DISTRIKT - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Associate With
- Associate, Real Estate
Andrew Clifford is an Associate with Distrikt Capital, focused on new investment underwriting and acquisitions, as well as corporate development and management of Distrikt's existing real estate investment portfolio.
Prior to joining Distrikt Capital, Andrew was a Senior Investment Analyst at Starlight Investments, a Toronto-based real estate investment and asset management company, with a top-tier portfolio of approximately 70,000 multi-residential units across Canada and the U.S., over 8 million square feet of commercial properties, held across multiple public and private investment platforms. He was part of a team responsible for acquisitions, dispositions, and financings across Starlight's U.S. Multi-Family portfolio. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (HBBA) degree from Wilfrid Laurier University.
Anjala Shrestha started her real estate career at Distrikt in 2019 and assists with all aspects of accounting across Distrikt's portfolio of active development and construction projects.
Anjala has passed her CPA examinations and holds an Honours Bachelor of Accounting from the Goodman School of Business at Brock University.
Job Titles:
- in 2022 As a Project Accountant
- Project Accountant
Anna Voitav joined Distrikt in 2022 as a Project Accountant and is engaged across Distrikt's portfolio of developments and construction projects.
Anna has considerable accounting, banking, and customer service experience, having previously worked as a project accountant at Tridel, where she was responsible for the accounting of several of the company's high-rise developments, and previously in banking and customer service at TD Bank and Assante Wealth Management.
Anna is a driven, supportive contributor, and committed to delivering excellent results for Distrikt's investors.
Anna holds a bachelor's degree in accounting from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson) and is currently pursuing her Chartered Professional Accountant designation.
Anu Singh is an Accounting Administrator for Distrikt. Anu has over 15 years of experience in the real estate and hotel industries. Prior to Distrikt, she developed extensive accounting and corporate administration experience having worked at Mattamy Homes and at the head office of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts where she tracked over 250 global operating programs being deployed over 115 hotels She is a passionate accounting professional and exemplifies a team-player attitude who is organized and detail-oriented.
Anu graduated from Red River College with a diploma in Business Administration.
Clarence Qian is Director of Development at Distrikt and has responsibility for the management and execution of value creation strategies across Distrikt's development portfolio.
Prior to joining Distrikt, Clarence was a project manager at BDP Quadrangle, one of Canada's leading architecture, design firm, where he worked on several award winning mid and high-rise and mixed-use projects. Prior to BDP Quadrangle, Clarence was a project manager at Bowan Group, a leading full-service design and development firm in Shenzhen, China.
Clarence holds a Master of Architecture from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. He is actively involved with the Urban Land Institute, currently serving as Management Committee Co-Chair for the Toronto District Council.
Job Titles:
- Director of Investments With
Cory Capland is a Director of Investments with Distrikt Capital, focused on new investment underwriting and acquisitions, as well as corporate development, capital raising, and management of Distrikt's existing real estate investment portfolio. He also serves on the investment team at NorthHaven Capital Group and Fundamental Real Estate Investment Partners.
Prior to joining Distrikt Capital, Cory was in the investment group at Bridgeport Asset Management, a leading Toronto-based investment firm managing discretionary HNW and UHNW capital across several proprietary investment funds, including both public, private and alternative income products. He was responsible for conducting asset management and research across Bridgeport's existing portfolio of US and Canadian real estate securities including REIT's, REOC's, MIC's and private mortgages, as well as due diligence and review of real estate investment opportunities.
Cory has also held analytical roles at Dominion Bond Rating Service (DBRS), CPP Investment Board, and UBS Wealth Management, which spanned corporate credit analysis, public market equity investing, and alternative investment fund due diligence. He holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration (HBBA) degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and is a CFA Charterholder.
Job Titles:
- Operations Manager
- Site Operations Manager
Dominic Lafond is a Site Operations Manager at Distrikt and is responsible for the management and execution of Distrikt's commercial fit-outs, site preparation, low-rise residential, renovations and retrofits across our portfolio. He also provides additional on-site owner representation for Distrikt across our active construction sites.
Dominic brings over 30 years of trade supervision and construction experience to Distrikt. He was previously a Site Superintendent for Burnac Developments as well as Fallingbrook Homes.
Emil Toma - Founder, President
Emil Toma is the co-founder of Distrikt Capital and the Distrikt group of companies, and serves as the President of Distrikt Developments, where he is engaged in overall corporate strategy, and leads the firm's land development process, rezonings, and construction management oversight.
An accomplished developer and builder, Emil has over 25 years of real estate and logistics experience and has led over $1 billion in residential, commercial, and government infrastructure real estate projects.
Prior to his work in the Toronto real estate development industry, Emil co-founded and co-led Caribbean International Supply (CIS), a multi-national supply logistics and construction company. With offices in Toronto, Central America, and the Caribbean, CIS was a leading supplier to the construction and hospitality industry throughout the Caribbean, offering full service supply chain logistics, engineering, design, installation, and after sales services to a wide range of international and government clients. Emil is well known for his focus on solid, long-term trade relationships based on mutual trust, leading teams to successfully complete complex cross-border and domestic projects.
Emil is a graduate from York University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Finance and Operations
Jack Hasserjian is the Vice President of Finance and Operations for Distrikt, and is responsible for overall management of the accounting and finance team. He is also engaged with senior management on overall risk oversight and capital allocation objectives.
Jack has several decades of finance, accounting, operations, and audit experience in the investment and real estate industry. He previously served in VP Finance and senior Controller roles at real estate investment firms including Madison Group and Treasure Hill covering several million square feet of multi-family residential and commercial development, income producing portfolios, syndications and funds.
Prior to his work in the real estate development industry, Jack was an audit leader at several well-respected accounting firms in Toronto.
Jack is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a B.Comm in Accounting and Finance from Ryerson University.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Accountant
Jennifer Dutto is Senior Project Accountant at Distrikt, responsible for several million square feet of highly active projects under development and construction.
Jennifer has nearly two decades of experience in real estate and accounting in the development industry. She started her career with Freed Developments, where she was Project Accountant and part of the team during the company's successful inception and initial growth years. She subsequently was engaged with Tucker HiRISE Construction as Accounts Payable Manager, and prior to Distrikt with Tribute Communities as Finance Supervisor where she was the lead individual responsible for accounting on over 7,000 low and high rise deliveries to investor and end user clients.
Jennifer has received two Diplomas from Humber College in Marketing and Business Management, and she is currently completing her degree in Real Estate Management from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson).
Job Titles:
- Senior Analyst, Real Estate
Joe Olesen is a Senior Analyst with Distrikt Capital, focusing on acquisitions and asset management, along with fundraising, deal structuring and corporate initiatives.
Prior to joining Distrikt, Joe was an Analyst at York Developments, a predominant development and real estate investment management company in London, Ontario. While at York, he was part of a team responsible for the acquisition and development of multi-residential mid and high-rise properties throughout Ontario.
Joe holds a Major in Economics from Western University and is enrolled in the CFA program.
Kimberly Cruz manages Distrikt's corporate administrative requirements, as well as critical client and marketing initiatives. Kimberly has nearly 15 years experience with executive administration and property management including her prior roles with the Madison Group, Primaris, and Home Trust.
Kimberly started her career in early childhood education and holds certificates in education and teaching from Seneca College.
Job Titles:
- Vice President of Construction
Leonard Scomparin is the Vice President of Construction at Distrikt and is responsible for oversight of Distrikt's existing high and medium density residential construction projects. He is also actively involved in Distrikt's development pipeline, contributing to cost and design underwriting during initial acquisition and pre-development phases.
With an entrepreneurial spirit, a leadership vision and a true passion for real estate development, Len has diligently and successfully led multi-disciplinary construction project teams throughout the Greater Toronto Area for over 25 years. He is known for an integrated team approach and showing a commitment to innovation, sustainable engineering, and uncompromising quality.
Prior to his current work at Distrikt, Len's prior projects include management of over $1 billion of mid and high-rise Class A residential towers, as well as the delivery of over 4,000 detached homes. He has been involved with all stages of project management, including feasibility, costing, tendering, permitting, on-site construction, turn-over and post-construction building audits.
Len has previously managed teams at Brookfield Properties and Vandyk Group, and started his career with Great Gulf and Greenpark Homes.
As an honours graduate with a Bachelor of Technology in Civil Engineering from Ryerson University, Len continues to enhance his knowledge with certificates and designations in Cost Management, Project Management, Construction Law, LEED and is fully Procore Certified.
Len is currently pursuing his MBA at the Sprott School of Business, Carleton University.
Job Titles:
- Vice President Real Estate Development and Acquisitions
Marcus Boekelman is Vice President Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at Distrikt Capital and has over 20 years of combined real estate acquisitions, marketing, and development experience. In his role at Distrikt, Marcus brings extensive partnership networks and a team orientated entrepreneurial approach to investments and due diligence, planning and rezoning approvals, project management, and marketing of multi-residential condominium and mixed-use projects. He is also engaged with Distrikt's existing investment portfolio and corporate development and strategy. He is well known for his collaborative and end-goal focused approach.
Prior to Distrikt, Marcus held senior management roles with other well regarded Toronto based real estate investment managers and developers including Canderel and Alterra, where he was involved in multiple successfully executed mid and high-rise projects with a value in excess of $3.0 billion and over 10,000 residential units combined.
Marcus has a visible passion for the integration of real estate in communities through the balance of value creation and sustainable development, and promotes the ideal that successful development is achieved through building personal and community relationships, partnerships and trust. He holds a degree in Urban Studies from the University of Toronto and is a RECO licenced real estate professional.
Job Titles:
- Senior Project Accountant
Nianta D'Mello is a Senior Project Accountant at Distrikt engaged with accounting and investor reporting for Distrikt's portfolio of developments and investments.
Paddy Karadkhedkar is a Project Manager for Distrikt and oversees ongoing construction projects, acting as a trusted manager and liaison with contractors, trades and consultants to ensure project goals are met.
Paddy is an experienced and passionate Project Management Professional with nearly two decades of experience in the construction industry including roles at FirstCon Group, Tridel, PCL Construction, and Larsen & Toubro in High-Rise Residential and ICI projects. He has worked in various roles on over $1 billion prior projects from Field Engineer to Project Manager in the GTA and across the globe with large general contractors and developers.
Paddy holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from MIT Aurangabad and Post Graduation in Construction Management from both NICMAR, India as well as and George Brown College, Toronto, Canada. He is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and has completed the Executive Management Program in Leadership from the De-Groote School of Business, McMaster University.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive Officer
- Co - Founder
Paul Simcox is the CEO and co-founder of Distrikt Capital, where he is primarily focused on corporate strategy, capital allocation and acquisitions, and his role as General Partner for Distrikt and its partners' investments. Paul is also the founder and owner of NorthHaven Capital Group, a private equity and real estate investment and holding company focused on long-term corporate and portfolio mandates, as well as new platform creation, investment and growth. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Fundamental Real Estate Investment Partners, a multi-family and NNN investment firm based in Chicago.
Paul has extensive experience with the creation and growth of investment platforms, building aligned teams of top-tier leadership professionals focused on long-term, sustainable businesses. Prior to Distrikt and Fundamental, Paul was the co-founder, Executive Vice President and member of the Board of Trustees for Whiterock REIT, a TSX listed firm (WRK.UN). From original idea conception with no employees and a single $3 million property, Whiterock grew from a new startup to a vertically integrated, national real estate platform with office, industrial, and retail assets in nearly every province in Canada, and was acquired by Dundee REIT for over $1.4 billion.
Prior to the formation of Whiterock, Paul was in real estate investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston and Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette in New York, and later real estate private equity at JPMorgan Partners. He has served and is serving as board member for other public and private entities in the REIT, private equity funds, and child education industries.
Paul has an HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario where he graduated with honours.
Job Titles:
- Accounting Manager
- Accounting Manager With
- Chartered Professional Accountant
Peter Ruff is an Accounting Manager with Distrikt, part of both the accounting management team, as well as the lead accountant on multiple highly active developments under construction and sales totalling well over 1 million SF.
Prior to joining Distrikt, Peter was a Senior Accountant at several highly regarded firms including Lanterra Developments and the Daniels Corporation where he was responsible for managing the accounting of several of their largest residential condominium developments.
Prior to his work in the development industry, Peter was engaged as the Financial Controller for a private family office owning and managing over 1,200 apartment units across the Greater Toronto Area, where he was directly involved with all manner of financial modelling, new technology implementation, and operations management.
Peter is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce in accounting from Queen's University in Kingston.
Job Titles:
- Senior Director of Planning and Development
Sasha Lauzon is Distrikt's Senior Director of Planning and Development where she is responsible for leading and advising on the execution of all aspects of Distrikt's land and development activities. Sasha is a professional land use planner with over 15 years experience in the private sector and has been involved in millions of square feet of high-rise condominiums, residential infill, and mixed-use developments. Sasha previously worked for Bousfields Inc., a leading planning firm, for more than 10 years where she was engaged with many of Canada's top-tier institutional and private real estate development and investment firms.
Sasha's multi-disciplinary background in land use planning, planning approvals and processes, project management, policy planning and public engagement equips her with a diverse skill-set to effectively manage a variety of projects throughout the development process. Sasha has appeared before municipal councils and committees, the Toronto Local Appeal Body (TLAB) and Ontario Land Tribunal (OLT) as an expert witness.
Sasha holds an undergraduate degree from McGill University and a Master of Urban and Regional Planning from Queen's University, and is a Full Member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) and the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP).