Howard Atkinson, president of Horizons Exchange Traded Funds Inc., has been recognized for his work as an author and educator in financial literacy by ACTIF, a Quebec financial education co-operative.

Atkinson was given the award as Top Educator (Le Mérite du représentant pedagogue) at the organization’s 10th anniversary gala last Friday in Montreal.

The award was in recognition of the hard work Atkinson has undertaken with ACTIF since its inception a decade ago to increase the level of financial literacy amongst both Quebec investors and financial professionals. In particular, Atkinson has worked tirelessly to increase the awareness about the benefits and effective usage of exchange traded funds, ACTIF says.

“Education is a lifelong process. I believe every new evolution in this industry is an opportunity to learn and educate others.” Atkinson says. “This award is gratifying personally, but it really belongs to a dedicated group of ETF pioneers, including the Horizons ETFs team, all of whom have worked hard to help Canadians better understand investing. For us, an educated investor is an empowered investor who makes better decisions, which can only benefit the investment industry.”

As president of Horizons ETFs, Atkinson has been fundamental to the firm’s educational initiatives. He developed Horizons ETF University, a full-day course to educate advisors on exchange traded funds, from the history of ETFs to more complex trading strategies. As well, he authored the core content for the Canadian Securities Institute’s ETF course, which launched in January of 2010.

In addition to authoring seveal books on ETFs, Atkinson has also been a contributing writer and frequent analyst referenced in many major Canadian newspapers. He is a regular guest on BNN and CP24, and has appeared several times on CNBC Europe and Global TV. He is a past president of Toronto CFA Society board of directors and is a member of the S&P/TSX Canada Index Advisory Panel.

IE