ICPM is excited to announce the formation of its Academic Council, a newly established group of academics from around the world that are dedicated to advancing pension research that is of practical relevance to the pension community. The Academic Council will strengthen the academic rigour and organizational resilience at ICPM by supporting the Research Council, moderating in-person and virtual events, and providing continuous updates on the latest research in the field.

“One of ICPM’s core focus areas is to be a connection to the academic community and to translate the latest, cutting-edge research into practical takeaways,” says Sebastien Betermier, ICPM Executive Director. “We are honoured to work with these renowned experts. Positioned in key geographic areas and covering a wide range of subject areas, this Council will help us bridge the world of academia with our network of pension leaders.”

The Academic Council is currently comprised of 5 members. In addition to Mike Simutin (ICPM Associate Director of Research, Co-Chair of the ICPM Research Council and Professor of Finance at Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto) and Sebastien Betermier (ICPM Executive Director and Associate Professor of Finance at Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University), ICPM welcomes the following academics to the new Academic Council:

Aleksandar Andonov (Netherlands) – Council Chair: Aleksandar is Professor of Finance at the Amsterdam Business School, University of Amsterdam. In his research, Aleksandar focuses on analyzing the asset allocation of institutional investors in public and private markets, improving their organization and governance, and fostering long-term investing. He completed his PhD studies at Maastricht University and afterward worked at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Aleksandar is also a Visiting Fellow at Stanford University, Hoover Institution, and Research Affiliate at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).

Pedro Matos (US): Pedro is the Cooper Bicentennial Chair Professor of Business Administration (Finance) at the University of Virginia Darden School of Business (UVA Darden). His research focuses on the growing importance of institutional investors in financial markets worldwide, with particular attention to corporate governance and responsible investing. Pedro is a research associate at the European Corporate Governance Institute (ECGI), Vice-Chair of the Academic Network Advisory Committee of the UN-sponsored Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and a member of the Commission for Monitoring of the Corporate Governance Code of the Portuguese Corporate Governance Institute (IPCG).

Susan Thorp (Australia): Susan is Professor of Finance at the University of Sydney Business School and a leading expert in consumer financial decision-making, pensions, and retirement finance. She works closely with pension funds, regulators, and financial services firms to improve outcomes for retirees, and her research is published in top international journals including Management Science, Review of Finance, and Economic Journal. Susan serves on the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pensions Index Steering Committee, the ASIC Consultative Panel, and was a founding director of Super Consumers Australia.

The Academic Council will convene regularly and work closely with the Research Council on the annual ICPM Research Award.

Please visit our website for more information on the ICPM Academic Council including bios.