Governance
The Combination and Money Purchase Pension Plans (the “Plans”) are governed by a Board of Trustees (the “Pension Board”). The Pension Board oversees the investments and the financial management of the Plans, and ensures the Plans are administered in accordance with the Trust Agreements, the Income Tax Act and Pension Benefit Standards Act (BC).
There are eight Trustees on the Pension Board: four are elected by members and four are appointed by the University Board of Governors, for terms of up to three years. The Trust Agreements between the 番茄社区 and the Pension Board set out the rights and responsibilities of the Pension Board, as well as the rules and procedures related to the appointment and election of Trustees.
As of January 31st, 2024, your Trustees are:
Mr. Barry Gros (Chair), FCIA (Appointed)
Barry Gros is an actuary who retired from active pension consulting in 2014. Barry has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2022. He was the Chair of the pension board of the University of British Columbia Staff Pension Plan from 2016-2023. Barry has been a member of the C. D. Howe Institute’s Pension Policy Council for over 12 years. Barry’s involvement in the pension industry since retirement has resulted in numerous papers and op-eds, as well as speaking engagements at meetings of the Association of Canadian Pension Management, the Canadian Institute of Actuaries, the BC Public Sector Pension Conference, the C. D. Howe Institute and the Northwind Professional Institute. Barry resides in Victoria.
Dr. Michael Miller (Vice-Chair) (Elected)
Michael Miller received a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Manitoba in 1976. He joined the 番茄社区 in 1987 and served as Chair of the Department of Computer Science (1987-1997), Dean of Engineering (1997-2008) and Associate Vice-President Research (2010-2016). He retired in 2017. Michael joined the Pension Board in 2011 and served as Chair of the Board (2021-2023). He has also at various times served as Vice-Chair, as Chair of the Board’s Policy and Procedures Subcommittee and as a member of the Board’s Investment Subcommittee.
Mr. Andrew Coward (Appointed)
Andrew is the Associate Vice-President of Financial Planning and Operations at the 番茄社区. He has been with UVic since 2004, in various roles such as Treasurer and Acting Director of Pension Services. He graduated from the University of Calgary with a Bachelor of Commerce and obtained his Canadian Risk Management Designation from the University of Toronto. Andrew is a CFA Charterholder and a member of the Victoria CFA Society. He oversees UVic's budget and budget planning process, financial reporting, pension and investment services, treasury and risk management, as well as capital, space, campus planning, and sustainability efforts.
Ms. Catherine Heath, CFA (Appointed)
Catherine is an investment portfolio manager and has been a Trustee of the UVic Combination and Money Purchase Plans since 2022. She currently chairs the Investment Subcommittee. She is a co-founder of the Vancouver chapter of Women in Capital Markets, is a member of the Portfolio Review Committee for the Beedie Endowment Asset Management program at Simon Fraser University (SFU), sits on the SFU Business Dean's Advisory Board, and is a Trustee on the SFU Academic Pension Plan. She is a former director of the board of Ballet BC and a member of their Finance and Audit Committee. Catherine has a joint Bachelor’s Degree in Finance and Economics from SFU, is a CFA Charterholder, and is a member and past president of CFA Society Vancouver.
Ms. Melanie Nadeau-Roy, FSA, FCIA (Appointed)
Melanie is an Associate Partner in the Aon Vancouver office. She specializes in the delivery of retirement consultancy services, such as accounting and actuarial valuations. Her experience includes all aspects of a retirement plan’s lifetime such as delivering sustainability studies, developing benefit improvement and funding strategies, plan benchmarking and redesign as well as plan annuitization. She specializes in servicing target benefit pension plans and believes in plans adhering to strong governance practices. Melanie holds a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from University of Montreal and a Fellowship with the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries.
Dr. Ori Granot (Elected)
Ori Granot is honored to serve as an elected Trustee on UVic's Pension Board. With a B.Sc. in Chemistry, a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry, and an MBA from UVic, along with a postdoctoral fellowship at UBC and experience as a personal investor, Ori brings a strong blend of scientific, business, and financial expertise. At UVic, Ori has been actively advocating on behalf of various groups within the campus community and is deeply involved in university life. His service as a pension trustee from 2018 to 2020 and now from 2023 to 2025 reflects his commitment to representing all members' interests and ensuring their voices are heard.
Mr. Stefan Grbavec (Elected)
As Director of Finance and Operations at the Division of Continuing Studies, Stefan oversees the Division’s finance, operations, and IT systems. He provides leadership, advice, and direction to senior staff and executives at the Division and collaborates with partners across campus on related finance, systems, and analytic projects. Following his education at Camosun College and Business Administration at UVic, Stefan began his career at the McPherson Library in 1998, before moving to Continuing Studies. Stefan previously served on the UVic Staff Pension Plan Investments and Administration Committee (2014-18) and the Staff Pension Plan Advisory Committee (2015-18).
Dr. Matthew Murphy (Elected)
Matt Murphy, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Sustainability and Strategy at the 番茄社区’s Gustavson School of Business, where he teaches sustainable and climate-aligned investment among other topics related to the role of business in society. Prior to entering academia, Matt worked for 12 years in the financial services sector. Through collaboration and community-based action research, he works with Indigenous partners to co-develop decision support and (cumulative) impact assessment systems to further self-determination, stewardship and economic development efforts.
Secretary to the Pension Board
Ms. Randi Topp, FSA, FCIA
Randi is the Executive Director, Pensions and Plan Governance here at UVic. She has been with UVic since July 2023, having previously worked in the pension and investment industry for over 25 years. Randi started her career as a retirement plan actuary and consultant at a global consulting company, moved on to provide strategic leadership and oversight internally for various defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans and related investments at one of the largest global companies in BC, and most recently worked as an investment consultant, guiding and monitoring investment strategies and policies for large institutional investors such as pension plans, foundations and trusts.
Chrissy Drew
Assistant Secretary; Paralegal & Governance Coordinator