Our leadership team is comprised of industry and subject matter experts, each with deep experience in real estate investment, asset management and finance, and investor relations. We are passionate in our shared commitment to managing sustainable real estate portfolios which produce meaningful returns to our investors.
Jay Hamilton began his career with Canadian Urban as Chief Financial Officer in 2016 and was appointed by the Board of Directors to the President’s position on November 17, 2020.
Jay is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta. With over 25 years of experience in the financial and professional services industries, Jay provides a wealth of strategic, operational, and business leadership to Canadian Urban.
Jay is the current Treasurer and Director of the University of Alberta Golden Bears Football Alumni Association.
As Chief Financial Officer, Kurtis Ashton leads Canadian Urban’s risk management, treasury, accounting, audit and compliance functions with the best-in-class stewardship that clients have come to know and trust. Kurtis has over 15 years of experience in senior financial roles involving risk management, and the execution of financial and operational strategies.
Kurtis is a Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA) and earned his Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Alberta. He is an avid supporter of not-for-profit and charitable organizations throughout the Edmonton area.
Kurtis currently serves as a board member with the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton’s finance committee, the CPA Alberta Complaints Inquiry Committee, and Glory Lutheran Church, and previously served on the board of Special Olympics Edmonton, and the CPA Alberta Registration Committee.
David Ward brings over 25 years of experience in commercial real estate leadership to his role at Canadian Urban. David is responsible for overseeing the operations of all Canadian Urban’s service offerings, and includes responsibility for strategy, asset management, performance analysis, leasing, acquisitions and dispositions, financing, and property management.
David has a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Geography from Mount Allison University and a Master’s in Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. David is a past President of Toronto NAIOP and was also a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of NAIOP Corporate based out of Washington, D.C.
With over 18 years of commercial real estate experience, Sean Demsky oversees all aspects of the acquisition of new properties and disposition of existing assets. Sean manages an active real estate portfolio and leads a team of highly trained professionals.
Sean holds a Master of Science degree in Urban and Economic Planning from the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia. He is also a licensed sales representative in Ontario and an active member of NAIOP and TREB.
Michael leads Canadian Urban’s National Property Management platform with 25 years of property management and commercial real estate experience. Michael has a solid background in all aspects of real estate management from administration and operations to leasing and construction. Prior to joining Canadian Urban, Michael held varying roles with Oxford Properties Group, Crown Realty Partners and Colliers International.
Michael provides leadership to the Property Management Team with a focus on customer service, tenant relations, and employee engagement. Michael holds a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Environmental Planning from Carleton University in Ottawa and is a current member of NAIOP and BOMA Toronto.
Tilda Ferguson is the Vice President of Property Management responsible for the Property and Facilities Management of +/- 3.9MSF nationally. Tilda guides a dedicated and highly experienced team located across Canada. Key services include facilities management, tenant coordination, lease administration and construction management. Tilda’s expertise is built upon over 35 years of experience across all realty asset classes.
Sorab Gill is Vice President, Asset Management and is responsible for achieving the investment objectives for several commercial real estate segregated accounts on behalf of high net worth and institutional investors. He focuses on the strategic management and growth of each of these portfolios to drive superior risk-adjusted returns.
Sorab has over 15 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry ranging from investments, asset management, property management, and construction. He is responsible for asset managing a diverse pool of industrial, retail, office, and multi-residential properties in the major markets across Canada. Prior to joining the asset management team, Sorab worked with the investments team at Canadian Urban Limited focusing on acquisitions and dispositions.
Sorab received his Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta with a concentration in Finance. In his free time, he enjoys mountain biking, hiking, and spending time with family.
As a member of the Asset Management team, Joel is responsible for the stewardship and performance of a commercial portfolio with an AUM of over $600M. He provides performance oversight on properties located across major Canadian markets.
Joel is fluent in French and completed his bilingual Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta, majoring in Accounting and Finance.
Zeina provides oversight for our firm’s ESG initiatives, including those related to high performance buildings, emerging clean technologies, and carbon reduction planning. Other environmentally oriented responsibilities include CO2 reduction accounting, Net Zero ‘Energy’ and Net Zero ‘Carbon’ buildings.
Martin has more than 10 years experience working with multi-sectored institutional real estate portfolios, and supports Canadian Urban’s Investments and Asset Management departments. Throughout his career, Martin’s focus has been on the underwriting and recommendation of new acquisitions across Canada and the U.S., as well as assisting in the asset management and disposition of investments within the portfolio.
Martin received his Bachelor of Commerce with a double major in Real Estate and Marketing from the University of British Columbia.
