MacNicol & Associates Asset Management
MacNicol & Associates Asset Management Inc. is an independent institutional investment manager serving pension plans, endowments, and fiduciaries since 2001. Our senior team regularly contributes thought leadership on risk management, portfolio construction, alternatives, and capital protection. Below you’ll find speaker profiles, topic abstracts, and media resources for event organizers and media partners.

About the Firm

  • Independent investment management firm founded in 2001
  • Clients include pension plans, endowments, and institutional investors
  • Core expertise in risk management, alternatives, and portfolio construction
  • Canadian-based with global investment perspective
podcast

Speaking Topics

MacNicol & Associates’ senior investment professionals deliver practical, decision-relevant insights for institutional investors navigating increasingly fragile markets. Our presentations are designed for pension plans, endowments, fiduciaries, and investment committees seeking capital resilience, liquidity under stress, and durable real returns.

Sample Topic 1

Portfolio Insurance in Fragile Markets:

Designing Convex Protection for Systemic Drawdowns

Overview

Modern portfolios move fast—especially on the downside. During severe market stress, correlations spike, liquidity evaporates, and traditional diversification often fails. Bonds no longer reliably offset equity losses, leaving institutional investors exposed to rapid drawdowns that impair funded status and force reactive, pro-cyclical decisions at precisely the wrong time.

This session examines how properly structured portfolio insurance can provide true convex protection—generating asymmetric payoffs during systemic events while preserving capital efficiency in normal markets. When designed correctly, convex protection creates liquidity at moments of market dislocation, enabling disciplined rebalancing and opportunistic deployment of capital.

David MacNicol (MacNicol & Associates Asset Management Inc.)
Alex Dancy (Lionscrest, Strategic Partner)

  • Why convex protection outperforms standard hedging approaches during systemic market stress
  • The structural elements that create asymmetric payoffs and liquidity when markets dislocate
  • Practical governance and capital-efficiency considerations for post-stress rebalancing decisions

Fireside Chat or Co-Delivered Keynote (30–40 minutes) with Q&A

Pension funds, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, risk managers, fiduciaries, investment committees

Sample Topic 2

Returns in a Low Real Yield World:

Hard Assets, Real Assets & Alternatives

Overview

Persistently low real yields and elevated equity volatility have weakened the traditional 60/40 portfolio. While fixed income remains essential for liquidity and risk management, inflation continues to erode its real return potential—placing additional pressure on institutional portfolios tasked with maintaining funded status.

This presentation explores how hard assets, real assets, and alternative investments can enhance portfolio resilience and anchor long-term real returns. A disciplined allocation to alternatives can reduce dependence on traditional equity and bond markets while providing inflation protection across market cycles.

Joseph (Joe) Pochydniak, Senior Portfolio Manager
MacNicol & Associates Asset Management Inc.

  • How hard assets and real assets can support long-term real returns and inflation resilience

  • Balancing private markets with liquidity needs and risk controls within a pension framework

  • A practical framework for integrating alternatives to strengthen portfolio resilience across cycles

Keynote or Panel Session (30–40 minutes) with Q&A

Investment committees, fiduciaries, consultants, plan sponsors

Speaker Profiles

David MacNicol

DAVID MACNICOL

B. Eng. Sci, CIM, FCSI
Founder & President, MacNicol & Associates Asset Management

David brings over three decades of experience managing institutional and family portfolios through every kind of market environment. He founded MacNicol & Associates in 2001 after holding senior roles at Canada Trust, Cassels Blaikie, Connor Clark, and Cumberland Asset Management. David is known for his disciplined, engineering-trained approach to portfolio construction, with a focus on risk management, downside protection, and capital efficiency. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Western Ontario, the Canadian Investment Management designation, and the Fellow of the Canadian Securities Institute designation.

Alex Dancy

ALEX DANCY

Managing Director & CEO, Lionscrest (Strategic Partner)

Alex has spent more than two decades helping investment advisors and corporate retirement plans navigate complex markets. As Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lionscrest, he oversees the firm’s operations and investment activities. Lionscrest serves as a strategic partner to MacNicol & Associates on portfolio insurance strategies and client solutions. Before joining Lionscrest, Alex held roles at Raymond James, LPL Financial, and Patrick Capital Markets. Over his career, he has provided investment guidance to more than 50 corporate retirement plans. He holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary Analyst designation from the Center for Fiduciary Studies and earned his undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University’s Neeley School of Business.

JOE POCHODYNIAK

CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, MacNicol & Associates Asset Management

Joe is a specialist in alternative investments—an area that has become essential for institutional portfolios seeking resilience and real returns. As a Senior Portfolio Manager at MacNicol & Associates, he focuses on alternative asset strategies with a strong understanding of hard assets, real assets, and private markets. Joe is a University of Toronto graduate and earned the CFA designation in 2005. He has also lectured at a Toronto-area college, teaching courses on investing and financial markets.

Ken

KEN REID

CIM, Associate Portfolio Manager, MacNicol & Associates Asset Management

Ken Reid is an Associate Portfolio Manager at MacNicol & Associates focusing North American public equity markets. Ken spends his time on mid and large cap equities focusing on security selection and asset allocation. Ken has written and contributed to numerous articles published in the Canadian media marketplace alongside the MacNicol team. His expertise is both top down analysis and bottom up fundamental analysis. Ken’s background is in research, previously serving as a Research Associate at MacNicol & Associates.

Downloadable Assets

 

High-Resolution Logos
Official MacNicol & Associates Asset Management Inc. logos are provided in high-resolution formats suitable for digital, print, and event materials.

Speaker Headshots
Professional, high-resolution headshots of our speakers are available for use in conference programs, promotional materials, and media coverage.

Contact & Booking

For media inquiries, speaking engagements, or conference participation, please use the form below. A member of our team will respond promptly.