James Pierlot is a lawyer, policy analyst and entrepreneur whose work has focused on pensions, financial services, taxation, regulation, and Canada–U.S. defence and economic cooperation. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Blue Pier, Canada’s first Pension-Plan-as-a-Service, and the principal of Pierlot Pension Law.
A member of the C.D. Howe Institute’s Pension Policy Council since 2008, Mr. Pierlot has contributed to the Institute’s research for nearly two decades. He has appeared as an expert witness before committees of both the House of Commons and the Senate. He also serves on the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario’s Stakeholder Advisory Committee for pensions and previously chaired the Financial Services Commission of Ontario’s Legal Advisory Committee.
Mr. Pierlot’s pension-policy research received the John Hanson Memorial Prize from The Actuarial Foundation. He is also a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for published work and advocacy for income security for Canadians.
He holds degrees in taxation law from Osgoode Hall Law School, civil law from the Université de Montréal, common law from Osgoode Hall, and history from Western University, as well as a diploma in international and European law from the Université d’Aix-Marseille III.