- Profile
- Management Team
- Michael Cooper
- Mario Barrafato
- Harold Burke
- Jane Gavan
- Jason Lester
- Tang Liu
- Bruce Traversy
- Mark Hogan
- Barbara Wallner
- Carol Webb
As the Managing Partner of DREAM, Michael Cooper is responsible for strategic planning, business development and establishing and maintaining key relationships with its partners. Michael has worked in the real estate industry since 1986. He helped found Dundee Realty Corporation in 1996, the predecessor company of Dundee REIT and DREAM, and held the position of Chief Executive Officer from its creation in 1996 to its restructuring into Dundee REIT in 2003. During this time the company grew from under $5 million of assets to over $1 billion. Between 2003 and 2007, Michael led the phenomenal growth of Dundee REITs enterprise value from $830 million to over $3.7 billion. In mid-2007, Michael orchestrated the $2.3 billion sale of two-thirds of Dundee REIT’s portfolio, returning $1.6 billion to unitholders. In 2011, Michael led the successful initial public offering (IPO) of Dundee International REIT, a TSX-listed company with an initial C$1.3 billion portfolio of commercial real estate assets located in Germany. Michael is the Vice Chairman and CEO of Dundee REIT, President and CEO of Dundee Realty Corporation and Vice Chairman of Dundee International REIT. Prior to joining Dundee, Mr. Cooper was a Vice-President at Goodman & Company, responsible for investments in real estate and for establishing and co-managing the Dynamic Real Estate Funds.
Mario is a Principal, responsible for corporate finance and taxation. In addition, Mario is Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Dundee REIT, responsible for financial planning and reporting, finance and tax functions. Mario joined Dundee in 2001 and had extensive involvement in the 2003 restructuring of Dundee Realty's commercial revenue property business into Dundee REIT. Mario is a Chartered Accountant and prior to joining Dundee held progressive positions at Molson and KPMG.
Harold is a Principal, whose responsibilities include working with overseas clients and their professional advisors to ensure that their investments in Canada are structured efficiently. His expertise is founded upon more than 30 years of professional practice in the tax area at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Coopers & Lybrand LLP and another major Canadian accounting firm. He is recognized as a specialist in the area of real estate related financial services as well as domestic and international taxation issues. His diverse clientele within the real estate industry included domestic and foreign developers, investors, lenders, asset managers and syndicators, both public and private. He has also advised foreign infrastructure investment fund managers on matters relating to tax-efficient structuring for Canadian investors and investments in Canadian infrastructure. Harold joined DREAM in July 2008, after being engaged for several years by Dundee as a valued tax advisor while he was a Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Jane is a Principal, responsible for international real estate investments and infrastructure funds and investments. Jane first joined Dundee in 1998 and in her capacity as Executive Vice President, was responsible for all legal affairs including managing and executing transactions. Today, Jane is the Principal responsible for Dundee International REIT and our investment in Firelight Infrastructure Partners. Prior to joining Dundee, Jane served as Legal Counsel for a number of companies including Oxford Properties Group, and Denison Mines, and began her career in private practice with Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP.
Jason is a Principal, primarily responsible for residential land development and urban development, and also serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Dundee Realty Corporation. Jason has 19 years experience in multi-family residential, commercial and industrial asset and property management. Prior to joining Dundee in 2004, Jason held the positions of Executive Vice-President, Asset Management and Vice-President, Acquisitions and Asset Management at Residential Equities REIT, where he was responsible for the property management division, acquisition activities and investment strategies for a portfolio of 11,000 suites.
Tang is a Principal, responsible for the financial modeling and due diligence of acquisitions and dispositions as well as budgeting and financial planning. Tang has over 14 years experience within the real estate industry. Prior to joining Dundee in 1998, Tang held progressive positions in accounting and budgeting for an organization managing North American real estate funds for non-residents.
Bruce is a Principal, responsible for North American commercial property acquisitions as well as asset management on behalf of overseas clients. Bruce joined Dundee in 1997 and has held various positions overseeing key areas including research and analysis and investor relations. Since 2003, Bruce has been responsible for acquisitions, during which time Dundee REIT has completed almost C$5 billion of commercial and industrial transactions. Prior to joining Dundee, Bruce was a senior consultant with an international property advisory firm. Bruce has 20 years experience within the real estate industry.
Mark is Vice President, Business Development & General Counsel, responsible for all legal affairs including managing and executing transactions. Mark joined DREAM in October 2011, after being engaged for several years by Dundee as a securities/M&A lawyer while he was in private practice with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP. While at Osler, Mark acted for a number of domestic and international clients on a variety of public and private M&A transactions, corporate finance and securities offerings and general corporate/trust matters.
Barbara is a Director, responsible for Dundee International REIT investor relations and managing key German relationships. Barbara has over 15 years experience within the real estate industry, particularly in dealing with investors in both public and private companies. Prior to joining Dundee in 1998, Barbara was responsible for client services and non-resident taxation for numerous limited partnerships at an organization managing North American real estate funds for non-residents.
Carol is a Vice President, responsible for corporate communications and investor relations for Dundee REIT. Carol joined Dundee in 1997 and has fulfilled a variety of progressive positions related to communications and corporate functions. In her current capacity, Carol is responsible for Dundee REIT investor relations and DREAM corporate communications. Carol has more than 15 years experience in the communications field and, prior to joining Dundee, worked for a Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament and for a service organization.