Katherine Tweedie has taken on the role of country head of Canada for BlackRock.

Tweedie has over 20 years of experience in asset management, private equity and investment banking and will be responsible for the leadership and strategic direction of BlackRock’s business in the Canada.

Prior to BlackRock, she was co-head of North America institutional and head of Canada at Ninety One, where she built and led the firm's Canadian business into a multi-billion-dollar platform.

Previously, Tweedie held positions at the World Economic Forum, Stonehage Fleming, CIBC Capital Markets and BMO Nesbitt Burns.

Tweedie holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School and Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria, B.C. She is a fellow, board member and moderator of the Aspen Institute's Finance Leaders Fellowship and a member of the Investment Committee of Women's College Hospital Foundation in Toronto.

"I am energized and inspired by a team that truly cares about its work and the clients we serve, a clear culture of partnership, and a relentless focus on helping Canadians build better financial futures," Tweedie said in a LinkedIn post on her new role.

"For more than 30 years, BlackRock has been part of Canada's financial fabric, managing over $500 billion in assets on behalf of its Canadian clients. As structural shifts reshape the global economy, our role in helping institutional investors, wealth managers, and individual investors navigate an increasingly complex world feels more important than ever."

Tweedie replaces former country head of Canada Marcia Moffatt, who stepped down earlier this year after holding the role since 2015.

Joanne McNamara departs OMERS for CEO role at British Land

Joanne McNamara has been appointed chief executive officer of The British Land Company.

McNamara is currently executive vice-president, Europe at Oxford Properties, a global real estate investor, developer and manager wholly owned by the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS).

She joined Oxford in 2010 as one of its first team members in London and over the past 16 years has overseen several of its most significant investment and development transactions. She was also instrumental in building Oxford’s successful 70-plus European team, creating a portfolio of office, retail, logistics and residential assets with AUM of approximately $15 billion (£8 billion).

Prior to joining Oxford, Joanne worked at Hammerson and DTZ.

She is a member of Oxford’s global executive and investment committees and sits on the OMERS portfolio management committee. Until 2025, she was a non-executive director of ESR Group, the largest APAC-focused quoted real estate logistics platform.

McNamara is expected to join British Land by the end of November, following her notice period.

“I am delighted that Joanne is joining British Land from Oxford Properties, a business we respect and know well as a joint venture partner on the highly successful Leadenhall Building development," said British Land chairman William Rucker in announcing the appointment.

“Joanne is one of Europe’s most respected real estate professionals. With her deep expertise of real estate, valuable experience in the world of private capital and a strong reputation for decisive leadership, she is exceptionally well placed to drive the business forward. On behalf of the board, I look forward to welcoming her to the team.”

British Land is a leading owner and operator of office campuses in the U.K. with AUM of over $19 billion. It owns some of London's best known office campuses including Broadgate, Regent's Place and Canada Water. It also has an extensive retail portfolio and a growing urban logistics platform.

Idowu joins Fengate as SVP, capital formation

Fengate has appointed Lekan Idowu as senior vice-president, capital formation. In his new role, Idowu will focus on supporting the continued growth of Fengate Real Estate’s investor base, strengthening existing relationships and advancing the platform’s capital formation strategy across Canada and the U.S. 

"Lekan brings a strong combination of relationship-building expertise, capital raising experience and deep knowledge of private markets,” said Fengate president Jaime McKenna of the appointment. “As we continue to grow our platform and expand our reach, his experience and investor-focused approach will be an asset both to our team and our partners.”  

Idowu has extensive experience in institutional fundraising and investor relations across private market strategies including infrastructure, private equity, private credit and real estate.

Most recently, he was responsible for institutional capital raising initiatives at Fiera Capital. Prior to Fiera, he held business development and distribution roles with Foyston, Gordon & Payne and RBC Global Asset Management.  

David Bassal joins Savills Montreal

David Bassal has joined Savills Montreal office as senior vice-president, further strengthening its industrial real estate practice in Quebec.

Bassal joins Savills from Michael White Realties Inc., where he advised both tenants and landlords across a broad range of industrial real estate transactions.

He brings more than 20 years of commercial real estate experience. "(He) has earned a reputation as a trusted advisor known for his relationship-driven approach, strategic counsel and ability to deliver exceptional outcomes for clients ranging from entrepreneurial businesses to multinational corporations and Fortune 500 companies," Savills said in announcing the appointment.

Bassal joins the industrial brokerage team and will report to Savills Canada president Ruth Fischer.

“David is respected in the market for his integrity, professionalism and client-first mindset,” said Fischer. “His deep market knowledge and strong relationships will be tremendous assets as we continue to grow our industrial platform."

Bassal has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Concordia University. 

Throughout his career, he has advised clients on lease negotiations, asset dispositions, sale-leaseback transactions and strategic real estate planning. In 2023, he earned the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) designation, an internationally recognized credential held by only a select group of the industry’s highest-performing commercial real estate professionals.

He is also vice president of the SIOR Canada East Chapter.

“I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside many members of the Savills Montreal team throughout my career, and I’ve always had tremendous respect for them,” Bassal said in the announcement. “Joining Savills was the natural next step for me because this is the team I wanted to be a part of. I’m excited to help build on the team’s momentum, support the next generation of brokers and contribute to our continued growth.”