Mathieu Duguay, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Investment Officer

Mathieu Duguay has been COGIR Real Estate’s Chief Executive Officer since 2014 and the firm’s Senior Partner since 2004. Since Fall 2022, he’s also Chief Investment Officer.

Over the years, Mr. Duguay has enhanced Cogir’s enviable reputation in the fields of management, acquisitions, development, construction, partnerships and capital markets. He has proven his undeniable ability to assemble a first-class management team that is fully committed to its corporate mission.

Mr. Duguay is also quite involved, both personally and through Cogir Real Estate, in many charitable endeavours, particularly those concerning education, health issues, sports and the arts.

Nicolas Ruggieri

Nicolas Ruggieri graduated from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Strasbourg in 2002.

After starting his career in Italy in the real estate division of General Electric, Nicolas joined the family-owned Batipart group in 2005 in its real estate division in France within the Covivio Group.

He then developed the EUROSIC real estate project, taking the company from €1.2 billion in assets in 2011 to over €7 billion in 2017, when Batipart sold it to GECINA to create the largest office real estate company in Europe.

Since 2021, Nicolas Ruggieri has been Executive Managing Director of the family holding company Batipart Invest.

Mr. Paul Boban

Paul Boban has a D.E.S.S. (specialized postgraduate diploma) in taxation and business law.

He joined the BATIPART group in 1990 where he initially headed Immobilière BATIBAIL’s legal and taxation department until the company merged with GECINA.

Early in the 21st century, he oversaw the legal and taxation operations of Foncière des Régions (now known as COVIVIO) and took part in structuring the growth operation that notably involved the outsourcing of properties by institutions (EDF, France Télécom—the creation of Foncière des Murs resulting from hotel acquisitions from ACCOR).

He also took part in the creation of BATIPART’s health care operations during KORIAN’s initial public offering and the subsequent external growth operations that followed.

Bruno Desautels, Chief Partnership and Corporate Affairs Officer

Mr. Desautels became a member of COGIR’s executive board in October 2014. As Chief Partnership and Corporate Affairs Officer, Mr. Desautels is responsible for maintaining and developing COGIR’s investment activities and tax planning.

Prior to joining the company, Mr. Desautels was a partner at KPMG LLP, where he gained significant experience in real estate, mergers and acquisitions, negotiations, and business development.

Mr. Desautels is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada) and holds a bachelor’s in commerce from Université du Québec à Montréal.

France Margaret Bélanger

France Margaret Bélanger is President, Sports and Entertainment at Groupe CH, where she oversees the operations of the Montreal Canadiens, the Laval Rocket, evenko, and Équipe Spectra. She joined the organization in 2013 and has held several leadership positions, notably as head of legal and commercial affairs. She is the first woman to sit on the executive committee of the Montreal Canadiens and also the first to lead the organization in its 111-year history. She has served as Alternate Governor of the NHL, representing the Montreal Canadiens, since 2013.

Before joining Groupe CH, she was a partner in business law at Stikeman Elliott, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. She represented major clients in the sports and aviation sectors, including Groupe Gillett, the Saputo family, ACE Aviation, Aeroplan, and Air Canada.

Admitted to the Quebec Bar in 1995, she holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa and an MBA from the McGill–HEC Montréal EMBA program. Over the course of her career, she has received several honours, including the National Assembly Medal of Quebec, the University of Ottawa’s Order of Merit, and the Desautels Management Achievement Award from McGill University.

René Tremblay

An industry veteran, René Tremblay has more than 40 years of experience in commercial real estate, including 25 years in international investment. From 2010 to 2017, he served as President of Taubman Asia, the Asian subsidiary of U.S.-based Taubman Centers, a leading company in the U.S. shopping centre industry. In this role, he was responsible for the company’s expansion across the Asia-Pacific region.

Previously, René Tremblay spent more than 25 years with various real estate subsidiaries of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, where he served as President of Cadim International and Ivanhoé Cambridge. He also chaired the Board of Directors of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec’s real estate group, whose portfolio was then among the largest and most diversified in the world. He also chaired the boards of the Group’s principal real estate subsidiaries and the Board of Trustees of Cominar REIT. He currently serves on CAPREIT’s Board of Trustees.

Elected Worldwide Chairman of the International Council of Shopping Centers, he served in that capacity from 2007 to 2008. René Tremblay holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Université Laval. In 2008, he received the Hermès Career Achievement Award in recognition of his professional accomplishments.

Jean Vincent, CSM, FCPA, FCA, GFAA

A member of the Huron-Wendat Nation, Mr. Vincent has made significant contributions to the social and economic development of First Nations throughout the country. His exceptional accomplishments and experience will add a great deal to the rich expertise of the current Board of Directors which already includes seasoned members of the business and real estate world. As the son of a banker, Mr. Vincent has always been interested in business matters. A graduate of Laval University (Québec), Mr. Vincent has an accounting degree (L. Sc. compt.) as well as a bachelor’s in business administration (BAA) with a major in accounting. Trained as a Chartered Professional Accountant, he has been granted fellowships (FCPA, FCA) by the Ordre des CPA du Québec. He also holds the designation of Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager (CAFM). In addition, he has been awarded the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Cross in recognition for his work within the First Nations.

In the early 1980s, he became involved in the economic development of the First Nations, beginning with the federal government’s Economic Development Directorate of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. He then accepted a position as director of economic development for the Huron-Wendat Nation in the suburbs of the City of Québec. In that role, he established the basis for the discussions needed to create the Native Commercial Credit Corporation and the Aboriginal Savings Corporation of Canada. Among his many accomplishments, he played an active role in creating the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association where he is currently the president. He initiated the formation of a venture capital firm for the province of Québec’s First Nations now known as Investissement Premières Nations du Québec. He is also a founding member, a director and a vice-president of the Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada.