CEBS (Certified Employee Benefit Specialist)

The premier designation in benefits and pensions, considered the standard of excellence in the industry.

There are only 5,147 CEBS designees in Canada (2020).

What Is the Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) Designation?

Certified Employee Benefit Specialist (CEBS) is a 3 year professional designation earned by those who negotiate and oversee employee benefits packages. Jointly administered by the Wharton School of Business and Dalhousie University, the CEBS is a leading certification in the field, with a Group Benefits Associate (GBA) designation and the Retirement Plans Associate (RPA) designation.

Real World Example of the CEBS

From a company’s perspective, CEBS professionals can help improve benefit packages for employees, thereby contributing both to talent acquisition and retention.

To that end, a CEBS professional holds various technical skills, such as how to manage the financial risks associated with different benefits plans, how to use discounted cash flow (DCF) analysis to estimate the likely cost of a plan, and how to evaluate the initial pricing of a group insurance product.

CEBS professionals can also contribute significantly to managing employers’ retirement plans. CEBS retirement-related skills such as how to design employee profit-sharing plans, how to comply with financial reporting requirements, how to navigate special situations such as corporate reorganizations, and how to encourage tax efficiencies and effective corporate governance.