iA Financial Group’s reaction following the appointment of Clément Gignac to the position of senator

iA Financial Group welcomes the appointment of Clément Gignac to the position of senator, announced today by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“I am happy for Clément, as this appointment represents an honour, a new challenge and another opportunity for him to serve the Canadian public,” commented Denis Ricard, President and CEO of iA Financial Group. “The appointment of one of our own to this prestigious position is indeed a source of pride for our entire organization. I sincerely thank Clément for his outstanding contribution and wish him the best of success in his new role.”

“I consider myself fortunate to have been able to participate in the strong growth of iA Financial Group over the past ten years and to have had the pleasure of working with talented investment colleagues and professional financial advisors across the country,” stated Clément Gignac. “I would like to thank iA Financial Group’s senior management, my investment colleagues and all of our sales force representatives for their continued trust. I am proud of the evolution of our investment team and I am confident that the future is bright, as iA Financial Group has the expertise to continue delivering investment excellence.”

Sébastien McMahon, Portfolio Manager and Economist, has been appointed Interim Chief Economist. Clément Gignac will remain involved as an advisor to ensure a smooth transition and support the team.

Clément Gignac has been Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist at iA Financial Group since December 2012. In addition to acting as the Group’s spokesperson on economic issues, he has co-managed various investment solutions with Tej Rai and Sébastien McMahon.

“It has been an honour to work closely with Clément, who I will certainly miss,” stated Alain Bergeron, Executive Vice-President and Chief Investment Officer. “His considerable experience and dedication have helped strengthen our investment capabilities. The high level of excellence established by Clément will serve as a benchmark for the recruitment of the next Chief Economist, a process that we are launching now.”

“Since his arrival at iA Financial Group, Alain Bergeron and I have worked as a team to take our portfolio management to the next level,” said Clément Gignac. “The performance of the funds under my responsibility has been excellent since our collaboration began!”

As head of the Asset Allocation Committee, Alain Bergeron will continue to be involved in the management of the funds for which Clément Gignac was portfolio manager. Since joining iA Financial Group in September 2019, Alain Bergeron has been instrumental in implementing best practices in asset allocation for large pension funds, with the goal of providing clients with strong risk-adjusted returns. He brings to iA Financial Group’s clients a wealth of experience, acquired in particular during his years with the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

“iA Financial Group has invested significantly in the asset allocation team over the past year with the addition of top-rate talent,” added Alain Bergeron. “We have a world-class team that will continue to manage the funds, and I am confident that our clients will continue to benefit from exceptional portfolio management.”