Jeff Wendling will stay in position until a successor is appointed
Jeff Wendling, president and CEO of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP), has announced his retirement in 2025 after more than 26 years with the organization.
Wendling, who became CEO on April 1, 2020, will remain in the role until a successor is appointed by HOOPP’s Board of Trustees to ensure a smooth transition.
He began his HOOPP career in 1998 as a portfolio manager.
By 2000, he was leading the Public Equity strategies team, and in 2012, he became co-Chief Investment Officer (CIO). He held the CIO role until September 2021, guiding the investment management team through challenging market conditions.
Under Wendling’s leadership, HOOPP implemented a Liability Driven Investing approach, maintaining a strong funded position, stable contribution rates, and delivering multiple benefit improvements.
Reflecting on his career, Wendling said, “One of the things that first drew me to HOOPP, when I joined in 1998, was that I saw an organization with a lot of potential to become even more successful than it was at the time.”
During his tenure, he focused on fulfilling the pension promise for Ontario’s healthcare workers. By the end of 2023, HOOPP’s membership and assets under management grew to $112.6bn, with a funded status of 115 percent, ensuring $1.15 in assets for every dollar owed in pensions.
HOOPP also received recognition as one of Greater Toronto’s Top Employers for four consecutive years, emphasizing equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). Wendling holds a BA in Economics, an MBA from the University of Toronto, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
He was on the board of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG) and chaired its Public Policy Committee.
Dan Anderson, chair of the HOOPP Board of Trustees, and Gerry Rocchi, vice chair, commended Wendling’s leadership, noting that contribution rates have remained unchanged since 2004, with plans to maintain them until at least 2026.
The Plan has also provided three benefit improvements since 2020.
