Retirement lifestyle consulting firm Life’s Next Steps announced today that it has named Chris Armstrong as its new CEO.

Armstrong joins the Toronto-based firm as it continues to develop a market for workshops it has designed to assist baby boomer employees currently at the threshold of retirement and seeking a lifeplan for their retirement years.

Armstrong is a seasoned senior executive with an extensive background in marketing, strategy development, and general management. He most recently worked as an executive vice-president for TD Ameritrade in New Jersey. Prior to that he was vice chair of sales and marketing for TD Waterhouse in New York, and also served as executive vice president, chief marketing officer for TD Bank Financial Group in Toronto.

“Research shows that a great many boomers want much more out of retirement than previous generations,” says Armstrong. “Life’s Next Steps workshops can provide boomers facing retirement with the insights and guidance they need to create a life plan that builds on their strengths and values and gives them a retirement they really want.”

The firm recently partnered with the Human Resources Professionals Association to produce a survey on the readiness of Canadian businesses for the coming wave of retirement. The survey of 627 HR professionals revealed that many Canadian companies have yet to implement or begin preparing workforce strategies for the coming mass departure of retiring boomers from their organizations.

Among the survey’s key findings:

> 26% of employers said they expect up to 20% of their workforce to retire in the next five years;

> 15% of firms said up to 30% of their staff will hit retirement age within five years;

> 8% of companies said they expect up to 40% of their workforce to retire during the coming five years;

> 14% of organizations said they feel fully prepared for “the coming talent shortage”; 23% of companies admitted to being “poorly prepared”; and

> 60% of companies said they are only “somewhat prepared”.