Great-West Lifeco, the Toronto-listed financial services holding company, has appointed Shubha Khan as senior vice president and head of IR, effective June 3.
Most recently, Khan served as vice president of IR at Intact Financial Corporation, which won two awards and was nominated in a further three categories at the IR Magazine Awards – Canada 2024.
Prior to that, Khan spent nearly five years at Manulife Financial, including time within the IR department. Earlier in his career, he was an equity research analyst at National Bank of Canada and Credit Suisse.
‘Great-West Lifeco has a strong track record of delivering sustainable growth and long-term value creation for our shareholders and investors,’ says Jon Nielsen, the company’s CFO, in a statement.
‘Shubha’s appointment will further strengthen our relationships with key stakeholders across financial markets. I look forward to working with Shubha and am confident he will be a very positive addition to our team.’
In other people news, Churchill Downs, the Nasdaq-listed entertainment business that owns the Kentucky Derby, has named Sam Ullrich as its new vice president of IR. In his new role, he is responsible for all aspects of IR and reports to the company’s CFO, Marcia Dall.
Ullrich previously worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken Corporation, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, in a range of senior financial positions, including director of commercial and financial planning and US interim CFO. His career started at PwC, where he spent several years in the assurance practice.
Elsewhere, German automotive supplier Schaeffler has appointed Heiko Eber, who formerly led IR at Vitesco Technologies Group, as its new head of IR. Schaeffler and Vitesco, another automotive supplier focused on the electric vehicle industry, are currently in the process of merging.
‘With his extensive experience gained in the industrial and automotive sectors, his track record in our sister companies and his contributions during the current integration phase, Heiko will accompany the next phase of our transformation as a leading motion technology company,’ says Claus Bauer, CFO of Schaeffler, in a statement.
As part of the changes, Renata Casaro, Schaeffler’s IR leader for the last seven years, is taking charge of a newly created unit: global risk and macroeconomic analysis.
‘I am delighted that Renata will continue to support us on our journey… [and] contribute to Schaeffler’s resilience in this increasingly complex macroeconomic and geopolitical environment,’ adds Schaeffler CEO Klaus Rosenfeld.
Finally, Nasdaq-listed LanzaTech Global, the carbon recycling company, has brought in Kate Walsh as vice president of IR and tax.
Walsh has worked in IR and finance posts for nearly 15 years. Most recently, she was senior vice president of IR and corporate communications at Enviva, the producer of wood pellets, which filed for bankruptcy in March this year.
Other roles include vice president of IR and tax at EnLink Midstream and director of IR and tax at Niska Gas Storage Partners, now known as Rockpoint Gas Storage Partners.
‘Kate is joining LanzaTech at an exciting time, as the company begins to scale its innovative carbon recycling solutions and pursue step-change growth opportunities in tandem with expanding our customer base and geographical reach,’ says Geoff Trukenbrod, LanzaTech’s CFO, in a statement.
‘Kate’s deep experience in finance and IR makes her an immediate asset to the company and very well suited for this role, and we are delighted to welcome her to the team.’
