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Barbara Zvan is President and Chief Executive Officer of University Pension Plan Ontario (UPP). She is responsible for realizing UPP’s strategies to deliver valuable, lifelong pension security and service excellence to UPP’s over 39,000 members while establishing UPP as the pension solution of choice for Ontario’s university community. Formerly the Chief Risk and Strategy Officer for the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Barb is globally recognized as a leading voice on sustainable investing and an ambassador for defined benefit pensions. She was named Canada’s CEO of the Year and Corporate Citizen of the Year 2022 by the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business magazine in honour of her contributions and leadership in both areas.
A sought-after responsible investing expert, Barb was appointed to the Government of Canada’s Expert Panel on Sustainable Finance in 2018 and is an inaugural member of the Sustainable Finance Action Council, which launched in 2021. On the global stage, Barb played a significant role in creating the G7 Investor Leadership Network and was named one of 26 Climate Champions by British High Commission in Canada and the Canada Climate Law Initiative ahead of COP 26 in 2021.
She also serves on the boards of various global organizations including the Responsible Investment Association, Climate Engagement Canada, and the advisory board of the Institute of Sustainable Finance at the Smith School of Business.
She holds a master’s degree in Math and Statistics from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Science degree from McMaster University. She is a fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute, a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors, a Fellow of Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA) and a Fellow of Society of Actuaries (FSA).
Jean-Pascal set up the Infrastructure vertical of AXA IM Prime in July 2022.
He joined AXA in 2019 as Head of Infrastructure Investments to drive acceleration of investments into the Infrastructure asset class across Direct, Primaries, Secondaries and Co-investments. Prior to that, Jean-Pascal was Managing director of the Energy and Infrastructure Finance team of BNP Paribas for more than 10 years in Paris, Milan and Madrid. During his tenure, he held various sectorial and regional responsibilities and led transactions in sectors such as transportation, regulated utilities, renewable and conventional power as well as telecommunications. Before joining BNP Paribas, Jean-Pascal spent 3 years at Veolia Environment covering project and acquisition finance in water treatment, distribution and desalination transactions in Europe, Middle East and Asia and 8 years at Bouygues Construction in Hong Kong, Paris and Johannesburg on a wide range of transportation and social assets.
Jean-Pascal graduated from EDHEC Business School.
MBA, SIPC, FSA
Nawar Alsaadi, is CEO and Founder of Kanata Advisors, a Toronto-based ESG Fintech advisory firm. Prior to founding Kanata, Nawar held several senior ESG-related roles: Chief Impact Officer at ScopeFour Capital, Senior Portfolio Manager ESG Investing at Canada Post Pension Plan, and Director of ESG Insights at ethical investment firm, NEI investments, among other executive and advisory roles.
Nawar holds a BBA in International Business from Schiller International University (Paris) and a Master of Business Administration from the Questrom School of Business (Boston University). He also holds a multitude of sustainable investing certifications: CFA ESG Investing, CFA Climate Investing, the Sustainable Investment Professional Certification (SIPC) from Concordia University, and FSA Credential from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB).
Sebastien Betermier is an Associate Professor of Finance at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University and the Executive Director of the International Centre for Pension Management. His research focuses on the relationship between risk and return, asset allocation, sustainable finance, and the design of sustainable pension systems. Betermier founded and currently directs the McGill International Portfolio Challenge, the world’s largest buy-side competition focused on sustainability challenges for pension funds and other institutional investors. He also founded and serves as Advisory Board member of the Sustainable Growth Initiative at McGill. Professor Betermier holds a PhD in Finance from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. He was Head of the Finance Area at the Desautels Faculty of Management from 2020-2022 and an Academic Advisor at the Bank of Canada from 2018-2022. Betermier’s work appears in top finance journals, and it has featured in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg, among others. In 2017, he was named one of the World’s Best 40 under 40 Business School Professors by Poets and Quants.
CFA
Jeff Chan is Director, ESG Investing at Canada Post Corporate Pension Plan. In this role, Jeff leads all aspects of the plan’s ESG efforts including ESG integration, stewardship efforts and the implementation of the plan’s climate change strategy. Prior to this role, Jeff was Director, ESG at a large Canadian asset management firm where he developed and led the implementation of the firm’s ESG strategy and roadmap, including policy and process creation. Jeff also played an integral role in ESG product development and ESG-related client servicing.
Jeff is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and has completed a Master of Science in Sustainability Management from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Science (Life Sciences) from McMaster University. Jeff also holds the FSA Credential from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR) Certificate from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP).
Philip Coté is a Director at bfinance Canada. Philip has more than 16 years of financial services industry experience across institutional investment consulting, manager research and product development roles. Prior to joining bfinance Philip was a Director at Pavilion Alternatives Group where he led manager research and due diligence assignments in the area of private markets investment, with a focus on real estate, infrastructure and private debt. Earlier in his career Philip worked at CIBC Asset Management and National Bank. Philip is a CFA charter holder and holds the FRM designation. He completed a Bachelor of Commerce at Concordia University and a graduate certificate at McGill University.
MBA
Yves Caron is a Senior Director, Funds Private Markets, at CDPQ Funds Management. Currently focused on private credit, he has experience in liquid and illiquid markets, emerging managers and GP stakes. Prior to CDPQ, he was a portfolio manager at a multi-family office and at a FOHF.
Yves’ experience in finance is complemented by knowledge of information technology and health sciences. He worked as a consultant in IT strategy at Deloitte and founded a digital archiving service. He has a MBA from HEC Montreal and a bachelor of science (honors biochemistry) from McGill University.
MBA
Karl is President of Polen Capital, and is responsible for investment team administration, developing our global credit business, and supporting the firm’s strategic direction. Prior to joining Polen Capital in 2022, Karl served as CEO at Brigade Capital Management. Karl spent 12 years in various leadership roles at Schroders, including CEO of North America and Co-Head of Fixed Income. Before joining Schroders, Karl was Executive Vice President
and Global CIO at SEI Investments, where he spent over 13 years. Karl received a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an M.B.A. from Columbia University School of Business and London Business School. Karl is also a Trustee & IC Chair for the Georgia Tech Foundation.
Jenny is a Managing Director and Global Chief Operating Officer for Nuveen Real Estate. Jenny leads investment governance and operations, performance, and data analytics, as well as plays a central role in strategic growth and business development initiatives globally. She is responsible for the connectivity and information flow across senior leadership and the broader Nuveen organization to support firm-wide initiatives and ensure the execution of Nuveen Real Estate’s business plans. She is a member of Nuveen Real Estate’s Global Executive Leadership Team.
Previously Nuveen’s Global Head of Real Estate Product, Jenny oversaw the development of real estate funds and strategies, and the implementation of client solutions across Nuveen Real Estate’s private equity and debt strategies. She also led the structuring of strategic partnerships, co-investments, and joint ventures. Prior to joining the business in 2019, Jenny served at Ares Management where she focused on real estate product management and investor relations. Jenny graduated with a B.A. in Economics from New York University.
CFA
Nicolas joined Bimcor in 2007 with a focus on private markets including infrastructure, real estate and private equity. He started his career at the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) and also worked at two private equity funds of funds based in Europe before joining Bimcor.
Nicolas is an active member of the financial community and currently a member of the McGill University Pension Investment Committee. He graduated from HEC Montreal with a MSc and is a CFA charterholder since 2001.
Ms. Even is involved in all aspects of the firm’s real estate practice, including deal sourcing, due diligence, asset management, portfolio construction, and managing client relationships. Prior to joining GCM Grosvenor, Ms. Even was a Portfolio Management Director at Tishman Speyer where she developed and implemented portfolio-wide and asset-specific strategies, managed capital allocation decisions, and served as primary point of contact for institutional investors. Prior to Portfolio Management, she was a member of Tishman Speyer’s Acquisitions team. She started her career in Investment Banking at Evercore focused on Mergers & Acquisitions. Ms. Even received her Bachelor of Science in Finance and Economics magna cum laude from the Stern School of Business at New York University and her Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
Anne is a Non-Executive Director and Senior Executive, providing over 20 years’ investment and advisory experience and specialising in investment and strategy in the energy transition. Anne has advised over $100 billion in global investment and company strategy, focused on enabling decarbonisation, sustainability and technology adoption across data centres, industrials, transport, property, mining, minerals, water and natural capital. She has advised governments and companies including Google, Shell, BHP, and Rio Tinto and others. Anne is the Global Head of Sustainability and Impact Investment at Quinbrook. She has studied at MIT in Digital Technologies, holds a Master of Applied Finance and Bachelor of Science and has been an adviser and contributor to various innovation initiatives including the P2X Leadership Council, UK, United Nations 24/7 Carbon-Free Energy Compact, TedX, EnergyLab, Oxford SKOLL, CERES/Harvard Business, Imperial College, Kings College, and the Australian Clean Energy Council.
As Founder and Managing Partner of August Capital, Katie recognized the need to connect exceptional private investment managers with Canadian institutional capital. Prior to launching August Capital, Katie was Managing Director, Co-Head Capital Raising at a $15bn private equity firm, where she was directly responsible for building out the team and raising institutional capital globally, with direct coverage of Canadian institutional capital. She began her career in Investment Banking and Institutional Equity Sales at CIBC, one of Canada’s largest banks. She is a graduate of the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University, where she earned an Honours in Business Administration.
Laurent has over 35 years of experience in the field of infrastructure and has developed an extensive network with major European strategic industrial and financial infrastructure players.
Laurent joined ARDIAN in 2005 and co-founded the Infrastructure Group with Mathias Burghardt. He successfully took part in the strong development of the Infrastructure activity which has since then grown to 22bn€ of AUM with more than 60 investments across Europe and Americas. Laurent played a leading role on landmark transactions of the ARDIAN’s portfolio like Inwit towers, Indigo parking, Luton Airport, Lisea HSL, Kallista renewables, Synerail telecom network, and acts as board member of these companies. Laurent has also been highly involved in all funds raising of the infrastructure activity, and is now board member of Ardian Korea, Ardian Japan and Ardian Singapore.
Laurent is President of Hy24, a JV between Ardian and FiveThydrogen, who recently raised a Clean Hydrogen Infrastructure fund of 2Bn€ to drive the scale-up of the clean hydrogen economy.
Prior to joining ARDIAN, Laurent worked at CACIB and Crédit Lyonnais in their Infrastructure advisory, structured finance and capital market activities for 15 years.
Laurent graduated from Ecole des Mines (engineering School).
Education: Ecole des Mines
MBA, CPA
CFA
Vincent Felteau is the Senior Director of Climate Innovation at PSP Investments. In his role, Vincent leads the integration of climate considerations into the investment activities and monitoring of PSP Investments’ private and public market investments. He provides advice to portfolio companies, senior management, and the board of directors on various ESG matters. Vincent also spearheads the development and implementation of PSP Investments’ climate change strategy. Vincent is a member of the GRESB Foundation Board, a member of the investment committee of the Greater Montreal Climate Fund, a member of the Investor Leadership Network Climate Change initiative, a member of the Sustainable Finance Action Council (SFAC) Data Technical Expert Group, and also one of the Climate Change Experts of the Canadian Climate Law Initiative (CCLI).
Prior to joining PSP Investments, Vincent was with Ivanhoé Cambridge, the real estate subsidiary of CDPQ, where he had a leadership role within the Optimization & Business Intelligence group, and with the Growth Markets Business Unit. Vincent also spent more than 10 years as a Portfolio Manager at Presima, formerly a division of CDPQ. Vincent holds a Master of Finance from the University of Sherbrooke and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Finance) from HEC Montréal. He is also a CFA® charter holder.
Harry Griffin is a Private Markets Analyst at NS Pension where he focuses on the private equity portfolio. He previously held a similar role at the HRM Pension Plan, where he covered private equity, infrastructure, real estate, and private debt. Prior to that, Harry had started his career working in equity research at Louisbourg Investments. Harry is a Chartered Financial Analyst, holds an MSc in Economics and Finance from the University of Bristol and a BSc in Mathematics from St Francis Xavier University
CFA, MBA
Lee Gardella is the head of Private Equity North America and leads the Firm’s Investment Risk and Monitoring efforts and is a member of the Investment Committee.
Before joining Schroders Capital in 2007, Lee was a Managing Director leading the Private Markets Group for CTC Consulting, the family office investment advisory subsidiary of US Trust Company in Stamford, Connecticut. From 1997 to 2005 he worked for the US Trust Company in the private equity and Alternative Investment Divisions making private equity direct and fund investments and leading the development of private equity, real estate and hedge fund investment products. Prior to that, Lee was an Associate at the Edison Venture Fund and Wilshire Associates and a Treasury Analyst at National Steel Corporation.
Lee holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Shippensburg University, Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, US. He is also a CFA® charterholder.
CFA
Michael is responsible for leading the relationship management team in Quebec, overseeing the existing client relationships and partnering with our business development team to grow CIBC Mellon’s regional footprint. He also develops and manages initiatives that enhance client partnerships.
Prior to joining CIBC Mellon in 2013, Michael worked in progressively senior roles at a large, diversified financial institution in Canada, most recently as a relationship manager for domestic and international institutional investors.
In addition to his 20+ years of experience in the financial services industry, Michael is a CFA charter holder and earned his bachelor of commerce degree from Concordia University, with a major in finance at the John Molson School of Business.
CFA
Christian is a seasoned investor, with deep experience developing and leading investment programs. Most recently he was Senior Managing Director of Equities & Credit at the Investment Management Corporation of Ontario (IMCO), an Ontario fund manager with over $70 billion in assets under management. Christian oversaw a $35 billion portfolio that included IMCO’s private equity, public equity, global credit and hedge fund strategies. His direct investing experience and relationships with leading global alternatives platforms contributed to IMCO’s rapid growth and strong financial performance.
Before joining IMCO Christian was Managing Director and Head of Relationship Investments, a global $10+ billion direct equity investment strategy at CPP Investments. Prior to this, he spent 11 years in the private equity and growth capital industry at Charterhouse Group and Planier Capital. Christian has served on the boards of public and private companies in the US and Europe spanning the Industrial, Healthcare, Business Services, Communications and Technology sectors.
Christian began his career in the Investment Banking division of Salomon Brothers in New York City. He graduated from the MBA program at Harvard Business School and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. Christian is an active supporter of the United Way, and most recently served as the co-chair of IMCO’s corporate giving effort.
CFA
Jake Herman joined Woodbourne in 2007 and co-founded the firm’s real estate private equity arm in Canada. Prior to joining Woodbourne, Jake was Managing Director of Real Estate Investment Banking at Desjardins Securities, where he served as lead investment banker for the two largest manufactured housing community IPOs in Canada. He was previously Head of the Real Estate Investment Banking group and Co-Head of Mergers and Acquisitions at HSBC Securities Canada. Jake previously worked in investment banking at Scotia Capital and Gordon Capital. He is a fourth-generation real estate professional, beginning his career working for Citcom Corporation and Viking Rideau Corporation. Jake currently serves on the Board of Directors for SickKids Foundation. Jake received a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) in Finance from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia and is CFA Charterholder.
Mark brings a 20 year track record originating, structuring and advising across credit assets. He was most recently with Canada Pension Plan Investments, focused on leveraged loans and structured credit. Prior to that he was with a boutique investment firm where he served as a deal team member responsible for structured credit strategies.
He holds a B.A (Hons) in Economics and Commerce from the University of Toronto and a postgraduate degree in Quantitative Finance.
An engineer by training, Nathalie joined Antin in 2021 as a founding member of the NextGen team. She is a board member of NextGen portfolio company PearlX. Prior to joining Antin, she was at Capgemini as an Executive Vice President where she focused on cloud computing and cybersecurity in New York. Whilst at Capgemini, Nathalie was head of the projects and consulting business in North America and oversaw the integration of cybersecurity company Leidos Cyber into the organisation.
Prior to this, she was a member of the French parliament, having won three successful election campaigns. During five years, Nathalie served in the government of Prime Minister François Fillon, holding multiple state secretary positions, with a particular focus on sustainability and the digital economy. She then became Minister of the Environment, Transportation and Housing in 2010.
Nathalie was also previously Vice President of the UMP and “Les Republicains”, Communications Director for Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2012 presidential re-election campaign, Councillor of Paris and was the former Mayor of Longjumeau.
MBA
Chaz is a Partner at Fuse Strategy Partners a boutique strategy consultancy dedicated to providing capability building advisory services to Canadian pension plans and investment managers.
He leads Fuse’s investment management practice covering topics including client/member growth, corporate strategy, operations, portfolio value creation, and technology strategy. Chaz favors a structured and analytical approach while investing the time to deeply understand his clients’ needs. He enjoys working collaboratively to design and implement solutions that stick, and seeing his clients succeed.
Prior to joining Fuse Chaz was as a member of the global leadership team for a $2B+ business unit where he was accountable for strategy, M&A, and partnerships. Chaz also spent 9 years at the Boston Consulting Group as a core member of the Pensions and Private Equity practice area where he served leading Canadian and global investment funds. His work crossed investment, operations, and technology teams on topics ranging from trading technology platform selections to commercial due diligence.
He holds a B. Comm from Queen’s, and an MBA (Finance) from Kellogg, Northwestern. Chaz is a proud Maritimer, who now lives in Aurora with his wife Katie and son Leo.
MBA, ICD.D
Bertrand Millot leads the Stewardship Investing team, which is responsible for defining and implementing CDPQ’s strategic directions, including integrating ESG factors into all activities and deploying the climate strategy. His responsibilities have three aspects: helping investment teams structure impactful investment opportunities (particularly with regard to social, climate and energy transition investments); managing risks related to ESG, climate change and reputation and contributing to the organization’s outreach in collaboration with the CDPQ Global team. Mr. Millot is one of the architects of CDPQ’s climate change strategy and a seasoned investor in infrastructure and corporate debt in emerging markets, fields where ESG considerations have historically been at the forefront. At CDPQ since 2015, he previously held various positions in risk management and stewardship investing, including Business Unit Risk Manager for the Fixed Income, Capital Solutions and Cross-functional Risk portfolios. He also served as Head of Climate Risk and Issues and led the Stewardship Investing team. Before joining CDPQ, Mr. Millot was CEO and CIO at Cordiant Capital, an emerging market corporate debt fund manager. Earlier in his career, he was active in infrastructure project finance with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, U.K. and with BNP Paribas in Paris, France. Mr. Millot holds an MBA from McGill University, a Master’s in Engineering from École Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers in Paris and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D designation).
Matthew Leatherman joined FCLT Global from North Carolina Department of State Treasurer where he served as Policy Director. Matthew contributed to the Department adopting a policy on long-term stewardship for approximately $100 billion of assets under its management and to updating practices for how staff incorporate longer-term factors into the evaluation of debt issued by local governments. He also was staff director of the Department’s Corporate Governance Committee, a body responsible for conducting the Department’s engagement with regulators, dialogue with corporate issuers, and voting of proxy ballots.
Matthew’s earlier career focused on U.S. fiscal research, most recently at the Stimson Center in Washington D.C. His commentary in outlets like Bloomberg Government was influential for understanding government shutdown and budget sequestration the terms of fiscal impact, management process, and the governance relationship between executive and legislative branches. Matthew advised the Rivlin-Domenici Debt Reduction Commission on military budgeting and management, including the structure of retirement and health care benefits for U.S. service-members. His fiscal research has been published by Foreign Affairs, International Herald Tribune, Washington Post, McClatchy-Tribune News Service, and other outlets.
Matthew is a Board member of the John Rex Endowment, a $75 million fund with a focus on improving mental health, preventing injury, and expanding access to healthy lifestyles for children in Wake County (NC). He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations and holds degrees from the University of North Carolina and Columbia University.
CFA, CAIA
Mathieu serves as Senior Director, Equity & Alternative Investments, and has been with TCC since 2019. He is mainly responsible for the ongoing management, monitoring and research of TCC’s public and private equity portfolios, including venture capital fund commitments. He is also heavily involved in the sourcing, underwriting and selection of private equity and venture capital direct co-investments and is a voting member of the External Managers Investment Committee (EMIC). He has nearly 20 years of investment experience covering alternative asset classes. Prior to joining TCC, he was a senior researcher and consultant at a large global investment consulting firm in charge of hedge fund and other alternative strategies for the benefit of institutional clients in North America, Europe and Asia. Earlier in his career, Mathieu worked at a global operational due diligence consultant assisting institutional investors in making investment decisions. Mathieu holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University and he is a CFA and CAIA charterholder.
Peter Martin Larsen is UPP’s Senior Managing Director, Head of Private Markets, responsible for UPP’s Private Markets portfolio comprising the infrastructure, real estate, private equity, and private debt asset classes. Prior to joining UPP, Peter held senior investor roles at one of Europe’s largest institutional investors, PensionDanmark, and advisory firm and investment banking positions at PwC and Macquarie Capital. Peter has served on the Boards of Directors of multiple large infrastructure companies, and currently sits on the Investment Committee of the Danish Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Investment Fund, a DKK 5bn public-private partnership contributing to the realization of the 17 UN SDGs through investments in developing countries. Peter has Master’s Degrees in Finance and Economics from the London School of Economics and the University of Copenhagen.
Ashmi Mehrotra, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, joined the Private Equity Group in 2003. She is Global Co-Head of the Private Equity Group within JPMorgan Asset Management, managing $32 billion in private equity investments on behalf of institutional and private investors. The business comprises a global team (based in New York, London, Hong Kong, Mumbai) which invests in primaries, co-investments, and secondary investments across industry and stage. The Private Equity Group manages a range of diversified commingled funds and separate accounts primarily focused on venture capital, growth equity and buyout investments. Ms. Mehrotra serves on several venture capital and buyout fund advisory committees and is a board observer on several co-investments. She also serves on the Investment Committee for the Funds managed by Beijing Equity Investment Development Management Co. Ltd.
Prior to joining the Private Equity Group, Ms. Mehrotra was an investment analyst for the J.P. Morgan Private Bank, where she focused on investment portfolios for high net worth clients. An employee of the firm since 1999, Ms. Mehrotra also worked in J.P. Morgan’s Internal Consulting Group, where she was responsible for Six Sigma projects and process improvement initiatives.
Ms. Mehrotra serves on the Board of Trustees of Trinity School in New York City and is a member of its investment and finance committees. She earned her BA in Economics, International Relations and Spanish from Tufts University.
In her role as Head of Social Impact and Inclusion, Sustainable Investments, Sunita acts as a catalyst for the development and execution of the corporate social impact and inclusion strategy- the “S” of ESG. This includes the social impact of the company’s real estate investments, the communities in which it invests as well as the diversity, equity and inclusion strategy by positioning Ivanhoé Cambridge as a real estate industry leader in these three areas. In addition to this role, Sunita has held various leadership roles in Legal Affairs, Investment Management for nearly 15 years, where she provided strategic value oriented solutions for projects in Canada and the United States related to the Retail, Office and Industrial assets. In 2015, she was recognized by Lexpert Rising Stars, as one of Canada’s leading lawyers under 40. Sunita has also been instrumental as lead counsel for CIBC SQUARE – new transformational office development downtown Toronto of more than 3M sf.
Recognized for her leadership qualities and keen mind, Sunita is actively involved with several organizations dedicated to the commercial real estate industry as well as workplace diversity, equity and inclusion. She is a Director on the board of NAIOP Toronto and a member of CREW Toronto. She has also served as Co-President of the Promotion Committee of Women in Governance. She was the initiator and ambassador of the first Women’s Forum at Ivanhoé Cambridge.
Sunita holds a Bachelor of Political Science, a Bachelor of Laws and is a member of the Ontario Bar. She received her Mini-MBA from the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). Sunita speaks four languages: Hindi, Punjabi, French and English.
Stacey is a Director of the Nicola Private Debt Fund, having joined the Toronto office in July 2022 with more than 15 years of U.S. and Canadian leveraged finance experience. Nicola Private Debt manages a diversified portfolio with more than $1.2 billion in AUM today, primarily focused on direct lending to Canadian and U.S. middle-market businesses. Prior to joining Nicola Wealth, Stacey was Director, Debt Capital Markets at Scotiabank in Toronto, where she focused on high yield bond origination for Canadian corporate clients. Additionally, Stacey brings ten years of U.S-based leveraged finance experience across multiple lending platforms, including Merrill Lynch, Bank of America, and Mizuho Bank, where she was involved in the origination, structuring, credit underwriting and marketing of large-cap LBOs, leveraged loans and high yield bonds. Stacey is a Bachelor of Commerce graduate from McGill University and holds a Master of Business Administration from NYU’s Stern School of Business.
CFA & Esq.
Winston Ma, CFA & Esq., is an investor, attorney, author, and adjunct professor in the global digital economy. He is a partner of Dragon Global, an AI-focused family office (founding member: Dragon.AI). He is also an advisory board member of Capgemini, the Paris-headquartered Global IT consulting firm, and an Adjunct Professor at NYU Law School on SWF fund topics.
Most recently for 10 years, he was Managing Director and Head of North America Office for China Investment Corporation (CIC), China’s sovereign wealth fund. Prior to that, Mr. Ma served as the deputy head of equity capital markets at Barclays Capital, a vice president at J.P. Morgan investment banking, and a corporate lawyer at Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. He is one of a small number of native Chinese who have worked as investment professionals and practicing capital markets attorneys in both the United States and China.
A nationally certified Software Programmer as early as 1994, Mr. Ma is the author of more than 10 books on SWF funds, China, and global digital economy, including The Hunt for Unicorns: How Sovereign Funds are Reshaping Investment in the Digital Economy and most recently “Blockchain and Web3”. He has been frequently interviewed by CNBC and Bloomberg TV and quoted by major financial media including WSJ, Reuters, and Financial Times. He was selected a 2013 Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum (WEF), and in 2014 he received the NYU Distinguished Alumni Award.
David Ouellet is Senior Vice President and Chief Technology, Data and Operations Officer at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments). In this role, David focuses on sustaining PSP Investments’ growth with effective tools and technologies that meet and exceed the future of technological trends, including digital, cloud and artificial intelligence solutions. He also oversees Business Information Security, Business Governance, Data Management and Digital Innovation.
Prior to his appointment in 2023, David was Senior Vice president and Chief Technology and Data Officer. He also served as Vice President and Head of Technology and Digital Strategy from 2019 to 2020. Between 2016 and 2019, he was Vice President and Head of Strategic and Business Planning. David led PSP Investments’ five-year strategic planning, including the monitoring of strategic initiatives and key performance indicators and metrics. He also participated in the development of the annual strategic review processes for PSP Investments’ management team and Board of Directors.
Prior to joining PSP in 2012, David worked in Technology and Risk Consulting at KPMG for over 10 years. He spent two years of his mandate in China, where he managed the information technology aspect of the liquidation of Lehman Brothers Hong Kong entities, a project where IT played a significant role.
David holds a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).
Jordan advises institutional investors and capital allocators on strategic choice-making through the lens of Capital Design, with over 15 years of experience in working with some of the world’s leading funds.
Prior to founding Capital Design, he spent a decade at OMERS where he led strategy, innovation, and communication functions across Infrastructure, Pensions, and Real Estate, most recently leading OMERS Infrastructure’s investment strategy function. He started his career as a Consultant at Deloitte.
Jordan is defending his PhD from the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology in early 2024, on strategic choice-creation and decision-making in institutional capital allocation via the new field of Capital Design. Jordan also has an M.A. from the University of Southern California, and an M.Des. in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University.
CFA
Mathieu Provost is Managing Director, Venture Capital at CDPQ since 2016. He has over 20 years of experience investing in Venture Capital and Private equity. He currently manages late stage VC investments and is responsible for financing and developing companies in technology and innovation across all geographies. Prior to joining CDPQ, Mathieu was Director at Anges Québec Capital, S.E.C., Investissement Québec and Telesystem Ltd. In addition to his current board positions at Tale nt.com and Silk.us, he previously served on several boards including Dialogue Health Technologies (TSX:CARE, sold to SunLife), Ecobee (sold to Generac Holdings Inc (NYSE: GNRC)), Poka (sold to IFS), Ivara Corporation (sold to Bentley Systems), X2O media (sold to Barco Visual Solutions Inc.). Mathieu earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from the HEC at the University of Montréal and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
CFA
Mike Pugatch joined HarbourVest’s secondary investment team in 2003. He focuses on the origination and execution of secondary investments ranging from traditional limited partnership purchases to more complex transactions. Mike currently serves on the advisory boards of a number of private equity partnerships including those managed by Founders Equity, Granite Growth, Masthead, Nova Capital, Sageview Capital, and Saints Capital. Mike joined the Firm from UBS Warburg, where he spent two years in the Global Media Investment Banking Group focusing on mergers and acquisitions, corporate financings, and restructurings. He also has prior experience in the Technology Investment Banking Group at PaineWebber. Mike received a BS (summa cum laude) in Business Administration from Babson College in 2001.
Katharine Preston is responsible for leading OMERS Sustainable Investing team. In this role, she leads the development and advancement of OMERS approach to Sustainable Investing and most recently, OMERS Climate Action Plan. The world class team supports OMERS with implementing our sustainable investing practices of integration, collaboration, and engagement across the enterprise. To achieve our objective, Katharine works closely with OMERS investment, risk, finance, and communications teams on matters such as ESG integration, climate risk, stakeholder communications and reporting.
Working in the pension industry for more than 15 years, Katharine previously served as Director, Responsible Investing at OPTrust, an Ontario-based public sector pension plan. At OPTrust, Katharine was instrumental in defining a strategy for integrating ESG factors into investment practices and leading the development of a Climate Change Action Plan. Prior to joining OPTrust, Katharine held positions with Innovest Strategic Value Advisors (now part of MSCI) and Stantec Inc.
Katharine also serves on the Board of Directors for the United Church of Canada’s Pension Plan; the Investment Committee for the University of Guelph and just completed a final term on the board of the Pension Investment Association of Canada (PIAC). Katharine also sits on the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance’s E&S Committee and Chairs the Investor Leadership Advisory Panel of Climate Engagement Canada.
Katharine holds a Bachelor of Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering from McGill University, as well as an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University. She also holds a Certificate in Fundamentals of Alternative Investments from the Chartered Alternative Investment Management Analyst Association (CAIA).
Ben is responsible for the Aviva Investors real estate equity fund management business and is part of the real assets senior leadership team. The Aviva Investors real estate equity business has a team of 45 professionals based in Paris and the London headquarters.
Ben is the current chair of the UK Investment Property Forum (IPF) and is chair of the IPF international Special Interest Group.
Prior to joining Aviva Investors, Ben was an Executive Director in fund management at Federated Hermes real estate where he was responsible for the global investment programmes made on behalf of Federated Hermes real estate clients as well as overseeing ESG strategy, UK residential and real estate debt investment programmes.
Ben was previously with M&G/Prudential where he was manager of the M&G global real estate securities fund and managed UK Prudential’s global real estate securities exposure as well as leading the global view formation and strategy team for their private real estate investments. From 1998 to 2003 Ben worked in London and Tokyo for Jones Lang LaSalle.
Ben has BA and MA degrees in economics is a member of the CFA and is a regular speaker at real estate conferences globally and at leading universities.
MBA
Barrett Sigmund joined RISE Properties in 2017 and is Chief Executive Officer based in Seattle, WA. RISE and affiliated companies have over 500 employees in Canada, and in the States of Washington and Oregon.
Reporting to the Board of Directors, Barrett leads a North American staff team of 20 professionals in acquisition, investment & asset management, renovations, compliance, finance, and sales & marketing. Barrett is a senior member of the investment team, and brings 20+ years of experience in acquisitions, renovations, risk management and dispositions.
He is a deeply entrenched apartment market specialist in Pacific Northwest multi-family real estate, and sources many off-market deals not seen by broader market participants. Barrett has built large and successful joint venture partnerships with global institutions while at RISE.
Prior to joining the Firm, Barrett was Senior Director of Investments at Security Properties from 2014 – 2017. In this role, Barrett significantly increased annual acquisitions volume to over $1 billion, with $100+ million in ongoing renovation work taking place at any given time. Barrett holds a BA in Economics and Communication from Allegheny University (2002), an MBA from the University of Washington (2008) and a Certificate in Real Estate (2004) from the University of Washington. Barrett has lived in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years, is an avid skier and golfer, and enjoys outdoor adventure with his wife and young son.
Sam is Managing Director, Head of Equity at Trez Capital. In this role, he oversees all new investment activity across the equity platform and is responsible for developing the go-forward market strategy for both direct and joint-venture investments destined for future Trez Opportunity Funds (TOFs) and Trez Capital Private Real Estate Fund Trust (TPREF). Sam brings with him over 10 years of experience in the real estate investment industry and has closed over USD $2.2B transactions across residential, office, industrial, retail and hospitality sectors.
Prior to joining Trez Capital, Sam worked as part of the Private Equity Real Estate team at Brookfield Asset Management in London, United Kingdom. For the majority of that time, he worked on multi-family and hospitality projects across Europe, including, Germany and France on behalf of Brookfield’s opportunistic and core-plus funds. Before Brookfield, Sam worked in investment-focused roles at Avignon Capital and Savills Investment Management.
Sam is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) and holds a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Real Estate at the Henley Business School, Reading University and a Leading with Finance certification from Harvard Business School.
CFA, MBA, MA
Theresa Shutt is Senior Vice President for Corporate Private Debt at Fiera Private Debt. Prior to joining Fiera Private Debt in July 2019, she was the Chief Investment Officer of Private Debt with Integrated Asset Management.
Ms. Shutt is responsible for the overall strategic direction and operation of the Corporate Debt Financing Team. In this role, she provides leadership in support of business development, investment approval, fund strategy and portfolio management. With over 20 years of experience in corporate lending and capital markets, she contributes to the success of the business by growing AUM through strategic capital deployment and the development of innovative private debt strategies.
Prior to Fiera Private Debt, Ms. Shutt was a Managing Director with BMO Corporate Finance where she developed customized financing solutions for mid-market Canadian Companies. Previous to this role, she held a variety of roles at RBC and Scotiabank structuring fixed income and equity derivatives for corporations and asset managers. She began her career working as an economist for the Conference Board of Canada.
Theresa Shutt holds a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Economics (Honours) from the University of Alberta, a Master of Arts (MA) in Economics from McMaster University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Rotman School of Management of the University of Toronto. Ms. Shutt is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.
CFA, CPA
MBA
Parnaz is the head of AI solutions and strategy at Agnostiq and a university lecturer at Concordia University. In her role, she works with the AI and high-tech sector to provide on-demand access to GPUs, CPUs, and other HPC resources to power the next generation of AI and machine learning.
Prior to this role, as the former Director of Investment Science at Canada Pension Plan Investments, she spearheaded the integration of advanced analytics into the investment process, focusing on Machine Learning, Generative AI, and Natural Language Processing for Alpha generation and value creation opportunities.
With a background spanning more than a decade in technology consulting, Parnaz has been leading transformative AI projects across diverse sectors, with a focus on AI operationalization and user-centered design principles.
Very active in the community, Parnaz is a passionate advocate for diversity in tech, actively engaging in initiatives that elevate women in STEM and providing mentorship to emerging fintech and AI enterprises. She holds a Bachelor of Engineering from McGill University, a Master of Science from Concordia University, and an MBA from HEC.
Surinder founded Arjun Infrastructure and was formerly the Head of Europe for J.P. Morgan Asset Management’s Infrastructure Investment Group (JPMAM). At JPMAM Surinder was responsible globally for the existing portfolio of investments, including regulated utilities (gas, electricity, water and waste water), power generation (gas and wind) and transportation (airports and seaports) and new investment in Europe. He was a member of the Investment Committee and managed the London office, a team of 12 professionals.
Before that, he was Chief Financial Officer and co-head of Scotia Gas Networks. Scotia Gas Networks was the £5bn joint venture between Scottish and Southern Energy plc, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and Borealis Infrastructure and operates the UK gas distribution network for Scotland and South England, serving 17.6m customers with over 6,000 employees and contractors.
Previously, Surinder was Managing Director of American Electric Power’s (AEP) European operations. AEP’s European presence consisted of 4,400MW of power generation capacity in the UK, regulated electricity networks and commodity trading activities.
He was previously a consultant in Arthur Andersen’s Energy & Utility practice focussedon transaction support for European energy and utility transactions.
Surinder holds a Masters degree in Engineering, Economics & Management from St John’s College, University of Oxford and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
CFA, ICD.D
Terri Troy, CFA, ICD.D is Co-Founder of Placemore Capital Inc., an advisory firm that works closely with investment managers/GPs and accredited investors to match the right solutions with the right partners. In 2018 Terri retired as CEO of the Halifax Regional Municipality Pension Plan. She has more than 25 years of experience in investment management, pensions, corporate strategy, and mergers and acquisitions. As CEO of the Halifax Regional Municipality Pension Plan, she transformed the governance structure, investment strategy, and customer service function. Innovative investment strategies implemented included factor investing, portable alpha, and a significant emphasis on private investments including co-investments, syndications/club deals with other large institutional investors, and direct investments, etc.
While CEO, Terri was a Board member of a UK based energy company and a Board member of a Canadian financial services corporation. She was a member of Investor Advisory Committees for various global private investments including UK, European and US private equity; UK, Australian and Canadian infrastructure; European, UK, Asian, US and Canadian real estate; and European, UK, and US private debt.
Prior to the CEO role, Terri was responsible for the investment strategy for RBC’s 33 global pension plans between 2000-2006. Prior to RBC, Terri held various roles at CIBC including corporate strategy, mergers & acquisitions, and wealth management.
Terri has held various leadership roles in the pension industry including being a Board Member of the Pension Investment Association of Canada (PIAC), Chair of PIAC, Chair of PIAC’s Investment Practices Committee and Chair of PIAC’s Government Relations Committee.
Terri was a member of the International Limited Partnership’s Association’s Education Committee 2016-2018 and is currently on ILPA’s Teaching Faculty.
Over the course of her career, Terri has received many awards including the Leading Pension Plan Sponsor Award and the Top 25 Most Influential Plan Sponsors.
Terri has an MBA from York University and an HBBA from Wilfrid Laurier. She also holds the CFA charter and completed the ICD Rotman, Directors Education Program
Victoria Tellez re-joined FCLTGlobal in 2023 following her time at the TPG Rise Fund, where she helped maximize impact for the world’s largest private equity impact investing platform. In this role, Victoria conducted impact and ESG assessments to inform capital allocation decisions in education, life sciences, healthcare, financial inclusion, and climate sectors.
Prior to TPG, Victoria was part of the FCLTGlobal team for four years as a Senior Research Associate and is thrilled to continue contributing to its mission as Associate Director.
Victoria holds a B.S. in Labor Relations from Cornell University and a M.Sc. in Social Policy from The University of Pennsylvania, where she was the singular recipient of the Wilson-Spigner Social Policy Excellence award.
Mike Woollatt is Managing Director and Head of Canada for Hamilton Lane.
Prior to joining Hamilton Lane, Mike was a Director at OMERS pension plan and was previously the CEO of the Canadian Private Equity Association. He also co-founded a management consulting firm and held senior executive roles at some major Canadian corporations. Mike also worked for the Government of Canada as an economist and a political advisor to the Minister of Finance. He began his career as a project economist overseas and has taught economics at the university level.
MBA, LL.B., BA (Hon.)
Jeff Zweig is Partner, Vice Chair, Head of Natural Capital (Agriculture and Timberland) at Fiera Comox. He sits on the Management Investment Committee and the Fiera Comox Board of Directors. With 25 years experience, Jeff provides governance oversight across Fiera Comox’s global portfolio of private investments to drive long-term value and improve sustainability outcomes.
Jeff was most recently the President & CEO of Mosaic Forest Management (“Mosaic”), Canada’s leading timberland manager with 585,000 hectares (1.45 million acres) of privately owned forest, a role he held at Mosaic and predecessor companies for over seven years. In 2018, he successfully led the multi-billion-dollar transaction that brought together Island Timberlands and TimberWest under the ownership of two leading Canadian pension funds to create Mosaic Forest Management.
During his tenure, he drove significant improvements in safety, sustainability, and financial performance. Mosaic became the first forest company in British Columbia to achieve the Progressive Aboriginal Relations certification and the first forest company globally to certify its organizational carbon footprint through the UK Carbon Trust. Most recently, the organization launched the largest nature-based carbon credit project in Canada.
Prior to Mosaic, Jeff held senior executive roles at BHP and Inco in Australia, Europe, and Canada. He is past Chair of the Business Council of British Columbia, and the current Chair of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, the federally funded organization responsible for stewarding Canada’s national cancer control strategy.
Jeff holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Laws, and a Master of Business Administration (gold medalist) from the University of Western Ontario.