MEDICUS PENSION PLAN - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Executive Vice President and Head of Canadian Wealth Management at Scotiabank
- Executive Vice President and Head, Canadian Wealth Management / Scotiabank
Alex Besharat is Executive Vice President and Head of Canadian Wealth Management at Scotiabank. He is responsible for defining and implementing the strategic direction, goals and values for Scotia Wealth Management in Canada, including the ScotiaMcLeod, Private Banking, Scotia iTRADE, MD Financial Management Inc., Private Investment Counsel and Scotiatrust businesses, to maximize return for clients and shareholders.
Alex has more than 35 years of wealth management experience. He began his career as an advisor with ScotiaMcLeod in 1986. Since then, he has held progressively senior roles within ScotiaMcLeod and Scotia Wealth Management. Most recently, he was Senior Vice President and Head of Canadian Wealth Management.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Director for the Educators Financial Group
- Member of Several Independent Review Committees
Cathy Welling is a corporate director for the Educators Financial Group and Canadian Dental Service Plans Inc., and is the past Chair of the Board of Directors for C6 Launch Systems Inc.
Cathy has held executive leadership roles in various Canadian and international businesses for Scotiabank - Wealth Management, Insurance and Pensions. She was an active executive member of several core compliance, governance and risk committees during that time.
Cathy is currently a member of several independent review committees in the Canadian mutual fund industry and has the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Job Titles:
- Formerly President and Chief Executive Officer of MD Financial Management Inc
Daniel Labonté, formerly President and Chief Executive Officer of MD Financial Management Inc. (MD), has held numerous executive roles at MD for more than 20 years, supporting the financial well-being of Canada's physicians and their families.
He has extensive experience in the financial services industry, with a focus on strategic direction and organizational development. Daniel has also held key leadership roles in a variety of industries including government, not-for-profit and business (both established businesses and startups), with experience in management, organizational development functions and customer experience.
Job Titles:
- Director, Governance and Risk Management
- Fellow of Both the Canadian Institute of Actuaries
Danielle Amiel has oversight of the Medicus Pension Plan's governance and risk management framework, including the development, execution, and reporting of governance activities for the Administrative Board and the Plan Sponsor Committee; management of plan financials, including actuarial valuations and funding; and procedures and internal controls for governance and financial risks and related policies.
Danielle brings more than 10 years of experience working with defined benefit pension plans, providing governance, regulatory and actuarial support to global employers and administrators across various industries, and bringing best practices to managing financial reporting and pension compliance.
Danielle is a Fellow of both the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries, and holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario.
Dr. André Bernard is an Associate Professor in the Department of Anesthesia, Pain Management and Perioperative Medicine at Dalhousie University and Associate Head of his department. He is also a staff Anesthesiologist at Nova Scotia Health.
Dr. Bernard has held national and international leadership roles within organized medicine over a period of nearly 20 years with a focus on strategic leadership, communications, administration and management, and health policy, planning and financing.
Dr. Bernard has also held key leadership roles with Doctors Nova Scotia, the Medical Society of Prince Edward Island, the Canadian Medical Association and the World Medical Association.
Job Titles:
- Surgeon
- National Leader
- Professor
Dr. Christian Finley is a Professor and Thoracic Surgeon at McMaster University. He is also Expert Lead at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer.
Dr. Finley is a national leader in lung cancer management and has a deep understanding of policy, governance, standardization and benchmarking. Dr. Finley has led the development of partnerships with national, provincial and territorial governments, national societies and cancer agencies to establish solution-oriented approaches to the management of complex systems of care.
Dr. Finley is also the clinical lead of lung cancer screening for Ontario and has held key leadership roles with the Canadian Association of Thoracic Surgeons National Database Quality Improvement and Research Project.
Job Titles:
- Physician and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education at Delta Hospital
Dr. Michael Curry is an emergency physician and Director of Undergraduate Medical Education at Delta Hospital in suburban Vancouver. He is also a Clinical Associate Professor with the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of British Columbia, and works as a locum physician in communities throughout Alberta and British Columbia.
Dr. Curry is experienced in financial oversight and governance, and has held local and national leadership roles in a wide range of regulatory, academic and professional organizations. In addition to a medical degree, Dr. Curry has a law degree and university-level training in accounting, corporate finance, financial mathematics and securities regulation.
Dr. Curry has held governance roles with Doctors of BC and the Canadian Medical Protective Association.
Job Titles:
- Director, Pension Operations
- Leader of the Medicus Support Team
Glenn Bowman is the leader of the Medicus Support Team and is responsible for operational excellence. He oversees the pension operation activities of the plan and the enrolment journey of prospective plan members from their first interaction through to plan enrolment.
He has been in leadership roles in the pension administration industry for over 20 years - most recently with a multi-billion-dollar, multi-employer pension plan - and he comes to Medicus with a passion for coaching, process improvement and service excellence.
Glenn holds a Pension Plan Administration Certificate (PPAC) from Humber College and a Bachelor of Arts from York University.
Job Titles:
- Corporate Director
- Member of the Board
Jane Craighead is an experienced corporate director with more than 20 years in public company environments.
She has been in leadership roles at the board level and has significant experience in corporate governance, executive compensation, finance and financial reporting, and business strategy. In addition to corporate director experience, Jane is a former Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources at Scotiabank.
Jane has been a board member and served on finance, audit, human-resources, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) committees with Telesat Corporation, Wajax Corporation, Crombie Real Estate Investment Trust, Intertape Polymer Group, Jarislowsky Fraser Limited and Clearwater Seafoods LP.
Job Titles:
- Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Wealth Management at Scotiabank
- Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Global Wealth Management / Scotiabank
John Pereira is Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Wealth Management at Scotiabank. He oversees the strategic development and execution of operational functions, digital transformation, business solutions, data governance and analytics across the Global Wealth Management Operations enterprise.
John endeavours to ensure that operational functions are responsive to client needs while delivering exceptional service proactively in an effective and efficient manner. He has been recognized for his leadership and problem-solving skills while balancing the needs of clients, employees and shareholders.
Job Titles:
- Scotiabank in 2004 As Senior Legal Counsel
- Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel / Scotiabank
- Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Scotiabank
Katy Waugh is Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Scotiabank. She leads the legal department, covering all aspects of the bank's legal work in Canada, the European Community the United Kingdom and Asia. Her role also involves regular interaction with other global legal counterparts and assisting the bank's General Counsel with management of the global department. Since December 2017, Katy has had oversight of the bank's Office of the Ombudsman.
Katy joined Scotiabank in 2004 as Senior Legal Counsel in the Legal Department, was the project manager for the August 2011 version of the bank's Crisis Management Plan and joined Global Risk Management in 2011 as Vice President of Operational Risk. Before joining Scotiabank, she was an associate in Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP's corporate department.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer of Doctors Nova Scotia
Nancy MacCready-Williams is Chief Executive Officer of Doctors Nova Scotia, the professional voice of physicians in that province.
Nancy has been leading Doctors Nova Scotia for more than 10 years. In this role, she supports a healthy and vibrant physician community while working with health-system leaders and partners to transform healthcare delivery in Nova Scotia. Nancy has extensive experience in strategic leadership and operations, having also served as CEO of the Workers' Compensation Board of Nova Scotia for seven years.
A lawyer by training, Nancy has the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors and has significant governance experience, having served on the boards of United Way Halifax, Dalhousie University, the QEII Health Sciences Centre Foundation and Parkinson Canada. Nancy is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Events East Group in Halifax.
Job Titles:
- Head
- Head of Scotia Global Asset Management
Neal Kerr is Head of Scotia Global Asset Management and President of 1832 Asset Management LP. He is responsible for all aspects of the Scotia Global Asset Management businesses in Canada, including ScotiaFunds and Dynamic Funds.
Neal has 27 years of investment industry experience. Before joining Scotia Global Asset Management in 2019, he was employed for 25 years at CI Financial and predecessor companies, most recently as Executive Vice President where he had corporate management responsibilities for CI's portfolio management teams, its Institutional Asset Management business and CI's Australian funds management business.
Job Titles:
- CEO / MD Financial Management Inc.
Pamela Allen is responsible for the strategic goals and growth of MD Financial Management Inc. (MD) and for overseeing the day-to-day management of the business. She leads MD's network of advisors, portfolio managers and support staff, who provide customized solutions to Canada's physicians and their family members. She inspires a physician-first culture that's focused on deepening client relationships by delivering exceptional client experiences. Pamela's extensive experience delivering physician-focused advice has helped shape the MD you see today.
Pamela has 30 years of financial services industry experience. She began her career with MD 16 years ago in a leadership role in Edmonton. As she's risen through the ranks, she has spearheaded important initiatives that help put women investors and leaders at the forefront, including the Women in Leadership program, the Female Physician initiative and MD's first Visible Leadership Program.
Job Titles:
- Director, Investment Strategy
Prashant plays a key role in supporting the Administrative Board in their oversight of the Medicus Pension Plan's investment strategy. This includes investment manager and custodian oversight, and formation and maintenance of investment policies, including responsible investing.
With close to 20 years of experience working in the Canadian pension and retirement landscape with both corporate plans and large multi-employer pension plans, Prashant's broad-based experience brings significant expertise to the Medicus leadership team.
Prashant holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Mumbai and is a CFA charterholder. He has also been a member of the Pension Investment Association of Canada for a decade and has served on its Communique Committee.
Job Titles:
- Vice President, Pension Operations
Rod Tulk is responsible for providing strategic leadership and oversight of the Medicus Pension Plan operational model. This includes establishing and leading a national client services team; partnering with key pension industry vendors to bring expertise to the operational model; and delivering a best-in-class experience for plan members.
Rod has more than 25 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, with much of that in the wealth management industry with Scotiabank and MD Financial Management. He has public sector experience working and partnering on key strategic topics with industry and both national and international governments.
During his years in wealth management Rod has led various national teams, projects, and functions in core areas of finance, operations, communications, regulatory, technology, real estate, and client experience, and was most recently Vice President of Client Experience and Support.
Rod has a bachelor's degree from Memorial University, with a major in Economics and a minor in Business Administration. He has completed the Operational Leadership Program at Queen's University's Smith School of Business, and is currently enrolled in the Queen's Advanced Executive Certificate program.
Sean McGuckin is a former Group Head and Chief Financial Officer at Scotiabank.
Sean had a long and distinguished career at Scotiabank, holding leadership roles in Global Risk Management, Finance and Audit. He has significant board experience and deep expertise in corporate governance, finance and financial reporting, risk management and investments.
Sean also held key leadership and governance roles as a Board Chair, Chair of the Finance Committee of The Canadian Bankers' Association, as well as with the Scotiabank Pension Administration and Investment Committee. Sean is a Chartered Professional Accountant and received the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Head of the Leadership Team
- Member of the C.D. Howe Institute 's Pension Policy Council
Simone Reitzes is head of the 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.
Job Titles:
- Director, Policy and Regulatory Strategy
Stacey Parker-Yull is responsible for pension policy development and oversight of regulatory and compliance issues for the Medicus Pension Plan. She plays a critical role in advancing the plan's strategic priorities across the Canadian pension landscape.
Stacey is a lawyer with more than 15 years of experience in pension law. Her experience spans a wide variety of areas, including pensions, benefits, employment, executive compensation, securities, tax, M&A transactions, and governance, and she held both legal and business roles at Scotiabank before joining the Medicus team.
Stacey earned a JD/MBA from the University of Toronto and an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario.
Todd Barnes - Managing Director, SVP
Job Titles:
- Head
- Managing Director
- Senior Vice President
- Senior Vice President, Managing Director and Head of ScotiaMcLeod
Todd Barnes is Senior Vice President, Managing Director and Head of ScotiaMcLeod. He is responsible for the strategic goals and growth of ScotiaMcLeod and oversees the day-to-day management of the business, including supporting a network of 1,800 advisors and support staff who deliver customized solutions to high-net-worth clients across Canada.
Throughout his 23 years of advisory experience, Todd's focus has been on inspiring an advisor-oriented culture that delivers exceptional client experience. He has played a critical role in building the ScotiaMcLeod business and deepening client relationships through the Total Wealth strategy.