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, family offices, HNW wealth managers, and private banks.

OUR SPEAKERS

Past Speakers

Aaron Bennett

Aaron Bennett

University Pension Plan Ontario

Chief Investment Officer

Aaron Bennett is UPP’s CIO and leads all aspects of UPP’s global investment strategy and operations. A seasoned portfolio manager, Aaron brings over 16 years of investment experience, with expertise in strategic asset allocation and responsible investing. Across his roles at Jarislowsky Fraser Global Investment Management, OTPP, and mid-sized Canadian investment banks, Aaron has supported systemic and robust investment analysis, policy formulation and strategic implementation across portfolios and asset classes. Aaron holds a B.Sc Honours (Biology) from Queen’s University, an MBA from the Ivey School of Business Western University, and is a CFA Charterholder.
Aazar Zafar

Aazar Zafar

OP Trust

Senior Director, Investment Risk

Aazar Zafar is an experienced professional in the financial industry with expertise in investment risk management and portfolio analysis. Currently, they serve as the Director of Investment Risk for Private Equity, Infrastructure, and Real Estate at OPTrust, where they are responsible for strategizing risk measurement and reporting approaches for assets worth over $10 billion. Aazar has built and leads a team of five to develop and implement innovative investment risk measurement strategies for new and existing investments in various market sectors. Prior to their current role, Aazar held positions at OPTrust as a Portfolio Manager and Manager of Private Markets Risk, where they developed risk measurement methodologies and conducted in-depth risk analysis for illiquid investments. Aazar also worked as a Principal at Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) and as the Head of Tax at OMERS. Aazar began their career at PwC as an AVP in Advisory Services.
Brandon Francis

Brandon Francis

Quadreal

Vice President of Investment Management & Residential Lead

Brandon joined QuadReal (QR) in March 2018 and is the Vice President of investment management and the residential lead for QR’s Eastern domestic portfolio. He acts as a conduit to ensure the strategic direction of the residential platform is met by the other groups at QuadReal including Operations, Development, Acquisitions, and Debt. His journey in the industry has enabled him to touch a multitude of asset classes including Office and Retail. With demonstrated leadership in acquisitions, development and portfolio management, Brandon brings a deep understanding of markets and design to the QR residential team. Former employers include Realstar Group, Smart REIT and Oxford Properties Group.Brandon holds a Master’s of Business Administration Degree from the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, a Bachelor’s Degree of Human Biology from University of Toronto, and 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.
Chris Kerlow

Chris Kerlow

Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management Canada

Senior Portfolio Manager & Investment Advisor

Before working over 14 years in the industry, Chris graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree, double majoring in finance and entrepreneurship. He began his career with Scotia Asset Management in 2008 and had progressing roles before becoming a senior analyst in the Investment Consulting Group. Chris was awarded the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation in 2012. He brings a specialization in stock specific fundamental analysis. Analyzing companies from the bottom up deriving fair value estimates and determining their relative attractiveness as either a standalone investment or in a portfolio context. He is also a contributing member in the asset allocation and sector selection process.
John Ewing

John Ewing

University of Guelph Endowment Fund

Chair of Investment Committee

Mr Ewing co-founded Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners in June 2011 with Darcy Morris. John is responsible for portfolio management and investment research, and also contributes to investors’ relationships and general operations. Prior to co-founding Ewing Morris & Co. Investment Partners, John was Vice President and Director of Research at Burgundy Asset Management. As Director of Research, John led a team of thirteen analysts and was a member of Burgundy’s management committee. John was also the lead analyst for Burgundy’s Canadian Small Cap Fund. John graduated with distinction from the University of Guelph in 2005 with an Honours Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree and a Minor in Business Administration. He won the President’s Trophy as Guelph’s top student-athlete in 2005 and has completed the Investment Management Workshop at Harvard Business School.

Lora Gotcheva

Lora Gotcheva

CPP Investments

Managing Director, Real Estate, Real Assets

Lora Gotcheva is responsible for CPP Investments’ life science investments in the US and listed real estate portfolio in the Americas.  Having joined CPP Investments in 2010, Lora was instrumental in establishing the listed real estate program and has led numerous private investments across the apartment, office, life science, medical office and senior housing sectors.  Prior to joining CPP Investments, Lora was the lead real estate securities analyst for Fidelity International overseeing investments in listed real estate companies across Europe.  Lora started her career in investment banking at Morgan Stanley, and subsequently held senior acquisition and asset management roles at Macquarie Capital focusing on infrastructure investments across the US and Canada.  Lora earned an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where she graduated as a Palmer Scholar, and a BA in Economics from Mount Holyoke College.
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.

 

Robert Cultraro

Robert Cultraro

Citi Private Bank

Director

Robert is a seasoned executive with a proven track record as the Chief Investment Officer at Hydro One Inc. With over three decades of comprehensive experience in the investment industry, he excels in strategic decision-making, leading investment teams, and managing diverse portfolios with a keen focus on strategic and tactical asset mix management.

His expertise spans alternative investment research, analysis, and advising, coupled with adept governance and risk management skills. Throughout his career, Robert has demonstrated exceptional leadership, collaborating effectively with boards and committees to drive success in challenging environments.

Venelina Arduini

Venelina Arduini

Mercer

Co-Leader, Alternative Investments Canada

Venelina Arduini is a Co-Leader, Alternative Investments Canada. Venelina works with clients to build and maintain their alternatives portfolios, helping them with portfolio construction and manager selection. She joined Mercer in 2011. Venelina is also a Board of Director member for the West Park Hospital Foundation based in Toronto. Venelina holds an MBA from Ivey Business School. She also earned the CFA and CAIA designations.
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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.

REGISTRATION

INVESTORS: Complimentary Registration for all qualified investors. Email IR@marketsgroup.org for more information on obtaining a complimentary ticket.

MANAGERS & SERVICE PROVIDERS: Rates below reflect the current price for all asset managers and service providers.

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