Ian Robertson, CFA, MBA, MA
Vice President, Director & Portfolio Manager, Odlum Brown Limited
Ian sits on his firm’s Executive Committee and has been a leader at the firm in responsible investing and proxy voting. He is board chair of the Responsible Investment Association (Canada) and a member of the Institute for Corporate Directors. Prior to 1997 he worked as an analyst with the federal government in Ottawa, including postings at the Department of Finance and the Department of Foreign Affairs, and in Vancouver where he worked with the Federal Treaty Negotiation Office.
Ian has supervised many Associate Portfolio Managers (APMs) as they work to become full portfolio managers. In this capacity, he works with the APMs to further their understanding of markets, portfolio management, ethics, and regulatory requirements. The CFA curriculum, Code of Ethics, and Standards of Professional Conduct are central both to Ian’s practice and to the APMs’ training.
Ian is a longstanding volunteer with CFA Institute and its affiliated local society in Vancouver. In 2008 he chaired the institute’s global Annual Conference held in Vancouver, which attracted over 1800 investment leaders from around the world. He was president of the Vancouver society and has served on several CFA Institute committees, including as a member of the Hearing Panel Pool for CFA Institute’s Disciplinary Review Committee (DRC). In 2010 he joined the restructured DRC as a full voting member, serving for six years – including two on the Executive Committee – until reaching the term limit in 2016. He is a contributing author to the Financial Analysts Journal book reviews on-line and in print.
Ian is a Past Board Chair of the University of British Columbia Alumni Association and recently served on the university’s Campaign Cabinet, which achieved its dual goals of raising $1.5 billion and doubling alumni engagement over seven years. He currently serves as chair of the athletic department’s Alumni Council and as a member of the university’s foundation board. Ian is a nationally ranked masters swimmer.
In addition to his work and volunteer activities, Ian is currently pursuing his DPhil (PhD) part-time at the University of Oxford, focussing on corporate governance and responsible investment. In addition to his presentations on Ethics for CFA Institute, he has presented on various aspects of responsible investment at industry and academic conferences. His first paper was awarded Best Student Paper at the United Nations’ backed PRI’s 2017 Academic Conference.
