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Season 1, Episode #8: The power of pensions - How retirement security can (and will!) transform Canada

In this episode, Russell sits down with Derek W. Dobson, the CEO and Plan Manager at the CAAT Pension Plan. Exploring the challenges of retirement security in Canada, the episode shares why there are more oppportunities than threats.

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“In a nutshell, we're listening. Traditional defined benefit plans worked really well for somebody who joined with the same employer for 35 years and retired. That is not the state of most employees today and most employers today. There's a lot of disruption that can happen, a lot of workforce mobility. So we've done a lot of listening less to the groups who have actually joined the plan because clearly our product and our story and the value proposition appealed to them.” - Derek W. Dobson in ‘Retirement Insecurity in Canada ’



Derek W. Dobson provides insightful commentary about how DB pension plans are integral to Canada’s retirement ecosystem and why access to a secure pension plan in the workplace is a significant priority for Canadian employees today. Derek helps to debunk common misconceptions about pension plans, offering a new way to approach lifetime retirement income.

After this episode, you’ll learn:

  • The looming challenge of retirement savings in Canada – and the opportunity for our economy;
  • Three ways employers are improving their business by joining a defined benefit pension plan;
  • How organizations, like CAAT, are transforming and innovating pensions;
  • Derek’s “secret sauce” behind creating a new category in the retirement savings space.  

Listen to Derek's episode:

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Listen on other streaming platforms, like Podcast Addict.

Biography

Derek W. Dobson

Chief Executive Officer and Plan Manager

Since joining as CEO in April 2009, Derek has applied his expertise in funding, risk management, strategic planning, governance, and stakeholder relations to strengthen the CAAT Plan, and more recently, guide its growth. In addition to leading one of Canada’s model pension plans, he plays an active role in various industry groups, notably as Co-Chair of the Canadian Public Pension Leadership Council, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Canadian Pension Management, and as a founding faculty member of the Masters of Trust Management Standards of the International Foundation of Employee Benefits and Pensions. Derek’s pension management expertise and engaging presentation style make him a sought-after speaker in Canada and abroad on a variety of topics, including the need for national aging and retirement strategies. Derek has a degree in mathematics from the University of Waterloo.

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