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Board of Trustees

The CWIPP Board of Trustees

In general, the CWIPP Board of Trustees (the Board) are responsible for overseeing the operation and administration of the pension plan, including the CWIPP Trust.

Trustees have a legal obligation to act in the best interest of plan members. This obligation takes precedence over allegiances to other parties or interests – including the organizations that have appointed them.

How the Board is chosen

The Board is made up of at least four Trustees, consisting of:
  • Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) members who represent the unions participating in CWIPP.
  • Industry members who represent participating employers who contribute on behalf of their employees.
  • A Facilitator, who acts as the Chair of the Board and presides at meetings. The Facilitator is not a Trustee; he or she is appointed by the Board.

The Board meets on a quarterly basis, and more frequently as required. Trustees are not paid by CWIPP for the work and duties they perform. However, they are reimbursed for expenses related to their duties.

Their roles and responsibilities

  • Administer the CWIPP Fund in accordance with the Trust agreement;
  • Plan and implement strategic direction and marketing activities to ensure the health and sustainability of CWIPP;
  • Interpret all Trust agreement provisions and plan provisions that are binding on the unions, participating employers and members;
  • Create procedures, policies, rules and regulations (for example, the Statement of Investment Policies and Procedures –SIP&P) to effectively and efficiently execute their duties and in compliance with applicable law;
  • Monitor and manage the risks facing participating groups as they relate to CWIPP;
  • Maintain all records for the CWIPP Fund and the plan, including preparing audited annual financial statements that are made available to each union and participating employer;
  • Hire or retain expert advisors, such as legal counsel, administrative, consulting, audit, actuarial, custodian, clerical and other assistance necessary to support ongoing plan administration and governance.

CWIPP is governed by a Board of Trustees, whose priority is to ensure the long-term financial health of each participating employer group, helping members to effectively build a meaningful retirement.

Gary Goddard, FCIA, FSA

Garry Goddard joined the CWIPP Board of Trustees on January 1, 2021 as an industry expert. He currently holds the position of Board Facilitator and Chair. He is the retired actuary and pension officer for a large Canadian union pension plan—responsible for all design aspects, funding, regulation, administration, governance and communication. Prior to his role as pension officer, Goddard spent 20 years in the actuarial field; he worked with various international consultancy firms, providing pension and health benefits advice to clients in these fields. Goddard’s specialties fall in the areas of funding, legislation, governance, investment, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

In addition to his current position on the CWIPP Board of Trustees, he’s also a Trustee and Chair of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Education Workers’ Benefits Trust. Goddard has an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from Carleton University in Ottawa and holds two designations: Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and Fellow of the Society of Actuaries. Goddard’s an instructor for the Masters of Trustee Management Standards program for the International Foundation for Employee Benefits Plans and the Shareholder Association for Research and Education.

Sandeep Kakan

Sandeep has served as a Trustee on the CWIPP Board since 2022, appointed through the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).

He currently serves as the Director of Pension Governance and Trustees, formerly serving as Director of Pension and Benefits, at the Unifor National Office.

Sandeep brings extensive experience in pension plan governance, investment oversight, and regulatory compliance. He advocates for retirement security and has represented worker and retiree interests at Senate committee hearings on pension reform. And, he has served on the Technical Advisory Committee at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA).

Sandeep holds a Master’s degree in Science, CEBS and FLMI designations, and serves on as a fiduciary on two other Boards.

Udo Kiewitz

Based in Windsor, ON, Udo Kiewitz joined the CWIPP Board of Trustees in March 2024 as an industry expert. Leveraging his extensive background as a relationship-oriented General Manager for Provincial Chrysler LTD, Udo boasts more than 25 years of comprehensive management expertise, including 18 years dedicated to General Manager roles. Entrusted with complete responsibility and accountability for the seamless operation of the entire dealership, Udo effectively applies his approach, skills, and expertise to his responsibilities as a CWIPP Trustee, supporting the evaluation, formulation, and execution of strategies that align with CWIPP’s long-term objectives.

Robin Pilkey, CPA, CA, ICD.D

Robin Pilkey, CPA, CA, ICD.D, joined the CWIPP Board of Trustees in March 2022 as an industry expert. With over 30 years of experience in finance, accounting, and public service, Robin brings a strong background of fiscal responsibility, along with her passion for community.

Robin is a former Trustee with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). Elected six times as Chair, she sat on many Board committees including the Audit Committee, the Director’s Appraisal Committee, and was a Director at the Toronto Lands Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of the TDSB). She is currently an external community member on the TDSB’s Audit Committee.

Robin currently sits on a number of boards, including as the City of Toronto Appointee to Ports Toronto, which includes Billy Bishop Toronto Centre Airport, where she chairs the Audit and Finance Committee, and sits on the Pension and Governance Committees. She is also the Chair of the Audit Committee of the United Church of Canada. In addition, as the Ontario Public School Boards Association appointee to the ONE-T Employee Life and Health Trust (ELHT) which provides benefits for all non-union employees of the Education Sector in Ontario, she served for six years as Trustee, and Chair of the Audit, Finance and Investment Committee.

Chris Roberts

Chris Roberts joined the CWIPP Board of Trustees in 2011 and currently holds the position as a Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Trustee. In addition to this role, he’s also the National Director for the Social and Economic Policy Department at the CLC—Canada’s largest labour central.

The CLC is an umbrella organization for 55 affiliated domestic and international unions; it includes 12 provincial and territorial labour federations and more than 100 regional labour councils. At present, the CLC represents the interests of three million unionized workers in every occupation, region and industry in Canada.

Roberts’ guiding work at the Social and Economic Policy Department aside, he’s also responsible for CLC research, as well as policy advice in the pension and investment areas—making him an asset to CWIPP’s Board of Trustees. And further to his role as a CWIPP fiduciary, Roberts is a member of both the Canada Post Pension Plan Investment Advisory Committee and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries’ Professional Conduct Board.

Captain Jacob Sangster

Captain Jacob Sangster joined the CWIPP Board of Trustees in September 2023 and is a member of the Air Line Pilots Association. He’s dedicated more than 10 years to the Canadian pension arena, having worked with defined benefit, defined contribution, and multi-employer pension plans. As a Pension Committee member of the Air Line Pilots Association, Captain Sangster participated in a sophisticated and impressive three-year project that negotiated participation in CWIPP for the country’s flag carrier.

An Air Canada pilot for more than 10 years, Captain Sangster currently flies the Boeing 767. Prior to joining Air Canada, Captain Sangster flew air ambulance in Nunavut, northern Manitoba, and Saskatchewan.

Brian Sweigman, J.D., LL.B

Brian joined the CWIPP board of Trustees in April 2025 as an industry expert.

Brian is a partner at the law firm of Goodmans LLP in Toronto, practicing in pension and benefits law and advising plan sponsors and administrators on plan governance, administration, design and all other regulatory matters.

Prior to working at Goodmans, Brian worked as a legal consultant for an international consultancy firm. In addition to his current position on the CWIPP Board of Trustees, Brian is a regular course presenter for the Pension Plan Administration Certificate (PPAC) program at Humber College and an instructor for the Advanced Trust Management Standards (ATMS) certificate at the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans (IFEBP). He is also a member of the Defined Contribution Pension Plans Advisory Committee at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA).