The government of Alberta has appointed two additional directors to the board that oversees the newly established Alberta Investment Management Corp.

The new directors are: John Watson, former executive vice-president and chief financial officer, EnCana Corp.; and, Virginia Holmes, former CEO, AXA Investment Managers Ltd, London, UK.

They join eight directors that were appointed last year: Charles Baillie, former CEO and chair of TD Bank Financial Group, and George Gosbee, CEO and president of Tristone Capital Inc, as chair and vice chair; along with Clive Beddoe, Daryl Katz, Andrea Rosen, David Bissett, Frank Layton and Mac Van Wielingen.

The board members, who are appointed for three-year terms, were selected to guide the corporation to investment excellence and to help it become one of the foremost institutional investors in Canada.

Alberta’s investment management operations moved from within Alberta Finance on January 1 to become AIMCo, a provincial corporation. AIMCo is responsible for managing approximately $70 billion in government savings, public sector pension plans and other funds.