4th Annual Canada West Institutional Forum

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The 4th Annual Canada West Institutional Forum is the region's leading conference for pension funds, insurance companies, foundations & endowments, hospital plans, sovereign wealth funds and consultants from throughout the region. The forum’s content is developed through hundreds of one-on-one meetings with the institutional investment community and the program's speaker faculty is primarily comprised of leaders in the sector across Canada.

Our agenda covers asset allocation and protection, equity markets, fixed income, alternative investments, as well as succession planning and an outlook of the financial markets and the global economy. This event is completely closed-door and invitation-only, and it is designed to enable genuine peer-to-peer learning and networking for the regional institutional community.

OUR SPEAKERS

Speakers

Arijit Banik

Arijit Banik

York University

Treasurer

Arijit Banik is the treasurer for York University, responsible for the university’s endowment fund and balance sheet. Prior to his role at York, Arijit had experience in treasury, pension, and product management functions within RBC Financial Group, working in asset liability management, pension investments, forecasting and treasury desk roles. Arijit graduated from the University of Waterloo with bachelor’s degrees in chemical engineering and economics. He has an MBA from the Schulich School of Business (York University) and holds the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) designation.
Chelsea Kittleson

Chelsea Kittleson

BC Municipal Pension Plan

Executive Director

Chelsea Kittleson is the Executive Director of British Columbia's Municipal Pension Plan (MPP), where she provides strategic advice to the Municipal Pension Board of Trustees. With 25 years of finance, capital markets and public sector pension industry experience, Chelsea has a deep understanding of the complexities of managing a defined benefit, multi-employer pension plan. Prior to joining MPP, Chelsea was a Director, Client Relations at British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), one of Canada's largest institutional investors managing more than $211 billion on behalf of British Columbia's public sector. There she advised statutory pension clients and trust funds on investment matters, including performance, strategy and policy. Chelsea also has over 15 years of experience in capital markets, including as director at CIBC World Markets, and as Manager, Financing and Investor Relations at British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. Chelsea holds an MBA from the Smith School of Business at Queen's University. She has a Bachelor of Commerce and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation. Chelsea is the Past President of CFA Society Victoria and a former member of the Future of Finance Content Council with the CFA Institute. She is currently a board member for CFA Societies Canada.
Hosted at

Paradox Hotel Vancouver

1161 W Georgia St
Vancouver, BC
Canada, V6E 0C6

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Key Discussion Topics

Opening Panel Discussion: Navigating Markets in 2025: Investment Strategies and Macroeconomic Outlook The financial landscape continues to evolve in an era marked by unprecedented global events. Investors are faced with the imperative challenge of constructing resilient portfolios in the face of economic shifts and market volatility. The panel will shed light on the current macroeconomic landscape, providing insights into global economic trends and their potential impact on various asset classes.  

Fixed Income: Trends Shaping Today’s Landscape Federal Reserve rate cuts are undetermined, but what will result from the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet and the U.S. Government’s borrowing needs? Given this precarious moment in time, investors are left wondering what role bonds should play within their portfolios.

The Equity Equation: Evaluating Impact on Portfolios The equities market faces substantial influence from earnings expectations, elections and policy considerations, sector bets, slowing economies and interest rates. Will the rally continue?

Unveiling the Dynamics of Passive vs. Active Management Join the discussion on the world of investment management and explore the distinct strategies of passive and active approaches.

Institutional Uses of ETFs Institutional investors use Exchange Traded Funds in a variety of different investment strategies. In fact, ETFs are among the fastest growing vehicles in institutional portfolios. This session will look at the most used ETF strategies for institutional investors and how these valuable tools can support portfolio construction and asset allocation.

Institutional Views on Private Credit’s Growing Portfolio Utility & Importance Great Recession-era bank regulations helped fuel the rise of private credit, as investors looked for more attractive returns. The rise is not without its challenges, and private-credit investors are preparing to face higher borrowing costs and a slower economy weighing on the margins of portfolio companies.

Alternative Investments – From Diversifier to Return-Generating Strategies With interest rates relatively high and central banks around the world working to fight inflation, which alternatives offer the most meaningful diversification and how can the best managers be sourced?

Navigating ESG – Considerations for a Successful Institutional Investment Strategy Numerous institutional investors think asset managers should be more proactive in developing new ESG products. ESG has moved from being a niche consideration to a central component of strategic institutional investment. This panel will delve into the crucial role of ESG in shaping institutional investment strategies, offering expert insights on navigating this evolving landscape.

The Expanding Tool Set for Institutional Investors Seeking Liquidity in the US and Canada Join us for an insightful panel discussion on evolving trends in how institutional investors identify and access liquidity across markets. The conversation will highlight how advancements in trading tools, market structure, and the growing index investing trend have increased the importance of portfolio trading, ETFs, and futures to the liquidity discovery process.

Effectively Investing Through Private Markets; Diversification & Returns As investors search for additional sources of revenue and methods for portfolio diversification in the volatile and changing environment, private markets stand out as an area of opportunities. The panel brings together leading alternatives investors and allocators to share the role private equity, private debt, venture capital and more play in their portfolios and what they look for in managers to meet their objectives in these asset classes.

Leadership Roundtable: Decision-Making in Disruptive Times Amid all this operational, cultural, and technological change, businesses must make strategic decisions on how to run and steer their firms in the face of these challenges. Leading institutional investors shed light on the most pressing investment and management issues facing their organizations for example, how have global developments shifted priorities and what are reasonable expectations for investment returns this year?

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