Privately held businesses are the foundation of the Canadian economy. After several years of robust growth and deal-making activity, the last 18 months have been marked by a transition to a higher financing costs, macroeconomic headwinds and a less certain outlook.
In the face of a dynamic macro environment, how are Canada’s most sophisticated investors adjusting their playbooks to help grow the next generation of Canadian champions while providing superior returns? How do investors evaluate the risks and opportunities of investing in Canada and in global markets, be it in the mid-market or large-cap universe?
Join Canadian Club Toronto on May 23 for this year’s update on the Canadian private markets landscape and how investors and allocators are responding. Our expert panel of investors will discuss what they are observing and how they are adjusting their strategies for long term success. This conversation will be moderated by Joseph Lo, Partner, Sagard Private Equity Canada and will feature:
*For virtual attendees, please note that the live stream will begin at approximately 12:40 pm ET & the link will be provided closer to the event date*
Lori Hall-Kimm
Senior Managing Director, Head of Global Private Equity, HOOPP
Lori joined HOOPP in 2022 as the Head of Global Private Equity. In her role, Lori leads the Private Equity team and is responsible for the strategic, operational and investment activities for private capital. She also oversees its global portfolio, which ranges across a variety of industries and asset classes.
Prior to joining HOOPP, Lori spent six years with CPP Investments, most recently as Managing Director, Direct Private Equity, where she led the team responsible for the Consumer/Retail sector. Previously, she spent nearly 11 years in the Private Capital team at Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, helping establish their London office and leading their European fund and co-investments and also worked in investment banking at Goldman Sachs.
Lori holds a BBA (Honours) from the Schulich School of Business at York University and an MBA from the Columbia Business School.
Kirk Hamilton
Managing Director, Private Equity, Kensington Capital Partners
Kirk is a Managing Director at Kensington focusing on Private Equity.
Prior to joining Kensington, Kirk led M&A for global commodity trader Stemcor Holdings, based in London, United Kingdom. While at Stemcor he worked through two global restructurings and the sale to Apollo Global Management. Kirk started his career working in London in the European investment banking and M&A teams for Scotia Capital and RBC Capital Markets focusing on natural resources M&A and ECM as well as with a UHNW family office where he worked on a number of major transactions in the mining, oil & gas, and industrials sectors.
Kirk sits on the board of various Kensington investments, including Resolute Health Corp., White Swan Environmental, AGNORA and Clearpoint Health.
Kirk holds a B.Sc. Eng. (Civil) from Queen’s University.
Anish Jain
Managing Director, Private Equity, Brookfield Asset Management
Anish Jain is a Managing Director in Brookfield’s Private Equity Group. He is a member of its business operations team and is responsible for supporting execution and transformation within portfolio companies.
Prior to joining Brookfield in 2020, Mr. Jain was CEO of TSS, a Texas oilfield-services supply chain and logistics company, and served as an operations advisor to Blackstone, Carlyle, Apollo, and Energy Capital Partners on various energy and infrastructure transactions. He has also held roles in industrial businesses running finance, strategic planning, corporate development, international operations, and investor relations functions. Mr. Jain began his career in investment banking with UBS in New York City, and then private equity with Temasek Holdings in Singapore.
Mr. Jain holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees from Tufts University.
Jennifer Pereira
Managing Director, Group Head of Private Equity, Fengate Asset Management
As Managing Director, Group Head of Private Equity, Jennifer is responsible for the management and expansion of the firm’s private equity funds, as well as investor relations, team leadership and development, strategic planning, and operations. She is a member of the Fengate Executive and Investment Committees.
Prior to joining Fengate in 2023, Jennifer was with CPP Investments for almost twelve years, most recently acting as Managing Director, Private Equity, leading coverage in the consumer sector. Prior to CPP Investments, Jennifer worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group where she advised a broad range of clients with a focus on financial institutions and consumer companies.
Jennifer holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and a B.A.Sc in Engineering from the University of Toronto. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for GraceMed and Saco Foods, and previously served on the boards of Ultimate Kronos Group and Petco Health and Wellness.
Joseph Lo
Partner, Sagard Private Equity Canada
Joseph Lo is a Partner at Sagard and leads the Sagard Private Equity Canada team in Toronto. Jo is responsible for originating, structuring, investing and portfolio management and is a member of the Sagard Private Equity Canada investment committee. Prior to joining Sagard, Jo was a Partner in PwC’s Value Creation practice where he also served as the firm’s Deals Private Equity Leader. In this role, he worked with corporate, private equity and portfolio company clients through all stages of the deals lifecycle.
Previously, Jo served as a sponsor-backed CEO in healthcare and multi-site consumer retail. Earlier, he was an executive at BCE, where he spent a decade in operating roles in the Bell Business Markets and Field Services business units. Jo began his career at Kearney where he advised clients on matters of strategy and operational effectiveness.
Active in the community, he serves on the boards of Canadian Club Toronto (Past-President), Harvard Business School Club of Toronto (Past-President), Scarborough Health Network, Canadian Sport Institute of Ontario and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization. Jo holds an HBA and MBA from the Ivey Business School at Western University where he graduated with distinction and is also a graduate of the GMP program at Harvard Business School.
