IPE AWARDS - Keith Ambachtsheer, the world-renowned expert in pensions, has been recognised for his services to the international pensions market with an Outstanding Industry Contribution award at this year's IPE Awards in Vienna.

Receiving his award tonight in Vienna, Ambachtsheer said: "I think of this as a longevity award because I got into this industry in the late 1960s. At the beginning of the industry was turning bits and pieces on pensions, there was no coherence compared to where we are today," said Ambachtsheer.

"We are not done yet, but there is a lot of coherence to pensions worldwide. Retirement income systems are getting serious attention as to how they source design from an optimum point of view. The world of DB vs DC has progressed, and now needs an optimum hybrid between the two. The key to all this is integrated thinking."

He continued: "In the ‘70s Peter Drucken wrote a little-read book called The Unseen Revolution, and he saw the whole thing ahead of where we are today, asked all the right questions. I got to be part of the process of answering these questions."

While Ambachtsheer is based in Toronto, Canada, he has been a key figure in the global pensions arena for over 30 years, and is today most known for founding the Rotman International Centre for Pensions Management (ICPM).

Through his own firm KPA Advisory Services, launched in 1985, he today advises pension funds in the Netherlands in particular and guides others through his regular publication The Ambachtsheer Letter.

Earlier this year, he published his latest book, Pensions Revolution, sparking fresh debate about the future of the market.

Ambachtsheer was one of 10 nominees for this Outstanding Industry Contribution award - a category voted for by IPE readers - at the 7th annual IPE European Pension Fund Awards in Vienna tonight.

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