Keith Ambachtsheer is an adjunct professor of finance at the Rotman School, Director of its International Centre for Pension Management, and founder/president of KPA Advisory Services, in addition to being the director of Rotman ICPM.

The Award for Professional Excellence is presented by the CFA Institute, the global association for investment professionals, periodically to a member of the investment profession whose exemplary achievement, excellence of practice, and true leadership have inspired and reflected honor upon the investment profession to the highest degree. Previous recipients include David Swensen, Martin Leibowitz, Jack Bogle, Charles D. Ellis, CFA, Warren Buffett, and Sir John Marks Templeton, CFA.

“Keith’s contributions to our industry have greatly advanced how investment professionals think about, and interact with pensions funds globally,” said John Rogers, CFA, president and CEO of CFA Institute.  “His research, writings, and educational programs have also indirectly benefited the millions of workers whose retirement funds are invested by a pension fund.  In today’s post-crisis environment, we greatly value his leadership that has protected and informed investors large and small.”

Ambachtsheer is a four-time winner of the CFA Institute Financial Analyst Journal’s Graham and Dodd Scrolls (1979, 1985, 1987, and 1994) and won the Roger Murray Award in 1983 and 1994. In 2003 he was named one of the 30 Most Influential People by Pensions and Investments, and in 2007 he was honored with the Outstanding Industry Contribution Award by Investments and Pensions Europe. In 2008, he received the CFA Institute James R. Vertin Award for making contributions “of enduring significance” to the practical application of investment theory.  In 2010, he received the Lilywhite Award from the Employee Benefits Research Institute in the USA for “extraordinary lifetime contributions to Americans’ economic security.”

A respected strategic analyst on pensions and investment topics, Ambachtsheer’s articles have appeared in the Financial Analysts Journal, the Journal of Portfolio Management, and other professional journals, and he has authored three critically acclaimed books.  He is currently the publisher and editor of the Rotman International Journal of Pension Management, which launched in the Fall of 2008.  In addition to managing the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management and advising clients, Ambachtsheer continues to lecture on pension economics and investments topics at universities and other learned forums around the world. 

The Rotman International Centre for Pension Management has become a global catalyst for improving pension management. The Centre sponsors research and fosters dialogue that focuses on building better pension deals, better pension fund organizations, and better pension legislation and regulation. In addition, the Centre looks for opportunities to raise pensions-related content in undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs at the Rotman School and other education-oriented forums. Further details on the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management, including access to the Rotman Journal of International Pension Management, are available at www.rotman.utoronto.ca/icpm/

The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is redesigning business education for the 21st century with a curriculum based on Integrative Thinking. Located in the world's most diverse city, the Rotman School fosters a new way to think that enables the design of creative business solutions.  The School is currently raising $200 million to ensure Canada has the world-class business school it deserves. For more information, visit www.rotman.utoronto.ca.

Ken McGuffin Manager, Media Relations
Rotman School of Management
Voice: (416) 946-3818
E-mail: mcguffin@rotman.utoronto.ca