Who We Are
Our story thus far
Focused on investment, backed by experience
CanFirst Capital Management was founded in 2002 and is an industry leader investing in commercial real estate. CanFirst forms real estate Funds that contain a portfolio of properties to provide diversification for its partners. The CanFirst team is focused on investing in assets that offer consistent and stable returns, while concurrently ensuring capital preservation and providing value add opportunities.
CanFirst employs a disciplined investment strategy that ensures investments are focused on specifically targeted properties. We co-invest with both institutional and private high net worth partners. Each Fund's structure ensures an alignment of interest between the fund advisor and our partners.
While the focus is on investment, the CanFirst Capital Management team has many years of experience in the real estate business including development, redevelopment, asset and property management, financing, leasing and construction. Utilizing all of these disciplines enables CanFirst to identify and analyze investment opportunities more effectively. Property management functions are outsourced to “best in class” companies in each of their respective markets.
Goal-driven
Founded in 2002, CanFirst has deep local market intelligence, extensive industry contacts and relationships in our target markets, all of which are leveraged to source opportunities.
A track record of performance
CanFirst’s goal is to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns by capturing value in the commercial real estate segment.
Market-specific expertise
CanFirst has raised $1.1B in equity and has completed over 18M square feet of real estate transactions.
A quick introduction to the CanFirst team
Our Team
Paul Braun
Chairman
Paul Braun is a co-founder of CanFirst Capital Management. Paul Braun's real estate career spans more than 40 years. It includes senior executive positions with Cadillac Fairview and the Dundee Realty Corporation. In addition, Mr. Braun was a founding shareholder of V&A Properties. V&A Properties successfully developed, acquired, and managed commercial and residential properties both for its own account as well as for financial institutions, pension funds and private investors. V&A Properties was subsequently sold to Dundee Realty Corporation.
Allan Perez
Chief Executive Officer
Allan Perez is a co-founder of CanFirst Capital Management. Allan Perez's real estate career encompasses over 40 years of senior executive positions with real estate organizations including The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Canderel Ltd. and Dundee Realty Corporation. Mr. Perez was a senior officer and shareholder of V&A Properties. His responsibilities included acquisition and disposition, development, marketing, financing, leasing, e-commerce and asset management.
Mark Braun
Executive Vice-President, Investments and Business Development
Mark Braun is responsible for investments, financing, and business development for CanFirst. Prior to joining CanFirst, Mr. Braun was a portfolio analyst in the specialty funds group at Bentall. Mr. Braun received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto where he was elected a governor of the university and received a Bachelor of Engineering Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario.
Minh Nguyen
Senior Vice President, Investments
Minh Nguyen is responsible for all aspects of the acquisition process and oversees underwriting and due diligence of investment opportunities. Prior to joining CanFirst, Mr. Nguyen was a mechanical engineer at Integral Group. Mr. Nguyen received a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto where he was named a Bregman Scholar and received a Bachelor of Applied Science from the University of British Columbia where he was the top graduating student in the Thermofluids option. He is a CFA® charterholder.
Luke Chisholm
Vice-President, Asset Management
Luke Chisholm is responsible for asset management, leasing and overseeing ESG initiatives across the various portfolios. Mr. Chisholm received an Honours Bachelor of Science in Actuarial Science from the University of Western Ontario and a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University. Prior to joining CanFirst, Mr. Chisholm worked at Manulife Investment Management overseeing asset management responsibilities for a diversified commercial portfolio in Central and Eastern Canada.
Ryan Waller
Head of Investor Relations
Ryan Waller is responsible for investor relations with a focus on CanFirst’s open-ended fund. Prior to joining CanFirst, Mr. Waller was Vice President of Business Development and Investor Relations at Romspen Investment Corporation, overseeing client relationships across institutional and retail channels. Mr. Waller holds a Bachelor of arts in Economics from Queen’s University and a Master of Business Administration from Boston University. He is also Exempt Market Dealer (EMD) licensed.
Russel Raghavan
Controller
Russell Raghavan is responsible for fund-level financial reporting, cash management, consolidation of property financials, and coordination with auditors. He also oversees corporate and property management accounting and supports office administration. Prior to joining CanFirst, Mr. Raghavan held accounting leadership roles at Starlight Investments Ltd. and other firms across various industries. He is a Chartered Accountant (India) and a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CGA) in Canada, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Sebastian Fiszman
Director, Investments
Sebastian Fiszman is responsible for the underwriting and due diligence of acquisitions and supporting asset and fund management. Prior to joining CanFirst, Mr. Fiszman worked at the Bank of Nova Scotia in the international credit risk division. Mr. Fiszman received a Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure from the Schulich School of Business, York University.
Mirette Zaky
Manager, Investments
Mirette Zaky is responsible for the underwriting and due diligence of acquisitions and supporting asset and fund management. Prior to joining CanFirst Ms. Zaky worked in the real estate sales, investment, and development industry completing low-density residential developments within the GTA. Ms. Zaky is a licensed Real Estate Broker and has received a Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure from the Schulich School of Business, York University.
Aaron Fuss
Senior Analyst
Aaron Fuss is responsible for existing property modelling and assists with portfolio management, leasing, and acquisitions. Prior to joining CanFirst Mr. Fuss received an Honours Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Andrew Hildebrand
Senior Analyst
Andrew Hildebrand supports asset management, leasing, dispositions, and investor reporting at CanFirst. Prior to joining the firm, Mr. Hildebrand gained experience in real estate investments at Firm Capital and worked in retail leasing at Savills and QuadReal, representing both landlords and tenants. Mr. Hildebrand holds an Honours degree in Business Management and Organizational Studies with a specialization in Finance and Administration from the University of Western Ontario.
Jack Price
Analyst
Jack Price supports asset management, leasing, dispositions, and investor reporting. He also supports fund management and acquisitions. Mr. Price received a Bachelor of Commerce from the Smith School of Business.
Jonah Enchin
Analyst
Jonah Enchin is responsible for underwriting and due diligence of acquisitions in addition to assisting fund management. He also supports asset management and conducts market research for various initiatives. Mr. Enchin received an Honours Business Administration with academic distinction from the Richard Ivey School of Business.
Stacy Ann Taylor
Assistant Controller
Stacy Ann Taylor is responsible for full-cycle accounting, preparing quarterly and annual special-purpose financial reports, and assisting with annual audits. Mrs. Taylor holds a degree in Finance, a certification in Financial Securities Management, and is currently enrolled in the CPA Program. Mrs. Taylor brings over 17 years of accounting expertise across a range of industries, including real estate and the financial sector.
Olivia Gebert
Administrative Assistant
Olivia Gebert oversees office administration, investor relations, marketing coordination at CanFirst, and corporate events. Ms. Gebert holds a Bilingual Honours Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Certificate in Law and Social Thought from the Glendon campus of York University.