Dean Connor will become the next chairperson of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board later this month.

CPPIB is one of Canada’s largest commercial real estate institutional investors.

Connor’s promotion will take effect October 27, CPPIB announced in a news release. He will succeed Heather Munroe-Blum, who has chaired CPPIB since 2014 after joining it in 2010. Her term is set to expire this month.

Connor was appointed to the board in 2021 and has about 40 years of global experience in financial services and executive consulting. He formerly served as president and CEO of Sun Life.

Munroe-Blum said Connor’s commitment to strong corporate governance and extensive global experience will help him lead the board in an exemplary fashion as the Canada Pension Plan becomes a $1-trillion fund. CPPIB praised Blum for overseeing significant growth and development of the fund as it grew to $575 billion and remained resilient through global disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

CPPIB has also appointed telecommunications and finance industry veteran Nadir Mohamed as a director.