August 20, 2025
VICTORIA, NEW YORK, LONDON – August 20, 2025 – British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (“BCI”), one of Canada’s largest institutional investors, today announced the appointment of Ken Bennett as a Strategic Advisor for its Private Equity program, effective immediately.
Based in St. John’s, N.L., Mr. Bennett will focus on strengthening long-term value creation activities across BCI Private Equity’s global portfolio and reinforcing strategic partnerships with current and prospective management teams to drive further business growth. In this role, Mr. Bennett has also been named to the board of BMS Group, a BCI Private Equity investment, providing strategic guidance on ongoing value creation and growth strategies. BMS Group is a leading independent specialty insurance and reinsurance broker, based in London, U.K.
“We are pleased to welcome an accomplished industry leader of Ken’s calibre to BCI’s Private Equity program,” said Jim Pittman, Executive Vice President & Global Head of Private Equity. “Ken is the first of several senior advisors we plan to bring on to work alongside our talented team to help scale and support our growing global portfolio. He will be a key asset to the BMS board, and his deep operating expertise, board-level insight, and unparalleled experience in insurance and reinsurance will further strengthen our value creation model, governance and alignment across our portfolio.”
Mr. Bennett has over three decades of operating experience across the insurance and reinsurance industries and brings a wealth of expertise in business strategy. He is an entrepreneur and is an Owner of Bennett’s Home Hardware Building Centre, Bennett Developments Inc. and Bennett Real Estate Services. He is a co-founder and strategic advisor to Vedra AI Inc., a Canadian AI start up focusing on accelerating AI in the insurance industry. Previously, Mr. Bennett served as President of Johnson Insurance Ltd. and Assurance Company for 15 years, where he led a successful transformation and expansion of the business, establishing it as one of Canada’s leading providers of insurance and benefits. Mr. Bennett also has extensive board experience. He is currently chair of the board of The Health Care Foundation, one of Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest charitable organizations, is the former chair of the board of Newfoundland Power (a Fortis Company), and currently serves as a board member of BMS Group and Vedra AI Inc.
“I’m honoured to leverage my experience as an operator across the global, Canadian and North American insurance landscape to support the growth of BCI Private Equity and contribute to the BMS board,” said Mr. Bennett. “I look forward to working alongside Jim and the talented executive team at BCI Private Equity to help advance its strategic initiatives and long-term value creation.”
