TORONTO, March 10, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) is pleased to announce the appointment of Jeff Wendling as the new President & Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective April 1, 2020. He replaces Jim Keohane, who announced his retirement last year and has served as CEO since 2012.
Mr. Wendling is currently HOOPP’s Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer (CIO). He has been with HOOPP for more than 20 years. He joined HOOPP in 1998 as a Senior Portfolio Manager on the Public Equities team. He also served as co-CIO before taking on his current role in 2018. Mr. Wendling earned his BA in Economics and his MBA from the University of Toronto, and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. He is also a board member of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance and is the chair of its Public Policy Committee.
“Jeff has three decades of investment experience and has been integral in developing and overseeing HOOPP’s investment strategies; the Board is very pleased to have him as HOOPP’s new CEO,” said Dan Anderson, Chair of HOOPP’s Board of Trustees. “After an extensive search inside and outside Canada, the HOOPP Board determined that based on his deep knowledge of HOOPP, pension plans and the global investment landscape, Jeff stood out among the many strong candidates as the best person for the job.”
He added: “The Board’s top priority in the next few months is a smooth transition in leadership, and we will work closely with Jeff to make it as seamless as possible.”
Mr. Wendling said: “I am honoured to lead an organization that is committed to providing retirement security to more than 350,000 healthcare workers in Ontario. HOOPP has been very successful – a world-class pension plan that is a model for others. I am excited to work with the team to help take HOOPP to the next level, and continue to deliver on the pension promise to our members.”
“Jeff is a great choice for this position. With his leadership, the strong team already in place and the vision of the Board, HOOPP is well positioned for continued success,” said retiring CEO Jim Keohane. “During his time as CIO we achieved solid investment results, allowing HOOPP to maintain our funded position and keep plan pricing stable, while providing benefit improvements to members. I have enjoyed working alongside Jeff, and I’m very pleased that he’ll be taking the reins at HOOPP.”
Adrian Foster, HOOPP Board Vice-Chair, noted: “We would like to thank Jim for his leadership and commitment and we wish him well in retirement. HOOPP unquestionably excelled during Jim’s tenure, and we are confident it will continue to excel. The years ahead promise to be a time of growth and opportunity. We fully support Jeff and the HOOPP team, and we are confident they will leverage those opportunities to the benefit of Ontario’s healthcare sector.”
About the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan
HOOPP is the pension plan serving Ontario’s hospital and community-based healthcare sector, with more than 570 participating employers. HOOPP’s membership includes nurses, medical technicians, food services staff, housekeeping staff, and many other people who provide valued healthcare services. In total, HOOPP has more than 350,000 active, deferred and retired members.
HOOPP operates as a private independent trust and is governed by a Board of Trustees with a sole fiduciary duty to deliver the pension promise. The Board has representation from the Ontario Hospital Association (OHA) and four unions: the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA), the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU), and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Media contact:
James Geuzebroek
Senior Manager, Media and Public Affairs
416-350-4800 or jgeuzebroek@hoopp.com
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