Tuesday, October 24, 2023
11:00 AM - | Registration Opens
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Keynote Luncheon - ESG and Impact Investing in Real Estate- What's In It for Me?
Join us for the opening luncheon, followed by the keynote! Our expert keynote will offer their unique perspective on ESG & impacting investing in the real estate space, including avoiding pitfalls, finding opportunities, and offer insights on turning the theoretical into the practical and actionable.
Speaker: Natalie Voland, Président & Chief Vision Officer, GI Quo Vadis
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM | Portfolio Performance: Real Estate vs The World
The uncertainty of inflation, interest rates, and cap rates have investors concerned about the future of real estate, but what about the current state of real estate in their portfolios? How is real estate performing against other assets? Which geographical regions are more attractive? Are private investments returning better than public? How are LPs and GPs rebalancing their portfolios to mitigate the uncertainty? This expert panel will discuss these questions, the current state of the industry, and provide insight on the allocation and rebalancing of real estate in portfolios.
Moderator: Wendy Pollard, Senior Specialist, Innovation, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Speakers:
Aaron Pittman, SVP, Head of Canadian Institutional Investments, Equiton
Sylvain Charpentier, Head - Real Estate Investments, Hydro Québec Pension Fund
Stephane Giguere, Chief Executive Officer, Ottawa Community Housing Corporation
1:45 PM - 2:15 PM | Spotlight Session: The Evolution of Infrastructure Investing
InfraRed Capital Partners has been involved in the infrastructure asset class since its inception in the late 90s and was a pioneer in developing and upgrading the UK’s social and transport infrastructure under the nascent Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. Since then, the firm has evolved its approach to suit the enduring macro trends driven by technological advances, including investing in renewable energy to enable the energy transition as well as fiber-optic connectivity to facilitate the growing digitalization of our societies. In this presentation, we are exploring the evolution of infrastructure investing, the challenges it faces in the modern era, and the abundant opportunities it presents. With a focus on the energy transition and digital evolution, we will examine how infrastructure plays a pivotal role in shaping a sustainable future. Additionally, we will highlight the relevance and importance of greenfield infrastructure investment in the context of building the infrastructure of tomorrow.
Speaker: Filip Guz, Managing Director, Origination & Execution, InfraRed Capital Partners (an SLC Management company)
Supported by SLC Management
2:15 PM - 3:00 PM | Outlook on Real Estate & Infrastructure Debt: Current Trends and Insights
Real estate and infrastructure debt remains an attractive investment, with stable income, risk-adjusted returns, and downside protection. As these debt markets continue to grow, where are the most opportunistic plays? How are investors factoring in the risks of lower property valuations and changing interest/currency rates? This panel will explore the current trends in these investments, and provide actionable insights on how to allocate debt into your portfolio.
Moderator: Jonathan Planté, Lecturer, HEC Montréal
Speakers:
Sarah Esler, Managing Director, Mortgage Investments, AIMCo
Harlan Cherniak, Head of Infrastructure Debt - Americas, Macquarie Asset Management
Daniel Marchand, Managing Director, Cameron Stephens
Harley Gold, Managing Director, Peakhill Capital
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM | Networking Break
3:30 PM - 4:00 PM | Spotlight Session: Core Infrastructure: Steady Returns for the Long-Term
A discussion regarding infrastructure investment in today’s environment. Investors want to ensure they are generating appropriate returns in the context of the rising rate environment. Core infrastructure investments provide essential services, benefit from inflation-linkage, provide stable and predictable yield, and these characteristics are attractive through all macroeconomic cycles. Core infrastructure investments offer low-risk, stable investments to your private asset portfolio.
Speakers:
Tara Speers, Senior Vice President, Investor Relations, Fengate Asset Management
Andrew Cogan, Managing Director & Portfolio Manager, Fengate Infrastructure Yield Fund, Fengate Asset Management
Supported by: Fengate Asset Management
4:00 PM - 4:30 PM | Spotlight Session: The Complementary Nature of Listed Real Assets: A Study in Infrastructure
Listed assets can provide very similar long-term risk & return profiles to their unlisted counterparts, but their real advantage is centred on valuations, deep data sets and much better liquidity and scalability. Rather than choosing between listed or unlisted infrastructure, pension plans should consider integrating both listed & unlisted exposures to provide breadth and flexibility.
Speakers:
Charles-Lucien Myssie, Portfolio Manager, Exchange Traded Funds, BMO Exchange Traded Funds
Mark Webster, Director, Institutional, BMO Exchange Traded Funds
Supported by: BMO Exchange Traded Funds
4:30 PM - 5:15 PM | Sector Strategies: Challenges and Opportunities in the Niche and New
Multifamily properties remain one of the more solid investments, but many investors are also turning to niche sectors, such as life sciences, logistics centers, and student housing. What sectors are offering the best opportunities, and what areas are still facing challenges? Can office and retail properties make a comeback? With lower valuations and increased buyouts, should LPs and GPs turn to secondary markets for returns? How should investors allocate the “tried and true” assets with the niche and new? This session will discuss these questions, and explore the best strategies for sector allocation.
Moderator: Ted Kantrowitz, Director, Programmes, Fonds climat du Grand Montréal
Speakers:
Kevin Henley, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Net REIT
Marianne Duguay, Senior Vice-President, Asset Management – Real Estate, Fonds immobilier de solidarité FTQ
Stéphan Corriveau, Executive Director, Community Housing Transformation Centre
5:30 PM - 6:30 PM | Networking Reception
6:45 PM - 8:45 PM | VIP Dinner
Wednesday, October 25, 2023
8:30 AM - 9:30 AM | Registration & Networking Breakfast
9:30 AM - 10:00 AM | Keynote Address: Global Outlook - Navigating Economic and Geopolitical Uncertainty
The past year proved that only uncertainty is certain, with the rising interest rates, continued inflation, geopolitical conflict, and banking fragility. 2024 is expected to be just as volatile, and what new geopolitical risks and economic challenges will arise? This keynote will provide an expert outlook on global economic trends, and offer predictions for the year ahead.
Speaker: Sébastien Lavoie, Chief Economist, Laurentian Bank
10:00 AM - 10:30 AM | Spotlight Session: Macro Themes Driving the Real Estate Sector
We delve into macro themes shaping the real estate sector today. Our expert will discuss the impact of and identify opportunities resulting from deglobalization, the evolving role of technology/artificial intelligence, economic polarization and much more.
Speaker: Richard Schaupp, Managing Director and Portfolio Manager, Clarion Partners, part of Franklin Templeton
Supported by: Franklin Templeton
10:30 AM - 11:30 AM | Investing for Today and Tomorrow : Innovations and Improvements in Real Estate & Infrastructure
Real estate and infrastructure investors need to allocate for long-term projects, while also putting a focus into their existing assets. How are they keeping an eye out for opportunities in new projects, while also improving the assets they currently own? Are longer hold periods and decreased liquidity affecting their decisions in weighing potential rewards against opportunity costs? This panel of experts will offer case studies on how they are balancing new and existing assets, as well as provide a look into innovations in real estate and infrastructure, including digital transformation, value add properties, green building, and successful adaptive reuse projects.
Moderator: Faiz Abhuani, Founder and Director, Brique par brique
Speakers:
Richard Jokiel, General Manager, Real Estate, Canada Post
Ted Kantrowitz, Director, Programmes, Fonds climat du Grand Montréal
Caroline Hachem-Vermette, Associate Professor, Building, Civil, and Environmental Engineering, Concordia University
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM | Networking Luncheon
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM | Going Global, Green and Digital: Challenges and Opportunities in Infrastructure
Infrastructure can be an attractive investment, with longer-term contracts that can hedge against inflation. The rising demand for digital infrastructure improvements in critical assets, and value-added, green energy infrastructure offers investors with new opportunities in private infrastructure and emerging markets. These opportunities also come with challenges, including geopolitical unrest, illiquidity, rising material costs, and valuation fluctuations. This panel will offer expert strategies on how to make the most of the opportunities while navigating these challenges.
Moderator: Erkan Yönder, Professor of Finance and Real Estate, Concordia University
Speakers:
Suzanne Leblanc, Senior Vice President, Responsible Investment, Axium Infrastructure
Jeffrey Knight, Managing Director of Real Estate & Development, CPKC
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM | Resiliency in Uncertainty: Trends in Financing Strategies
After another volatile year in inflation, cap rates, and interest rates, what have investors learned about financing strategies? How have they deployed rescue capital? Which strategy proved the most successful hedge against inflation, and how did they diversify their portfolios for risk mitigation? This panel will analyze the current financing strategies and trends, as well as discuss how they adapted their strategies based on the lessons learned over the past year.
Moderator: Johanna Raso, Chair, Fundraising - Strategic Alliances, St-John Canada Foundation
Speakers:
Zachary Aaron, Director, Investments & Asset Management, PROREIT
Julie Favreau, President, Fi3
Garth Davis, Founder and Managing Partner, New Market Funds
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM | Closing Keynote: Economist Outlook- The Impact of Shifting Demographics on Canada Real Estate
This keynote will provide an economist’s analysis of how Canada’s housing shortage and real estate industry will be affected by shifting demographics, such as an aging workforce and record-high immigration. This closing keynote will also provide insight on the economic impact that mitigation patterns have on the real estate market.
Speaker: Patrick Perrier, Director of Forecasting, Scotiabank