Agriculture

Antoine Bisson McLernon is Partner and Chief Executive Officer at Fiera Comox.

He chairs the firm’s Investment Committee and oversees its three strategies: Agriculture, Private Equity and Private Credit. Prior to establishing Fiera Comox in 2016, Antoine spent seven years with PSP Investments, where he last was Managing Director and head of Private Equity for the Americas and Asia. He ran both direct and fund investments, oversaw a $11.0 billion portfolio and a team of 25 people. In 2011, he started PSP Investments’ global Natural Resources group and led the group for five years, building a $3.0 billion portfolio of direct investments. Under his leadership, the group acquired over 2 million acres of timberland and farmland. During this period, Natural Resources was the top performing asset class at PSP. Antoine was a member of PSP Investments’ firm‑wide Investment Committee from 2011 until he left PSP Investments in July 2016.

Before joining PSP Investments in 2009, Antoine worked in private equity at Canada Pension Plan Investment Board and in investment banking at National Bank of Canada. He currently sits on the boards of directors of Auvil Fruit Company (US), Golden Pear Funding (US), Rangitata Dairies (New Zealand), and Lassen Land Company (US). He has previously sat on the boards of directors of Telesat (Canada), AmWins Group Inc. (US), Haymarket Financial LLP (UK), TimberWest Forest Corp.(Canada), Kaingaroa Timberlands (New Zealand), YBY Agro (Brazil) and X2 Resources (UK). Antoine received a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce (Great Distinction) from McGill University and is a CFA charterholder.

Matthew Corbett is Partner, Agriculture at Fiera Comox.

Prior to Fiera Comox, Matthew spent over five years with PSP Investments where he was a founding member of PSP’s global Natural Resources investment group. Matthew undertook nearly $2 billion of direct investments in timber and agriculture. Notable transactions include the acquisition of a majority interest in Kaingaroa Timberlands (New Zealand), the creation of the Hewitt Cattle joint venture (Australia), as well as the creation of row crop and dairy platforms.

Prior to PSP, Matthew worked in a senior role for a forestry company for six years, was a member of the Canadian Armed Reserve Forces, and held operational roles in farming enterprises in Canada. Matthew’s family background is in dairy farming and he spent his early years working on farms across eastern Ontario. Matthew received an MBA from McGill University and a BSc from Queen’s University.

Frédéric Despars is Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Fiera Comox.

Prior to Fiera Comox, Frédéric spent six years with PSP Investments where he last was Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer overseeing a team of 35 people. Prior to his nomination as CLO, Frédéric led a team of transactional lawyers advising PSP’s natural resources, private equity, private debt, and infrastructure asset classes representing $24 billion of net assets. During his six years at PSP, Frédéric was directly involved with some of PSP’s most significant transactions, including leading the deal structuring and execution of the acquisition of a 50% interest in TimberWest ForestCorp. (Canada), the acquisition of a majority interest in Kaingaroa Timberlands (New Zealand) and the take private of Charter Hall Office REIT (Australia). Frédéric sat on the Boards of TimberWest Forest Corp. (Canada) and YBY Agro (Brazil).

Before joining PSP, Frédéric occupied the top legal position for a Montreal-based pharmaceutical company and held senior legal positions within the Quebecor group of companies. He started his career in private practice with Fasken Martineau (Montreal) and Clifford Chance (Paris). In 2005, he was recognized as one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40” in-house counsel by Lexpert and the National Post. Over the years, Frédéric worked on transactions in more than twelve countries, including setting up joint ventures in the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil, Italy and Egypt.

Frédéric holds an MBA from Laval University, law degrees in civil and common law from Ottawa University and a B.B.A. from HEC Montréal.

Stéphanie Lachance is a recognized sustainable investment expert and experienced corporate director. Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Stéphanie spent 15 years at PSP Investments where she was most recently Managing Director and Head of Responsible Investment.  She played a central role in the development of PSP Investments’ responsible investment strategy. She led the Responsible Investment group of PSP Investments which played a key role in the organization’s investment strategy in ensuring that environmental, social and governance factors are incorporated in investment decisions and across all asset classes.

Lawyer with a strong background in corporate governance, responsible investment, securities law and regulations, Stéphanie was providing legal advice to public issuers, stock exchanges and securities regulators prior to joining PSP Investments.  She namely held senior positions at Québecor Media, Autorité des marchés financiers, Toronto Stock Exchange and Montréal Exchange.

Stéphanie holds a Law Degree (LL.B.) from the Université de Montréal and is a member of the Quebec Bar. She is a holder of the Institute of Corporate Directors Director designation (ICD.D). She serves on the board of the Food Banks of Quebec, is a member of the Investment Fund Review Committee of the Corporation de services du Barreau du Québec, is a member of the Investment Committee of the Canadian Medical Protective Association and is a member of the Independent Review Committee on Standard Setting in Canada.

Stéphanie is an instructor at the Institute of Corporate Directors for the sustainability module. She is also the co-author of ‘The Origins of ESG in Pensions: Strategies and Outcomes’, published by Wharton University Pension Research Council in 2021.

Sarah has over a decade of experience in the institutional and direct agriculture industry. Prior to Fiera Comox, Sarah held senior consulting roles at both Callan and Aon Hewitt. Most recently, Sarah was a Senior Vice President, Real Assets at Callan, a leading institutional investment consulting firm, where she was responsible for the firm’s farmland investment research. In this role, she also worked with clients on real assets strategic planning, investment research, and asset class education.

In addition to her institutional experience in farmland, Sarah has direct agriculture experience having managed a large dairy heifer growing operation for a dairy and cropping farm in Wisconsin.

Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science, College of Agriculture with a concentration in Food Animal Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Bob Saul is Senior Advisor, Agriculture at Fiera Comox.

Bob has more than twenty years of direct investment experience in the agriculture and forestry asset class in the United States and Central America where he has been responsible for more than US$3 billion in land based transactions.

Prior to Fiera Comox, Bob was a Partner and founder at Grantham, Mayo, and van Otterloo’s Renewable Resources from 1997 to 2013.  During this period, he built a 2.4 million-acre portfolio that included softwood and hardwood timberland, a wetland mitigation bank, row crop farmland, and processing infrastructure. The majority of these acres (1.6 million) were sold between 2006 and 2012.  After 16 years at GMO, Bob joined Wood Creek Capital/Barings in early 2013 where he led agriculture investments, and over the next four and half years, assembled a US$600 million, 300,000 acre, agricultural and timber portfolio. This portfolio included three new operating platforms in citrus, maple syrup production, and ranchland to row-crop land conversion. The portfolio has also funded the expansion of existing operating platforms in row-crop farmland, water, teak, sorghum seed, and northern Appalachian hardwoods.

Bob has owned and managed his own 220-acre farm in Amherst, Massachusetts for 27 years. He is a graduate of Amherst College (B.A. English 1981) and Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government (MPP, 1985).

David Frattinger is a Vice President, Agriculture at Fiera Comox. In this role he is responsible for leading deal execution, due diligence, and valuation of new investments in the Agriculture strategy as well as being actively involved in asset management.

David has spent the last decade in various financial advisory and investing roles. Prior to Fiera Comox, David spent six years at CPPIB. Most recently, David was a Principal in CPPIB's Real Assets group where he was responsible for leading due diligence, execution, and on-going asset management across a wide range of assets in the power and natural resources industries. Prior to CPPIB, he worked in investment banking with BMO Capital Markets.

David has a family background in agriculture having grown-up on a large cow-calf operation in Saskatchewan. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, from the University of Saskatchewan.

Jean-Pierre Sicotte is Senior Associate, Agriculture at Fiera Comox.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Jean-Pierre worked in investment banking at DNA Capital where he was involved in a number of public and private M&A transactions. Prior to that, he worked in the Transaction Advisory Services group at Richter. He also founded and operated an entrepreneurial business for four years.

Jean-Pierre holds an M.Sc. in Finance from Université de Sherbrooke and a B.B.A. in Finance from HEC Montréal.

David Fortier is a Senior Associate, Agriculture at Fiera Comox.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Mr. Fortier worked at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (“CDPQ”) in the private equity team where he participated in several international transactions. Prior to that, he worked in real estate financing and treasury at Ivanhoé Cambridge, the real estate subsidiary of CDPQ, and as a securities broker at National Bank of Canada.

David holds an MBA from Laval University and a B.B.A. (Finance) from HEC Montréal. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Maria Antonia Londoño is a Senior Associate, Agriculture at Fiera Comox.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Maria was a Senior Associate at the investment team of Agriculture Capital, a North American private equity firm focused on sustainable agriculture based in San Francisco. Before that role, Maria worked for more than 8 years in private equity and business development in Latin America. In her latest position in Latin America, Maria was an Investment Associate at Southern Cross Group, one of the longest-standing private equity firms in the region, where she was responsible for executing transactions and managing portfolio companies across different sectors. 

Maria holds an MBA with honors from The Wharton School and a dual B.S. summa cum laude degree in Industrial Engineering and Economics from Universidad de Los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia).

Annie La Salle-Legault is an Associate, Agriculture at Fiera Comox.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Annie worked in investment banking at CIBC Capital Markets where she was involved in several public and private M&A transactions, as well as equity and debt financings. Her experience revolves around manufacturing, telecommunications and professional services companies.

Annie holds a B.B.A. in finance with honours from HEC Montréal.

Mathieu Brillon is an Associate, Agriculture at Fiera Comox.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Mathieu worked at PSP Investments in the real estate investments team where he was involved in a number of international transactions across real estate sectors. Prior to that, he worked in the emerging markets team at Ivanhoé Cambridge, the real estate investment arm of CDPQ, and at the Fonds de Solidarité FTQ.

Mathieu holds a Master’s degree in Finance from McGill University and an Honours B.B.A. (Finance) from HEC Montréal.

Max William Dunberry is an Analyst at Fiera Comox for the Private Credit, Agriculture and Private Equity Strategies. Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Max worked in the strategic partnership group of CDPQ where he analyzed multiple strategies across different asset classes in order to source investment opportunities for CDPQ’s Private Credit, Private Equity and Infrastructure’s investment teams. He previously also worked at Deloitte and BMO Financial Group.

Max holds a BBA from HEC (with high distinction).

Joshua Nagalingam is an Analyst at Fiera Comox for the Agriculture, Private Equity and Private Credit strategies. Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Joshua worked in private equity at CDPQ, where he was involved in multiple equity transactions in sectors such as information technology, financials and industrials. He previously worked at Wood Mackenzie covering Canadian energy and PSP Investments. Additionally, he is a member of the Canadian Armed Forces Reserves.

Joshua holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Distinction) from Concordia University and is a Calvin C. Potter Fellow.

Jasmine Mussani is an Analyst at Fiera Comox for the Agriculture, Private Equity, and Private Credit strategies. In her role she is involved in financial analysis and due diligence processes.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Jasmine worked as a healthcare equity analyst at Desautels Capital Management during her graduate studies. She has also worked in various clinical and academic research settings in healthcare, including at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute.

Jasmine holds a Masters in Finance from McGill University, a BScH (Honors) from Queen’s University, and is a Marcels A. Desautels Fellow.

Michel Piette is a member of the Institutional Markets team and is responsible for client servicing and business development for institutional clients for private investment strategies.

Michel has 19 years of industry experience. Prior experiences include various positions as analyst and portfolio manager within investment management firms in the United Kingdom. Additionally, he held various business development roles within Deutsche Bank AG, based in London (UK). Prior to joining Fiera Capital, Michel was in charge of business development for Mercer’s Outsourced Chief Investment Officer and alternatives solutions in Montreal.

Michel graduated from University Laval with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), majoring in Finance. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Sophie is responsible for leading the firm’s Finance function, which includes the management of the financial accounting, performance, valuation, treasury, taxation and budgeting functions.

Sophie has 20 years of experience in the accounting and finance fields. She joined Fiera Comox in 2020. Prior to leading the finance team of Fiera Comox, Sophie served as Chief Financial Officer, Vice-President Finance and Administration at the securities dealer arm of the Laurentian Bank, where she led finance, human resources and operations, overseeing a team of 35 people. Prior to Laurentian Bank Securities, Sophie held senior accounting positions in large financial institutions such as Société Générale and National Bank Financial.

Over the years, Sophie has developed significant expertise in accounting, financial disclosure, audit, compliance and operation optimization. She also lived and worked in Boston (USA) for 5 years primarily with a real estate investment management firm.

Sophie is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) since 1999.

In her role as Corporate Controller, Anna oversees the financial accounting and reporting of investments and investment-related activities. Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Anna spent the last 10 years in asset management, as Manager of Corporate Finance at PSP Investments and as Head of Operations for Private Equity and Infrastructure at CDPQ. 

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in commerce and a graduate diploma in accountancy from Montreal’s HEC, as well as the CPA, CA designation.

Matteo Pisano is a Senior Accountant at Fiera Comox.

Matteo is responsible for supporting the firm’s financial accounting and reporting functions, as well as overseeing the investor reporting activities, for the Agriculture, Private Equity and Private Credit investment strategies.

Prior to joining Fiera Comox, Matteo worked as a Senior Auditor at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP where he led external audits across an array of large international public and private clients operating primarily in the Asset & Wealth Management, Pension, and Real Estate sectors. Matteo is also a part-time professor at Concordia University, where he teaches core courses in Strategic Managerial Accounting and Control as part of the University’s MBA program.

Matteo holds the Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA auditor) designation. He earned his Bachelor of Commerce (with Distinction) and his Graduate Diploma in Chartered Professional Accountancy at Concordia University, where he graduated as Valedictorian of his 2017 cohort.

In her role as the Accounting Manager – Financial Planning and Analysis, Joanne is responsible for supporting the financial reporting, performance and budgeting functions of the 3 investment strategies for Fiera Comox.

Joanne has over 15 years of experience in audit, financial reporting, internal controls and taxation. Prior to joining Fiera Comox, she was a Senior Analyst at the CN Investment Division, the pension plan for Canadian National Railway, where she specialized in investment accounting and financial reporting of alternative investments and derivative instruments. Joanne was a consultant for various companies in the Montreal area, including Domtar, Gildan, Jarislowsky Fraser and Merck Frosst.

Joanne holds the CPA, CA Auditor designation since 2006. She earned her Bachelor of Commerce at McGill University in Honors Accounting. She also received her Graduate Diploma in Accountancy at Concordia University’s John Molson School of Business.

In her role as a Fund Accountant, Mihaela is responsible for supporting the firm’s financial accounting and reporting functions for the Agriculture, Private Equity and Private Credit investment strategies.

Mihaela has over 16 years of experience in financial preparation and reporting, personal and corporate taxation and audit. Prior to joining Fiera Comox, she was a property accountant at Cogir Immobilier and served as Assistant Controller for Restaurants Pacini .

For more than 12 years, Acting as Taxation and Accounting Analyst and as Senior Accountant at RSM Richter LLP and Messier Udashkin CPA Inc.for, Mihaela was implicated in various accounting and taxation projects and mandates across an array of clients operating primarily in Real Estate, Management, Information Technology, Investments, Restauration and Catering sectors.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in business administration with specialization in professional accountancy from Montreal’s HEC.

Stacey is executive assistant to the CEO and the Fiera Comox team. Prior to joining the firm, she was office manager at an IT training school where she was responsible for day-to-day correspondence, client care and accounting duties.  Entrepreneurial by nature, she was previously the owner of a small business in downtown Montreal where she oversaw all financial, marketing and management responsibilities.
Stacey has trained in several accounting and management courses and is currently completing her web development certification at McMaster University.