Robert Hogue, Assistant Chief Economist, RBC

Robert Hogue is a member of the RBC Economics and Thought Leadership team, responsible for providing analysis and forecasts on the Canadian housing market and provincial economies. His publications include Housing Trends and Affordability, Provincial Outlook and provincial budget commentaries. In his functions, he is frequently called to comment on the economy both internally within RBC and externally with clients and the media.

Mr. Hogue joined RBC in May 2008 after spending 15 years with another Canadian financial institution as a senior economist specializing in industrial analysis. At the outset of his career, he spent four years as an economist with Ontario Hydro, where he specialized in industrial and macroeconomic analysis. Mr. Hogue holds a Master’s degree in economics from Queen’s University and a Bachelor’s degree from Université de Montréal.

Theo Heldman Chief Financial Officer and Vice President, Risk, WISE Trust

Theo is a financial services executive with over 25 years of experience in the investment management industry. He joined WISE Trust in September 2021 as Interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and assumed the role of CFO and Vice President, Risk, in April 2023, reporting directly to the CEO. Theo previously held senior roles at Invesco Canada, a global asset management organization, and i3 Advisors Inc., an entrepreneurial and innovative wealth management firm.

Theo is passionate about building teams and organizations. He cultivates collaborative environments and engages teams in exploration and discovery that shifts mindsets and enables talent to shine and drive organizational results.

Theo currently serves as Chair of Burgundy Asset Management’s Independent Fund Governance Committee and was previously Chair of the Portfolio Management Association of Canada’s Tax Committee.

Theo has the Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D), and holds both the Chartered Professional Accountant (CA, CPA) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designations. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto.

Jillian Kennedy, Chief Strategy Officer, CAAT

Jillian Kennedy is committed to her vision of retirement income security and lifetime pensions for all Canadians. As Chief Strategy Officer at CAAT Pension Plan, Jillian leads initiatives to enhance the Plan’s strategic direction and expand modern defined benefit pension coverage across Canada.

Jillian has extensive experience in strategic leadership and a strong track record of successfully driving organizational transformation and optimizing performance.

Prior to joining CAAT, Jillian was a Partner at Mercer where she focused on the Canadian defined contribution strategy, retirement readiness research and their financial wellness strategy.

She has been featured as a thought leader on the topics of women and financial wellness, DC plan trends and various governance topics to support plan sponsors and member experience.

Jillian was named to Benefits and Pensions Monitor’s Elite Women (in the benefits, pension and institutional investments industry) list in 2024. She lives in Toronto with her husband and their foster dogs.

Simone Reitzes, FCIA, FSA, Managing Director, Medicus Pension Plan

Simone Reitzes is head of the Medicus Leadership Team, and has oversight of design, strategy, governance, and risk management. Simone played an instrumental role in establishing the Medicus Pension Plan, which has become an innovative addition to Canada’s retirement system.

Formerly Vice President, Global Pension and Benefits at Scotiabank, Simone brings almost two decades of proven leadership experience to the role, having overseen Scotiabank’s global financial reporting and strategy for more than $10 billion in pension obligations. Before joining Scotiabank, Simone spent the first part of her career in professional services, consulting to private- and public-sector clients on the unique challenges associated with holistic management of pension plan sponsorship.

Simone is a member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Pension Policy Council, a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. She holds a Bachelor of Mathematics with a Major in Actuarial Science from the University of Waterloo and a Strategic Analytics Certificate from the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.

Candice Bangsund, Vice President & Portfolio Manager, Global Asset Allocation, Fiera Capital Corporation

Candice Bangsund, CFA is Vice President and Portfolio Manager of Global Asset Allocation and Private Markets Solutions at Fiera Capital.
She is a member of the Global Asset Allocation Committee, focusing on central banks and fundamental macro analysis, and actively participates in the development and communication of the firm’s asset allocation strategy.

Ms. Bangsund also serves as the global spokesperson for Fiera Capital relating to all economic and investment matters and is Lead Portfolio Manager on the Fiera Diversified Lending, Diversified Real Estate, and Diversified Real Asset Strategies.

Her career in the investment industry spans over 15 years, including several years as an investment research analyst for Franklin Templeton Investments. While working at Franklin Templeton, Ms. Bangsund gained extensive experience in conducting global macroeconomic analysis focusing on asset classes, regions, sectors, commodities, and currencies. She also conducted multi-manager fund research and analysis with a focus on Canadian and Global Equity asset classes.

Ms. Bangsund joined Fiera Capital in 2012 upon its acquisition of Calgary-based Canadian Wealth Management Group Inc, where she managed North American equity portfolios as well as the asset allocation decisions for private wealth clients. She joined the Fiera Capital Global Asset Allocation team in 2014. Ms. Bangsund obtained her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2009 and holds a degree in Finance from the University of Regina.