Mark AbbottVice President, Senior Portfolio Manager - Currency, State Street Global Advisors

Mark is a Vice President of State Street Global Advisors and Senior Portfolio Manager in the Currency Management Group. The group is responsible for portfolio management, research and product development for passive, dynamic and active strategies.

Mark has been directly involved in the currency markets since 1995. Before joining the firm in 2007, Mark was responsible for managing currency risk at large international banks as an inter-bank dealer and proprietary trader with a focus on developed market currencies. Mark was also involved in promoting the banks' services to institutional and corporate clients.

Mark holds a BComm (Honors) in Business Administration from the University of Windsor.

Annemarie Arens
General Manager, LuxFLAG - Supporting Sustainable Finance

Annemarie joint Luxflag as of October 1st, 2014 in the role of General Manager.

In her role, Annemarie will promote Luxflag to attract new funds applying for labels and will aim to develop visibility to Luxflag beyond Luxembourg, promoting Luxflag strengths across other fund domiciles.

Prior to joining Luxflag, Annemarie worked 18 years for RBC Investor Services Bank in Luxembourg in senior management positions in charge of Sales, Relationship Management and Client Service. Before that, Annemarie worked 6 years as Product sales with Axa Insurance company in Luxembourg and 5 years as Private Banking Relationship Manager with Berenberg Bank in Luxembourg and in Germany.

Annemarie was part of the Executive Committee of RBC Investor Services Bank in Luxembourg and also served as Director in the Board of various fund companies in Luxembourg. She speaks fluently Luxembourgish, French, German and English as well as Spanish.

Randy Bauslaugh Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Randy Bauslaugh leads McCarthy Tétrault's national Pensions, Benefits & Executive Compensation practice.

Mr. Bauslaugh has been involved with many of the leading pension and benefit cases over the past 30 years. He is presently counsel to the administrator of the Canadian Nortel pension plans, a lead creditor in the world-wide bankruptcy proceedings. He has experience advising on plan governance, plan design, plan mergers, restructurings and conversions, surplus repatriation, and deficit management. Mr. Bauslaugh has led negotiations relating to pension and benefit issues, and has also acted as a mediator and arbitrator in pension related labour disputes. He has reviewed, negotiated and helped implement investment de-risking strategies. Mr. Bauslaugh’s clients include public and private companies, appointed administrators of wound up plans, financial institutions, joint boards of trustees, and Canadian and foreign governments; for example Mr. Bauslaugh has advised the Government of Ontario, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut on pension policy and legislation and the governments of Bermuda, Jamaica, and India on public pension issues and pension standards. more

Yvan BretonPartner and Head of Fiduciary Management for Canada, Mercer 

Yvan Breton is a Partner and the Head of fiduciary management for Canada. In his role Yvan is responsible for developing Mercer's Fiduciary Management business and capabilities in Canada, and oversees Mercer's full suite of delegated investment services, such as Implemented Consulting, Mercer's Dynamic De-Risking Solution (MDDS) and single asset class solutions.

Prior to this position, he was Business Leader Investment Consulting for Canada and Latin America. He is a member of the Canadian Investment Leadership Team.

Prior to joining Mercer in 1998, he worked for a large consulting firm for 13 years. He was a Senior Consultant providing actuarial, employee benefit and asset management consulting services to Canadian clients.

Yvan obtained a Bachelor degree of Actuarial Science in 1985 at the Université Laval. He is also an Associate of the Society of Actuaries.

Robert Brown
Consultant

Robert Brown was Professor of Actuarial Science and Director of the Institute of Insurance and Pension Research at the University of Waterloo.  He retired as of September 1, 2010 and now resides in Victoria, BC.

Professor Brown was the President of the International Actuarial Association in 2014 and President of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries in 1990/91 and the SoA in 2000-2001.  Robert also was the Research Chair for the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions 2007-08.

Robert has authored seven books including ‘Economic Security for an Aging Canadian Population’ (1999). Professor Brown has published more than fifty articles in refereed journals.  His research focus is the evolution of financial security programs in times of rapidly shifting demographics.

Robert Brown graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1971 with a BMath degree.  He added a MA in Gerontology in 1994 (Waterloo) and a PhD (Gerontology) from Simon Fraser University in 1997.  Robert is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries, an Associate of the Casualty Actuarial Society and an Honorary Fellow of the UK Institute of Actuaries

Derek Dobson
Chief Executive Officer and Plan Manager

Derek Dobson is an Associate of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and brings a wide range of expertise in the areas of plan funding, risk management, strategic planning, governance, and stakeholder relations. He is Co-Chair of the Canadian Public Pension Leadership Council (CPPLC) and is an Associate of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA). He is a frequent speaker on plan governance, funding, stakeholder engagement, and the importance of financial security in retirement for all Canadians. Derek has a degree in mathematics from the University of Waterloo and has 25 years of experience in the pension sector.

Henriëtte de Lange
Pensioen is nu, Nederlands

Henriëtte de Lange is pension fund board member and pension jurist, active in the field of operating a pension fund, internal supervision and pension communication.
She studied law in Leiden and is more than 15 years independently active in the pension industry. First as a pension consultant on governance, legal and communication issues concerning pensions. Prior to that, Henriëtte was manager, Fiscal & Legal department Pensions and Insurance at PwC, as well as, member of partners/managers consultation of the Business Unit Personal Financial Services. Before joining PwC, she was Head fiscal and legal affairs of FairGo, Life insurance company, part of Achmea.

The last 5 years her focus changed to managing and internal supervision of pension funds. She is chairman of pension fund HaskoningDHV and board member of the merchant navy pension fund. She is involved in internal supervision of several pension funds, like DSM pension fund and the ING CDC pension fund and NN CDC pension fund. She is also a board member of the Dutch association for internal supervision on pensions

Brent Fraser
Vice-President, Pharmaceutical Reviews
CADTH 

Brent Fraser is CADTH Vice-President, Pharmaceutical Reviews, with responsibility for the CADTH Common Drug Review, the pan-Canadian Oncology Drug Review, therapeutic class reviews, and optimal use projects, as well as drug-related Environmental Scans, Horizon Scans, and Rapid Response. Brent and his team deliver high-quality, relevant, and timely assessments of drugs using the best available science, tools, and methodologies.

Brent is known as a thoughtful, listening, and collaborative leader who translates evidence into recommendations and actions. He combines a pharmacist’s appreciation for the clinical and human implications of his work with strategic skills developed over many years of working in the field of drug funding decisions.

Brent holds an MBA from York University and a BSc in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. He is a member of the Ontario College of Pharmacists.

Addie Greco-Sancez,  RRP, RVP, CVP
PresidentAGS Rehab Solutions Inc. 

Addie Greco-Sanchez, has a background in rehabilitation counselling and been in the field of vocational rehabilitation since 1989. Addie was employed by various national and regional rehabilitation companies for approximately ten years before starting her own company, AGS Rehab Solutions Inc. in 1999. As President of AGS, she leads a team of rehabilitation professionals across Ontario from her Mississauga Head Office. Addie is a sought-after speaker in the field of vocational rehabilitation. She has been called upon as a mental health subject matter expert. AGS Rehab has been an active participant of the recently launched three-year Case Study Project created by the Mental Health Commission of Canada. 

Janice Holman, CFA, CFPPrincipal, Eckler Ltd 

Janice leads the defined contribution consulting group at Eckler and is a Principal of the firm. Her unique professional background contributes to her expertise in all key areas affecting CAPs. Janice began her career in investments over 20 years ago as a fixed income analyst. She then worked directly with members as an education and communications manager, and spent several years with two leading insurance companies as an investment executive before joining Eckler over 10 years ago. This broad range of experience allows her to provide clients with a comprehensive approach to DC consulting.
Janice is passionate about helping clients and their members maximize the value of their CAPs. To achieve the best possible retirement outcomes, she works with clients to establish governance structures, create and refine plan design, select and monitor record keepers, develop and adjust investment offerings over time, and create compelling and engaging member communications.
Janice works with some of the largest Canadian organizations and is committed to the CAP industry. She regularly contributes to industry publications, is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, sits on Benefits Canada’s Advisory Board, has been a member of CPBI’s Ontario Regional Council and an instructor for the CEBS program through Humber College.
Janice graduated from Bishop’s University with a Bachelor of Business Administration and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation (1999) and the Certified Financial Planner designation (2010).

Zaheed Jiwani
Senior Vice-President at Greystone Managed Investments Inc.

Zaheed Jiwani is Senior Vice-President, Client Strategy for Greystone Managed Investments Inc.
As head of Client Strategy, Zaheed leads Greystone’s defined contribution business. In addition, he is responsible for thought leadership and product development for Greystone.

Before joining Greystone, Zaheed was Principal and Head of the Canadian Defined Contribution team for Aon Hewitt. His previous experience includes positions with Manulife as an internal investment consultant and with Mercer in its investment consulting practice.

Zaheed holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Toronto as well as his CFA Charter.

• Significant allocations to alternative asset classes;
• A portable alpha overlay to improve the effectiveness of how active risk is deployed; and
• A fixed income overlay to improve the matching of assets with liabilities.

Ed Kane
Assistant Vice-President, University Services 
Carleton University

As the Assistant Vice-President, University Services at Carleton University, Ed is responsible for ten operating and ancillary departments including a 3,600 bed Residence complex, a Technology Centre, a Bookstore and $30M Dining Services unit, to name a few. He chairs the University’s Healthy Workplace Committee and the Mental Health Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Governors for Excellence Canada.

Ed is currently the Chair of the Canadian Committee for the National Association of College Auxiliary Services and was Co-Chair of the NACAS 2014 Annual Conference in Montreal. Ed received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Sector Administration from the University of Ulster.

Steven Lewis

Steven Lewis is a health policy and research consultant based in Saskatoon, and Adjunct Professor of Health Policy at Simon Fraser University, where he taught a graduate course in health policy in the Faculty of Health Sciences in 2007.  Prior to resuming a full-time consulting practice he headed a health research granting agency and spent 7 years as CEO of the Health Services Utilization and Research Commission in Saskatchewan.  He has served on various boards and committees, including the National Forum on Health, the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Saskatchewan Health Quality Council, the Health Council of Canada, and the editorial boards of several journals, including the Journal of Health Services and Policy Research, and Healthcare Papers. He writes and speaks frequently on topics such as the politics of health care, quality improvement, and equity in health and health care.

Dean Liotta  Vice President Relationship Manager, Franklin Templeton 

Dean Liotta is a vice president, Institutional Investment Services, joined Franklin Templeton Investments in 2011.  Mr. Liotta is responsible for the investment servicing of Franklin Templeton Investments Institutional clients.  Prior to joining Franklin Templeton Investments, Mr. Liotta was a senior consultant with a leading financial institution where he provided consulting services to sponsors of Pensions, Endowments and Foundations, and has over 17 years of experience in the financial services industry.  Mr. Liotta holds a BComm (Honors) in Business Administration from the University of Windsor and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Eugene Lundrigan
Chief Operating Officer
Sun Life Investment Management Inc

Eugene Lundrigan is Chief Operating Officer for Sun Life Investment Management Inc., responsible for the company’s strategy development, product, marketing, client services and reporting functions. Eugene has over 20 years of experience in financial services and an extensive background in investments, investment governance, strategy and marketing. Following roles at the Bank of Canada, he joined Sun Life Assurance Company of Canada (“Sun Life Assurance”) in 1997 and has held a range of senior level positions, including Senior Managing Director of Canadian Public Fixed Income, various leadership roles in wealth management, marketing and strategy in Asia, head of the International Investment Centre that manages Sun Life Assurance’s relationships with investment managers around the world, and most recently Vice-President, Strategy - Asset Management. Eugene has also served as the investments representative on the pension plan committees of several Sun Life Assurance businesses. Raised in Baie Verte, Newfoundland, Eugene has a Bachelor of Commerce from Carleton University and an M.B.A. (Finance) from McMaster University. He is also a CFA Charterholder and member of the Toronto CFA society.

Chris MacDonald
Assistant Vice President, Wellness, Absence & Disability Management Services, Group Benefits and Retirement Solutions
Manulife

Chris has worked extensively in group wellness, absence and disability management for over 30 years. In her current role, Chris and her National Health, Absence and Disability Management Consulting team work closely with employers, plan advisors, and consulting firms to deliver practical program strategies that support improved employee health as well as managing health and disability costs.

Chris holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Western Ontario. She has also obtained her Fellowship in Life Office Management and is currently being certified in the Excellence Canada Healthy Workplace program. 

Saspna Mahajan
Director, Mental Health Prevention and Promotion – Workplace Initiatives, Mental Health Commission of Canada 

• Sapna comes to the Commission with experience working in health policy and management in Canada, the United States and overseas.
• Prior to joining the Commission, Sapna worked at the Queen’s Centre for Health Services and Policy Research  leading an economic modeling study to analyze province-wide health human resource policy.
• Sapna has also worked with the William J. Clinton Foundation and the Centre for International Health and Development.
• At the Commission, Sapna supports the implementation of prevention and promotion initiatives in the areas of workplace mental health.
• Sapna holds a Masters in International Public Health – Health Policy and Management from Boston University and is a Project Management Professional.

Mahmood Nanji
Assistant Deputy Ministry at Government of Ontario 

Mahmood Nanji was appointed Associate Deputy Minister, Ontario Retirement Pension Plan (ORPP) Implementation Secretariat in November 2014. He is responsible for leading the implementation of the ORPP including the plan design and the establishment of the ORPP Administration Corporation.

Mahmood has over twenty-five years of public policy, public management and commercial transactions experience, and has held progressively challenging positions with both the Ontario and Federal governments.

Most recently, Mahmood was the Associate Deputy Minister, Tax and Benefits Administration. He has also held senior executive level positions within the Ministries of Economic Development and Innovation, Energy, Public Infrastructure Renewal, Finance and Cabinet Office leading priority files such as the GM and Chrysler restructuring, strategic business investments, Nuclear New Build, First Nations Gaming Revenue Sharing Agreement and government transitions.

In addition, he has advised the governments of Uganda, Kenya and Mozambique on public sector reforms and institutional capacity building programs.

He has also served on several Boards including the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation, Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, OPSEU Pension Trust and the Ontario Aerospace Council.

Diane Oakley
Executive Director
National Institute on Retirement Security

As the executive director of the National Institute on Retirement Security. With the Board of Directors, Oakley leads the organization’s strategic planning, research, and education initiatives.

Before joining NIRS, Ms. Oakley served as senior policy advisor to Congressman Earl Pomeroy, who represented the state of North Dakota.  There, she worked in a bi-partisan fashion with diverse groups to achieve policy solutions. Oakley played a key staff role in formulating legislative strategy on a range of tax, pension, Social Security, financial services, and workforce issues.

Prior to her service on Capitol Hill, Ms. Oakley held leadership positions with TIAA-CREF, a leading financial services provider.   During her 28-year tenure with the organization, she held a number of management, public policy, and technical positions, including vice president for special consulting services and vice president for associations and government relations.

She holds a B.S. in Mathematics from Fairfield University, where she graduated Cum Laude.  She earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University.  She is a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance

Dave PatriarcheMainstay Insurance Brokerage Inc.

Dave Patriarche founded Mainstay Insurance Brokerage in 1996 as a one person shop specializing in providing employee benefits to small businesses in the Greater Toronto Area. Mainstay has grown substantially and now has clients across the country, including many Canadian subsidiaries of U.S. based organizations.

Dave is a strong believer in continuing education and recognized the need for the group insurance industry to broaden its efforts in this area. In 2003 he started a small networking group, which evolved into regular breakfast meetings across the GTA and educational seminars. He founded CGIB, the Canadian Group Insurance Brokers, an organization dedicated to supporting networking and continuing education for the group insurance industry. He is an accomplished speaker both with CGIB and at other industry events.

Dave is recognized as a leader in the group benefits industry and is a contributor to various industry publications. He mentors and acts as an informal resource to other benefit brokers, especially those new to the benefits field.  He also participates in industry think tank groups as well as panels such as the Benefits Advisors’ Drug Plan Outlook, the Canadian Leadership Council on Drug Plan Partnerships. He is a member of the Sanofi Canada Healthcare Survey Advisory Board.

Francois Joseph Porier 
Vice-President, Business Development, Desjardins Insurance

François Joseph is Vice-President, Business Development, Group and Business Insurance at Desjardins Insurance. He has over 25 years of experience working in the group insurance industry including a number of years with major consulting firms. François Joseph Poirier has a bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Sciences from Université Laval and is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries and of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. He is based in Toronto.

Thomas G. Reid
Senior Vice-President, Group Retirement Services
Sun Life Financial Canada

Thomas G. Reid is Senior Vice-President, Group Retirement Services (GRS), Sun Life Financial Canada. In this role, Mr. Reid oversees Canada’s largest provider of defined contribution pension arrangements, covering over one million Canadians.

Mr. Reid joined Sun Life Financial in 1994 as Assistant Vice-President of Finance. Since that time he has held increasingly senior positions throughout the Company in the areas of Finance, Corporate Development, Public and Investor Relations, and most recently in the Canadian Client Solutions business.

Prior to joining Sun Life Financial, Mr. Reid was in the Corporate Investment Banking Group at TD Bank. He also held senior positions at Central Guaranty Trust and Price Waterhouse.

Mr. Reid is an active member of several industry associations, including the Association of Canadian Pension Management, Treasury Management Association of Canada, and the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants. He has lectured in finance and advanced accounting at the University of Toronto and Seneca College.

Mr. Reid holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a Chartered Accountant designation.

Wesley Sheridan 
Principal, Morneau Shepell

Wes Sheridan is a Principal in Morneau Shepell’s Halifax office and is responsible for the Asset and Risk Management division of the operation. Wes joined Morneau Shepell in September of 2015 and brings with him over 13 years of experience and broad subject matter expertise in finance, investment and pension reform.

During the (8) years Wes spent as Provincial Treasurer/ Finance Minister of Prince Edward Island and Chair of the government’s Treasury Board, he was responsible for the banking of the province, managing sinking fund assets and monitoring/assessing the performance of the Pension Fund managers. Wes was also the Minister responsible for investment strategies for the sinking fund, debt management strategies, the issuance of public debt, asset/liability management of crown corporations and cash management. His responsibilities stretched to the administration and the implementation of an innovative solution for the Civil Service Superannuation Fund, the pension plan for over 10,000 Islanders. As a provincial/territorial Finance Minister from 2007-2015, Wes was a Steward of the Canada Pension Plan and took great interest in the CPP enhancement debate. In the Fall of 2013, Mr. Sheridan went public with a proposal that would see the CPP enhanced in a modest, fully funded, phased-in format, a belief that he carries to this day.

Mr. Sheridan has been a frequent speaker at financial conferences, specializing in pension reform of the public sector. Wes graduated with a degree in Economics from Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire in 1982.

Colin Spinney,  MBA, CPA, CMATresurer, Dalhousie University

Colin Spinney is the Treasurer of Dalhousie University. As Treasurer, his responsibilities include the management of the University’s endowment, expendable and pension fund investment portfolios. He is also responsible for debt management, financial policy review and development, and endowment budgeting. He currently serves on an investment advisory committee for a public fund, is a member of the CURIE investment committee, and is an advisory committee member for a private capital organization. He is a past member of the CAUBO Treasury & Investment Committee. Prior to joining Dalhousie University, Colin was the Assistant Treasurer of a telecommunications company where he was responsible for cash and debt management, investments, banking relations, leasing administration and investor relations. Colin holds a MBA and is a CMA.

Julianna Spiropoulos Associate Partner, Aon Hewitt  

Julianna Spiropoulos is an Associate Partner in Aon Hewitt’s Calgary office. Julianna provides investment advice to private and public sector pension plans, foundations and endowments and is also responsible for coordinating and delivering risk management projects for clients based in Western Canada. She is also the Investment Consulting Market Lead for Alberta.

As a member of Aon Hewitt’s Financial Risk Consulting group, Julianna focuses on helping clients diagnose and manage their pension investment risk including asset-liability management, dynamic asset solutions, risk monitoring, de-risking and derivatives overlay strategies, liability driven investment solutions and delegated investment services.

Julianna joined Aon Hewitt in 2011, bringing over 17 years of pension investment and corporate treasury experience with a major integrated oil and gas company. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science, an MBA and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Todd Saulnier FSA, FCIA, CFAPrincipal
Mercer 

Todd is a senior principal within Mercer's Investment Consulting business and an actuary based out of our Halifax office. Todd consults with clients regarding investment policies, risk budgeting, asset allocation decisions, investment structure design, and manager selection for their pension plans and for endowments / foundations. He works with both pension plans and endowment funds in establishing good governance processes, including regular investment monitoring.

Todd joined Mercer in September 1992, after completing his Master's degree in Mathematics at Dalhousie University (1992). He completed his actuarial designations in 2001. While he originally joined Mercer in the retirement consulting practice, since the late 1990's a large portion of his time has been devoted to investment consulting assignments. He now works full-time within Mercer's Investment Consulting business. more 

Jana Steele
Partner, Pensions & Benefits

Jana Steele is a partner in Osler’s Pensions & Benefits Group. Jana has provided advice on the conversion and implementation of the “Shared Risk Plan” pension model for several plans in the province of New Brunswick.  She has significant expertise and experience regarding plan design, including innovative plan designs, such as shared risk and target benefit plans – and has written extensively on such plans. Jana also has extensive experience dealing with pensions and benefits in the context of corporate transactions. She is involved in providing advice with respect to both the establishment and the ongoing administration of pension plans. Jana advises on issues such as plan structure, governance, administration, compliance, trustee obligations, surplus matters, plan conversions, plan mergers, transfers and plan wind-ups.  Jana also has experience dealing with pensions and benefits issues arising in insolvencies and corporate restructurings.

Flavio Volpe
President of the, Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA)

Flavio Volpe is President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA), Canada's national association representing OEM producers of parts, equipment, tools, supplies and services for the worldwide automotive industry.
Previous to APMA, as Managing Director of WIRSOL Solar he oversaw the Canadian operations for the EU’s largest privately-held solar photovoltaic energy developer, leading efforts to secure new opportunities in both public and private energy markets. Before WIRSOL, he served as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT) in the Province of Ontario. During his tenure at MEDT, Flavio was a lead member of the inter-Ministry strategy team tasked with leading the Province’s effort to secure new global automotive mandates and providing OEM interim support during the global economic crisis. Prior to MEDT, he managed the rebranding of SmartCentres, Canada’s largest retail developer and of ResREIT, one of Canada’s largest residential REIT’s.
Flavio holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Toronto.

Greg White
Director of Innovation and Technology
Tri Fit Inc

Greg has over 14 years experience in the field of workplace fitness and health promotion including 12 years with Tri Fit. He has been responsible for the management of comprehensive workplace fitness and wellness programs for a number of Tri Fit clients including RBC, University Health Network, Ontario Power Generation and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.

As Director of Innovation and Technology, Greg is responsible for virtual program development and project management. This includes Tri Fit’s online programs such as Tri Fit at Home™, quarterly campaigns and virtual challenges. He is also actively involved in business marketing and custom application development.

Greg is a graduate of the Goodman School of Business (MBA) and graduate of the McMaster Kinesiology program (BKin). He is a Professional Member of the Ontario Kinesiology Association and a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. He uniquely combines his extensive experience in workplace health to develop innovative technological solutions.

Hassan Yussuff
President
Canadian Labour Congress

Coming to Canada from Guyana at 16 years old, Yussuff trained to be a heavy truck mechanic.
Hassan quickly became a union activist when fellow workers elected him plant chair after he attended just three union meetings.
Legendary Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) leader Bob White soon noticed Yussuff and recruited him to become a senior staff member at the CAW–now Unifor.
Hassan’s impressive work at the CAW led to him being elected as an Executive Vice‑President of the Canadian Labour Congress in 1999 and the CLC’s first person of colour in an executive position. In 2002, he was elected to the first of four terms as Secretary-Treasurer.And in May 2014, Hassan Yussuff was elected President of the CLC.

Not only has Hassan been a high profile labour leader in Canada, but is also respected internationally.Hassan was elected president of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas (TUCA) in 2012 for a four-year term, heading an international labour group representing more than 50 million workers in 29 countries.

His prior international experience includes being an observer for the historic first democratic South African elections in 1994 that elected Nelson Mandela as President.