Wealth management firm welcomes REIT experts

As part of its efforts to strengthen its market presence, the firm has tapped two industry experts

Wealth management firm welcomes REIT experts
As part of its efforts to strengthen its capital market presence in Québec, Echelon Wealth Partners tapped two industry experts to take the helm of the group's real estate research team.

Joining Echelon are Frédéric Blondeau and Stéphane Boire, both of whom served under Eight Capital's real estate equity research team.

Blondeau has more than 20 years of experience in global equity research and portfolio management and 16 years within the global REITs sector. He joins Echelon as the managing director and head of real estate research.

He said he was attracted to Echelon's approach and its entrepreneurial spirit.

“I like the firm’s entrepreneurial spirit and the fact that it is growing. I also appreciate Echelon’s solid principles and values. My goal at Echelon is that Stéphane and I become the leading reference within the sell side and investment banking financial community for listed real estate companies," he stated

Boire holds an MBA in Investment Management from Concordia University and is a CFA charter holder. He will come aboard as Echelon's real estate equity research analyst.

With Blondeau and Boire joining the group, Echelon real estate equity research analyst Robert Sutherland will be taking over the managerial director role in the firm's investment banking team, specializing in real estate, REIT financing, and advisory work.

"I look forward to helping companies in this sector achieve their growth goals in what I expect will continue to be a robust market for real estate.”

Echelon CEO David Cusson said the addition of Blondeau and Boire and the appointment of Sutherland is a strategic move by the group to further fortify its franchise in a sector where capital market activity has averaged more than $6 billion annually.

Cusson noted that the public real estate and REIT markets in Canada comprise 96 firms with a combined market cap of around $98 billion.

"With the current average dividend yield of about 6 percent, the sector has long been looked to as an inflation-protected income source for both the retail and institutional investor," Cusson said.

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