Ottawa, ON (April 24, 2023) — Today, Colonnade BridgePort, a leading full-service real estate investment and management company, is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Blair as the Managing Partner of Colonnade BridgePort’s investment and fund management business. The hiring of Blair — a senior executive with extensive experience in real estate investment, development and operations — reflects the company’s commitment to continuing to improve and expand its private equity and fund management business. With Blair at the helm, Colonnade BridgePort has positioned itself to become the leading choice for high-net-worth, family office and institutional investors to access exceptional real estate investments in Ottawa and beyond.
Building on its long history of successful development, Colonnade BridgePort has established a pipeline of residential and mixed-use development projects which create investment opportunities for both its private equity and institutional clients. These urban infill opportunities enhance the communities where Colonnade BridgePort operates. They do so by addressing the market housing shortage in Ottawa while supporting economic development in the existing communities where they are located, and promoting a climate-friendly walkable lifestyle for its residents by being located in amenity-rich communities on transit. This continues Colonnade BridgePort’s commitment to properties that contribute to the health of their cities, while generating attractive returns for its private equity and institutional investment partners.
As Managing Partner, Andrew Blair will draw on his unique combination of institutional, private equity and public company real estate experience across numerous markets and multiple asset classes. His previous positions include Head of Real Estate Investments – Americas at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), Executive Vice President and COO of TrizecHahn Development, and President and CEO of both StorageNow and Parkbridge Lifestyle Communities.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with many highly-qualified organizations in a variety of settings – ranging from global and national-scale institutions and companies to smaller entrepreneurial ventures,” said Blair. “The team, track record and relationships at Colonnade BridgePort combine to provide an extraordinary foundation for the company to execute on its exciting vision and pipeline. That foundation will enable us to offer high-net-worth, family office, and other private investors opportunities to participate in institutional-quality developments in Ottawa and throughout the country which they simply couldn’t access otherwise.”
Hugh Gorman, CEO of Colonnade BridgePort, commented, “We’re delighted that Andrew’s return to his hometown of Ottawa has resulted in him taking on this leadership role with Colonnade BridgePort. He brings a depth of experience and of perspectives that will clearly enhance our ability to connect the needs and objectives of our institutional investment partners with those of investors in our private equity funds. Our commitment to expand our existing business in the Ottawa and Toronto markets and elsewhere in Canada just took a major step forward.”