2025 Toronto IDEAS Lunch: Exploring Markets & Investment Themes

Michael Beaton

Head of Portfolio Construction, Polar Asset Management Partners

Michael works within the Office of the CIO and is responsible for a range of portfolio and strategy-level analysis and initiatives, ranging from the incubation of new strategies and PM development to portfolio efficiency efforts. Prior to his current role, Michael developed a systematic trend-following strategy within Polar and worked on the Fixed Income team.

Prior to joining Polar, Michael was a managing director at the Carlyle Group responsible for liquid systematic strategies. Prior to Carlyle, Michael was a partner at Breton Hill Capital, where he traded for the global macro fund. Mr. Beaton has also worked at Macquarie Bank in their commodity group and as a fund analyst at Diversified Global Asset Management.

Michael graduated from the University of Toronto in 2004 with a master’s in mathematical finance.

Brandon Gill New

Head of External Partnerships, Alberta Investment Management Co. (AIMCo)

Brandon Gill New leads AIMCo’s External Partnerships team, overseeing the Plan’s external Public Equity and Absolute Return investments. At AIMCo, Brandon oversees the strategy, success, and growth of the External Partnerships portfolio, builds and nurtures client and partner relations, and contributes to setting long-term strategic goals.

Prior to joining AIMCo, Brandon spent 5 years at OPTrust, most recently as the Managing Director & Head, Multi-Strategy Investments and Digital Assets. Previously, Brandon was a Director at BMO Capital Partners, a proprietary private debt and equity fund at Bank of Montreal. She also spent a decade at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, serving as a Portfolio Manager in the Alternative Investments Division, managing a portfolio of global hedge funds and esoteric investment funds.

Brandon holds an MBA from London Business School and a BA in International Economics from Middlebury College in Vermont. She is also a CFA Charter holder. Brandon currently serves the Chair of the Investment Advisory Committee for The Junior League or Toronto’s Legacy Fund, and as a representative on the North American Advisory Committee of the Standards Board of Alternative Investments.

Priti Singh

Sr MD & Chief Risk Officer, CPP Investments

As Chief Risk Officer, Priti leads the global risk management functions. This includes oversight of the Fund’s long-term strategy to incorporate risk perspectives into all investment processes to improve decision making. This also includes identifying and implementing critical research, standards and policies related to investment, climate, market, credit, enterprise, liquidity & leverage, and operational risks. She is the Chair of the Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council.

Before this appointment she led the Capital Markets and Factor Investing department, which is invested globally across public equities, fixed income securities, currencies, commodities and derivatives. She was also previously Managing Director and Head of External Portfolio Management, responsible for managing a global portfolio of externally managed funds that complement and enhance the internal public market investment programs.

Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2008, Priti worked for over eight years in the financial services and telecommunication industries.

Priti holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto and an MS in Physics from the University of Waterloo.

She currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Standards Board for Alternative Investments.