London is a “very critical” source of investment talent recruited to help 18m Canadians realise sustainable and stable financial results in their retirement security, according to Saylor Millitz-Lee, senior vice president human resources for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB).

With headquarters in Toronto, the CPPIB has nearly 50 people based in London, including a team which oversees the organisation’s global investments in infrastructure projects. Speaking exclusively to Recruiter on a recent visit to London, Millitz-Lee said: “Much of our infrastructure team is centred here, London is a global centre for infrastructure talent There’s no question that this is the place to be for us in terms of that…This is a city that offers us a really deep and rich talent pool.”

The Canada Pension Plan is ranked as one of the 10 largest retirement funds in the world and is one of three elements of Canada’s retirement income system. It is managed by the CPPIB, which was created by an act of Canada’s Parliament in 1997. Under its governance model, the CPPIB operates as a professional investment management organisation protected from government interference. 

“Right now, we’re actively working on building the brand so that it’s recognised around the world, and so…that’s making sure we have a really compelling, well-articulated value proposition,” Millitz-Lee said. 

An example of the top talent CPPIB is targeting is recent recruit Mark Machin, formerly Goldman Sachs’ vice chairman Asia ex-Japan, now CPPIB’s Asia president. “The mandate was compelling to him. He wanted the opportunity to help CPPIB build out their Asia team as we expand in that region; having a leader like Mark makes it easier for us to continue to attract talent,” Millitz-Lee said. “Talent attracts talent.”   

Social media such as LinkedIn will play an important role in building brand recognition of CPPIB. In its campus recruiting drives, the organisation aims to broaden its reach across various academic programmes to include engineering and other skills from its traditional focus on commerce, maths and finance. “Our campus programme is a talent pipeline for us for the future,” she said. “As we’re looking forward, we really do believe that diversity of thought matters.”