Keith Ambachtsheer was awarded the James R. Vertin Award, which recognizes individuals who have produced a body of research notable for its relevance and enduring value to investment professionals.

Ambachtsheer, who is director of the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, has been a key figure in the global pension arena for more than 30 years.

The award was presented to him last night at the 50th Financial Analysts Seminar, a CFA Institute conference hosted by the CFA Society of Chicago.

In his 2007 book, Pension Revolution: A Solution to the Pensions Crisis, he outlined how a new pension design called TOPS (The Optimal Pension System) offers an integrative solution to today’s pension crisis. Ambachtsheer also authored Pensions Fund Excellence – Creating Value for Stakeholders, with Don Ezra in 1998, and Pensions Funds and the Bottom Line in 1986.

In 2005, Ambachtsheer helped establish the Rotman International Centre for Pension Management, which aims to be a leading exchange of best practices in global pension management, as well as a source of best ideas in pension fund legislation and regulation.

Through his own firm, KPA Advisory Services, Ambachtsheer advises pension funds around the world and guides others through a regular publication, The Ambachtsheer Letter. He is also the co-founder of CEM Benchmarking which provides strategic performance benchmarking services around the world, and an adjunct professor of finance at the Rotman School.

Ambachtsheer’s research and writing have led him to receive four Graham and Dodd Scroll Awards, and two Roger Murray Awards. He was honored with the 2007 Outstanding Industry Contribution award by Investments and Pensions Europe, and was identified as one of the “30 Most Influential People” by Pensions & Investments in 2003.

Ambachtsheer is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada and served three years in the Canadian Forces. He pursued further graduate studies in economics at the University of Western Ontario and McGill University.

The Financial Analysts Seminar is a week-long series of intensive discussions focused on improving the investment decision-making process led by industry innovators and legendary investors including Ambachtsheer, Marc Faber, Jeremy Grantham, and William F. Sharpe.

CFA Institute is the global association for investment professionals. It administers the CFA and CIPM curriculum and exam programs worldwide.