Awards

Awards

November 18, 2024
The Omni King Edward Hotel Toronto

Join Us for an Evening of Excellence at the Institutional Connect Awards!
Experience a night of sophistication and celebration as we honour the outstanding achievements in Canada’s institutional investment industry at the prestigious Institutional Connect Awards. This exclusive event highlights the industry’s trailblazers—those who are redefining the future of pension funds and investment management with innovative strategies, dedication to fiduciary excellence, and bold approaches that challenge the status quo.

As the investment landscape evolves, organizations and individuals are rising to meet new challenges in areas like macroeconomic trends, organizational culture, and investment practices. At the Institutional Connect Awards, we celebrate these remarkable efforts, recognizing achievements at both the organizational and individual levels. Whether at the beginning of their journey or already established leaders, award recipients will be celebrated for the unique impact they’ve made in their own way.
2024 Award Ceremony Host

Amber Kanwar


Prominent Financial and Business Journalist

View Bio
Keynote Speakers

Derek W. Dobson


CEO & Plan Manager

CAAT Pension Plan

View Bio

Jillian Kennedy


Chief Strategy Officer

CAAT Pension Plan

View Bio
2024 Award Categories

For Institutional Investors

  • Climate Change Champion Award
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
  • Investment Innovation Award
  • Indigenous Reconciliation Award
  • Leader of the Year Award
  • Institutional Investor Award
  • Lifetime Achievement Award

For Investment Management Firms

  • Portfolio Manager Award
  • - Portfolio Manager Award - Private Markets
  • - Portfolio Manager Award - Public Markets
  • Climate Change Partner Award
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Award
  • Indigenous Reconciliation Partner Award
  • Investment Management Firm Award
  • Lifetime Achievement Award
View Descriptions
Awards Judge Committee
A judge committee consisting of senior level executives from pension fund and investment industries will review nominations and determine category finalists and winners. The judge committee members are committed to selecting finalists and winners in an unbiased manner.
Judge Committee Members
What to Expect

Nominations Open until September 27th, 2024

Judge Committee Review nominations, select finalists and winners

Finalists will be announced in late October

Winners announced at the Awards Ceremony on November 18th, 2024

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Amber Kanwar

Prominent Financial and Business Journalist

Amber Kanwar is a seasoned financial journalist. For nearly 15 years she was an anchor at BNN Bloomberg and regular contributor to CTV, CP24 and Bloomberg in the US. She has interviewed hundreds of CEOs, portfolio managers, analysts and decision makers over the years. She is currently the author of the Before the Bell newsletter which sets investors up for the trading day. She is also the Executive Producer and Host of the upcoming podcast: In The Money with Amber Kanwar.

Derek W. Dobson

CEO & Plan Manager

CAAT Pension Plan

Derek is a seasoned pension leader with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Currently the CEO of one of Canada’s most sustainable pension plans, he sits as a member of the Pension Policy Council at the C.D. Howe Institute and serves as Co-Chair of the Canadian Public Pension Leadership Council (CPPLC). He is a member of the Talent Ecosystem Committee at the Toronto Region Board of Trade, which aims to facilitate a diverse, competitive, and resilient talent ecosystem in the region, and is a founding faculty member of the Masters of Trust Management Standards (MTMS) at the International Foundation of Employee Benefits and Pensions (IFEBP).
Derek is a featured speaker at international pension conferences and a contributing expert to Talent Canada, Benefits Canada, Globe and Mail, Plans & Trusts, HR Professional, and Canadian HR Reporter.
Derek received the 2019 ACPM Industry Award in recognition of his leadership and creativity in addressing the challenges facing the Canadian retirement income system. He continues to advocate for innovative solutions to expand access to sustainable and efficient pension plans for all sectors.

Jillian Kennedy

Chief Strategy Officer

CAAT Pension Plan

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.