Day 1 : Keynote - The Hero Mindset | | Strong organizations thrive by having a group of individuals who do not place the blame on
other people, their surroundings, or external circumstances.
These organizations thrive because individuals recognize the role they play in the company’s
success, and by how accepting responsibility for their decisions, they begin to make subtle, yet
significant changes to help drive results and embrace change.
These changes begin by having the right mindset - The Hero Mindset. The Hero Mindset is about recognizing Hero Moments, Hero Decisions, and Hero Actions. Everyday there are moments where we can choose to accept responsibility, make a decision to
take the next right step, and move forward with persistence to achieve the results we desire.
That is how you become the hero of your own movie. |
presented by: Kevin Rempel | Kevin Rempel is a 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist in sledge hockey. After being paralyzed at the age of 23, Kevin not only learned how to walk again, but to
overcome the mental battle of both depression and living with a disability to rebuild his life, and
eventually reach the Paralympic podium in sledge hockey. Today, Kevin is a full time entrepreneur through keynote speaking, his corporate team building
program, The Sledge Hockey Experience, and a coaching program on mental resilience, titled
The Resilience Toolbox. Kevin is an expert in change management, mental health, and resilience as he speaks on The
Hero Mindset which enables organizations to drive results and embrace change. |
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| | Day 2 | | ESG considerations in a post COVID world: Lessons for defined benefit pension plan stakeholders | In this session, we’ll review the impact of the major market events brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, discuss lessons learned, and explore opportunities created by the market rebounds.
Discussion topics include: • A case study analysis of how the different investment and risk mitigation strategies performed from the start of the pandemic to date
• How environmental, social or governance factors could add value in investment and risk mitigation strategies during future disruptive events such as climate change, political instability and other pandemics. Learning objectives:
• Learn how to assess the investment risk of a pension plan.
• Learn how various investment and risk mitigation strategies performed through the pandemic.
• Learn about ESG and why it is a hot topic.
• Learn the impact of good governance on pension plan management Who should attend:
• Plan sponsors
• Investment consultants and advisors that offer advice on pension funds | Presented by Naomi Denning | 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. Naomi chairs Eckler’s Responsible Investment Committee covering ESG practice. 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. | | Impacts of COVID-19 on group benefits plans | The COVID-19 pandemic, and the associated business disruptions have had a major financial impact on group benefits plans, from small groups of less than ten employees, to large groups with 10,000 employees or more.
This session will review the trends that have been observed at this point in the pandemic, and will look forward to what can be expected in the upcoming months. Medical, dental and disability plans will all be examined. Learning Objectives: - Learn the impact of Covid-19 on group benefit plan spending.
- Understand the impact of 2020 claims on upcoming renewals.
- Learn the claims trends in relation to different lock-down/opening scenarios.
Who Should Attend?
- Plan sponsors that offer benefits plans to members.
- Benefits consultants and advisors that offer advice on benefits plans.
| presented by: Paul Kennedy | Paul Kennedy is a Principal and the Chief Health Actuary for Mercer Marsh Benefits in Toronto. Paul joined Mercer in 2006.
Paul provides actuarial analysis relating to the financial management of group benefit plans, and specializes in actuarial valuations of non-pension post-retirement and post-employment benefit plans, including funding valuations for self-insured LTD programs. Paul also advises a variety of private and public sector clients on plan renewals, benefit audits and plan implementations.
In his role as Chief Health Actuary, Paul is tasked with the oversight of the non-pension valuation space including guidance for acceptable ranges for actuarial assumptions, the establishment and administration of professional standards, and the identification of actuarial opportunities within the broader Health practice.
Paul has a life license in Ontario, and is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (CIA) and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (SOA). He is the Chair of the CIA’s Post-Employment Benefits Committee and a former Vice-Chair of the SOA’s Group Health Education Committee. Paul graduated from Queen’s University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics. |
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| | Day 3 | |
Exploring alternatives investments for DB & DC Pensions | Popularity of Alternatives as an asset class has been increasing for nearly nearly two decades, with Canadian pensions increasingly adopting alternatives investment strategies. PIAC (Pension Industry Association of Canada) data demonstrates that industry allocation to this asset class has increased from 4% in 1999 to nearly 39% as of the end of 2019, as there has been a decline in both equity and fixed income allocations.
In this round-table discussion panelists will share their perspectives on the important asset class, understand how it's being implemented by various pension types and what new developments there are in this asset class. This session will dive into the following areas from our expert panel: • Understanding of key alternatives strategies used by pensions
• A glimpse of the manager due-diligence across different alternatives strategy types
• Overview on how alternatives are being integrated into pension investment portfolios
• Current update and new developments in this asset class | Moderated by: James BurronJames co-founded CAASA in response to industry support for a Canadian alternatives association to serve all aspects including: hedge / alternative strategies; private lending; private real estate; private equity; plus emerging areas where Canada is a leader such as digital assets / blockchain and robo-advisors.
Prior to CAASA, James was the Chief Operating Officer of AIMA Canada where his team of three worked with 12 committees to produce 50-60 events per annum across Canada, organize 100+ committee meetings, and increase member numbers over his 7-year tenure from 66 to 164 corporate entities.
James also has experience in research and writing for the CAIA Association as well as serving on CAIA’s Exam Council and as a grader for the Level II portion of the exam. He also had roles in institutional sales and FoHF structuring in Seoul, South Korea, as a Product Manager at ICICI Wealth Management, and an Investment Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities. He graduated from Simon Fraser University with a BBA (Finance). | Speaker: Sean HewittSean is Chief Executive Officer TTC Pension Fund Society (PFS) and leads the senior management team at the PFS, a $7 billion full service defined benefit pension plan. Prior to joining the PFS in 2016, Sean was the lead investment officer at one of Canada’s largest corporate pension plans. Sean plays an active role in various industry groups, most notably at the Pension Investment Association of Canada where he sits on the Board of Directors and chairs the Audit Committee. He is also sits on the Stakeholder’s Advisory Committee for Pensions at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority. He has a BA Economics from University of Calgary, and is a CFA charterholder. |
| The benefits of improving vision care insurance benefits | Years of research confirm that primary health care and prevention lead to improved health outcomes and significant fiscal savings for both public health systems and private health insurers. Significant advances in optometry have contributed not only to the improved treatment of glaucoma, macular degeneration, and other ocular diseases, but also to the prevention, early diagnosis, and management of serious chronic diseases such as hypertension, and diabetes. These in turn contribute to public and private health insurance plan savings. Current vision care benefits plans are still based on a decades-old understanding of optometry. This is costing insurers millions of dollars every year in curative, rehabilitative and pharmaceutical costs. Participants will leave with: • Better understanding of the expanded scope of practice of modern optometry - diagnostic, preventative and curative;
• Insight into new ways for managing vision care benefit plan designs to secure the best vision and general health for plan members; and
• Insight into how modest short-term investment leads to long-term savings. | Presented by: François Couillard | François is the CEO of the Canadian Association of Optometrists and the Co-Chair of HEAL, (Organizations for Health Action). His career encompasses 30 years of developing and executing strategies in healthcare organizations, including Johnson & Johnson, MDS Nordion, The Canadian Red Cross, VON Canada (a home care provider) and the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists (CAMRT).
He is a Certified Management Consultant (CMC), and holds an MBA in Marketing and International Business from McGill University. He earned a Bachelor of Engineering Degree (Chemical Engineering) from the Université de Sherbrooke.
François enjoys working with communities of interest on high stakes issues. He has served on numerous advisory councils and boards, including Canada's Advisory Council on National Security. If you are looking for him outside working hours he can usually be found riding his bike or cross-country skiing in the hills outside Ottawa. |
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