Senior management
Otéra Capital is led by a team of seasoned professionals with many years of experience in a variety of industry segments.
Career path
With a career spanning some 30 years in commercial real estate debt, Ross Brennan has acquired solid expertise holding various senior positions in Canada and the United States. His responsibilities have included management of the loan restructuring group at Toronto Dominion Bank as well as management of the Canadian assets of GE Capital. He is also a pioneer of the Canadian CMBS market, having overseen the start-up of Toronto Dominion Bank’s and Colliers International’s operations in this area.
Education
Ross Brennan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of London, England.
Guy Charette oversees operations designed to optimize returns and risk management for the overall Otéra Capital portfolio.
Career path
A financing specialist, Guy Charette held the position of Vice-President, Real Estate Financing, for the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec between 2004 and 2008. In that capacity, he was responsible for strategic objective development and implementation for the Caisse’s debt portfolio. He was previously a member of the Cadim team, successively holding the positions of Director, Acquisitions, and Senior Director, Financing. He has also held executive positions with a variety of financial institutions, among them the Toronto Dominion Bank, the National Bank of Canada, Bank of America Canada and the Hong Kong Bank Trust Company in Montréal.
Education
Guy Charette has a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from Université Laval as well as an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.
Michel Deslauriers is responsible for the Finance and Information Systems departments.
Career path
Michel Deslauriers has more than 20 years’ experience in the creation, management and integration of multidisciplinary finance teams for major companies, some of which have undergone rapid international expansion. Before joining the Otéra Capital team, he successively held the positions of Director, Finance and Treasury, and Vice-President, Finance, with Ivanhoe Cambridge, a member company of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s Real Estate group. He previously held various positions with the senior financial management teams of Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) and KPMG–Peat Marwick Thorne.
Education
Michel Deslauriers has a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Concordia University, as well as a diploma from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in Public Accountancy of McGill University. He is a member of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec.
Marie Giguère is responsible for Legal Affairs and is Corporate Secretary for Otéra Capital.
Career path
Marie Giguère has many years of experience and vast expertise in closing major transactions as well as in managing and restructuring work teams. Before joining the Otéra Capital team, she had been an infrastructures investment consultant for the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec since 2005. She was previously a senior vice-president at both Molson and the Montréal Exchange, after spending more than 20 years as a lawyer with the firm Martineau Walker (now Fasken Martineau), including 14 years as a partner.
Education
Marie Giguère has a bachelor of law degree from McGill University and is a member of the Québec Bar Association.
Career path
Alfonso Graceffa joined Otéra in 2008 as Vice-President, construction loans and Special loans for the Canadian Operation. Mr Graceffa's professional experience is built on 25 years of commercial lending in the field of real estate with responsibilities in underwriting, risk management and asset management. Before joining Otéra, Mr Graceffa was Team Head Commercial Real Estate Loans for the National Bank of Canada where he was responsible for the origination, asset management and investment management of commercial real estate loans. Mr Graceffa has also worked for Standard Life, Citibank and Barclays Bank.
Education
Alfonso Graceffa holds a Master of Business Administration (M. B. A.) from McGill University.
Élise Saint-Aubin is responsible for developing Otéra Capital’s human resource strategies and practices, as well as for organizational development, internal communications and the Human Resources department.
Career path
Élise Saint-Aubin has extensive expertise in various aspects of human resources, including change management, organizational development, labour law and coaching, along with experience in both growth and downturn contexts, and in corporate acquisitions and mergers. During her career, she has held senior management positions in human resources with companies in a wide variety of highly specialized areas of activity—including Artificial Mind and Movement (multimedia), Microcell (Fido) (telecommunications) and SPAR Aerospace (aerospace)—as well as several positions in the health and social services system. She has also been a lawyer specialized in labour law with the firm Orenstein Ruby Orenstein.
Education
Élise Saint-Aubin holds a bachelor’s degree in civil law from the University of Ottawa. She also continued her professional development at McGill University, with graduate studies in marketing, organizational behaviour and management statistics, and completed a qualifying program and master’s courses in industrial relations at Université de Montréal. She is a member of the Québec Bar Association.
Ross Brennan
President and Chief Executive Officer
Career path
With a career spanning some 30 years in commercial real estate debt, Ross Brennan has acquired solid expertise holding various senior positions in Canada and the United States. His responsibilities have included management of the loan restructuring group at Toronto Dominion Bank as well as management of the Canadian assets of GE Capital. He is also a pioneer of the Canadian CMBS market, having overseen the start-up of Toronto Dominion Bank’s and Colliers International’s operations in this area.
Education
Ross Brennan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of London, England.
Guy Charette
Vice-President, Portfolio Management
Guy Charette oversees operations designed to optimize returns and risk management for the overall Otéra Capital portfolio.
Career path
A financing specialist, Guy Charette held the position of Vice-President, Real Estate Financing, for the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec between 2004 and 2008. In that capacity, he was responsible for strategic objective development and implementation for the Caisse’s debt portfolio. He was previously a member of the Cadim team, successively holding the positions of Director, Acquisitions, and Senior Director, Financing. He has also held executive positions with a variety of financial institutions, among them the Toronto Dominion Bank, the National Bank of Canada, Bank of America Canada and the Hong Kong Bank Trust Company in Montréal.
Education
Guy Charette has a bachelor’s degree in actuarial science from Université Laval as well as an MBA from the University of Western Ontario.
Michel Deslauriers
Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer
Michel Deslauriers is responsible for the Finance and Information Systems departments.
Career path
Michel Deslauriers has more than 20 years’ experience in the creation, management and integration of multidisciplinary finance teams for major companies, some of which have undergone rapid international expansion. Before joining the Otéra Capital team, he successively held the positions of Director, Finance and Treasury, and Vice-President, Finance, with Ivanhoe Cambridge, a member company of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s Real Estate group. He previously held various positions with the senior financial management teams of Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) and KPMG–Peat Marwick Thorne.
Education
Michel Deslauriers has a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Concordia University, as well as a diploma from the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in Public Accountancy of McGill University. He is a member of the Ordre des comptables agréés du Québec.
Marie Giguère
Vice-President, Legal Affairs, and Corporate Secretary
Marie Giguère is responsible for Legal Affairs and is Corporate Secretary for Otéra Capital.
Career path
Marie Giguère has many years of experience and vast expertise in closing major transactions as well as in managing and restructuring work teams. Before joining the Otéra Capital team, she had been an infrastructures investment consultant for the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec since 2005. She was previously a senior vice-president at both Molson and the Montréal Exchange, after spending more than 20 years as a lawyer with the firm Martineau Walker (now Fasken Martineau), including 14 years as a partner.
Education
Marie Giguère has a bachelor of law degree from McGill University and is a member of the Québec Bar Association.
Alfonso Graceffa
Vice-President, Credit and workouts
Career path
Alfonso Graceffa joined Otéra in 2008 as Vice-President, construction loans and Special loans for the Canadian Operation. Mr Graceffa's professional experience is built on 25 years of commercial lending in the field of real estate with responsibilities in underwriting, risk management and asset management. Before joining Otéra, Mr Graceffa was Team Head Commercial Real Estate Loans for the National Bank of Canada where he was responsible for the origination, asset management and investment management of commercial real estate loans. Mr Graceffa has also worked for Standard Life, Citibank and Barclays Bank.
Education
Alfonso Graceffa holds a Master of Business Administration (M. B. A.) from McGill University.
Élise Saint-Aubin
Vice-President, Human Resources and Organizational Development
Élise Saint-Aubin is responsible for developing Otéra Capital’s human resource strategies and practices, as well as for organizational development, internal communications and the Human Resources department.
Career path
Élise Saint-Aubin has extensive expertise in various aspects of human resources, including change management, organizational development, labour law and coaching, along with experience in both growth and downturn contexts, and in corporate acquisitions and mergers. During her career, she has held senior management positions in human resources with companies in a wide variety of highly specialized areas of activity—including Artificial Mind and Movement (multimedia), Microcell (Fido) (telecommunications) and SPAR Aerospace (aerospace)—as well as several positions in the health and social services system. She has also been a lawyer specialized in labour law with the firm Orenstein Ruby Orenstein.
Education
Élise Saint-Aubin holds a bachelor’s degree in civil law from the University of Ottawa. She also continued her professional development at McGill University, with graduate studies in marketing, organizational behaviour and management statistics, and completed a qualifying program and master’s courses in industrial relations at Université de Montréal. She is a member of the Québec Bar Association.