OMERS appoints Daniel Fournier to lead Oxford Properties Group, effective April 1, 2023
Toronto, February 8, 2023 – Today OMERS announced the appointment of Daniel Fournier to lead the Pension Plan’s real estate arm, Oxford Properties Group (“Oxford”), in the role of Executive Chair. Mr. Fournier will succeed Michael Turner effective April 1, 2023, as Michael steps out of the role of President to focus his efforts on helping Oxford drive success across a number of its US-specific strategies.
“For over thirteen years, five as President, Michael has dedicated himself to our outstanding global real estate success story,” said Blake Hutcheson, President and Chief Executive Officer of OMERS. “He and his team of extraordinarily talented people, have overseen an important period of growth for Oxford, diversifying our business, building capabilities, and expanding into new markets and sectors. I sincerely thank Michael for his commitment to Oxford and to OMERS members.”
“We are delighted to welcome Daniel Fournier to the Oxford team. Mr. Fournier’s extensive experience, track record of success, and in-depth knowledge of global real estate investing will be an invaluable asset to Oxford as we enter this next phase of growth across the globe,” added Mr. Hutcheson.
Daniel is a highly respected real estate leader with over 40 years of deep real estate experience. From 2010 to 2019 he served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Ivanhoé Cambridge, a Canadian based global real estate subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).
“It is truly an honour and a privilege to join such an outstanding organization which I have always admired for its purpose-driven approach and world-class talent. I look forward to working with the team at Oxford as we continue to grow their iconic portfolio of assets and platforms around the world,” said Mr. Fournier.
OMERS Media Contact:
Neil Hrab
nhrab@omers.com
416-369-2418
Daniel Fournier Bio:
Daniel Fournier has more than 40 years of business experience, primarily in the real estate industry. Between 2010 and 2019, he served as Chairman and CEO of Ivanhoé Cambridge, a real estate subsidiary of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ).
During his tenure, Ivanhoé Cambridge grew into one of the world’s largest and most respected institutional investors. Following his retirement from Ivanhoé Cambridge, Daniel Fournier served on several boards and advisory boards of Quebec-based companies including Claridge, Groupe Maurice, Simons and BTB REIT.
Prior to joining Ivanhoé Cambridge, he was the Chairman of the Board of engineering consulting firm Genivar, now WSP Global, and a member of the Board of Directors of national retailer Canadian Tire. Daniel was also a Director of the Summit Industrial Income REIT and of Standard Life (Canada), now Manulife.
Throughout his career, Daniel actively supported numerous communities and organizations. He chaired several fundraising campaigns for La Maison du Père, the Lighthouse Children and Families and the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer (IRIC). He also co-chaired the $43 million Leading the Way fundraising campaign for Bishop's University. Most recently, he was the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the McCord Museum Foundation in Montreal and in August 2020, he was named Chancellor of Bishop’s University.
Daniel Fournier holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Princeton University (1977) and a Bachelor of Arts in Jurisprudence from Oxford University (1980), where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He took a term off to play for the Canadian Football League’s Ottawa Rough Riders.
About Oxford Properties Group
Oxford Properties Group (“Oxford”) is a leading global real estate investor, asset manager and business builder. It builds, buys, and grows defined real estate operating business with world-class management teams. Established in 1960, Oxford and its portfolio companies manage approximately C$82 billion of assets across four continents on behalf of their investment partners. Oxford’s owned portfolio encompasses office, logistics, retail, multifamily residential, life sciences, hotels and credit in global gateway cities and high-growth hubs. A thematic investor with a committed source of capital, Oxford invests in properties, portfolios, development sites, debt, securities and real estate businesses across the risk-reward spectrum. Together with its portfolio companies, Oxford is one of the world’s most active developers with over 100 projects currently underway globally across all major asset classes. Oxford is owned by OMERS, the Canadian defined benefit pension plan for Ontario's municipal employees. For more information on Oxford, visit www.oxfordproperties.com
About OMERS
Founded in 1962, OMERS is one of Canada’s largest defined benefit pension plans, with $121 billion in net assets as at December 31, 2021. OMERS is a jointly-sponsored pension plan, with 1,000 participating employers ranging from large cities to local agencies, and over half a million active, deferred, and retired members. OMERS members include union and non-union employees of municipalities, school boards, local boards, transit systems, electrical utilities, emergency services and children’s aid societies across Ontario. Contributions to the Plan are funded equally by members and employers. OMERS teams work in Toronto, London, New York, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Singapore, Sydney and other major cities across North America and Europe – serving members and employers and originating and managing a diversified portfolio of high-quality investments in public markets, private equity, infrastructure, and real estate.