John W Akkerman is the Americas Head of Institutional Distribution at New York Life Investments. Following twelve years as Head of Distribution at MacKay Shields, in this newly expanded business development leadership role he will now partner with leadership across the New York Life family of investment boutiques to accelerate growth with a focus on the US, Canada and select markets in Latin America. This diverse array of acknowledged asset class specialists includes MacKay Shields, Apogem Capital, Ausbil, Bow River Advisors, Candriam, Kartesia, NYL Investors and Tristan Capital Partners. Well known globally the group serves a prominent global client base including pension funds, foundations & endowments, family offices, sovereign wealth funds and high net worth individuals. One of the longest standing and more unique operating models in the investment industry today, New York Life Investments’ capabilities now span multiple disciplines across both private and public markets including alternatives, equities, fixed income and real estate.  John is a native of Canada and received his Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance & Marketing from Saint Mary’s University and his MBA from the University of Western Ontario. He is a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst ® and the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst ® designations.