9th Annual Real Estate Canada Forum

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The 9th Annual Real Estate Canada Forum is a local peer education-focused event exclusively for Canada’s investor community to benchmark and learn about institutional and private wealth real estate allocation strategies.

 

This closed door one-day forum will bring together public and corporate pension plans, endowments, foundations, insurance portfolios, healthcare plans, investment consultants, HNW wealth managers, and private banks.

OUR SPEAKERS

Speakers

Citie Velazquez

Citie Velazquez

Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan

Head of Real Estate Portfolio Management

As Head of Real Estate Portfolio Management at Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan, Citie Velazquez oversees a $30 billion+ global portfolio. She leads portfolio composition and capital allocation across multiple regions and asset classes. Citie also plays a critical role in investment performance, value creation, and developing real estate's long-term strategy. Citie is an award-winning professional with over 15 years of real estate experience. Her experience includes senior leadership finance positions at Dream, Cadillac Fairview and, most recently, Head of Real Estate Finance at OTPP.

Brandon Perra

Brandon Perra

Mercer

Principal, Co-Head of Real Estate, North America

Brandon Perra is a Principal within Mercer Alternatives Real Estate Team. He joined Pavilion Advisory Group in 2018, which was acquired by Mercer later that year. Mr. Perra is responsible for leading Canadian Real Estate research and with assisting North American investors with their Real Estate portfolio needs. Mr. Perra is also responsible for supporting portfolio management and investment analysis on behalf of Mercer’s dedicated real estate solution within Mercer’s Private Investment Partners (“PIP”). Previously, Mr. Perra worked in the field consulting group where he was responsible for manager monitoring, performance reporting, manager searches and asset allocation projects. Brandon Perra is a CFA Charterholder.

Caroline Rauhala

Caroline Rauhala

AIMCo

Portfolio Manager, Mortgage Investments

Caroline is a Portfolio Manager on the Mortgage Investments team at the Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo). She is responsible for growing and managing AIMCo’s Canadian, U.S. and European mortgage portfolios, on behalf of AIMCo’s clients. Caroline has over a decade of experience in construction and commercial mortgage lending, portfolio risk management and private mortgage investments. She completed her Bachelor of Arts at Queen’s University and is a graduate of the MBA program at the Schulich School of Business.

Jamie Manley

Jamie Manley

QuadReal

Executive Vice President, Canadian Investments Toronto

Jamie Manley joined QuadReal in August 2018. As Executive Vice President, Canadian Investments, he is responsible for investment-related activity across Canada. Jamie was formerly a portfolio manager at CPP Investment Board, where he was responsible for overseeing investments, strategy development and asset management for various aspects of its real estate portfolio in Canada and the United States. Previously, he held a position with Bentall Kennedy in the opportunity funds group. Jamie holds a Master of Science Degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor Arts from Queen’s University.
Donald Chu

Donald Chu

Presbyterian Church of Canada

Member - Board of Trustees and Investment Advisory Committee

Donald is a seasoned capital market professional with deep expertise in credit, investments and risk management. His work experience would include time at TD Bank, S&P Global Ratings, OMERS and CDIC. Aside from the Presbyterian Church, Donald is involved with family offices where he leads board governance and helps to optimize investment portfolio performance, business strategy and enterprise risk management. Donald is a CFA Charterholder and he completed his MBA at Queen’s University and BSc (biochemistry) at the University of Toronto.

Alexander Chase

Alexander Chase

NAV CANADA Pension Plan

Manager, Real Assets

Alex Chase is a real assets investment professional. As Manager of the Real Assets portfolio at the NAV Canada Pension Plan, he oversees investments in infrastructure, real estate, and agriculture. Earlier in his career, Alex worked on public-private partnership (P3) project development across Canada. He is a CFA Charterholder.

Nancy Bertrand

Nancy Bertrand

Citi

Global Market Manager, Head of Citi Private Bank, Canada

Nancy joined Citi Private Bank in 2006 and has over 20 years of capital markets experience. She advises ultra high net-worth families, foundations and single family offices on wealth preservation and creation, with a particular focus on alternative and international investments. Previously, Nancy practiced U.S. securities law at the global law firm, Shearman & Sterling LLP specializing in cross-border corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions.

Nancy sits on the board of the Golf Association of Ontario. She is a Past President of the Toronto CFA Society and the former Chair of the Governance and Nominations Committee. She was a member of the CFA Institute's Capital Markets Policy Committee and a member of CFA Institute's Global Corporate Governance Task Force. She received her Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2002.

 

 

Jim Clayton

Jim Clayton

York University

Timothy R. Price Chair and Director of the Brookfield Centre in Real Estate & Infrastructure in the Schulich School of Business

Jim Clayton is the Timothy R. Price Chair and Director of the Brookfield Centre in Real Estate & Infrastructure in the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. He joined Schulich in 2018 from global investment manager Barings (formerly Cornerstone), where he was Head of Real Estate Investment Strategy. Previously he was Director of Research at the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), after holding faculty positions at the University of Cincinnati and Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, NS. Jim has a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia, an MA from Western Ontario, and BA from Queen’s University.

Julie McMillan

Julie McMillan

Oxford Properties Group

Senior Vice President, Global Portfolio Management

Julie McMillan is the head of Global Portfolio Management at Oxford Properties and a member of Oxford’s Investment Committee. Julie oversees investment strategy, capital recycling initiatives and portfolio analytics across a diverse global platform. With a decade of experience at Oxford, Julie has held multiple leadership roles spanning valuations, FP&A, Research and Investment Risk.  This cross-functional experience has uniquely positioned her to drive data-informed decisions and optimize capital allocation at the enterprise level.

Simon Segall

Simon Segall

General Synod Pension Plan

Trustee

Simon Segall is a Trustee of the General Synod Pension Plan where he’s a member of the Asset Mix Committee and ESG Subcommittee. Simon is also a member of the Investment Committee at The Atmospheric Fund. Simon has held senior management, business development and client service positions with Canadian and global asset management firms, including CEO of BNP Paribas Investment Partners Canada. He holds mathematics degrees from the University of Alberta and Stony Brook University.

Tom Keenleyside

Tom Keenleyside

Western University

Associate Director – Investments

Tom Keenleyside is Associate Director, Investments at Western University, where he provides support for the management of the University’s Pension Plans and its Operating & Endowment Fund. He has over 25 years of experience in the financial industry and has been with the University since November 2013. His responsibilities include monitoring the University’s external investment managers and providing support for the development and implementation of asset allocation and risk management strategies. He holds a Master of Science degree in Statistics and an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial Science, both from Western University. He is a fellow of both the Canadian Institute of Actuaries and the Society of Actuaries.  Prior to joining Western, Tom provided actuarial support in various roles within the London Life/Great-West Life/Canada Life group of insurance companies.

Abdur Nimeri

Abdur Nimeri

West Mountain

Chief Investment Officer

Abdur Nimeri is a highly respected leader in the financial services industry, known for his expertise in private and public market investments. With a career spanning over two decades, he has consistently delivered industry-leading standards of excellence and instilled a culture of innovation in his organizations. As the Chief Investment Officer at UMB Bank, Abdur propelled the success of multiple investment strategies and oversaw the management of over $16 billion in wealth management investment strategies. Prior to this, he held key positions at Northern Trust Corporation, where he provided direction for the design of quantitative global portfolios and executed above-market performance across various strategies. Abdur's extensive experience also includes senior roles at Fannie Mae and Kronos Investments.

Arthur Diochon, CFA, CAIA

Arthur Diochon, CFA, CAIA

BMO Family Office

Head of Alternatives Research

Arthur Diochon has over a decade of experience in the investment industry across all asset classes. As BMO Family Office's Head of Alternative Research, he is responsible for providing insight, support and research on the alternative asset class. These responsibilities include alternative portfolio construction for UHNW clients and maintenance of the Firm’s recommended list and product shelf.

Colton Creber

Colton Creber

QuadReal Property Group

Vice President & U.S. West Coast Residential Asset Management Lead

Colton Creber is the Vice President of International Asset Management & Development with QuadReal Property Group. He has over a decade of experience across progressive roles in equity asset management, investments, and development covering the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Previously, Colton held roles with KingSett Capital and Fiera Capital. He sits on the Legislative Affairs Committee for NAIOP Southern California and is a member of the California Apartment Association.
Declan Winston Ramsaran

Declan Winston Ramsaran

PANGEA Private Family Offices

Managing Director

Declan and his team help global families flourish for generations. For over 25 years he has successfully contributed to the private wealth management profession on Bay St. in Toronto, while being a resourceful person of value to HNW & UHNW families across the country. Declan was formerly the Director of Private Wealth Planning with BMO Private Banking, at a time when leadership was responsible for $14 billion in client assets. Leading PANGEA Private Family Offices for over a decade, Declan has been invited to speak at international family office conferences in Montreux, New York, Barcelona and Boston, to name just a few. He has moderated the Opening Bell panel, HNW + ESG panel and Family Office panel with the Private Wealth Canada Forum. Accepting an invitation from the UN, Declan attended the Family Office Impact Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. He was interviewed by Dr. Kirby Rosplock, author of the Complete Family Office Handbook and has been quoted several times in the Canadian Family Offices periodical. He was recently featured as a guest on the national television show, Legacy Makers. Educated at Yale School of Management, Trinity Western University and Tyndale University, Declan continues to be a student of complex, intergenerational family dynamics and their impact on generational wealth.
Jeff Carrie

Jeff Carrie

Target Benefit Investment Consulting

Institutional Consultant

JeƯ Carrie formed Target Benefit Investment Consulting in 2018. At that time, the bond market had negative performance until the Fed pivoted. This event was a barbinger of what investors would face in the bond market when Central Banks were forced to raise interest rates. At a conference in January 2020, JeƯ forecasted the bottoming of interest rates within 8-10 months. This event was confirmed at a Conference in October 2021 and a new forecast was provided; the worst bond market in a generation would occur in 2022. Recommended short-duration investments until the market normalized. This defensive call persisted for 2 years and was reversed mid-October 2023 when a long-duration portfolio recommendation was provided to clients and prospects.
Jerry Olynuk

Jerry Olynuk

Northland Wealth Management

Senior Vice President & Portfolio Manager

Jerry Olynuk oversees the firm's Calgary office as well as acting as a member of the Investment Committee where he focuses on the analysis and integration of global investments in portfolios. Mr. Olynuk has an extensive three-decade career in financial services which began in 1990 when Jerry entered the trust industry to apply his legal background to the planning. administration and ongoing management of complex estate and trust situations. In 1997, Jerry moved exclusively into the role of Portfolio Manager with the private client division of a major Canadian trust company. In 2002, Jerry joined one of Canada's oldest, independent investment counseling firms as Vice-President & Portfolio Manager in order to provide more independent investment analysis and management for his clients including corporations and foundations. He was also a member of the firm's asset mix committee. In 2007, Mr. Olynuk took on a more senior role as Vice-President, Portfolio Manager and Chief Compliance Officer with a private investment firm to further his experience in the management of investment funds and an investment counseling firm. In this role, Jerry was responsible for the management of the firm's balanced fund and bond portfolios, provided oversight of all the company's investment funds as CCO, and chaired the firm's Asset Mix committee. He carried out extensive, original research in the areas of asset mix, global investment portfolios, and customized investment solutions for private and institutional clients.
Josh Benchetrit

Josh Benchetrit

Westcourt Capital

Principal & Portfolio Manager

Josh’s responsibilities include the construction and management of diversified investment portfolios and reviewing investment products for Westcourt’s clients. Josh is registered as a Portfolio Manager (Advising Representative) and a Dealing Representative. Prior to joining Westcourt, Josh was an executive at two of the country’s largest single-family offices, and a member of the Investment Committee. In this role, he was responsible for building the investment framework covering all major asset classes and geographies. Josh started his career working in public accounting for a major accounting firm, primarily focusing on audits of financial services clients. He has also held operational finance positions at various leading businesses. Josh earned a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree from the Schulich School of Business. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder, a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA), and holds the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement (CIPM) from the CFA Institute. Josh is married with children and is an avid tennis player.

Kristin Dacey

Kristin Dacey

Bulltick Wealth Management

Chief Investment Officer – Real Estate, Alternatives

Kristin Dacey is Chief Investment Officer – Real Estate, Alternatives at Bulltick, which has a RIA and Broker Dealer. At Bulltick, she also acts as the fund manager of two real estate fund of funds primarily focused on the US market. Concurrently, she is the Chief Investment Officer for Emprenta, an impact investing group, and on the board for Convision 20/20, a social enterprise in Mexico. Previously, she spent 8 years in the private sector of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) contributing to over US$2.2 billion in alternatives investments. Kristin also worked for GE Capital for 7 years where she held progressing roles in credit, portfolio management, and account management participating in the structuring of over 70 real estate, equipment, cash flow and construction deals comprising over US$2 billion in volume. Kristin has a Masters from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, an MBA from Arizona State and BS and BA degrees from Virginia Tech. 

Pat Leo

Pat Leo

Gallagher

Vice President—Toronto Retirement

In Pat’s current role as Vice-President, Toronto Retirement, he focuses on delivering innovative retirement solutions, thought leadership and dedicated service to his clients. He has more than 25 years of experience in financial services, defined contribution pension consulting, client management and business development at Mercer, Sun Life Financial and Sun Life Global Investments. Additionally, he is also part of the Pension Plan Administration Certificate (PPAC) instructor team at the Longo Faculty of Business at Humber College where he shares insights with plan sponsor participants about managing their group retirement savings plan. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Education from Western University. Pat Leo is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER professional.
Sandeep Kakan

Sandeep Kakan

Canada Wide Industrial Pension Plan

Trustee

Sandeep is currently serving as a Trustee on the Canada Wide Industrial Pension Plan Board. He is also the Director of Pension Governance and Trustees and formerly as Director of Pension and Benefits at the Unifor National Office. He brings extensive experience and strategic focus within pension plan governance, risk management, portfolio management, and regulatory compliance. Mr Kakan advocates for retirement security and has represented worker and retiree interests at Parliamentary Senate committee hearings on pension reform. He has served on the Technical Advisory Committee at the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario (FSRA).   Sandeep graduated from Oxford Brookes University with an MSc. He also holds the CEBS and FLMI designation and serves on two other separate Boards as a fiduciary.

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60 Yorkville Ave
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Canada, ON M4W 0A4
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Key Discussion Topics

Navigating the Currents: Assessing Canada's Real Estate Landscape

As interest rate adjustments and economic fluctuations continue to shape the Canadian real estate market, stakeholders across the industry face pressing questions and considerations. Join our distinguished panel of experts as they delve into the multifaceted dynamics influencing real estate trends and investment strategies.

The Orbit Around Debt

What type of distressed assets are attracting attention? What kind of loan structures would you recommend incorporating into your investment strategy? Which structures would you actively avoid? Are you approaching debt differently in different real estate asset classes? As many portfolios today revolve around debt strategies, how do you foresee the orbit around debt evolving in the coming 12-24 months?

The Residential Ripple Effect

Canadian residential real estate markets are expected to grow more than 10 billion USD in the next five years. What trends are emerging in the residential sector? How is sustainability playing a role in the residential sector? Which regions of Canada are seeing inflows versus outflows? How do you expect this to change as we look ahead to 2025? How are office, storage, and hospitality being affected by shifts in residential markets? How are investors approaching affordable housing?

Niche Real Estate Strategies to Invest In (or Divest From)

How are niche real estate strategies performing in 2024? Are they pulling ahead of more traditional real estate strategies? Where are you finding success in sectors like life sciences, student housing, selfstorage facilities, data centers, film & television production studios, senior housing, manufactured housing, and medical office buildings? How does the Canadian niche real estate supply and demand compare to other geographic markets? What in the next phase of these strategies look like for real estate investors?

Best in Class Risk 

How are Canadian real estate investors evaluating the risk of their real estate strategies within their investment portfolios? Are there any new due diligence methods that your team is utilizing to ensure appropriate lengths are taken? As you look ahead to the next 12-24 months, are you favoring opportunistic and value add strategies, or is your team in favor of allocating to core and core plus strategies? Do different geographic markets change your approach to risk?

Dissecting Multifamily Housing

Is the hype surrounding multifamily warranted? What kind of returns are you seeing in the space? Will interest rates impact the trends that you are seeing in the multifamily sector? How can managers set themselves apart from other players? Which regions of Canada are seeing more interest in multifamily? Which technological advancements are contributing to your investment decisions? What is the next wave of technology in multifamily?

The Industrial Complex

Industrial real estate continues to impress investors nationally. What can allocators do to maximize their exposure to industrial? What advice would you have for newcomers in the space? What economic factors are driving the industrial industry? How is the industry changing? What technological advancements are emerging in industrial properties? How is cold storage performing? What other sub-asset classes are top of mind for investors interested in the industrial real estate market?

A Closer Look at Private Wealth

Private wealth allocators have become critical changemakers in the real estate industry. What kind of investment strategies are wealth managers and family offices favoring in 2024? How has the private wealth landscape changed in the last year? How do you foresee the industry moving as we look ahead to 2025? What tax advantages are on the table for private wealth allocators? What does the risk appetite look like for the private wealth community?

Best in Class Real Estate Development

In this dynamic keynote discussion, a Pension Fund CIO is joined by real estate development partners to share top tier real estate development successes as well as their critical perspectives on the future of real estate development opportunities in Canada.

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