Profile
“I will continue to empower and encourage my staff to perform at their best as I have done for the last decade. I will continue to advocate for my clients, embracing new technology and being open to business and industry changes”
Ken Dixon,
Dixon Insurance Services
As CEO and president of UBC Investment Management, Dawn Jia is responsible for more than $5.8 billion in AUM and overall investment activities on behalf of the funds the firm manages (the UBC Endowment Fund, the UBC Staff Pension Plan, and other funds). She also oversees UBC Investment Management operations, providing strategic and operating leadership to the organization. Prior to joining UBC Investment Management, Jia was a senior portfolio manager at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB). At CPPIB, she and her team were responsible for ensuring that the total portfolio delivered on its overall mandate by rebalancing it to the desired systematic exposures.
Before Jia joined CPPIB in 2013, she was vice president and head of active equity for North America at State Street Global Advisors. Previously, she was an equity portfolio manager at Barclays Global Investors and a quantitative strategist at CIBC World Markets.
Jia is a board member of the Vancouver Foundation where she chairs the Investment Committee. She also serves on the board of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance. Jia is a founding member of the advisory board of Western University’s Master of Financial Economics program and served on the Investment Committee of the Ontario Hospital Association. She received her MBA from the Ivey Business School and a MS in Engineering from Tianjin University in China. She is also a CFA charterholder.
#1188–1055 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC
604 761 5349
dawn.jia@ubcim.ca
linkedin.com/in/dawn-jia-022501
ubcim.ca
Dawn Jia
Chief Executive Officer and President
UBC Investment Management
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Milestones
“To be able to give back to the community is rewarding and fulfilling. I am honoured to be in a position where I can raise funds for those less fortunate and in need”
Ken Dixon,
Dixon Insurance Services
2002–2006
2006–2007
2007–2013
2013–2019
2019–present
Director, Quantitative Equity Strategies at CIBC World Markets
2002–
2006
Portfolio Manager, Active Canadian Equity Strategies at Barclays Global Investors (now acquired by BlackRock)
2006–
2007
Vice President and Head of North American Active Equity Strategies at State Street Global Advisors
2007–
2013
Senior Portfolio Manager, Total Portfolio Management at CPPIB
2013–
2019
CEO and president at UBC Investment Management
2019–
present
Assistant Vice President and Senior Broker at MJ Hall & Company since 2018
Present
Milestones
Aug 2022
Milestones
Sept 2021
Feb 2022
Apr 2022
Jul 2022
Aug
2022
Suncorp Bank introduces Solar Home Bonus offer for customers who are choosing renewable energy for their homes
Sept 2021
Month-on-month market share growth commences
Feb 2022
Suncorp Bank wins the Canstar award for most outstanding value in investment loans
Apr 2022
Suncorp Bank wins Money Magazine’s Bank of the Year and Business Bank of the Year awards for the fifth year in a row
Jul 2022
Suncorp Bank’s turnaround times are the lowest they have ever been. The lender becomes Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bank for both its operation and transaction services
Aug 2022
Milestones
How does he distinguish himself among fellow brokers?
“I believe all brokers are working very hard in a difficult market,” he says. “However, I have demonstrated continued growth, advocacy and performance on my client’s behalf, which is now recognised [for 10 consecutive years] in the Elite Broker awards.”
In 1990, Dixon got started with FAI, working in claims and as a team leader. From the late 1990s up until 2003, he worked at FAI and Suncorp in underwriting and as an area manager at VACC, CGU (South East Queensland). From 2003 to 2012, he got into broking and eventually started Dixon Insurance in 2013. Since then, he’s accumulated numerous acccolades, including Elite Broker, Diversity and Equity, and Fast Broker awards.
During the pandemic, Dixon challenged insurers over the Quarantine Act application to insurance wordings. His argument was that the Quarantine Act does not apply as an exclusion, as the Biosecurity Act was invoked by the Morrison Government, and this was not a subsequent amendment to the Quarantine Act. The test case in the Appeals court was won for Dixon’s client with a unanimous five-judge verdict.
He remains focused on transport, manufacturing, motor trade, engineering and large farm clients.
What are his plans for the future?
On a business level, “more of the same. I will continue to empower and encourage my staff to perform at their best as I have done for the last decade. I will continue to advocate for my clients, embracing new technology and being open to business and industry changes.”
On a personal level, Dixon invests significant time, effort and funds, along with his GT3, to support many charities through his passion for motorsport. From participating in and sponsoring the Thunderbolt Run (which provides tens of thousands of dollars in support for Beyond Blue and Prostate Cancer), to organising and running the Track Knights for Amira charity night where 28 Exotic Supercars raised funds through passenger laps in wet conditions, Dixon states “this is our time to give back to the community and those in need. My friendships and association with those seeking to do the same, allows us to contribute to those less fortunate and raise funds and awareness”.
He adds: “To be able to give back to the community is rewarding and fulfilling. I am honoured to be in a position where I can raise funds for those less fortunate and in need.”