CAAT Pension Plan's CIO, CFO and CPO Depart the Organization

I am publishing two comments today since I didn't publish yesterday. James Bradshaw of the Globe and Mail reports three senior executives resign from CAAT pension plan:

Three of the most senior executives at the CAAT Pension Plan resigned without explanation this week, as chief executive officer Derek Dobson cited a need for “the right alignment of our executive team” in a memo to staff.

Chief investment officer Asif Haque, chief financial officer Mike Dawson and chief pension officer Evan Howard resigned on Monday, according to a company-wide e-mail reviewed by The Globe and Mail.

Mr. Dobson did not provide a reason for their departures to plan staff, but he wrote that all three executives “are leaving the organization on good terms” in the e-mail sent Tuesday afternoon.

A spokesperson for CAAT confirmed the resignations in an e-mailed statement on Wednesday that did not explain why they are leaving but said that the plan “is in strong financial shape.”

Mr. Haque, Mr. Dawson and Mr. Howard all had years of experience at CAAT. Mr. Haque had the longest tenure among them, at nearly 16 years, and had served as CIO since 2021.

Mr. Dawson joined CAAT in 2018 after a stint as a vice-president at fund manager BlackRock Inc., and took over as CFO in 2022. And Mr. Howard, a former Bay Street lawyer, joined CAAT as general counsel in 2012.

CAAT promoted Kevin Fahey to CIO, to succeed Mr. Haque. Mr. Fahey has worked at CAAT for 17 years.

The plan also named Scott Blakey, a former CAAT trustee, as interim executive vice-president and chief people and culture officer.

“CAAT is actively in search of permanent senior executives,” Mr. Dobson said in the staff memo. He also said CAAT’s 2026 business plan “remains intact.”

Chief strategy officer Jillian Kennedy is staying in her role, and vice-president of actuarial solutions John Baiocco will oversee the plan’s funding and sustainability.

CAAT is a multiemployer pension fund, founded in 1967 to serve Ontario’s colleges of applied arts and technology, that has expanded to serve more than 750 participating employers, with more than 120,000 active and retired members.

The Globe is a participating employer in CAAT, having merged its company pension plan in 2022.

The CAAT plan manages $23.3-billion in assets and is in a surplus funding position, with $1.24 in assets for every dollar it expects to owe in pensions, as of Jan. 1, 2025. 

Earlier today, I reached out to CAAT CEO Derek Dobson and Director of Corporate Communications Stephen Hewitt who replied back with this statement:

CAAT Pension Plan confirmed the resignation of three senior executives: Asif Haque, Mike Dawson and Evan Howard, the former Chief Investment Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Pension Officer, respectively. The Plan is grateful for the service, contribution and impact they have had in CAAT’s growing success.  

 

CAAT possesses a depth of talent that allows the Plan to continue to deliver its pension promise and build on its momentum under the leadership of the CEO and Plan Manager. Jillian Kennedy remains Chief Strategy Officer, focused on expanding the Plan’s employer and membership base. Kevin Fahey has been promoted to Chief Investment Officer after 17 years in various leadership roles on CAAT’s Investments team. John Baiocco continues to oversee funding and sustainability of the Plan as Vice President of Actuarial Solutions. 

 

CAAT also welcomes Scott Blakey as Interim Executive Vice President and Chief People and Culture Officer, bringing extensive experience to the role from the college sector and pension industry.  The organization is conducting searches to add to its existing executive bench strength for roles such as the Chief People and Culture Officer in addition to other roles. 

 

The Plan is in strong financial shape. CAAT's most recent independent valuations show the Plan at a 124% funded status. This means for every $1 of pension benefits CAAT has promised to members, the Plan has $1.24 in assets. At year of 2024, the Plan had $23.3 billion in total assets under management. CAAT also reported $6.1 billion in funding reserves as of January 1, 2025.  These reserves act as a cushion against market downturns, demographic shifts, and other risks, ensuring long‑term sustainability. 

  

Established in 1967, the CAAT Pension Plan is an independent, jointly governed plan that offers highly desirable modern defined benefit pensions. Originally created to support the Ontario college system, the CAAT Plan now proudly serves more than 750 participating employers in 20 industries, including the for-profit, non-profit, and broader public sectors. It currently has more than 120,000 active and retired members. The CAAT Plan is respected for its pension and investment management expertise, with an ongoing focus on stability and benefit security for our members. 

I also reached out to Asif Haque directly via email but have not heard back from him.

Now, any time you see a CIO, CFO and CPO "resigning" from an organization, you ask questions because it looks very odd to say the least.

The article above states:

Mr. Dobson did not provide a reason for their departures to plan staff, but he wrote that all three executives “are leaving the organization on good terms” in the e-mail sent Tuesday afternoon.

That also raises a lot of questions, are they leaving to join another organization? Why go out of your way to state they are leaving on good terms in an email?

I have no idea, all I know is that Asif did a great job as CIO, I spoke to him and Evan (Howard) last April when I covered CAAT's 2024 results and I was surprised when I read this story.  

It just seems very odd from the outside.

Now, what does this mean for CAAT?

Well, to be honest, it means employees might be frazzled but as far as the Plan, it remains very solid and they have excellent investment professionals who will continue to do their job.

For example, Kevin Fahey who was in charge of Private Markets is now the acting CIO.

Kevin has been around CAAT for a very long time (17 years, even longer than Asif) and will be an outstanding CIO, no doubt about it.

How do I know? I had a few private discussions with Julie Cays who hired Kevin and Asif and trained them both so they both got trained by one of the best CIOs in Canada and they're both very competent professionals.

I'm not worried about CAAT Pension Plan missing a beat with Kevin at the helm of their investment office.

That's all I have to comment on this topic for now, if there is more I will let you know in an update.

Stay tuned for my subsequent comment covering a big departure at BCI (damn cold winter!).

Below, a conversation with Citadel Investment Group President and Chief Executive Officer Ken Griffin at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Great stuff, have a listen.