Robo-advisor firm WealthBar Financial Services Inc. on Friday announced the appointment of Howard Atkinson to its board of advisors.

Atkinson is currently president of Toronto-based Horizons ETFs Management (Canada) Inc., for which he recently announced his retirement.

See: Howard Atkinson to leave Horizons at yearend

“Mr. Atkinson is a prominent expert of exchange traded funds in Canada and will make considerable contributions to the success of WealthBar and our clients,” says Tea Nicola, co-founder and CEO of Vancouver-based WealthBar, in a statement.

“WealthBar has a strong portfolio of low-cost ETFs that I believe offer significant value to the average investor. It is my hope that more Canadians will increasingly look to ETFs as a core form of investing,” adds Atkison.

Atkinson brings more than 25 years’ experience in the investment management industry. He is the former founding chairman of the Canadian ETF Association and author of The New Investment Frontier: A Guide to Exchange Traded Funds for Canadians. Atkinson was awarded the ‘Top Educator’ title for his efforts to foster financial literacy among Canadians in 2010 by ACTIF (Quebec’s premier financial education co-operative).

His appointment increases the WealthBar board to five advisors, including notable entrepreneurs and industry experts John Nicola, Lance Tracey, Paul Geyer and Bernd Petak.