DATE: May 11th 2023
TIME: 12:40 pm – 1:30 pm (Eastern)
David Aiken (Brookfield Asset Management), Justin Catalano (Fengate Asset Management) & Thecla Sweeney (Alphi Capital)
Privately held businesses are the bedrock of the Canadian economy and the vast majority of these are small and medium in size, representing more than 99% of all businesses in the country. Simply put, a vibrant private company environment translates directly to a healthy and thriving Canadian economy.
In the face of a dynamic macro environment, how are Canada’s most sophisticated private investors adjusting their playbooks to help grow the next generation of Canadian champions while providing superior returns to their investors?
Join Canadian Club Toronto on May 11 for a discussion on an overall outlook of the Canadian private equity landscape and how the industry is responding to inflation trends, rising interest rates, lower debt availability, uncertain geopolitics and recessionary fears.
Our expert panel of investors will discuss what they are observing and how they are adjusting their strategies now and in the long run. This conversation will be moderated by Andrea Mandel-Campbell (Operating Advisor at Vertu Capital and Founder of karibu adventures) and will feature:
- David Aiken – Managing Partner, Private Equity, Brookfield Asset Management
- Justin Catalano – Managing Director, Group Head of Private Equity, Fengate Asset Management
- Thecla Sweeney – Founding Partner, Alphi Capital
David Aiken is a Managing Partner in Brookfield’s Private Equity Group, responsible for overseeing Brookfield’s Long Term Equities strategy. He has held several roles across the Private Equity Group, including Head of LATAM and Chief Investment Officer for the industrials segment.
Prior to joining Brookfield in 2007, Mr. Aiken worked in investment banking in New York, focused on restructuring and leveraged finance.
Mr. Aiken holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University.
Justin CatalanoManaging Director and Group Head, Fengate Private Equity
Ms. Sweeney has served on our Board since January 2022. Ms. Sweeney is a partner and co-founder of Alphi Capital Inc., a private investment firm formed in August 2022. Prior to founding Alphi, Ms. Sweeney was a member of the investment team from 2004 to 2022 at Birch Hill Equity Partners, a leading Canadian mid-market private equity firm focused on investments in the consumer, healthcare and telecom industries. In the 12 years that Ms. Sweeney was a partner at Birch Hill, she spent the last four as an Operating Partner and Executive Chair and Chief Executive Officer for Motion LP, a privately-held provider of complex mobility and accessibility solutions in Canada. Prior to joining Birch Hill, Ms. Sweeney worked on the start-up of Porter Airlines, was a consultant at Bain & Company and spent three years in the Chairman’s Office of George Weston Limited. Since March 2023, she has served on the board of Dollarama Inc., a publicly-traded Canadian value retailer. She served on the board of directors of Motion LP from 2014 to January 2023. From 2010 to April 2022, she served on the board of Mastermind LP, a privately- held specialty toy retailer and from 2019 to July 2022 she served on the board of FlexNetworks LP, a privately-held telecom business. From 2012 to 2017, she served on the board of Sleep Country Canada, a specialty retailer of mattresses and accessories.
Andrea is a member of the Advisory Board for Crown Realty Partners, a private commercial real estate company, and is an Operating Advisory with Vertu Capital, a Toronto-based private equity firm specializing in Canadian global enterprise software companies. She sits on the Board of Directors of the Ontario Centre of Innovation and the Canadian Club of Toronto. She is also the founder of a new sustainable adventure travel start up, karibu.
Thank you to our Sponsor
Thank you to our Season Sponsor