, not-for-profit trade association of the real estate investment trust (REIT) and publicly traded real estate industry. NAREIT’s members are REITs and other businesses that own, operate and finance income-producing real estate, as well as those firms and individuals who advise, study and service these businesses. Prior to joining NAREIT in 2007, Meredith was an executive with Investors Bank & Trust and State Street Corporation serving in senior relationship management and business development roles within the Bank’s Institutional Investor Services and Wealth Management Services divisions.  In addition to her positions with State Street Bank, Meredith was a principal with State Street Global Advisors, and managing director of the Office of the Fiduciary Advisor. A graduate of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut, with honors, Meredith is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

Tina Di Vito

Tina Di Vito is director, retirement strategies, BMO Financial Group, vice-president & managing director, BMO Nesbitt Burnsis and is a chartered accountant, a certified financial planner, trust and estate practioner and certified senior advisor. Tina leads the BMO Retirement Institute which was established in 2008 to bring together the latest in retirement research and take the lead on providing thought-provoking insight and financial strategies to boomers, either those planning for retirement or those already in their retirement years. Some of the previous publications include: Saving for Retirement- One size does not fit all and Single in Retirement – By chance or by design, just to name a few. As a primary spokesperson for BMO Financial Group, Tina has extensive experience with the media both in broadcast and print. She has been quoted in numerous national publications, has made repeat appearances on CP24, TVO, Global TV, CFTO, Rogers Television and BNN (ROBTV) and has been a guest on a dozen radio shows across the country.

Susan Eng

Susan Eng is vice-president Advocacy at CARP (formerly the Canadian Association of Retired Persons) and a tax lawyer, prominent activist and frequent media commentator. Many will recall Eng as the former Chair of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Services Board from 1991 to 1995. In this role, Eng tackled sensitive issues of public accountability, police use of force, anti-racism, fiscal responsibility, and initiated groundbreaking policy and organizational changes. More recently, as co-chair of the Ontario Coalition of Chinese Head Tax Payers and Families and along with other redress groups across the country, Eng successfully campaigned for a Parliamentary apology and redress for 62 years of legislated racism under the Head Tax and Exclusion Acts. A longtime and prominent contributor to the community, Eng was previously with the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, the YWCA of Greater Toronto and on the founding national executive of the Chinese Canadian National Council. She currently serves on the Governing Council of the University of Toronto, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, and is a director and former chair of the Yee Hong Community Wellness Centre for Geriatric Care.

Denisa Farrow

Denisa Farrow joined Segal Advisors’ Toronto office in 2009 as a senior consultant. Her responsibilities include assisting clients in the development and implementation of successful investment programs by providing advice on asset allocation, investment policy, manager selection and performance evaluation, in addition to leading the Toronto Investment Consulting Practice. Prior to joining Segal Advisors, Denisa spent nine years with another consulting firm as an investment consultant, followed by close to two years with a money management company in their Client Service and Business Development group. Denisa obtained her CFA designation following the completion of her MBA from the Schulich School of Business, where she graduated with Distinction. She also completed a Bachelor of Science Degree at the University of Western Ontario.

Karen Figueiredo

Karen Figueiredo is senior consultant in Towers Watson’s Toronto Investment practice. Karen advises a broad range of Canadian organizations with defined benefit and defined contribution plans, assisting them in all aspects of pension plan investments including investment policy, asset allocation, manager structure, manager selection and performance monitoring. With a background of almost 25 years in pension plan financial management, Karen specializes in asset allocation projects, and has consulted to a number of large pension funds on strategic asset allocation.  She plays a leadership role in Canada, providing input on strategy, direction and solutions to retirement and pension plan financial risk management. Karen holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Manitoba and is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and Society of Actuaries. In addition, she served as a member and Chair of the Financial Services Commission of Ontario’s Actuarial Advisory Committee until 2003.

Andrea Garson

Andrea Garson is vice-president of Human Resources at Workopolis. has a passion for helping Canadians connect to their next career or their next great employee.  She is a leading authority on career management and workplace issues, combining over 17 years of HR experience. Prior to joining Workopolis in 2007, Andrea worked in senior HR roles in a variety of top tier companies including Dell Canada Inc., The Pepsi Bottling Group, Loblaw Companies Limited, and The Halifax Herald Ltd. The Halifax native holds a Bachelor of Science and MBA from Dalhousie University. 

Jean-Guy Gauthier

Jean–Guy Gauthier is a senior manager, marketing and strategy for the group insurance line of business, at Standard Life Canada. In his role, Jean-Guy is responsible for the coordination of the strategic planning for the line of business, for leading key strategic initiatives as well as for the marketing, research, training and communication functions. Jean–Guy is an actuary and a certified human resource professional and has more than 25 years of experience in the pension and benefits industry. Prior to joining Standard Life in 2008, he has worked as senior consulting and account management at two leading Canadian employee benefits consulting firms in Canada. His areas of specialty include the design, financial management, administration and communication of group insurance benefits. Jean–Guy has served on a number of group insurance committees of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Duane Green

Duane Green is a senior vice-president, Institutional Investment Services with Franklin Templeton Investments. Duane is responsible for overseeing Franklin Templeton Investments’ Canadian institutional business which represents in excess of $20 billion in assets, and services a growing base of over 250 institutional clients. Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments, Duane was a vice-president with an international insurer. Previous to this role, he was responsible for the servicing and distribution of investment products for a large Canadian insurer. He has over 14 years’ experience in the financial services industry and has had exposure to sales, marketing and relationship management of both risk and asset products. Duane has a degree in economics from the University of Ottawa and holds the FMA, CIM and FCSI designations.

Paul Halpern

Paul Halpern is a professor of Finance and the Toronto Stock Exchange Chair in Capital Markets at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is the chair of the Advisory Board of the Canadian Investment Review and the director of the Capital Markets Institute at the University of Toronto. Paul has published research and applied papers for both academic and practitioner journals. He has also published a corporate finance textbook, Canadian Managerial Finance and is the editor of Financing Growth in Canada which is an examination of Canadian capital markets. Paul's research interests are in mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, corporate governance and capital markets. Paul has also served as a consultant to governments, regulatory authorities and corporations in the corporate finance, capital markets, and securities areas.

Malcolm Hamilton

Malcolm Hamilton is a worldwide partner of Mercer and a consulting actuary in Mercer’s retirement, risk and finance business. Malcolm is a frequent speaker and published author on retirement and pension plan issues. He is a key contributor to Mercer’s work in consultation to government on pension policy, legislation and regulation. He has been published in the Canadian Investment Review, Benefits Canada and the Canadian Tax Foundation, and is often quoted in the Financial Post. Malcolm specializes in the design and funding of employee benefit plans in both the private and public sectors, with particular emphasis on registered pension and savings plans, unregistered pension plans, and retirement compensation arrangements. His clients include the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Ontario Power Generation, Bank of Montreal and Manulife. Malcolm graduated from Queen’s University in 1972 as the Gold Medallist in Mathematics. Malcolm attended McGill University as a National Research Council scholar, receiving his M.Sc. in 1975. He became a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in 1977. Malcolm is a member of the Actuarial Standards Board of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Ismo Heikkila

Ismo Heikkila is the national director, financial education & employer services for T.E. Wealth. He brings over 30 years of financial services experience and an effective ability to communicate to a broad spectrum of issues related to change management, communication planning and financial education.  Ismo is also part of the Aboriginal Services team for T.E. Wealth and leads the delivery of communication and financial education strategies for First Nation clients of T.E. Wealth across Canada. Ismo works closely with human resource professionals to audit their existing financial education programs and design complimentary programs that assist them in meeting their fiduciary responsibilities. He is a regular speaker on such matters having spoken at the Canadian Institute 50 Best Employers Conferences as well as the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association (AFOA) conference. Ismo also consults on matters relating to philanthropy, adult learning and literacy.

John Ilkiw

John Ilkiw is senior vice-president, CPP Investment Board and leads the design and development of long-horizon portfolio policies that help the Canada Pension Plan to meet its obligations to contributors and beneficiaries including the innovative CPPIB Risk-Return-Accountability Framework and its cornerstone Reference Portfolio. John joined CPPIB in August 2005 and is retiring from the Board in March 2010. Prior to joining the CPPIB, John was director of research and strategy for the Russell Investment Group at its head office in Tacoma, Washington. John is a member of Trent University’s Pension and Endowment Investment Committee and former governor of the university.  He has also been the chair of Investment Advisory Committee to the Pension Commission of Ontario and a trustee of Ontario Teachers’ Superannuation Plan representing the Treasurer of Ontario. John earned his BA from York University and his MA from the University of Toronto, both in economics, and is a CFA. He has written extensively on strategic investment policies for pension funds.

Barbara Jaworski

Barbara Jaworkski is founder of the Workplace Institute, founder of the 6th annual Best Employers Award for 50 Plus Canadians and chair of the 5th annual Summit on the Mature Workforce produced through the Workplace Institute. Organizations and governments come to the Workplace Institute for training, research, consultation, and use of best practices in the emerging discipline of managing High Experience organizations. She is a judge on the U.S.-based annual World at Work Work-life Innovation Excellence Awards, which are given to organizations that create innovative work-life and health solutions for their workforce. Barbara is the author of KAA-Boom! How to Engage the 50 Plus Worker and Beat the Workforce Crisis. Barbara regularly speaks at conferences throughout North America on the topics of mature workforces, intergenerational issues, engagement, workforce planning, talent management, health, healthy organizations and global cultural issues, and is Canada’s expert on the aging workforce. She is a frequent contributor to HR and health-and-benefits publications and is a sought-after subject-matter expert who is often quoted in the media.

Nurez Jiwani

Nurez Jiwani is the director of regulatory coordination at the Financial Services Commission of Ontario (FSCO).  In this capacity, he has a dual role.  He oversees the work of the Secretariats of the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities (CAPSA), the Canadian Council of Insurance Regulators (CCIR), the General Insurance Statistical Agency (GISA) and the Joint Forum of Financial Market Regulators (Joint Forum).  He also leads and/or participates in a number of harmonization initiatives at the national level on behalf of FSCO.  Nurez has served as the Chair of the Joint Forum’s Capital Accumulation Plans and Investment Rules committees and Chair of CAPSA’s Pension Plan Governance Committee and has played a leading role in the development of CAPSA’s proposed agreement respecting multi-jurisdictional pension plans.  As well, he leads the development and implementation of strategic plans for CAPSA, CCIR, GISA and the Joint Forum. Nurez holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics and Statistics and a Masters degree in Business Administration.

Joan Johannson

Joan Johannson is the President of BMO Group Retirement Services Inc. With more than 25 years of experience in the financial services industry, Joan has held progressively senior positions in several major Canadian financial institutions and is a graduate of both the University of Toronto and Queen’s University. She is an active member within CPBI and ACPM, a speaker at numerous industry functions and is on the Benefits Canada editorial advisory board.

Fanny Karolev

Fanny Karolev is a manager of the Worklife Health and Wellness at Campbell Canada. Fanny is a long serving member of Campbell Canada since 1999. Her core area of focus is developing leading edge health and wellness programs for all Campbell Canada employees across Canada. She has developed and engaged the employees of Campbell’s in a successful initiative called Wellness Within, which was just recently named “Who’s Who in Workplace Wellness” by Canadian Healthcare Manager Magazine. As a registered nurse, who specialized in orthopaedics and sports medicine, Fanny took her passion for health promotion, illness and injury prevention from the clinical environment to the workplace. Self employed as a consultant in occupational health and safety, and wellness, Fanny worked with a range of businesses from Dominion Bridge to Levis Strauss.

James Keohane

Jim Keohane is the senior vice-president, investment management & chief investment officer for the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), which manages the pension assets of 250,000 members and retirees from 333 provincial health care organizations.  He is responsible for the overall operation of HOOPP’s Investment Management function.  Since joining the fund, Jim has been actively involved in implementing the use of derivatives in portfolio structuring and management and in moving the Fund towards a liability-driven investing approach.  He is a frequent industry speaker on the subjects of separation of alpha and beta in portfolio management and on liability driven investing. Jim obtained his Masters in Business Administration from Queen’s University at Kingston and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Ottawa.  He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Member of the Toronto Society of Financial Analysts. He is also a member of the S&P Canadian Index Advisory Committee, a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, a member of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, and is a member of the Pension Investment Association of Canada.

Tom Lappalainen

Tom Lappalainen is a senior consultant at Russell Investments’ Americas institutional business. Based in Toronto, Tom is responsible for providing advice to Russell’s clients on all aspects of their investment programs including governance, strategy, investment policy, asset class structure, manager selection and investment implementation. With over 18 years in the asset management industry, Tom has worked with a wide range of institutional plans in the corporate and public sector. Tom’s experience includes investment research, investment consulting and servicing clients from an asset management perspective. Tom began his career in 1990 designing performance analytics for Confed Investment Counseling. He moved on to Frank Russell Canada as a senior research analyst from 1993 to 1998 spending a significant portion of his time assessing the risk factors and implementation issues affecting Canadian pension plans.

Karen Liberman

Karen Liberman is the executive director, Mood Disorders Association of Ontario and is well-known for her presentations, focused on mood disorders, mental illness and the discrimination and stigma that can result. Above all, she is a shining example of hope and recovery, having recovered from a decade-long battle with severe clinical depression. Karen was recently featured in the Mental Health Commission-sponsored CTV spots with Valerie Pringle, as well as in the Globe Mail “Breakthrough” series on mental health recovery. She has been honored by Chatelaine as a Health Hero and by the Royal Bank of Canada for her work combating the stigma of mental illness. Among other awards and accolades, Karen received the Courage to Come Back Award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (2003), the Ontario Psychological Association’s Public Service Award (2004), the Toastmasters International Communication and Leadership Award (2005) and the prestigious Douglas Utting Award for battling the stigma of Depression (2008). Karen plays a lead role on the Mental Health Commission’s “Hallway Group”, that provides perspective, through the lens of the lived experience, on the Commission’s anti-stigma work.

Nathan Lipkus

Nathaniel Lipkus is a lawyer at Gilbert’s LLP, practicing in both Canada and the U.S.  Nathaniel’s practice includes intellectual property and administrative litigation and government relations in the areas of food and drug law, intellectual property and antitrust. Nathaniel routinely advocates for clients on pharmaceutical policy issues in Canada including regulatory and patent linkage, pricing and reimbursement issues, protection against counterfeit, and other aspects of intellectual property protection.  He has advocated before the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Congress in the United States and before various branches of the Ontario government, Industry Canada, Health Canada and various courts throughout the country.

Greg Malone

Greg Malone is a principal in the firm, has nearly 25 years of experience in pension and benefits consulting. He provides advice to a wide range of clients including corporations, universities, non-profit organizations and multi-employer plan sponsors. Greg has special expertise in establishing asset allocation and investment policy, performance evaluation, modelling and investment manager selection.  Greg is the investment consulting practice leader in Toronto. Greg has a BSc from Saint Mary’s University. He obtained his fellowship in both the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries in 1994. In 1996, he completed the requirements for Certified Investment Management Analyst sponsored by the Investment Management Consultants Association and taught in conjunction with the Wharton Business School. He is an active member of that association.  Greg is a member of Benefits Canada magazine’s editorial advisory board. Greg has published several articles and speaks regularly at industry conferences. He joined Eckler Partners in 1993 after spending several years with another major actuarial consulting firm.

Ian Markham

Ian Markham is a senior actuary at Towers Watson, consulting in the full spectrum of pension services – including financing, design, risk management, demographic, governance and administration challenges. Towers Watson came into effect on January 1, 2010, being a merger between Towers Perrin and Watson Wyatt. Ian is the Canadian Retirement Innovation Leader, as well as consulting to a number of major organizations as their primary actuary. Prior to the Towers Watson merger, Ian had been a member of Watson Wyatt’s Retirement Practice Leadership Team and served as the Director of Pension Innovation for the Retirement Practice in Canada. Before joining Watson Wyatt in July 2000, Ian was the leader of KPMG’s Actuarial & Benefits Consulting Group, having joined KPMG in 1978. From 1998 to 2001, Ian was a member of the Board of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. He was a member of the CIA’s Practice Standards Council from 2001 to 2004 and has belonged to, and chaired, various CIA committees involved with setting pension standards. In November 2006, the Ontario Minister of Finance appointed Ian as an Expert Advisor to the Expert Commission on Pensions, which was formed to assist the Ontario Government in modernizing Ontario’s pension legislation.

Diane McElroy

Diane McElroy is a senior vice–president at Aon (Toronto Office). She acts as a practice leader of the communication consulting practice bringing over 35 years of experience in the development and implementation of strategic communication plans. Diane is an experienced strategist, focus group facilitator and dynamic workshop presentation leader. Her strategies and innovative solutions have received worldwide recognition through the receipt of many prestigious communication awards. Diane has acted as communication strategist and implementation project leader in a wide array of benefits, pension and change management projects. She leads the e–solutions centre of excellence and has developed many web and social media education campaigns. Her team has designed and implemented dozens of personalized human resources intranet sites. Diane has extensive experience in implementing communication strategies that deliver results. Communication industry peers have recognized her abilities. Awards received during her career include five Gold Quill Awards for Human Resources communication including internet design.

Stephen McGregor

Stephen McGregor is a business development manager at Desjardins Financial Security. Stephen is responsible for developing Group Retirement Savings business and maintaining ongoing business relationships with consulting actuaries across Canada. He manages all aspects of the relationship with these valued business partners and is their ultimate point of contact. When Stephen joined Desjardins Financial Security in 2007, he had already been in the pension, investment, custodial and trust business for over seventeen years. His experience also includes several years as director, business development with a major investment firm and product development and client manager with a trust and custody firm. Stephen is currently a co–chair of the Board of Directors for Surex Community Services, a charitable organization serving developmentally challenged adults in our community. Stephen has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario.

John McNair

John McNair leads Highstreet's investment research team. He is accountable for all research required to develop and enhance Highstreet’s quantitative portfolio strategies. John joined Highstreet in 2005 and has over 11 years of investment and quantitative analysis experience. Prior roles include manager, investment analytics for a plan sponsor and investment analyst with a leading investment consulting firm.

Peter Muldowney

Peter Muldowney is a senior managing director of Sun Life Financial. Peter leads Sun Life Financial’s Defined Benefits Solutions business, providing a wide array of de–risking solutions for defined benefit pension plan sponsors throughout the North American market. Peter has been in the pension and investment consulting industry for over 20 years, as a consultant, marketer and strategist. He has held leadership positions in some of Canada and the UK’s leading consulting firms. Peter is well known in the Canadian industry and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on financial and investment issues. Peter has written articles for industry publications such as Benefits Canada magazine and the Canadian Investment Review, as well as the occasional television appearance.

Judith Plotkin

Judith Plotkin is vice-president, business development, Human Solution and has over 17 years of experience in the health and wellness arena. She is a recognized industry expert and speaker; she has appeared on CTV, 680 News and CBC Radio Canada as an expert in workplace issues and mental health for employers. Judith is a former board member of EAPAT and currently sits on the Board of EASNA. She has a proven track record developing innovative solutions for organizations across North America. She has held senior positions in clinical and professional services, account management and sales leadership in organizations across the health and wellness field.  Judith has worked as a certified trauma counsellor and Substance Abuse Professional.  Judith holds an undergraduate degree in social work from Ryerson University and a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Toronto. 

Colin Ripsman

Colin Ripsman is a vice-president and institutional portfolio manager with Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Ltd.  In this role, Colin is responsible for DC thought leadership, product development and relationship management.  Colin is based in the Toronto. Prior to joining PH&N, Colin spent 16 years with a major multinational investment consulting firm, where he was a National Partner and the Global Head of DC Consulting. Following that, Colin was in a senior role with a leading North American investment manager and DC record keeper. Colin is a frequent speaker and author on the topic of DC investment and he also sits on the Benefits Canada Advisory Board. Colin graduated from the University of Toronto with a B.A. in 1986, majoring in Commerce and Economics.  In 1989, he graduated with an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1991.  Colin graduated with an M.B.A. in finance from Schulich School of Business in 1996.  Colin has also completed the Canadian Securities Course.

Theresa Rose

Theresa Rose is the director of Group Product Management at Medavie Blue Cross. Theresa is responsible for leading a team of professionals in the development of new products and services to provide employers with solutions to the rising cost of health care. In addition to product development, she is also responsible for benefit management. In this capacity, she chairs the Medavie Blue Cross Medication Advisory Panel that is responsible for the evaluation of all pharmaceutical products for its private business and the Benefit Advisory Panel that looks for opportunities to better manage the extended health care benefits they offer their clients. To aid the business case for employee health and wellness, Theresa oversees a product portfolio suite dedicated to organizational health including an employee family assistance programs, attendance support and a health risk assessment. Additionally she has led pilot programs with respective partners in the area of pain–self management, ulcer care and most recently, asthma to demonstrate the positive outcomes that disease management programs can have in the workplace.

Matthew is senior consultant, Communications for the Group Savings and Retirement division of The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada. As a leading member of this unique team he is responsible for the strategic development and implementation of communication solutions that meet the needs of plan sponsors, intermediaries and members. Matthew has over 20 years of practical experience in both personal financial planning and the group savings and retirement market. Matthew joined Standard Life as a Financial Consultant in the Members Services area and over the past 13 years has held a series of positions within the Group Savings and Retirement line of business including, member education, sales, marketing and communications. Working closely with Plan Sponsors, advisors and members throughout his career gives Matthew a unique perspective and a holistic approach to his work. This will be Matthews’s third speaking engagement at the Benefits and Pension Summit and he has spoken frequently at industry conferences including the Conference Board of Canada Pension Summit and regional CPBI events. Matthew is actively involved in the work of the ACPM, sitting on both the annual conference planning and the Strategic Communications Committees and in 2009 he was Chair of the annual conference held in Montreal.


Mazen Shakeel

Mazen Shakeel is a principal, Canadian Retirement Consulting, Hewitt Associates with over 20 years of consulting experience in Hewitt’s Canadian Retirement Consulting Practice. Mazen co-leads Hewitt's Canadian Defined Contribution (DC) Consulting Group and has works with organizations on the review and design/redesign of their defined contribution and defined benefit retirement programs. Mazen has extensive experience benchmarking the competitive position of retirement and benefits programs and is a frequent speaker on DC plan design topics. Mazen is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and of the Society of Actuaries. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Statistics from the University of Toronto.

Kevin Sorhaitz

Kevin Sorhaitz is principal and consulting actuary in the Toronto office of Buck Consultants. Kevin is a senior consultant with 15 years of experience providing advice on funding and accounting for pension and other retirement benefit programs. His expertise includes plan design, conversions and windups, wage package negotiations, as well as surplus distributions and executive arrangements. Kevin has worked closely with multi-national companies, unions, and jointly-trusteed boards. This exposure allows him to help his clients develop solutions with an excellent understanding of the varied perspectives of the many stakeholders often involved. Kevin is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. Kevin has an Honors B.Sc. in Actuarial Science from the University of Western Ontario.

Roy Stuart

Roy Stuart is senior retirement consultant, Hewitt Associates and has been providing advice on pensions, benefits and related financial matters for over 38 years. His career includes more than 19 years of consulting experience. Roy has worked for Treasury Board Canada as a senior advisor on pensions and human resources issues. He has also worked in various senior capacities for the Province of British Columbia, including Executive Director with the Public Sector Employers’ Council and Deputy Superannuation Commissioner. Roy has served on a number of pension and other boards. Roy is a graduate of Simon Fraser University. He has a Certificate in Employee Benefits from Humber College and a Certificate in Financial Planning from the Canadian Institute of Financial Planning. He is currently enrolled in the Conflict Resolution certification program with the BC Justice Institute.

Michael Sullivan

Mike Sullivan is co-founder of Cubic Health, and formerly an independent consultant within the drug plan management, benefits consulting and insurance industries for a number of national clients. He previously worked within the pharmaceutical industry in the area of professional program development, and as a community pharmacist in both Ottawa and Toronto. Mike maintains an active license with the Ontario College of Pharmacists, and membership with the Ontario Pharmacists Association and the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy. He graduated from the College of Pharmacy at the University of Saskatchewan, and completed his MBA with a dual specialization in Finance and Strategic Management at the Schulich School of Business at York University. Mike serves as a volunteer coach with Kids Now, an organization focused on providing mentoring and leadership training for Grade 7 and 8 students in the community.

Gary Stoller

Gary Stoller is a partner at the Toronto consulting practice of Morneau Sobeco. He joined the firm in 1991. Gary has provided advice to both public and private sector clients on group benefits and pension programs. The areas of his particular expertise include accounting, funding, and plan design. Gary’s clients include Toronto Hydro, the Canadian Tire Dealers’ Association, Canadian Blood Services, Imperial Oil, and numerous hospitals and municipalities in Ontario. From 2001 to 2004, he was the original chairperson of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) Committee on Actuarial Valuation of Employee Benefit Plans. This committee developed the first actuarial standard for post-employment benefits. Gary is also the former chairperson of the CIA Committee for Relations with Other Professions on Pension Matters. He was a member of the Benefits and Pensions Monitor Editorial Advisory Board from 1994 to 2004. Gary received a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Manitoba in 1974.

Frank Swedlove is president of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association.  Established in 1894, CLHIA has 65 members accounting for 99 per cent of the life and health insurance in force in Canada. Frank joined CLHIA in July 2007 after spending the previous year as President of the Financial Action Task Force, the international body headquartered in Paris responsible for the fight against global money laundering and terrorist financing. Prior to that appointment, Frank served as a senior federal official. In his last position as assistant deputy minister of the Financial Sector Policy Branch of the Department of Finance, Frank was the principal advisor to several Ministers of Finance regarding policy development on financial institutions and Canadian financial markets, playing a key role in issues throughout the sector and in international trade in financial services. Frank was also the first chair of the Committee on Trade in Financial Services of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, the Chair of the Negotiating Group on Financial Services in the Uruguay Round of the WTO, and lead negotiator for Canada in financial services at the NAFTA negotiations.

Tim Taylor

Tim Taylor is a Group Benefits Product Manager at Manulife Financial in Waterloo, which is responsible for new product development. Tim has more than 25 years experience in employee benefits, in such diverse roles as large case underwriting, business analysis, underwriting systems design, and financial reporting for major corporate clients. For the past 10 years, Tim has worked in the group marketing area in various product management roles, supporting a full range of group products, from life to health through to disability. In his marketing product management role, Tim has managed the development of a number of key product and service offerings, beginning with the design and development of Manulife’s Group Benefits Plan Advisor Internet site, the industry’s first secure site dedicated solely to group benefits advisors. Tim also led the team that developed new online reporting for group benefits customers, incorporating innovative features like benchmarking and time–saving scheduled reporting. Most recently, Tim managed the development and launch of Manulife’s online claim submission, providing Group Benefits’ plan members with the convenience of the most comprehensive online claims submission experience.

Gretchen Van Riesen

Gretchen Van Riesen currently maintains a pension and benefits consulting practice through GVR Consulting.  She recently completed a one-year contract as interim Head of M&A and Global Pensions and Benefits at RBC.  In November 2007, she retired from her role as vice-president, global pension and benefits at CIBC, where over 17 years she was responsible for benefits policy and design, and pension investment and governance for CIBC’s $3.5 billion pension plan. With over 36 years in the pension and benefits industry, Gretchen is a past chair of both the Pension Investment Association of Canada (PIAC) and the Association of Canadian Pension Management.  Over the past 20 years, she has been an active member of pension and benefit industry associations and committees including Advocacy and Government Relations Committee of the ACPM, the Government Relations Committee of PIAC, and the Pension and Benefits Policy Committee of the Board of Trade. More recently, Gretchen has been appointed to the Board of the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute.  In 2008, Gretchen was appointed to the Municipal Employer Pension Centre of Ontario, an advisory board to the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.   

David West

David West is a principal in the health and benefits business in Mercer’s Toronto office. David is also a worldwide partner of our global firm. David has over 30 years of experience in the employee benefits field, including over twenty years with Mercer. He specializes in benefits design, funding strategies, assessment of risk, and the introduction of cost management. David reviews cost drivers, the tax treatment of benefit programs, and legislative initiatives to develop cost effective plan designs that best achieve the client’s goals over an extended time horizon. He is a member of Mercer’s Health & Benefits Professional Group to identify and develop Mercer initiatives to address emerging benefit issues. In this role David has responsibility for the drug portfolio. During 2009 David participated in the stakeholder consultation process conducted by Ontario’s Ministry of Health on changes to public and private payor drug programs. During the process he represented Mercer clients and the member companies of the Employer Committee on Health Care Ontario, which he co-chairs. He consults on financial and risk mitigation strategies to better integrate the private and public programs.

David Wetherald

David Wetherald is vice-president, human resources and legal. He joined Toromont in 2004 as general counsel & corporate secretary and became vice-president human resources and legal in 2008. He was previously employed with Torstar Corporation for eleven years as General Counsel & Secretary with corporate development responsibilities, and prior to that for five years with Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg.

Ellen Whelan

Ellen Whelan is a principal in the Health and Benefits business in Mercer’s Toronto office.  Ellen is also Canada’s Health and Benefits chief actuary and leader of Mercer Canada’s Post-Employment Benefits Group.  Prior to joining Mercer in 1995, Ellen worked in the Actuarial Services Branch of the Workers’ Compensation Board of Ontario for four years. Ellen is a frequent speaker at industry events and the author of many articles and media releases on post-retirement and post-employment benefits.  Examples include a presentation at the 2007 Human Resources Professionals Association of Ontario conference, a November 2006 article in Benefits Canada (A Fine Balance), a September 18, 2006 News Release on Post-Retirement Benefits, and hosting employer roundtables on retiree benefits in 2002 and 2005 involving well over 100 different employers. Ellen earned a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science and Statistics from the University of Toronto.  She is a Fellow of both the Society of Actuaries and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.

Janet Young

Janet Young is vice-president, Buffett and Company Worksite Wellness. She has been with Buffett & Company for 11 years and manages the operational aspects of the organization. In addition, Janet is also a Certified Excellence Professional with the National Quality Institute (NQI). She has an extensive background in the area of employee wellness with an expertise in physical fitness.  She completed her undergraduate degree with a major in English and a minor in Kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario and she also holds a post-graduate degree in Wellness and Lifestyle Management and is a Certified Fitness Consultant (C.F.C.). She has also recently completed her Bachelor of Education at Trent University.

This page was last updated: April 19, 2010

For questions about this page, please contact Kerry Maddocks.