On Thursday, February 4, 2016, the Urban Land Institute’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) will launch She with He at a members only event. The event, entitled “She with He: Because It’s 2016,” will bring together a group of leaders from major real estate organizations to discuss ways to support and promote gender equality and advancement of women in the Toronto real estate and development industry.. This interactive breakfast panel discussion will be held at the Cassels Brock downtown Toronto office, starting at 7:15am with breakfast and networking.

The WLI “She with He” initiative is inspired by the UN’s global “He for She Campaign.” She, working hand in hand with He, will shine a brighter light on the talent, knowledge and leadership that Toronto women contribute to real estate and developing sustainable communities.

WLI is bringing together leaders of major North American real estate organizations to discuss the way our industry is embracing and adapting to an unprecedented era of change. This interactive event will be moderated by Wendy Rowden, Global Chair of WLI and President of 42nd Street Development Corporation. Ms. Rowden draws upon over 25 years of expertise as a legal and investment executive in the real estate industry and was voted one of the “Top 100 Women in New York 2014.”

The featured panelists include:

Huw Thomas
Huw Thomas, President and CEO of SmartREIT, is an experienced senior finance executive with a broad business background. In addition to being the President and CEO of SmartREIT, Mr. Thomas is a member of the Board of Directors, Audit Committee, and the Nominating and Governance Committee of Dollarama Inc. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees and a member of the Audit Committee of Chartwell Retirement Residences and Chairman and Chair of the Audit Committee of K.P. Tissue Inc.

John Morrison
John Morrison, President and CEO of Choice Properties REIT has over 35 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, primarily in the retail real estate asset class. Having worked with a number of the large landlord owners in Canada, Mr. Morrison brings a wealth of knowledge to a number of organizations. Mr. Morrison is a past Trustee of the International Council of Shopping Centres, currently serves on a number of committees and is Divisional Vice President for Canada. He is also the former Vice Chairman of the Urban Land Institute.

Jane Gavan
Jane Gavan is President of Dream Global REIT, President of Asset Management Dream, CEO of Dream Global REIT, and CEO of Dream Office REIT. She has more than 26 years of experience in the real estate industry. Since joining Dream in 1998, Ms. Gavan has played a key role in numerous transactions. Prior to joining Dream, Ms. Gavan served as legal counsel for several large corporations. Ms. Gavan currently sits on the board of directors of Dream Unlimited Corp., Dream Global REIT, Dream Alternatives Trust, the Women’s College Hospital Foundation, and is on the Patron’s Council for Community Living Toronto.

The global Women’s Leadership Initiative was launched in 2010 as part of the global ULI network to promote the advancement of women in real estate and development. WLI’s mission is to increase the:

● Number of women who serve in leadership positions in the real estate and development industry and in ULI
● Visibility of women leaders in the real estate and development industry and in ULI
● Number of women who are active ULI full members and support the mentorship and development of young women members as leaders in ULI and in their profession

Through its initiatives, WLI strives to support and celebrate the achievements of women in the real estate and development industry. Please join us for “She with He: Because It’s 2016” starting at 7:15am on Thursday, February 4, 2016. This event is made possible by the generous support of our event sponsors KingSett Capital, Cassels Brock, and Matrix Search Group.