AIMCo Announces Appointment and Reappointment to Board of Directors

EDMONTON, AB, May 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) announces the appointment of Mr. Jim Keohane as a member of the board of directors for a term to expire on May 26, 2024. This announcement follows the signing of the Order in Council, O.C. 160/2021, by the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta on May 27, 2021.

The Order also reappoints Ms. Jackie Sheppard as a member of the board of directors for a term to expire on June 30, 2024. Ms. Sheppard has been a member of AIMCo's Board since July 1, 2018.

"Independence and best practice governance structures are critical to the long-term success of public asset managers. That AIMCo continues to attract the highest calibre of leadership is a testament to the autonomy with which we continue to execute against our mandate, on behalf of our clients," said Mark Wiseman, AIMCo Board Chair. "Jim Keohane is an excellent addition to the AIMCo Board of Directors. Formerly, one of Canada's longest serving pension plan CEOs, Jim brings to bear considerable pension plan expertise, and a uniquely informed perspective to ensure client objectives are fully aligned to long-term investment strategy."

The appointment of Mr. Jim Keohane fills the vacancy left by the departure in December 2020 of Mr. Robert L. "Jay" Vivian Jr., who had served two terms at the time of his retirement from the board. 

"I am honoured to be appointed to the Board of Directors of AIMCo during this critical inflection point in the organization's evolution," said Jim Keohane. "AIMCo is an investment manager purpose-built according to the principles of the Canadian model, with substantial scale and in-house investment expertise. As a member of the Board, I am committed to further strengthening the organization to ensure it is the most effective platform from which its clients are able to achieve the sustainable long-term investment performance necessary to meet their objectives."

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, I wish to thank Jay Vivian for his commitment to AIMCo since 2014. Jay brought a keen perspective to each meeting and demonstrated exemplary service for the benefit of all Albertans," added Mark Wiseman. "Today's re-appointment of Jackie Sheppard, recently appointed as Chair of the Governance Committee, ensures the organization may further benefit from her vast experience, while also maintaining an important degree of board continuity."

Biographical Notes

Jim Keohane was President and CEO of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension plan from 2011 until his recent retirement in March 2020.  He joined HOOPP in 1999, bringing more than 25 years of institutional investing experience with several national firms.

Mr. Keohane is a frequent speaker on retirement income security and liability driven investing.

Jim was the architect of HOOPP's Liability Driven Investment strategy and is considered a global expert in this area.  He is a strong advocate for collective pension schemes and has championed several studies on the topic.

After completing his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Ottawa, Mr. Keohane obtained his MBA at Queen's University. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst and has completed the Directors Education Program (Rotman School of Business) at the Institute of Corporate Directors.  Jim is on the Board of Queen's University and is the Chairman of the Investment Committee and Chairman of the Pension Committee.  He is a former member of the Board of the Canadian Coalition on Good Governance, and previously served on the Board of Home Capital. He was selected as a member of the Ontario Technical Advisory Panel on Retirement Income Security.

Jackie Sheppard is the former Executive Vice President, Corporate and Legal of Talisman Energy Inc. Ms. Sheppard has been on the board of directors for Emera Energy Inc. since February 2009 and was named chair in May 2014. She served as the inaugural Chair of the Research and Development corporation of the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, a Provincial Crown Corporation, until June 2014. She is founder and Lead Director of Black Swan Energy Inc., an Alberta upstream energy company that is private equity financed. She is also a Director of ARC Resources Ltd., a publicly traded energy company focused on Canadian natural gas development. She was a Director of Cairn Energy PLC, a publicly traded U.K.-based international upstream company, until retiring from that board at the end of 2018.

Ms. Sheppard is a Rhodes Scholar, having received an honours jurisprudence, bachelor of arts and master of arts from Oxford University. She earned a bachelor of laws degree (honours) from McGill University and a bachelor of arts degree from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Ms. Sheppard also holds an honorary doctor of laws from Memorial University of Newfoundland, and has been appointed as Queen's Counsel for the Province of Alberta.

About Alberta Investment Management Corporation

AIMCo is one of Canada's largest and most diversified institutional investment managers with more than $118 billion of assets under management. AIMCo was established on January 1, 2008 with a mandate to provide superior long-term investment results for its clients. AIMCo operates at arms-length from the Government of Alberta and invests globally on behalf of 32 pension, endowment and government funds in the Province of Alberta. For more information on AIMCo please visit www.aimco.ca.

SOURCE Alberta Investment Management Corporation