The 2024 International Best Practices Forum

Helping Plan Members on the Path to Retirement
Presented by
THE CANADIAN LEADERSHIP CONGRESS

THE 2024 INTERNATIONAL BEST PRACTICES FORUM


📆 October 16-18, 2024

📍 Fairmont Copley Plaza |  Boston, MA

The World Upended: Navigating Tumultuous Change and Shifting Opportunities 

More than ever before, it seems as if we are living in a world in flux, as questions about the future of globalization loom and a fractious geopolitical landscape continues to generate conflicts around the world. With a U.S. election looming, presaging more potential change and disruption, investors must understand how global change will impact their portfolios and create opportunities in the process. The CLC’s International Best Practices Forum annually convenes Canadian DB pension decision makers in a small, intimate setting to hear international case studies, share ideas and learn from global experts with a unique perspective on global markets. 

Contact us for eligibility
This event is designed for top‑level pension executives to share ideas with strategic leaders from Canada’s defined contribution arena, to discuss a wide range of topics that matter to them.

AGENDA

Stay tuned for more speakers, sessions, and details to come in the following weeks.
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7:30 — 8:00 a.m.

Breakfast and Registration
8:00 — 8:15 a.m.

Opening Remarks, Rules of Engagement, Introductions
8:15 — 8:45 a.m.

Keynote Panel: The Financial Lives of Your DC Plan Members

This interactive panel with Canada’s top financial literacy experts will explore the money challenges facing Canadians right now. From debt to child care to managing a mortgage, your plan members face competing priorities that can and will impact how they feel about their workplace pension benefits and decisions they make around it.

Keynotes:
  • Bruce Sellery, CEO, Credit Canada Debt Solutions
  • Shannon Lee Simmons, Author and Founder, The New School of Finance
8:45 — 9:15 a.m.

Case Study: The Science of Plan Member Behaviour

This session will provide an overview of behavioural economics and offer insights on how to engage members in an effective and meaningful way that goes beyond education and incentives. The session will also include case studies that illustrate what works and what doesn’t when it comes to addressing specific plan member behaviours.

Presenter:
  • Michelle Hilscher, Vice-President of Strategy, BEworks
9:15 — 10:00 a.m.

From Pain Point to Plan — Using Behaviour to Engage Your Members

As a DC plan sponsor, you need to get your members on board and that means engaging them in learning more about their plan, its role in their retirement, and the kinds of investments that are part of it. In this interactive panel, we will talk to behavioural experts from the pension industry and academia to find out what works and what doesn’t when it comes to getting your plan members engaged and on track with their plan.

Panellists:

  • Michelle Hilscher, Vice-President of Strategy, BEworks
  • Carla Iluk, Human Resources Specialist, Pensions and Benefits, TransAlta
  • Jennifer O'Hara Martin, Vice-president, Global Equities, T. Rowe Price
10:00 — 10:30 a.m.

Networking Break

10:30 — 10:45 a.m.

Congressional Huddle

10:45 — 11:30 a.m.

Panel: Target Date Funds — What Works and What Doesn’t

Target date funds have evolved into an important part of the DC plan toolkit. But can plan members invested in TDFs take a hands off approach? And, is “set it and forget it” a realistic goal? This session will explore how TDFs work and best practices for making them available to DC plan members.

Panellists:

  • Roman Kosarenko, Senior Director, Pensions, Loblaw Companies Limited
  • Martin McInnis, Executive Director, CSS Pension Plan
  • Ruthann M. Pritchard, Institutional Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Investments

11:30 a.m. — 12:00 p.m.

Case Study: Plan Member Engagement — Experience From the UK

Plan design in the DC space has evolved dramatically over the last decade. This case study will look at how NEST UK is working to engage the population on the topic of retirement planning and how it is seeking to enhance the plan to make it more accessible and easy to use.

Presenter:

  • Will Sandbrook, Managing Director of Strategy, Analytics and Nest Insight, NEST UK

12:00 — 1:00 p.m.

Lunch

1:00 — 1:45 p.m.

Panel: Integrating ESG in DC Plans

More and more DC plans are focused on integrating ESG into their investments. At the same time, their members are now asking questions about whether their DC plan is invested sustainably. This session will focus on ESG and how best to integrate it into DC plans. What are the challenges and how can they be overcome?

Panellists:

  • Orla Cousineau, Executive Director, Pensions, UBC Staff & Faculty Pension Plans
  • Garth Hutch , Executive Director, Investment Services, PEBA
  • Karen Lockridge, Director, ESG Investing, Canada Post Pension Plan
1:45 — 2:15 p.m.

Case Study: Making Decumulation Easier for Plan Members

How can DC plan sponsors address the challenges their members have when it comes to drawing their income in retirement? In this case study, Michael Dodd shares an innovative approach to decumulation and how it’s working for members.

Moderator:
  • Don Ezra, Author, Consultant, Don Ezra Consulting Services, Ltd.
Presenter:
  • Michael Dodd, AVP Pensions, Treasury and Shareholder Services, Co-operators Group
2:15 — 2:45 p.m.

Networking Break

2:45 — 3:00 p.m.


Congressional Huddle

3:00 — 3:45 p.m.

Panel: Innovative Approaches to Decumulation

As plan sponsors, you spend time and energy engaging members and ensuring they understand the decisions that go into retirement saving. But what happens when members meet the finish line and transition to retirement? This session will explore best practices for decumulation.

Panellists:

  • Colleen Falco, Vice-president, Human Resources, Niagara Casinos
  • Michael Dodd, AVP Pensions, Treasury and Shareholder Services, Co-operators Group
  • Michelle Loder, Partner, DC Solutions, LifeWorks
  • Pat Leo, Vice-president, Retirement Solutions, Purpose Investments
3:45 — 4:15 p.m.

Case Study: ESG and the Changing Pension Regulatory Landscape

How is the regulatory landscape evolving to address the question of ESG and sustainable investing in the pension space? This session will look at what plan sponsors should keep in mind from a fiduciary perspective.

Presenter:
  • Randy Bauslaugh, Partner, McCarthy Tétrault
4:15 p.m.

Final Thoughts and Closing Remarks
4:30 p.m.

Closing Cocktail Reception

ADVISORY BOARD

Jaap van Dam

Jaap van Dam
Principal Director, Investment Strategy, PGGM

Ela Karahasanoglu

Ela Karahasanoglu
Head of Total Fund Management, BCI

James Davis

James Davis
Chief Investment Officer,
OPTrust

Marlene Puffer

Marlene Puffer
President and CEO,
CN Investment Division

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Randy Bauslaugh

Randy Bauslaugh
Partner and Co-Chair,
McCarthy Tétrault

Reina Berlien

Reina Berlien
Head of ESG, Brandywine Global, a Franklin Templeton Company

Orla Cousineau

Orla Cousineau
Executive Director, Pensions, UBC Staff & Faculty Pension Plans

Michael Dodd

Michael Dodd
AVP Pensions,
Co‑operators Group

Don Ezra

Don Ezra
Author, Consultant, Don Ezra Consulting Services

Michelle Hilscher

Michelle Hilscher, Ph.D.
Vice-president, Strategy,
BEworks

Gary Hutch

Gary Hutch
Executive Director, Public Employees Benefits Agency

Roman Kosarenko

Roman Kosarenko
Senior Director, Pensions,
Loblaw Companies Limited

Pat Leo

Pat Leo
Vice-president, Retirement Solutions, Purpose Investments

Karen Lockridge

Karen Lockridge
Director, ESG Investing, Canada Post Corporation Pension Plan

Michelle Loder

Michelle Loder
Partner, DC Solutions,
LifeWorks

Jennifer Martin

Jennifer O'Hara Martin
Vice-president, Global Equities, T. Rowe Price

Martin McInnis

Martin McInnis
Executive Director,
CSS Pension Plan

Ruthann Pritchard

Ruthann M. Pritchard
Institutional Portfolio Manager,
Fidelity Investments

Will Sandbrook

Will Sandbrook
Managing Director of Strategy, Analytics & Nest Insight, NEST

Bruce Sellery

Bruce Sellery
CEO,
Credit Canada

OUR PARTNERS

AllianceBernstein
Aviva
Fidelity Investments
MFS
Polen Capital
Shroders
T. Rowe Price
Wellington Management