Speaker Profiles

Bruce Ashton

Partner, Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Group

Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP

Bruce Ashton puts more than 35 years of legal experience to work for public and private sector clients dealing with the full range of employee benefits matters.

Bruce assists plan service providers, including registered investment advisors (RIAs), independent record-keepers, third-party administrators, broker-dealers and insurance companies, in fulfilling their obligations under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Bruce also advises and defends fiduciaries on their obligations and liabilities, helps public and private sector plans and their sponsors negotiate the resolution of plan qualification issues under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) remedial correction programs, and structures qualified plans and nonqualified deferred compensation arrangements.

Combining his employee benefits and transactional experience, Bruce is active in the installation and funding of employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs).

Kathryn Bush

Partner

Blakes

Kathy has over 30 years’ experience in the area of pension, benefits and executive compensation. She regularly assists businesses structure their pension, benefit and executive compensation arrangements and their related investments. She also has substantial litigation experience defending corporations from challenges at all levels of Canadian courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Kathy was a Member and Vice-Chair of both the Ontario pension regulator and the tribunal, and was the management expert on the Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions. Currently she is the Chair of the Association for Canadian Pension Management’s National Policy Committee, a Member of the CD Howe Pension Policy Committee and a leader of the Blakes National Pension Benefits and Executive Compensation Group. Kathy is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for Identifying and Strengthening the Supervision of Actively Monitored Plans and Stakeholder Advisory Committee on Pensions at Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA).

Kathy has provided advice to many provincial governments, the Federal government and a great many of Canada’s largest jointly sponsored pension plans relating to the structuring of pension and benefit arrangements and their board structure and governance. She has also developed one of the premier Canadian practices on Trustee Board governance.

Simon Colboc

Principal

CMI Strategies

Simon Colboc is a Principal with CMI Strategies, a Paris-based strategy consulting firm specialised in growth strategies, advising corporate clients and private equity investment funds.

Simon is also a member of the advisory committee of FECIF, the European Federation of Financial Advisors and Intermediaries, grouping more than 15 national associations and direct corporate members and representing some 300,000 advisors at European level. He is the Secretary-General of FEPI, the FECIF European Pensions Institute.

He is also a director of Nucleus Life AG, a life insurance company incorporated in Liechtenstein.

Simon has over 25 years’ experience in Financial Services. He led the development of Prudential Plc’s European strategy and the establishment of its French branch, drove Fortis Bank’s commercial banking sales effectiveness programme and was recently responsible for the development of BNP Paribas Group’s Financial Intermediaries business across Europe.

He has lived in Hong Kong, London and Brussels and is now based in Paris.

Bob Collie

Principal

Collie ESG

Bob Collie has led consulting practices and research teams in the US and the UK at some of the world’s leading investment consulting firms. His roles at Mercer, Russell and Willis Towers Watson’s Thinking Ahead Institute spanned consulting, business leadership and strategic research responsibilities. Today, he advises investment organizations on best practice in ESG and sustainable investing through Collie ESG Ltd. This advice is focused on understanding and articulating how ESG is integrated into the investment process, and on effectively communicating the organization’s strategy and outcomes to clients and the marketplace.

Kevin Collins

President, Head of Retirement Plan Services

T. Rowe Price

Kevin Collins is the president and head of T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services, Inc. He also is a vice president of T. Rowe Price Group, Inc., and T. Rowe Price Trust Company. Kevin has been with T. Rowe Price since 1994, beginning in the Global Investment Management Services and Global Asset Management organizations. Prior to his current role, he was head of Product & Platforms and has also been head of Sales and head of Client Services for Retirement Plan Services.

Kevin earned a B.S. in accounting from the University of Scranton and an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland. He is a Series 7 and 24 registered representative. He also is vice chair of The SPARK Institute, the Society of Professional Asset-Managers and Record Keepers.

Catherine Collinson

CEO and President

Transamerica Institute

Catherine Collinson serves as CEO and President of nonprofit Transamerica Institute and its Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies, and is a champion for Americans who are at risk of not achieving a financially secure retirement. Catherine oversees all research and outreach initiatives, including the Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey.

With two decades of retirement industry-related experience, Catherine has become a nationally recognized voice on retirement trends. She was named a 2018 Influencer in Aging by PBS’ Next Avenue. In 2016, she was honored with a Hero Award from Women’s Institute for a Secure Retirement (WISER) for her tireless efforts in helping improve retirement security among women. In 2015, Catherine joined the Advisory Board of Milken Institute’s Center for the Future of Aging. She co-hosts ClearPath: Your Roadmap to Health and Wealth on WYPR, Baltimore’s NPR news station.

Catherine is employed by Transamerica Corporation. Since joining the organization in 1995, she has held a number of positions and has identified and implemented short- and long-term strategic initiatives, including the founding of the nonprofit Transamerica Institute and its Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies.

Catherine earned her bachelor’s degree in British and American literature at Scripps College, Claremont, California, and her master’s of business administration at the University of California, Irvine.

Warren Cormier

Director

DCIIA Retirement Research Center

Warren Cormier is Executive Director of the DCIIA Retirement Research Center (RRC). He has previously served as CEO and co-founder of Boston Research Technologies and as president and founder of Boston Research Group. Warren is a veteran in the financial services industry with more than 25 years of experience in research for investment companies, banks and insurance companies. He is also recognized as a market research leader in the defined contribution industry. Warren is the cofounder of the Behavioral Finance Forum with Dr. Shlomo Benartzi and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Helen Dean

CEO

National Employment Savings Trust (NEST)

Helen has a strong background and long-standing interest in addressing financial inequalities and promoting financial resilience.

Working in DWP she was one of the architects of the UK’s automatic enrolment programme and a leading figure in establishing the National Employment Savings Trust (NEST).

Since 2015 Helen has been the CEO of NEST, with almost 10 million members, now the largest pension scheme by membership, in the UK.

Helen is also a Trustee and Non-Executive board member of Step Change, together with being a member of the Council of Scholar Advisors, Centre for Recruitment Initiatives, Georgetown University in Washington, a Governor of the Pensions Policy Institute UK and a member of the Advisory Board to the Money and Pensions Service.

Helen was awarded a CBE in the 2021 New Year Honours list for her services to saving.

Bernard Delbecque

Senior Director for Economics and Research

European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA)

Bernard Delbecque is Senior Director for Economics and Research at the European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA).

As part of his responsibilities at EFAMA, Bernard is in charge of EFAMA’s analysis of the developments in the investment management industry in Europe and publications in this area. Bernard is also responsible for developing EFAMA’s position on investor education and pension issues. In this capacity, Bernard contributed to all initiatives taken by EFAMA to promote the strengthening of the EU single market for pensions through the creation of the pan-European Personal Pension Product (PEPP).

Bernard has served as Vice-Chair of EIOPA’s Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group (OPSG) between April 2016 and October 2018, and as Chair of the OPSG between October 2018 and July 2020. Bernard was appointed for a new term in the OPSG, starting in July 2020.

Prior to joining EFAMA, Bernard was a policy advisor to the Belgian Minister of Finance and previously he worked as an economist at the International Monetary Fund in Washington. Bernard holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and he also teaches economics courses at the Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium.

Derek Dobson

CEO & Plan Manager

CAAT Pension Plan

He has 30 years of experience in the pension industry. In addition to being the CEO of one of Canada’s most sustainable pension plans, he serves as Co-Chair of the Canadian Public Pension Leadership Council (CPPLC), sits on the Board of the Association of Canadian Pension Management (ACPM), he is a contributor to the International Centre for Pension Management and is a founding faculty member of the Masters of Trust Management Standards (MTMS) of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits and Pensions (IFEBP), and Member of the Legal & Legislative and Public Sector Conference Committee of IFEBP, and is a member of the Pension Committee of the C.D. Howe Institute.

Derek received the 2019 ACPM Industry Award. This was given in recognition of his leadership and creativity in addressing the challenges facing the Canadian retirement income system through his advocacy for, and development of, solutions to expand Canadians’ access to sustainable and efficient pension plans.

Nathalie Dogniez

Partner

PwC Luxembourg

Nathalie Dogniez leads PwC’s EMEA AWM ESG practice and PwC Luxembourg sustainable finance practice. With more than 30 years experience in Asset Management, she has been focusing on ESG over the last 2 decades. She leads the Luxembourg Fund association Committee on Responsible Investing and participates in several trade association European trade associations initiatives on ESG and Sustainable Finance. Over the last 18 months, she has been focussing on SFDR and she has assisted many asset managers in implementing SFDR and Taxonomy regulations. She has also been conducting numerous workshops and webinars and intervened in many conferences on ESG, Sustainable Finance and SFDR. She is a member of the Luxembourg Fund Association Fund labelling (LuxFlag) ESG committee.

Anna Driggs

Director, Associate Chief Counsel

ICI Global

Anna Driggs is director and associate chief counsel with ICI Global in London, working on policy issues that affect the fund industry, with a particular focus on the European Union’s sustainability laws and regulations (Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation, Taxonomy Regulation, corporate issuer disclosure). Previously, she led the Investment Company Institute’s global retirement savings initiatives from Washington, DC, facilitating a global dialogue around ageing, the retirement system design, and the role that mutual funds can play in long-term saving. Before joining the Institute in 2007, Driggs worked in private law practice. She has an executive MBA from Oxford Saїd Business School, a JD, with honors, from the University of Washington School of Law, and a BA, magna cum laude, from Gonzaga University. She also studied at the Linguistical University in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.

Jacki Ellis

Portfolio Manager, Retirement Strategy

Aware Super

Jacki is the Portfolio Manager for Retirement Strategy, working in the Investment Strategy team at Aware Super. She is passionate about tailoring investment strategies to meet the needs of members, and in supporting retirees through the delivery of adequate and sustainable income.

Jacki has extensive experience in retirement income research, modelling member outcomes, asset allocation, portfolio construction and manager selection. Prior to joining Aware Super, she was a Senior Investment Consultant for Mercer and the Pacific Director of strategic research, where she partnered with institutional clients to enhance their investment strategies and focused her research on issues important to retirement strategy. Prior to this, Jacki worked for Access Capital Advisers and the Australian Office of Financial Management.

Jacki has an Honours degree in Finance and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from the Australian National University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Xiyuan Fang

Partner

McKinsey

Xiyuan is a Partner and Core leader of McKinsey Financial Institutions Group and Corporate Finance Practice. Xiyuan served multiple banks, insurers, financing holding companies and leading investment and asset management firms.

He’s a former Head of Corporate Strategy, APAC, and Head of Strategy and Chief of Staff, at BlackRock Asset Management. Xiyuan founded China Internet Finance Academy, helping over 100 global financial institution executives to visit China’s Fintech ecosystem and strike partnerships. Also served multiple Chinese digital platforms in financial service strategy.

Mark Foley

Managing Director, Head of Default Solutions

TIAA

Mark J. Foley, CFA is Managing Director and Head of Default Solutions at TIAA. In this role, Mark is responsible for defining and driving the overall go-to-market strategy for TIAA’s suite of retirement default solutions, including product development and management responsibilities for the TIAARetirePlus Series. Before joining TIAA in 2017, Mark was vice president of product development for Prudential International Insurance, where he developed product, investment and business strategy for new international market entry opportunities in Australia and the United Kingdom. Previously, Mark was vice president of product development for Prudential Retirement, where he led the development and implementation of Prudential IncomeFlex and other outcome-oriented investments for U.S. employer-sponsored retirement plans. He earlier served as the senior product manager for Prudential Retirement’s asset allocation products and selected equity funds. Prior to joining Prudential, Mark oversaw stable value products and managed asset allocation and equity products at Cigna, and was director of guaranteed products at MetLife, where he created, managed and marketed stable value, guaranteed index, and alternative investment products.Mark received his bachelor’s degree in history from Rutgers University. He is also a CFA charter holder, holds the Fellow, Life Management Institute designation, is a member of the CFA Institute and the CFA Society North Carolina, and holds Series 6 and 63 FINRA registrations.

Brent Godson

Director, Investments and Financial Management

Co-operative Superannuation Society Pension Plan (CSS Pension Plan)

Brent has been the Director of Investments & Financial Management at Co-operative Superannuation Society Pension Plan (CSS Pension Plan) for the last 13 years. Brent is responsible for all aspects of the Plan’s investment program including investment strategy, compliance, research, manager oversight, and administration. Pioneered in 1939, the CSS Pension Plan is one of the oldest and largest defined contribution (DC) pension plans in Canada serving over 340 independent member Co-operatives and Credit Unions and their 50,000 current and past employees. The $5.2 Billion Plan offers its members four daily unitized investment funds as well as 2 retirement income options- a fixed monthly pension, and a variable payment option. Brent has over 30 years’ experience in the financial and accounting industry and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Saskatchewan. He is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CMA), and CFA Charterholder.

Ashra Jackson

Senior Manager, Global Reward Services, Tax

KPMG

Ashra is a Tax Senior Manager in KPMG’s Global Reward Services practice. She has 10+ years of consulting experience with clients in a variety of industries. Ashra specializes in executive and broad-based compensation program design and tax compliance. Ashra has extensive experience in designing and implementing performance-based compensation strategies specific to organization philosophies and objectives, conducting competitive compensation benchmarking studies, designing and analyzing salary structures, and addressing issues related to incentive plan design, internal inequities in compensation, retention, and compensation pay mix.

In addition, Ashra has technical expertise in global equity tax and regulatory compliance, which include providing guidance on employee and employer tax obligations, securities registrations, foreign exchange restrictions, and payroll compliance. She supports organizations with equity program implementation and administration and resolving issues related to mobile workforces and compensation and payroll matters.

Michael Kreps

Principal

Groom Law Group

Michael Kreps specializes in issues relating to public policy, fiduciary responsibility, and plan funding and restructuring. He routinely represents both private and public sector clients before federal agencies and Congress.

Previously, Michael served as the Senior Pensions and Employment Counsel for the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions from the 110th through the 114th Congresses. In that role, he managed all aspects of
the Committee’s retirement agenda and had primary staff responsibility for pension legislation, including the pension investment provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the funding stabilization and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation reform provisions of the MAP-21 Act of 2012, the Pension Relief Act of 2010, and the CSEC Pension Flexibility Act. He also led the Committee’s oversight of regulatory activities involving employee benefit plans. Michael writes and speaks frequently on retirement and health policy.

Neil Lloyd

Head US DC & Financial Wellness Research

Mercer

Neil Lloyd was appointed Head US DC & Financial Wellness Research in late 2015. Neil is a Partner and prior to this role was a senior consultant in Mercer’s investments business in the Vancouver office. Neil uses his actuarial, investment and international expertise to lead the research activities for US DC and Financial Wellness.

Neil is a member of Mercer’s DC Team Leaders group, DC Investment Committee and several of Mercer’s Strategic Research Teams, including the US Target Date Fund Strategic Research team. Neil is a regular speaker at national and regional industry forums.

Neil obtained a Business Science degree from the University of Cape Town in 1987, before qualifying as a Fellow of the Faculty of Actuaries in 1990. He also became an Associate of the Society of Actuaries, a Fellow of the Conference of Consulting Actuaries and an Affiliate of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries. In addition, Neil qualified as a Certified Financial Planner in South Africa in 1994.

Greg Long

Public Policy & DC Public Sector

Alight Solutions

Greg leads Alight’s public policy efforts related to defined contribution plans. Previously, Greg spent a decade as the Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB) and the Managing Fiduciary of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Prior to working for the Federal government, Greg spent seven years with State Street Bank helping to run the multiple-employer plan sponsored by the American Bar Association. Before State Street, Greg spent six years with Putnam Investments where he served as a Regional 401(k) Director.

Ben Ma

Partner

McKinsey

Ben is a Partner in FIG Practice in McKinsey Greater China Office. Ben has 13 years of financial service consulting experience.

Leads McKinsey’s China Asset Management and Wealth Management Service line, serving both local champions and global players pursuing their China Market Entry or China Market Growth. Prior to joining McKinsey, Ben worked as strategic development director in a Chinese leading investment group, in charge of driving strategic transformation of the group from a conglomerate to a multi asset investment vehicle.

Judy Mares

President

Mares Financial Consulting Inc.

Judy served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy in the Employee Benefits Security Administration of the Department of Labor from October 2013 until January 2017. In that capacity, Judy was a member of the leadership team that developed the Fiduciary Rule, the Department’s guidance on ESG Investing and Shareholder Engagement among other projects.

Before joining the Labor Department, Judy served as Chief Investment Officer for several Fortune 500 companies including General Mills, Ameritech and Alliant Techsystems. Her duties included managing the assets of their defined benefit and defined contribution plans.

Currently, Judy is President of Mares Financial Consulting Inc., a consulting firm that provides strategic planning and product development for the investment industry. From 1997 to 2006 Mares Financial served many large financial institutions on their business planning, product development, market intelligence and sales training.

Judy currently serves on the Betterment for Business Board of Advisors. Judy has recently served on the Employee Benefits Research Institute Executive Committee of the Board of Directors. Judy has served on the Minnesota State Board of Investments Advisory Council, the University of Minnesota Endowment’s Investment Advisory Committee, advisor to the Defined Contribution Institutional Investment Association (DCIIA) and member and leadership at the Committee for the Investment of Employee Benefit Assets (CIEBA).

Judy has a B.S. in Mathematics from Purdue University and an M.B.A. from the University of Illinois.

Lisa A. Massena

Principal

Massena Associates

Lisa A. Massena, CFA, is a retirement leader partnering with governments, service providers and policy organizations to develop savings programs focused on increasing private sector retirement coverage.

Lisa founded Massena Associates to help clients successfully navigate new spaces, achieving on-budget implementation, state of the art operations, happy users, and good policy.
Lisa provides strategic advice on market position and opportunities; financial analysis; program design and development; implementation planning and support; issue expertise and testimony; marketplace updates and education; and communication.

Prior to establishing Massena Associates, Lisa served on the Government Savings team at Ascensus, the nation’s largest independent recordkeeper, and as the founding Executive Director of the OregonSaves program. She has also held executive positions at State Street and mPower. Lisa is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Municipal Securities Advisor, and a graduate of Portland State University.

John Mitchem

Principal

JM3 Projects

John Mitchem, Principal of California-based JM3 Projects, has worked in journalism, public policy, industry strategy, executive communications and content development worldwide. After two decades with the United Nations and the State Street Corporation, he founded JM3 Projects to provide strategy development and thought leadership projects for a variety of technology and financial firms, trade associations, government agencies, universities and nongovernmental organizations around the world.

His focus is on economic development, emerging technologies, global capital markets and innovations in financial services, including the evolution of private workplace savings plans worldwide. John collaborated with Bob Reynolds and the team from Great West/Empower/Putnam on the book “From Here to Security: How Workplace Savings Can Keep America’s Promise” (McGraw-Hill Professional).

Mary Morris

CEO

Virginia529

Mary G. Morris is the Chief Executive Officer of Virginia529, a role she has held since October 2007. She directs and manages the operations, resources, and investments of Virginia529, the largest 529 plan in the country, and is involved in state and federal legislative and governance issues relating to the 529 industry.

Mary came to Virginia529 from the national law firm of Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer LLP. As a tax, securities and bond expert, Mary was brought to the firm’s Institutional Investor Client Services Group for her extensive knowledge of public financing issues and public service experience to expand the law firm’s practice to state and local pension funds and other institutional investors. Her prior work focused on corporate governance initiatives and standards.

Prior to joining Kaplan Fox in 2002, Mary served a term as Treasurer of Virginia, appointed in 1999. As State Treasurer, she was the chief executive of the Department of the Treasury, which serves as the Commonwealth’s chief cash and debt manager and manages the concentration, investment, and disbursement of all State funds. She was responsible for the investment of the Commonwealth’s General Fund and the issuance and management of all Commonwealth debt, serving as Chairman of the Commonwealth Treasury Board and as a member of eleven other Commonwealth boards, including Virginia529. From 1994–98, Mary served as the Senior Assistant Attorney General for Finance and Tax in the Office of the Attorney General, responsible for the legal work for 16 client agencies, boards and authorities including the Office of the Secretary of Finance, Department of the Treasury, Department of Taxation, Virginia Retirement System and Higher Education Tuition Trust Fund (now Virginia529). At the beginning of her legal career, Mary served as a tax and bond lawyer.

Mary earned a Juris Doctor and Master of Law and Taxation from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary. She is active in two national 529 organizations, serving as Past Chair of the Board of the College Savings Foundation, Chairman of the Federal Initiatives Committee of the College Savings Plans Network and a member of the National Association of State Treasurers Legislative Committee. She is a member of the Institutional Limited Partners Association (ILPA). Mary is a frequent speaker on college savings and higher education issues.

Judy Nelson

Head-US Retirement, Managing Partner

TCS Consultancy Services

Judy Nelson has over 30 years of financial services and industry experience with a focused concentration on Brokerage, Asset Management, Banking, Retirement and Insurance. Judy’s areas of expertise focus on business transformation and strategic initiatives which enable clients to achieve optimal results. Her vast background and expertise have been instrumental in driving transformative client experiences, revenue growth/profitability, organizational efficiencies and improved operating success.

As a consultant, Judy has created, designed and implemented organizational strategies which resulted in new business support models and increased revenue streams. Prior to consulting, Judy was responsible for creating Merrill Lynch’s global service infrastructure for retirement, retail private clients, wealth management and affluent clients. Under Judy’s direction, Merrill Lynch was awarded the J.D. Power award (four years) for outstanding client and participant service delivery.

Judy was the architect of the ML Online Platforms for participant and client trading, service delivery, client communication and e-delivery strategies. Earlier in her career, she was responsible for managing ML Mutual Fund Operations, providing support to domestic and international funds, proprietary and non-proprietary funds and internal transfer agency. Judy also facilitated the Morgan Stanley and Smith Barney merger, creating the blueprint for future state service/operations infrastructure. Additionally, she designed alternative channels of distribution for investing and retirement at PNC Investments, and implemented cross-sell initiatives to support multiple channels of distribution.

Tim Rouse

Executive Director

SPARK Institute

Tim has over thirty years of experience in the financial services industry mainly within retirement services of large mutual fund companies. For the past twenty-five years Tim has worked with major plan sponsors in state and local governments, corporations, Taft-Hartley plans, nonprofit hospitals, colleges and universities. Over his career Tim has worked with Voya Financial, Fidelity Investments, ICMA Retirement Corporation and The Vanguard Group.

Tim is a former President of the National Association of Government Defined Contribution Administrators’ Industry Board and a graduate of Villanova University.

Preston Rutledge

Principal

Rutledge Policy Group

Preston Rutledge is the Founder and Principal of Rutledge Policy Group, LLC. With an uncommon combination of policy expertise both in legal and tax matters, he is a sought-after consultant and speaker in the areas of retirement, health, taxation, insurance, private equity, fiduciary duty, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.

Prior to founding Rutledge Policy Group, Preston was the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). At EBSA, he led the drafting and publication of guidance to implement retirement, health,and workplace benefits policies and oversaw a nationwide team of over 800 employee benefits professionals.In international affairs, Preston led the U.S Delegation on private pension policy at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, France. Preston was a member of the OECD Insurance and Private Pensions Committee, and served as Chair of the OECD Working Party on Private Pensions. Preston also worked closely with the OECD affiliated International Organization of Pension Supervisors (IOPS).

Before joining the Department of Labor, Preston served as senior tax and benefits counsel for Chairman Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT) on the Majority Tax Staff of the US Senate Finance Committee. Preston had the retirement, non-profit, and insurance tax portfolio during tax reform in 2017, and he drafted the Chairman’s primary retirement initiatives: the Secure Annuities for Employee (SAFE) Retirement Act and the Retirement Enhancement and Savings Act (RESA). RESA became the SECURE Act, the most sweeping reform of retirement savings policy in over a decade.

Prior to joining the Finance Committee, Preston served as a senior tax law specialist for retirement and non-profit policy on the Headquarters Staff of the Tax Exempt and Government Entities Division of the Internal Revenue Service. Earlier in his career he served as a law clerk on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and worked in private law practice as an employee benefits counselor and ERISA litigator.

Preston earned a BS in business, cum laude, from the University of Idaho; JD, with high honors, from the George Washington University School of Law, where he was a member of the Law Review;and an LLM –taxation, with distinction, including a certificate in employee benefits law, from the Georgetown University Law Center. Prior to law school Preston was a Naval Officer and served on the U.S.S. Bagley (FF-1069).

Arnaud Schwebel

Global Head of Retirement Solutions

BNP Paribas Asset Management

Arnaud Schwebel is Global Head of Retirement Solutions for BNP Paribas Asset Management. In his current role, he is actively developing opportunities linked to the growth of defined contribution pension savings in Europe through a multi-channel approach – including the 3rd largest provider of occupational pension schemes in France (BNP Paribas Epargne & Retraite Entreprises).

Arnaud was formerly Head of Strategy, Corporate Development and Public Affairs practice for the firm. Before joining BNP Paribas Asset Management in 2010, he previously spent 10 years within the Corporate Finance department of BNP Paribas (both in Paris and London), advising large clients on their corporate strategy and inorganic growth.

Graduated from HEC, Saint Gallen and Sorbonne, Arnaud serves as board member in several companies including Gambit Financial Solutions, a leading European provider of robo-advisory investment solutions.

Anthony Serhan

Distribution Director

Pendal Group

Anthony joined Pendal Group in October 2018 and is a member of the Australian Executive team. Drawing upon his extensive experience in retail and institutional funds management Anthony is responsible for the strategic development of key relationships and is also a Director of Pendal Fund Services.Anthony joined Pendal following his tenure of fifteen years in senior leadership roles at Morningstar. Most recently Anthony was Managing Director, Research Strategy Australasia where he was responsible for the development of research and commentary on investment themes and trends within the Asia-Pacific region, in addition to representing Morningstar’s manager, equity and credit research capabilities. Anthony’s remit also extended to the development of retirement research, public policy initiatives, and engagement with regulatory authorities. Prior to this role, Anthony was also CEO, Australia and New Zealand from 2010-2014 and Managing Director of Morningstar Investment Management from 2009-2010. Anthony’s prior experience includes senior appointments ASSIRT Research and AMP Consulting.Anthony is a director of the Abbotsleigh Foundation, a past president of the CFA Society of Sydney and a member of the CFA Societies of Australia National Advocacy Council. He is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, holds the Chartered Financial Analyst®designation, a graduate diploma in Applied Finance and Investments from FINSIA, and a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Technology, Sydney.

Nick Sherry

Principal

Sherry and Associates International

Nick was a Senator for Australia (Tasmania) for 22 years and the Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law (Australia’s first), Assistant Treasurer, Small Business Minister and Assistant Minister for Agriculture and Resources. He is currently the Chair of Household Capital, GO Sourcing, Co Chair Singapore Forumand Chair of anNGO; Youth, Family and Community Connections. He has worked as a Senior Advisor, Global Pensions and Superannuation for Citi Group and EY in some 27 countries to government, regulators, think tanks and providers, on all aspects of pension system design and operation thereof. He was a member of the OECD Irish Pension Study Group, the Steering Group on Social Security at the World Economic Forum, independent director of Spotless (ASX:SPO), Chair of FNZ (APAC) and a Chair, founding trustee and secretary of 3 superannuation funds. He has contributed to the global discussion and development of public policy and industry practice in Defined Contribution pension systems. He is a Governor of the Pension Policy Institute (UK), a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees and a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Aron Szapiro

Head of Policy Research

Morningstar

Szapiro is director of policy research for Morningstar. Szapiro is responsible for developing research reports on policy matters, coordinating official responses to regulatory proposals, and providing investor-focused comments on policy issues to clients and the press. He also chairs Morningstar’s Public Policy Council. His research has been covered in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Journal of Retirement, and on National Public Radio.

Before assuming his current role in July 2016, he served as Morningstar’s associate director of policy research and as policy and finance expert at HelloWallet, a former subsidiary of Morningstar. Previously, he was a senior analyst at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), specializing in retirement security issues and pension plan policy. He also worked at the New Jersey General Assembly Majority Office.

Szapiro holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Grinnell College and a master’s in public policy from Johns Hopkins University.

Mark Thompson

Consultant

Mark Thompson has worked in DC investment in the UK for over 30 years.

He served as CIO for the $44bn HSBC UK DB and DC pension plans from 2011-2019. As CIO, Mark led the design and implementation of HSBC’s award-winning DC investment strategy. This included being the architect for the innovative Future World Fund, a multi-billion dollar DC global equity fund that was the first in the UK to incorporate Climate Change factors in its design. Future World Fund is the primary accumulation vehicle for the HSBC DC default investment strategy.

Subsequent to his period of office at HSBC, Mark serves on the Investment Committees of a number of leading DC plans and providers in the UK including Lloyds Bank, UBS UK and Zurich Assurance.

Earlier in his career, Mark designed DC investment propositions for the UK’s Prudential as a provider and separately chaired the DC Committee for the Prudential’s own pension fund.

George Turpie

Senior Vice-President, Group Retirement Savings & Investments

Canada Life Assurance Company

For three decades George’s unique mix of technical and business acumen have led him to progressively senior roles across the Canada Life organization and across the country. His experience and expertise spans Individual, Group Wealth Management, and Insurance (Life, Health and Living Benefits), as well as the HNW and institutional wealth lines of business.

In his current role as Senior Vice-President, Group Retirement Savings & Investments at Canada Life, George has overall responsibility for the successful growth of the Group Customer wealth business, with a particular focus on bringing Canada Life to the marketplace leadership position for the growing decumulation market. He is a frequently requested speaker and expert panelist for industry events and publications, and represents Canada Life on the board of the Canadian Drug Insurance Pooling Corporation and the CLHIA’s Group Retirement Plans Committee.

George brings a creative lens to fact-based decisions and is known for rolling up his sleeves to drive the successful execution of product developments and strategic growth initiatives.

He graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a degree in Actuarial Science. George is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries, and continues to support the development and success of young actuarial graduates through his contributions to professional development opportunities and mentorship. George and his wife Rita have four children and live in London, Ontario.

Jorik van Zanden

Consultant European Retirement Solutions

Utrecht University

Jorik van Zanden is one of Europe’s best known thought leaders around workplace defined contribution savings systems and capital markets union. As a consultant with Westerbrink (Netherlands) he has worked with a variety of financial services firms, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders across the EU. In previous positions, he was a pensions policy specialist at Fidelity International and served as a policy staffer at the European Parliament, where he was part of the negotiations on and drafted legislation for the Pan-European Personal Pension (PEPP). Jorik has authored numerous articles and papers on DC savings and capital markets and is a PhD. candidate in Law at Utrecht University, Netherlands, focusing on retirement regulations from a comparative angle.

Ziga Vizintin

Advisor to the Management Board, CMO

Pokojninska družba A

Žiga Vižintin is an advisor to the Management Board at Pokojninska družba A pension fund in Slovenia. He has a M.Sc. in economics from the University of Ljubljana and is interested in behavioral biases related to retirement saving. He has almost 10 years of senior management experience in the pension fund industry in the roles of CMO and CSO where he is combining the latest information technology and behavioral insights to help people save more for retirement. During this time he gained extensive knowledge of the pension landscape in Europe and is advocating the development of multi-pillar private pension plans in order to combat the facing demographic challenges.