Developers’ Den XII: Real Estate meets ESG
Developers’ Den is Canada’s longest running and most prestigious international real estate case competition. This year’s event, our 12th edition, was hosted on March 18th at the Schulich School of Business and was a resounding success as we returned in person. The competition included 12 student teams from Schulich’s MBA and Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure programs, Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University. We also welcomed 12 industry leaders as judges, more than 150 guest spectators, and 16 generous sponsors. From the talented teams in the semi-final round, three advanced to the final round to compete for the top prize – the Developers’ Den Cup.
This annual competition, co-hosted by Schulich’s Brookfield Centre in Real Estate & Infrastructure and the Schulich Real Property Alumni Association (SRPAA), provides future real estate leaders with an experiential learning opportunity to apply their technical and creative thinking skills and receive valuable constructive feedback and insights from leading industry professionals. This year’s case, based on a site provided by Manulife, featured a property in Kitchener’s Central Business District and included a special focus on Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues.
Congratulations to this year’s winning team of Schulich MBA students: Janessa Choong (MBA ’23), Adrian Hartanto (MBA ’22), Jisung Kim (MBA ’22), and Ambrose Li (MBA ’22). Their passion and creativity for real estate and ESG shone through in their presentation and Q&A with the judges.
The Developers’ Den Alumni Organizing Committee included Nick DiCastri, Chair (MREI ’20), Tracy Huit (MREI ’20), Matthew Miklas (MREI ’20), Christian Petersen (MBA ’13), Jinny Tran (MBA ’20), and Nicole Vicano (MBA ’11).
“Developers’ Den was back live this year after being held virtually in 2021. The event had great turnout,” said Nick DiCastri, Chair. “The 12 participating teams had to think on their feet and present to seasoned industry professionals in the semi-finals, with three teams going on to the final round with another expert panel and a live audience.”
View the event photos here.
View the event recap here.
A special thank you to this year’s panel of judges, for actively participating in and contributing to our co-curricular learning ecosystem.
Final round judges:
- Renée Gomes, Senior Vice President, Development, DiamondCorp
- Geoff Matthews (MBA ’12), EVP Development, Capital Developments
- Gregory Sweeney, MA, CFA, CAIA, Senior MD & Head of Canadian Real Estate Investment, Manulife Real Estate Investment Management
Semi-final round judges:
- Stewart Barclay, Chief Operating Officer, Perimeter Development
- Glenn D’Silva, Managing Director, Portfolio Manager, Manulife
- Xi Huang, Vice President, Investments & Residential, RioCan REIT
- Karl Innanen, Managing Director, Colliers International
- Amanda Ireland, Vice President, Development, SmartCentres REIT
- Emily Long (MBA ’15), CPA, CA, Director, Acquisitions & Asset Management, Crestpoint Real Estate Investments Ltd.
- Philip Ristevski (MBA ’14), Managing Director, Head of Canadian Real Estate Development, Manulife
- Bryan Siekierko, Managing Director & Portfolio Manager, Manulife
- Raymond Wong, CRE, Vice President, Data Operations, Data Solutions, Altus Analytics, Altus Group
Many thanks to our generous sponsors:
Presenting Sponsor: Altus Group
Case Sponsor: Manulife
Lead Sponsors: Adi Development Group, Cadillac Fairview, Capital Developments, and Choice Properties
Supporting Sponsors: Harbour Equity, NYX Capital Corp, RioCan, SmartCentres, and Valleymede
Associate Sponsors: Crestpoint Real Estate Investments Ltd., Forest Gate, PCL Construction, QuadReal, and Triovest.