Responsible Investment Association

Canada's industry association for responsible investment
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Overview

RIA Members include asset managers, asset owners, advisors, and service providers who support our mandate of promoting responsible investment in Canada’s retail and institutional markets. Our institutional members collectively manage over $44 trillion in assets.

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160
organizational members
Asset Managers, Asset Owners & Service Providers
400
individual members
Advisors, Consultants & Other Professionals

Our Mandate

The RIA has three strategic pillars for firmly entrenching Responsible Investment in Canada’s financial ecosystem. Review our progress in our 2023 annual report.

  • BUILD COMMUNITY
  • DRIVE CHANGE & INFLUENCE POLICY
  • EDUCATE & INSPIRE

History

The RIA’s predecessor, the Social Investment Organization (SIO), was established in 1990 to advance socially responsible investing (SRI) in Canada. The SIO played a central role in building and developing SRI in Canada for 23 years.

In 2013, the SIO was rebranded as the Responsible Investment Association to evolve with the industry and to encompass the broader scope of responsible investing, which incorporates environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into the selection and management of investments.

RIA in Action

The RIA runs many programs, projects, events and initiatives to deliver on its mandate of advancing responsible investment in Canada. Review the RIA's progress in our 2023 annual report.
Education & Networking Events
  • We host the annual RIA Conference to provide education on the latest issues & trends in the field of responsible investing.
  • We also host smaller events such as ESG Product Knowledge for Retail Advisors Event Series.
  • We coordinate the Fall Forum Series, collaborating with members and partners across Canada to host events throughout the fall.
Research
  • We conduct research for the annual Canadian Responsible Investment Trends Report to track the growth and development of responsible investing in Canada.
  • We release quarterly reports on the performance of RI funds.
  • We also conduct the annual RIA Investor Opinion Survey to track individual investors’ interest in RI and related issues.

Our Team

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Alexandra (Allie) Chapman
Senior Manager, Education and Event Operations
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Ady Jonsohn
Vice President, Content Development and Delivery
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Alacia Michaud
Bilingual Education and Events Administrator
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Sukanya Natu
Bilingual Member and Partner Relations Coordinator
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Damiano Passarelli
Senior Marketing and Communications Specialist
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Glen Pichanick
Head of Advocacy and Industry Insights

Board of Directors

Melanie Adams,
Chair
*
Managing Director and Head of Responsible Investment Team
RBC Global Asset Management (GAM) Toronto, Ontario
Marie-Justine Labelle,
Vice Chair
*
Director, Active Ownership & Public Markets Sustainability
Investissements PSP
Carol Smith,
Treasurer
*
Financial Advisor, Life and Health Insurance Advisor
Desjardins Financial Security Independent Network Toronto, Ontario
Anna Murray,
Secretary
*
Senior Managing Director, Global Head of Sustainable Investing
Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
Solène Hanquier
*
Senior Director & Head of Responsible Investment
National Bank Investments Montreal, Quebec
Jackie Ramler
*
Portfolio Manager & Branch Manager
Raymond James Ltd.
Adelaide Chiu
*
VP, Head of Responsible Investing & ESG Services
NEI Investments
Geordie Hungerford
*
Indigenous Finance Executive
Nalini Feuilloley
*
Head of Responsible Investment
BMO Global Asset Management Toronto, Ontario
Roger Beauchemin
*
President & CEO
Addenda Capital Montreal, Quebec
Barbara Zvan
President and Chief Executive Officer
University Pension Plan Ontario Toronto, Ontario
Stephen Erlichman
Partner
Fasken Toronto, Ontario
* Legend
EC Executive Committee
GPC Governance Policy Committee

In the Press

RIA News

Working Group

Advancing RI Through Peer Learning

The RIA serves as Secretariat for an institutional Canadian RI Working Group. The purpose of this Working Group is to leverage diverse networks and expertise to facilitate peer learning regarding responsible investment, and to help achieve the common goal of growing the RI industry. The Working Group is participant-driven and focuses on topics decided by the participants. Participants include CIOs, Portfolio Managers, Researchers, Analysts, VPs, Directors, Managers and other decision-makers from asset management firms and asset owners such as foundations and endowments.