Creating community. That is one of the best things about bringing Global Peer Financing Association (GPFA) members together for networking across the regions. Watching our members deepen their relationships with other global buy side asset owners and expand the trust and transparency they have with one another is how we know there is value in the continued growth of GPFA. Thank you to all our GPFA members and other beneficial owner friends that joined together during the PASLA conference in Bangkok this week. We can’t wait to get together again soon! hashtag#gpfa hashtag#bettertogether hashtag#pasla

What happens when buy‑side peers come together with a shared vision?Years of peer‑to‑peer conversations and collaboration ultimately sparked the creation of the Global Peer Financing Association five years ago—a volunteer‑led, global not‑for‑profit committed to advancing the securities financing industry.In this anniversary podcast episode, Board Members Chris Benish, Robert Goobie CPA CMA, Mike Johnson , and Jerry May reflect on GPFA’s journey, the expansion of its membership, and the cross‑disciplinary working groups shaping its future.With more than 40 global members representing over $11T in assets, the momentum is only growing!Listen to the full discussion here: https://lnkd.in/eB7bAqsk

Our growth is global! We’re pleased to welcome Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) as the newest member of the Global Peer Financing Association (GPFA) and our first member from Japan!

GPIF is one of the world’s largest public pension funds and we are thrilled to welcome them to our growing global beneficial owner network. We look forward to their participation in GPFA discussions, collaboration, and knowledge-sharing across the peer financing community.

Welcome GPIF to GPFA—we’re glad to have you as part of the community.

We’re pleased to announce the newest members of the GPFA Board of Directors:

Amy Borgquist (Armour), Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA)
Cherie Jeffries, State Board of Administration of Florida

Amy and Cherie bring exceptional experience and perspective to the GPFA, and we are excited to welcome them into their new leadership roles. Their contributions will help guide our strategic direction as GPFA continues to expand globally across the beneficial owner market.

We also want to extend our appreciation to all individuals who were nominated and to our membership for their continued engagement and support of the GPFA community.

We look forward to a productive and collaborative year with our newly elected Board members. Congratulations and thank you for all your support, Amy and Cherie!

In the latest episode of Peer Connections, Chris Benish, Senior Portfolio Manager at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board and GPFA Treasurer, sits down with Brock Bell, Director of Treasury at the Virginia Retirement System (VRS) to talk about VRS's asset allocation and their unique approach to leveraging. The conversation delves into various financing and liquidity management strategies, the rationale behind VRS's use of leverage, and the importance of diverse asset programs. They also cover swap capabilities, the necessary legal agreements for trading, and governance considerations.If you want to understand how a major pension fund uses innovative strategies to balance risk and opportunity, this episode is worth your time! Listen here: https://lnkd.in/e4qtP967

As we continue to grow, we are excited to announce that Charles Lesaux, MBA, Managing Director, Funding Capital Markets & Credit Investments at British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI), and Ivoneke Taylor, Principal, Global Trading at Ontario Teachers'​ Pension Plan (OTPP), will be volunteering their time to co-lead the Global Peer Financing Association (GPFA) in Canada.

Canada currently makes up nearly 50% of GPFA’s membership base, and Charles and Ivoneke will play a key role in strengthening engagement and collaboration among our Canadian members while ensuring alignment with the global GPFA community.

GPFA is a volunteer-led, non-profit association for beneficial owners, by beneficial owners. Founded by four North American pension funds, GPFA has rapidly expanded to include many of the world’s largest institutional investors.

On behalf of the GPFA Board of Directors and all GPFA members, thank you Charles, Ivoneke, and the teams at OTPP and BCI for volunteering your time and expertise to support our growing buyside community!

GPFA was pleased to partner with ISLA Americas for the first time to kick off their annual conference in Florida today. This dedicated closed-door session brought together beneficial owners from across sectors for an open exchange on key challenges and opportunities shaping today’s market. Thank you to our meeting co-leads, Edwin M. Witham, CFA, Maryland State Retirement and Pension System and Lance Wargo, CALIFORNIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM (CalPERS) for guiding an engaging discussion that covered a range of timely topics. We’d also like to thank our guest speaker, Mark Faulkner, Credit Benchmark, for sharing valuable insights into current market trends.

Thank you to ISLA Americas again for the partnership and all who attended and contributed to another engaging and productive session.

We're thrilled to partner with ISLA Americas for the 2nd Annual Securities Finance & Collateral Management Conference in Miami, October 13-16!Please join us on October 14th for the Beneficial Owner Briefing (Closed-Door) to discuss specific challenges and opportunities facing beneficial owners in today’s market. For more details, please visit: https://lnkd.in/euPTBx9Q

When our Global Peer Financing Association (GPFA) Chair, Robert Goobie CPA CMA first had the idea to collaborate with other global pensions to found an industry association focused on securities financing for the buyside, by the buyside, he turned to Jim Keohane for support.

Five years later, and with well over US$12 trillion in assets represented in the room, this week our members had the pleasure of hearing Jim Keohane share his perspectives on pension management and how securities financing plays a key role in achieving investment goals.

Jim Keohane is the former President & CEO of HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan) and is currently a member of the Board of Directors for the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) and Trans-Canada Capital.

Jim Keohane, we thank you for taking your time this week to meet with our members in Montreal, but more importantly we thank you for your support and vision many years ago in believing pensions would benefit from joining together to advance our marketplace. 🙏🙏

Thank you also to Charles Lesaux, MBA for introducing Jim Keohane as this year’s Annual Meeting Keynote Speaker. And lastly, thank you to our Chair, Robert Goobie CPA CMA for leading Jim Keohane in an engaging discussion.

We can’t wait to see where we will all be and how much we will have grown five years from now!

Another day in Montreal, another day to showcase a world-leading pension’s approach to securities finance. Thank you to Francois Bellavance-Lecompte, Francis Gagné, and the rest of the team at PSP Investments | Investissements PSP for hosting the second day of our Annual Meeting.

Learning from one another and discussing challenges and opportunities as a global buyside beneficial owner community is what makes our entire industry better. We are better together.

Thank you. Merci beaucoup.

We’re going to need a bigger staircase!

“It is a genuine privilege to welcome our global buyside beneficial owner members to our 2025 Annual Meeting in the vibrant city of Montreal,” remarked Robert Goobie CPA CMA, Chair of Global Peer Financing Association (GPFA) this morning.

We are honored to have members joining us this year from Australia, Singapore, Japan, the Middle East, Europe, the United States, and from all over Canada.

Thank you to France Boisjoli and the team from La Caisse (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec) for hosting the first day of our meeting.

The energy and engagement amongst this beneficial owner community is incredible and inspiring. We are truly better together!

Bienvenue à Montréal! 🇨🇦 Last night our Global Peer Financing Association (GPFA) members kicked off the start of our Annual Meeting week here in Montréal. We are thrilled to welcome 90 buyside member delegates for our three day beneficial owner peer event. Thank you to our gracious member hosts La Caisse (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec) and PSP Investments | Investissements PSP. We are excited to start the meetings!

We are excited to announce that Jim Keohane, Board Member at Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) and former President & CEO of HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan) will deliver the keynote address at this year’s GPFA Annual Member Meeting in Montreal! Jim brings decades of leadership experience in pension management, and his perspectives promise to spark thoughtful dialogue and valuable insights for all attendees.

This year’s meeting hosted, by La Caisse (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec) and PSP Investments | Investissements PSP, will be our most well attended yet, with over 30 member organizations represented and more than 80 participants registered. We look forward to gathering with you all in just a few short weeks!

We look forward to seeing many beneficial owners in Miami for ISLA Americas’ 2nd Annual Securities Finance & Collateral Management Conference this October! GPFA is thrilled to be partnering with ISLA Americas for the first time to run a dedicated beneficial owner closed-door briefing during the conference.

This exclusive morning session will be co-led by GPFA members Edwin M. Witham, CFA Senior Portfolio Manager, Enhanced Cash and Securities Lending, Maryland State Retirement and Pension System and Lance Wargo, Investment Officer, CALIFORNIA PUBLIC EMPLOYEES RETIREMENT SYSTEM’ (CalPERS).

This session will take place on Tuesday, October 14th from 9:00AM-12:00PM and is exclusively for registered beneficial owners attending the conference. If you are interested in attending, qualified beneficial owners may attend for free.

Please make sure to register for the main conference here: https://lnkd.in/gFCxZctr and then RSVP for the closed-door session by emailing events@isaamericas.org.

We hope to see you there!

Our Global Peer Financing Association (GPFA) member community is thrilled to be partnering with ISLA Americas for the first time to engage more beneficial owners in this important industry event. Thank you to Fran Garritt and team as well as the planning committee at ISLA Americas. Thank you also to this year’s Conference Co-Chairs, Kathleen Duggan and Rebecca Goldenberg for spearheading this event. Looking forward to a fantastic conference!

We look forward to welcoming our global member community to the GPFA 2025 Annual Meeting this September in Montreal, graciously hosted by La Caisse (Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec) and PSP Investments | Investissements PSP.

This year’s program will feature senior-level insights, peer-led discussions, and timely topics shaping the future of securities finance - from technology and operations to market dynamics, risk, and regulation.

Registration is complimentary and included as part of GPFA membership. Non-member beneficial owner friends may attend for a fee, but all applications will be reviewed for approval. If you are interested in attending this year’s meeting, please reach out to us on our website: https://lnkd.in/eqMNkRnh.  We look forward to another impactful gathering of buyside leaders!

Thank you, La Caisse and PSP Investments for hosting GPFA!