Toronto-based Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc. announced on Friday that its president, Howard Atkinson, will retire from the firm effective Dec. 31 after more than nine years with the company.
“Howard Atkinson has not only been the face of Horizons ETFs for the last decade, but in many ways has also been the face of the Canadian ETF industry,” says Steven Hawkins, Co-CEO of Horizons, in a statement. “Howard joined Horizons ETFs when it was just a startup and has been vital to building our business to become one of Canada’s largest ETF providers. We thank Howard for his dedication to Horizons ETFs and wish him a wonderful retirement.”
Atkinson will spend the next two months with Horizons’ senior management team working through an orderly transition of his day-to-day responsibilities.
“Howard has built and mentored an exceptional sales and marketing team here at the firm and leaves behind a lasting legacy. We are confident that the foundations Howard has built will allow Horizons ETFs to continue its growth and success,” Hawkins adds.
Atkinson joined Horizons as one of its founding principals and executive vice preside in October 2006 and has been responsible for the firm’s distribution and marketing activities of the firm since.
Prior to that, Atkinson was head of business development for the exchange-traded products business at Barclays Global Investors Canada Ltd., now iShares; he has also held positions with a national investment dealer and major mutual fund companies.
Atkinson also represented Horizons as one of the three founding members of the Canadian ETF Association (CETFA) and was elected its inaugural chair in 2011, a position he held until this past May.
“My career has been extremely exciting and fulfilling, having spent the bulk of it championing this simple product structure — the ETF — a game-changer that has revolutionized the global investment landscape,” adds Atkinson in the statement.