'Hot List 2023' - BPM names top Canadian financial advisors and professionals

See who has been recognized as exceptional leaders shaping the benefits, pensions, and institutional investment industry

'Hot List 2023' - BPM names top Canadian financial advisors and professionals
Gregory Hourigan, Vice-president and Head of Canadian Institutional Sales, Mackenzie Investments Dawn Jia, Chief Executive Officer and President, UBC Investment Management

Canada’s best financial advisors and professionals have been identified and honoured by Benefits and Pensions Monitor it its inaugural ‘Hot List 2023.’

This year special report showcases 43 exceptional leaders who have made impressive contributions and helped shape the benefits, pensions, and institutional investment industry by demonstrating outstanding vision, positive influence, and passion.

Gregory Hourigan, Mackenzie Investments One of this year’s top finance industry professionals is Gregory Hourigan, Vice-president and Head of Canadian Institutional Sales, with Mackenzie Investments.

Hourigan joined Mackenzie Investments less than one year ago and has already made an impact on the industry in his role as vice-president and head of Canadian institutional business.

He is best known for possessing an overactive sense of urgency and a genuine passion for human interactions. That dedication and enthusiasm for the work at hand have enabled him to achieve extraordinary results throughout numerous executive sales roles across Canadian retail, national accounts, and institutional investment spaces.

His most significant achievements over the last year include securing significant new institutional business including more than $500 million in institutional sub-advisory deals.

“I strive to bring maximum urgency and positive energy to everything I do,” says Hourigan. “This means having a full calendar, a busy travel schedule, and working to consistently exceed client expectations regarding quality and timely service. I aim to be indispensable and the most trusted business partner possible.”

He holds the Chartered Investment Manager (CIM) designation and earned an honours degree from the University of Guelph. Hourigan is also an avid traveler, licensed recreational pilot, and competitive race car driver in his spare time.

Dawn Jia, UBC Investment Management Another BPM Hot List winner is Dawn Jia, Chief Executive Officer and President at UBC Investment Management.

Jia is responsible for more than $5.8 billion in assets under management (AUM) and overall investment activities on behalf of the funds the firm manages, which include the UBC Endowment Fund, the UBC Staff Pension Plan, and more. She also oversees UBC Investment Management operations, providing strategic and operating leadership to the organization.

Jia has a deep experience and knowledge of financial markets, investment strategies, regulatory environment and its shifts and changes, and risk management of financial assets.

She is a board member of the Vancouver Foundation where she chairs the Investment Committee. She also serves on the board of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. Jia is a founding member of the advisory board of Western University’s Master of Financial Economics program and served on the Investment Committee of the Ontario Hospital Association. She received her MBA from the Ivey Business School and a MS in Engineering from Tianjin University in China. She is also a CFA charterholder. To find out who else was named as a top financial advisor and professional, visit ‘Hot List 2023.’