Real Estate Management Certification

Founded in 1987, the UDI is an independent, non-profit organization. It is the largest representative of the commercial real estate industry in Quebec. It brings together major institutional owners, the most important real estate developers, and managers, as well as industry professionals and companies working in related sectors.

Michel Deslauriers
Finance lecturer, John Molson School of Business

Michel Deslauriers is a full-time lecturer in the Finance Department of the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. Mr. Deslauriers also acts as a strategic advisor to several real estate development companies in Montreal. Before joining Concordia in 2019, he spent ten years as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at Otéra Capital Inc., a commercial real estate financing subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Prior to his appointment at Otéra, he successively held the positions of Director of Finance and Treasury and Vice-President of Finance at Ivanhoé Cambridge. Mr. Deslauriers also held various positions at Asea Brown Boveri and KPMG-Peat Marwick Thorne. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University and a Graduate Diploma in Public Accounting from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at McGill University. Mr. Deslauriers is a member of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec.

Sylvain Gariépy 

Executive Vice-president & Associate, Urban planner, BC2

Sylvain Gariépy has twenty-five years of professional experience during which he worked on a wide variety of complex urban projects both as a project manager and as a consultant in multidisciplinary groups on behalf of municipalities, governmental organizations, and private clients.

As such, he started his career devoting himself to the revitalization of Montreal's business communities where he successfully worked on the development and implementation of their action plan and the achievement of the objectives they had set for themselves.

He has developed extensive experience in urban planning by working for real estate developers and for several Quebec municipalities. Indeed, he has been involved in several residential, commercial, and mix use projects over the years. The main issues encountered within these projects were the harmonious integration of new functions in the existing urban environment, the promotion and improvement of alternative and active modes of transport, and the development of sustainable communities.

He also worked on large-scale urban infrastructure projects including feasibility studies and the pre-project study of the Rapid Bus Service (SRB) on the Pie-IX Boulevard as well as on the urban integration study of the New Bridge for the St. Lawrence (Samuel-de-Champlain Bridge).

Furthermore, he has developed an expertise on legal issues, whether for the recognition of acquired rights, the urban contextualization of land subject to an expropriation procedure and the evaluation of their real development potential, etc.

Finally, he understands complex urban environments, identify their main issues, and translate them into comprehensive words. Added to this, his ability to facilitate working groups and public consultation sessions.

In summary, here are the fields of expertise that demonstrate its versatility and rigor:

▪ Urban planning and urban planning regulations.

▪ Enhancement of the urban heritage.

▪ Project management.

▪ Real estate development (development concept, regulatory modification, representation and negotiation with municipal authorities).

▪ Urban planning expert (TAQ, Superior Court, etc.).

Anthony Arquin

Partner, Davies

Anthony Arquin is a partner at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg in the Commercial Real Estate practice. He advises on commercial real estate sales and purchases, development projects and joint ventures for public and private corporations in Canada and internationally. Anthony has significant experience working on mixed-use complexes and commercial co-ownership. He acts for developers, managers and pension funds. Anthony was named by Chambers Canada in Québec’s real estate industry, by The Legal 500 Canada as the Next Generation Lawyer in commercial real estate and by Best Lawyers in Canada as Montréal’s Real Estate Lawyer of the Year in 2019. He received the 2017 Young Builder INOVA Award from the Urban Development Institute of Québec (IDU). He is a member of the board of directors of IDU.

Sylvie Samson,

Partner, Davies

Sylvie is a partner at Davies in the commercial real estate practice in the Montréal office. She assists clients on their commercial real estate matters and mergers and acquisitions. Sylvie is also a member of the board of directors of the Urban Development Institute of Québec (UDI) and President of the Young Ambassadors Committee of the UDI.

She advises both public and private companies in Canada on matters involving the purchase and sale of commercial real estate, project development and joint ventures. She has solid experience with commercial condominiums. Promoters, managers and investment funds all rely on Sylvie's expertise in this constantly evolving field for support and assistance in negotiating and drafting agreements, an area where her skills have been recognized by her peers as well as her clients. Many real estate companies find that she proposes innovative and practical solutions to solve complex issues.

She graduated from the University of Ottawa where she received both the University Gold Medal for the highest cumulative grade point average in the entire Civil Law program. Sylvie also received her Common Law degree from the University of Ottawa and was called to both the Québec Bar and Ontario Bar in 2014.

Mylène Nadeau

Partner, Davies

A resourceful, client-focused practitioner, Mylène advises on a diverse range of commercial real estate matters. She regularly acts for some of Canada’s largest real estate investors, developers and pension funds in connection with complex commercial real estate acquisitions, dispositions, joint ventures, development projects and financings in both Canada and the U.S.

Agnès Pignoly

Lawyer, Davies

Agnès Pignoli is a lawyer at Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg. Her practice focuses on urban planning, public tenders, expropriation and municipal taxation. She regularly advises clients on compliance and regulatory matters, particularly on issues involving zoning, land-use planning and urban planning. Prior to joining our team, Agnès practised at a mid-sized law firm in Montréal, at a boutique firm specializing in municipal law and in the City of Montréal’s legal department.

Jonathan Godin

Associate, Davies

Jonathan is developing a broad corporate and commercial real estate practice. He has assisted on a variety of real estate and corporate transactions, including joint ventures, development projects, commercial and real estate financings, and private and public mergers and acquisitions.

Annie Gagnon-Larocque

Partner, McCarthy Tétrault

Annie Gagnon-Larocque is a partner in the Real Property and Planning Group of McCarthy in Montréal. Ms. Gagnon-Larocque represents and advises clients on a variety of transactions notably real estate acquisitions, real estate financings, property development, commercial leasing, and joint venture transactions. She represents financial institutions and public and private companies in the senior housing, retail and hotel industries. Ms. Gagnon-Larocque was President of CREW Montréal (Commercial Real Estate Women) from 2012 to 2014 and sat on the board of directors as Financing and Sponsorship Director. She was a finalist in the Rising Star category at the 2009 and 2010 Evening of Excellence. She is also a member of CREW Montreal, ICSC, the Urban Development Institute and the Canadian Bar Association.

Marie-Josée Marcoux

Partner, McCarthy Tétrault

Marie-Josée Marcoux is partner in the Real Property and Planning Group in Montréal. Her practice deals with financing matters as well as real estate acquisitions and dispositions, including cross-border financings for multinationals, syndicated financings, acquisition financings, taking of security interests on a nation-wide scale and the purchase and sale of commercial and residential real estate portfolios.

Ms. Marcoux holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (LL.B.) from the University of Sherbrooke, Co-op Program.

Ms. Marcoux is a member of the Canadian Bar Association and the Young Bar Association of Montréal. She was called to the Québec bar in 2009.

James Papadimitriou

Senior Partner, McCarthy Tétrault

James Papadimitriou is a senior partner in McCarthy Tétrault’s Montréal office, with a practice focused on real estate.

Mr. Papadimitriou advises clients on a variety of real estate acquisitions, dispositions ,developments, joint ventures, real estate and project financings, and commercial leasing transactions. He regularly represents institutional investors ,banks and other senior lenders , as well as leading investors and developers on numerous landmark transactions and projects, including the largest real estate transaction in Quebec history ( privatisation of Cominar REIT ).

He is recognized internationally for his expertise, including in Chambers Global earning a Band 1 ranking (as a "very efficient lawyer" and a "solid choice for acquisitions, developments and project financing", lauded as "a real problem solver, he looks to get the deal done" and someone who "bring a high level of maturity and strategic expertise to negotiations").

Mr. Papadimitriou is also a board member and chair of the governance committee of the Urban Development Institute and provincial chair, regent / board member of the American College of Mortgage Attorneys , a trustee of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation and part of the CREW mentoring program. He is also the proud father of three daughters.

Michel Leonard

President, BTB Real Estate Investment Trust

Mr. Léonard is one of the founders of the BTB Real Estate Investment Trust. Mr. Léonard has more than 30 years of experience in commercial real estate.

Mr. Léonard has often played a fundamental role in assisting numerous organizations at the regional and national levels with strategic planning, analysis and renegotiation mandates and the implementation of complex transactions. He joined Colliers International (Québec) Inc. as Senior Vice-President in November 2004 and served until 2009. Mr. Léonard was co-founder of Staubach Canada Inc. where he was President from 1989 to November 2004.

Mr. Léonard is Chairman of the Board of the Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ) and former Chairman of the Board of the Fonds d'assurance professionnelle du courtage immobilier du Québec (FARCIQ). In 2015, Mr. Léonard was a finalist for the “Grand Prix de l'Entrepreneur” awarded by Ernst & Young. In September 2016, he obtained the ASC (Certified Corporate Director) designation from the College of Corporate Directors. Mr. Léonard has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 1982.

Mr. Léonard holds a Bachelor of Commerce (1978) and a Bachelor of Civil Law (1981) from McGill University.

Patrick Turcotte

Director of Business Development, Englobe

Mr. Turcotte has worked in the environmental field for more than 25 years, and holds a Bachelor's degree in applied sciences, which includes three certificates (Environment, Water Sciences and Techniques and Applied Geology). He started his career as a site technician and then, as a project manager, he managed numerous projects such as characterizations, evaluations, environmental follow-ups, background studies, treatment and rehabilitation of soils and groundwater as well as the management of contaminated soils and residual materials. His private and public clients are involved in the following fields of activity: petroleum, real estate, legal, commercial, industrial and governmental. The numerous projects he has carried out to date have allowed him to acquire an in-depth knowledge of environmental regulations as well as the management of contaminated soil and residual materials. He participates in the drafting of financial proposals, reports and technical specifications as well as in the staff training at Englobe Corp.

Martine Sirois

Senior Director (Office, Commercial and Light Industrial Division), Altus Group, Research, Evaluation and Consulting Services.

Martine Sirois is Senior Director (Office, Commercial and Light Industrial Division) at Altus Group. With over 20 years of experience, Martine works in the field of real estate valuation and has developed an expertise in the valuation of income properties, more specifically office buildings, light industrial and multi-use projects, for financing, due diligence, feasibility studies and other purposes. She is involved in the valuation of numerous national real estate portfolios for major pension funds, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and several private real estate companies.

Steeve Bouchard

Senior Director, Research, evaluation & consulting services – Property Tax Management, Ryan LLC

With more than 24 years of experience in real estate appraisal and management, Steeve has developed an expertise in the valuation of income properties, more specifically industrial and commercial properties for financing purposes, due diligence and rental and market values, etc. He now devotes his efforts to providing opinion and advice on values for taxation purposes to some of the largest real estate owners in Quebec.

Piero Biasini

Partner, Degrandpré Chait

Piero practices real estate law and financing. He acts on behalf of real estate developers, investors, landlords and tenants with respect to the acquisition and disposition of real properties in and outside Quebec, and assists them with leasing matters and other real estate transactions. As such, he is involved in all aspects of a transaction, including the negotiation, review and drafting of agreements. Piero also advises lending institutions, banks and borrowers on various secured and unsecured financing arrangements. His expertise extends to matters involving the establishment of security on personal and real property, syndicated and cross-border loans, project financing, construction loans and asset-based lending.

Andréanne Lavallée
Partner, Transacte Real Estate Agency

Andréanne Lavallée, É.A., P. App., AACI has more than 25 years of experience in the field of commercial real estate.  She started as a tenant services representative for TrizedHahn Properties, an institutional owner before turning to office space rental, which allowed her to fully understand the issues related to the management and rental of commercial buildings.

She was recruited in 2014 by CBRE Limited, which was seeking to reposition its valuation and advisory services team.  Under her leadership, the reputation of the Valuation and Advisory Services team was rebuilt to the point of becoming one of the best commercial evaluation teams in Quebec with an enviable reputation for its rigour and market knowledge.

In September 2024, Andréanne Lavallée partnered with Transacte Real Estate Agency Inc. and founded Transacte Real Estate Valuation, a fully autonomous entity within the Transacte banner.

Andréanne is recognized for the quality of her reports and the depth of her market knowledge, which includes expertise in student housing properties, multi-family properties, land valuation, market studies for multi-family developments.

Michel Deslauriers
Director, Jonathan Wener Centre for Real Estate
Lecturer, Finance

Michel Deslauriers is Director of the Jonathan Wener Centre for Real Estate and a full-time lecturer in the Finance Department of the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University. Mr. Deslauriers also acts as a strategic advisor to several real estate development companies in Montreal. Before joining Concordia in 2019, he spent ten years as Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at Otéra Capital Inc., a commercial real estate financing subsidiary of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec. Prior to his appointment at Otéra, he successively held the positions of Director of Finance and Treasury and Vice-President of Finance at Ivanhoé Cambridge. Mr. Deslauriers also held various positions at Asea Brown Boveri and KPMG-Peat Marwick Thorne. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Concordia University and a Graduate Diploma in Public Accounting from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at McGill University. Mr. Deslauriers is a member of the Ordre des comptables professionnels agréés du Québec.

Andrée Roy | Managing Director, Real Estate Finance 
Caisse de placement et dépôt du Québec (CDPQ)

Andrée started her career with Sun Life's Mortgage Investment Group before joining the mezzanine financing team at Cadim, a subsidiary of CDPQ. After a four-year stint with Royal Bank’s CMBS and commercial mortgage teams, she returned to CDPQ in late 2006.

Today, as Managing Director, Real Estate Finance, her expertise covers a variety of financings including term, bridge, construction, and mezzanine loans in Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States as well as the purchase of subordinated CMBS tranches in the US. Valuing the importance of giving back, Andrée was active on several committees and as a mentor at IDU Quebec and CREWM for many years and more recently with Concordia University’s Real Estate Management Certification program.   

Allan Eliskof 
Vice President, RBC Capital Markets Real Estate Group

Allan Eliskof joined the RBC Capital Markets Real Estate Group in Montréal in 2018. He is involved in the execution of major commercial real estate transactions across all asset classes on behalf of a wide array of clients including pension funds, life insurance companies, advisors, public and private REITs, private HNW investors and developers. Allan participates in all facets of the transaction process including underwriting, marketing, negotiation and buyer due diligence management. Prior to joining RBC, Allan practiced as an electrical engineer for 6 years at a Montréal-based engineering consulting firm.

Allan holds an MBA in Investment Management from the Goodman Institute at the John Molson School of Business and a Bachelor of Engineering from McGill University. He has obtained the CFA designation, is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and is a Commercial Real Estate Broker authorized by the OACIQ. 

Raphael Roel 
Associate, RBC Capital Markets Real Estate Group

Raphael has been working at RBC Capital Market’s Real Estate Group in Montréal since 2021. He specializes in commercial real estate underwriting and client advisory services. Raphael has executed on a number of real estate transactions across multiple asset classes such as multi-residential, retail, industrial, office, seniors housing, land and redevelopment projects. 

Raphael has an undergraduate degree in Finance with Distinction from the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. 

Guillaume Jacob
Senior Vice President, CBRE National Investment Team

Guillaume Jacob specializes on client advisory services for industrial, urban land/development, and multifamily investment properties. Guillaume’s key strengths include asset underwriting, transaction negotiation, and execution. Guillaume has completed over $5 billion in real estate transactions across the Province of Québec.

In addition, Guillaume won CBRE’s 2022 Rookie of the Year, and serves as a real estate lecturer at Concordia University’s JMSB Executive Centre.

Charles-Benoit Parent
Senior Vice President, CBRE Capital

Real Estate Investment Banking and Capital Markets professional with a passion for real asset investments, development, and portfolio strategy.

Current member of CMLS Capital Montreal with responsibilities including strategic lending and structuring initiatives for debt and equity capital raises throughout the Province of Quebec, representing institutions, public and private REITs and HNW through $2.0 billion of Real Estate structured finance strategies. Prior to joining CMLS, Charles-Benoit was a member of CBRE's National Apartment Group, with involvement in the underwriting and due diligence of complex multi-residential dispositions of single assets and portfolios of direct real estate in the province of Quebec. Previous responsibilities included Buy-Side in the Oil & Gas and Financial sectors for Fiera Capital’s Large Cap Canadian Equity Value fund (formerly Selexia Asset Management).

Charles-Benoit holds a Bachelor of Commerce, major in Finance from John Molson School of Business (Concordia University), is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA), Exempt Market Dealer (EMD) and is a dually licensed Commercial Real Estate Broker with OACIQ and registered Mortgage Broker with the AMF.

Roger Plamondon

A highly regarded executive with an impressive career, Roger Plamondon joined the Broccolini team in 2006, bringing with him 40 years of experience in real-estate and development. Roger has a strong background in executive roles, notably as Regional VP Operations of a major international retail chain where he led the company’s operations for all of Eastern Canada, overseeing more than 100 big-box retail stores from Windsor, Ontario to Saint John’s, Newfoundland. Prior to that, as Assistant VP of Development and Legal Affairs for another major international retail chain, Roger directed legal services and risk management, represented the company in government relations, and established the real estate development plan.

Throughout his distinguished career, Roger has also served as a member of many Boards of Directors and has held executive positions in a number of prominent organizations, including as Director for the Business Development Bank of Canada and for the Retail Council of Canada, as well as Treasurer and Interim CEO for the Montreal Board of Trade, and Chairman of the Retail Council of Quebec.

A respected conference speaker and the author of multiple articles in industry publications, Roger is also a former lecturer for the CEGEP Montmorency College where he led courses in real estate mathematics and property assessment.

Today, as President—Real Estate Group at Broccolini, Roger skillfully heads the department and plays a crucial role in securing property, negotiating contracts, and developing assets. Roger also volunteers much of his time to several of charitable and social organizations, including Habitat for Humanity, KaBOOM!, and the Fondation Lina Cyr, as well as serving as Chairman of the C.L.S.C. Saint-Henri and as Chairman of the Club Richelieu de Ville-Émard.

Roger holds an MBA in finance from Université de Montréal and a Bachelor of Commerce in Real Estate from Université du Québec à Montréal. He is also a graduate of the Accelerated Leadership program at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Laurence Vincent
Co-president, Prével

Laurence Vincent is co-president of Prével, a family business with more than 100 employees founded more than 40 years ago. Over the past 15 years, she has been actively involved in the construction of several of Prével's 11,000 housing units and in the development of projects that have made their mark on the Montreal landscape. In March 2019, Prével was awarded the APCHQ's Builder of the Year prize.

Recognized for her contribution to urban development, built heritage and home ownership, Laurence Vincent is committed to creating environments that encourage human interaction and family retention in the downtown core.  She sits on the boards of directors of the public interest organization Vivre en Ville and the Institut de développement urbain du Québec, and chairs the housing committee. Laurence also chairs the Metropolitan and Urban Affairs Committee of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.