Advisory Board of Directors
Principal | Yokasa Consulting
Yosh Kasahara (Chair)
Yosh is an independent management consultant, strategic advisor to real estate service companies and a member of multiple boards. He is the past Chief Operating Officer of Alabaster Homes and former Managing Director of Pavilion Cowork. He has 20 years experience in development and commercial real estate, and is a proven leader and innovator with a passion for business and community building.
As current Chair of the UBC REC Advisory Board, Yosh leads the group of industry professionals responsible for providing guidance and mentorship to students as they transition into the workforce. As a student at the Sauder School of Business, Yosh served as President of the UBC Real Estate Club.
JLL Valuation Advisory
Doug Wong
Senior Vice President
Doug Wong is a Senior Vice President with the JLL Valuation Advisory group where he acts as a co-lead for the practice in Vancouver and British Columbia.
Doug has an extensive amount of experience in the valuation of large-scale, income-producing investment assets and real estate portfolios, in British Columbia. The majority of his work has been focused on working with Canada’s largest Pension Funds, REITs, and larger local/international clients. This experience includes the valuation of office, industrial, retail, multi-family and development land. Doug was previously a Senior Director with the Altus Group where he helped manage the Research, Valuation, Advisory division in Vancouver.
Sean Wheeler
Senior Vice President, Co-Investments
Grosvenor
Sean Wheeler is Senior Vice President of Co-Investment at Grosvenor Americas and is responsible for the management of the Structured Development Financing (SDF) business in Vancouver and Seattle.
Sean has played a key role in the expansion of the Structured Development Financing business beginning in 2014 and now leads the management of the programme in the Vancouver and Seattle. Sean began his career at Grosvenor as an intern in 2013 while completing his final year at UBC’s Sauder School of Business, where he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree specializing in Finance and Real Estate earning. Sean formally joined the Co-Investment team in 2014 and played a critical role in the set-up of the first True North Partnership in 2015.
Since joining the industry, Sean has been actively involved with the Urban Land Institute of BC (ULI BC) and recently stepped down as the Co-Chair of the Young Leaders Group (YLG). Sean is also involved with the Urban Development Institute (UDI) and has guest lectured at their School of Urban Development. Sean is also a registered sub-mortgage broker in the province of BC.
Vera Liu
Director, Investments
KingSett Capital
Vera is Director, Investments at KingSett Capital where she is responsible for sourcing, structuring and negotiating the acquisition and disposition of real estate opportunities across Western Canada. Vera has over 15 years of real estate investment experience covering the full range of asset types from office, industrial, multi-family, hospitality, senior’s housing as well as development opportunities in North America. Vera holds a BCom from UBC, specializing in Finance and Real Estate. She continues to remain engaged with Sauder through guest lectures and advisory support as a member of the REC board.
Michelle Sotomayor
Vice-President, Developments
Conwest Developments
Michelle is Vice President, Development at Conwest Developments. She leads the company’s development team, with an active project portfolio that is primarily industrial. She is accountable through the full project life cycle, with a focus on the front-end and project business planning.
After starting her career in housing development, she joined Conwest in 2014 and since has worked across multiple asset classes including residential, commercial and industrial. Over the years she has held roles in various functional areas, including acquisitions, planning and approvals, marketing and finance. Her diverse experience allows her to bring a unique lens to each project, to find the best path forward for all stakeholders.
Michelle is active in the industry and community. She currently mentors through the ULI Etkin’s Scholar program and also supports students at several local universities, including UBC as a member of this Advisory Board. Michelle holds a BCom degree from UBC’s Sauder School of Business.
Yahel Jarus-Hakak
Director, Operations
CMLS
Yahel is Director, Operations at CMLS. His focus is on the commercial side of the business, accountable for planning and execution of business strategies. His team supports the full CMLS platform, including parent company nesto, with the goal of enhancing the client experience as a provider of real estate capital solutions and related software and services.
During his time at CMLS, Yahel worked in various roles including mortgage valuations, capital markets, and credit. His exposure to various facets of the business allows him to effectively position the commercial business for continued growth.
Prior to joining CMLS in 2016, Yahel worked for a boutique Vancouver Real Estate Developer where he was integral in developing an acquisitions strategy and would assume many responsibilities in the small but rapidly growing firm. Apart from membership in this Advisory Board, he is a finance committee member with Tikva Housing Society, and spends considerable time at industry events nationwide. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce in finance and real estate from the University of British Columbia.
Anthony Liang
Vice President, National Investment Team
CBRE
Anthony is part of CBRE Capital Markets’ National Investment Team based in Vancouver. He specializes in advising clients on the acquisition and disposition of investment properties across Western Canada and is an expert on commercial real estate assets across the office, retail, industrial, multi-residential and development land sectors. Anthony has been part of nearly $20 billion of transaction volume with notable sales including Bentall Centre, St.Paul's Hospital and MEC HQ Building.
Prior to joining CBRE, Anthony worked at a real estate financing company and had previously worked for an institutional investment firm on multiple regional shopping center developments across BC. Anthony graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a Double Major in Finance and Real Estate from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.
Vice President, Asset Management and Transactions
Alice Wang
LaSalle Investment Management
Alice is a Vice President in Asset Management and Transactions at LaSalle Investment Management ($85B Global AUM; $3.7B Canada) with experience across value add strategy execution, transactions, and portfolio management. Prior to LaSalle, Alice was with a leading valuation and advisory firm, completing valuation and consulting assignments for institutional clients on income producing properties.
As an alum of Sauder School of Business and UBC Real Estate Club leadership team, Alice is looking forward to serving on the Advisory Board to bridge the connection between industry and students.
Brodie Henrichsen
Executive Vice President
JLL Canada
Brodie Henrichsen is an Executive Vice President at JLL Canada, where he is responsible for retail leasing and investment sales across Western Canada. Brodie’s career in real estate spans more than 20 years. He joined JLL in 2018 after eight years as a Principal at Northwest Atlantic Retail - one of Canada’s most distinguished retail real estate firms. Prior to Northwest Atlantic, Brodie spent time for a real estate developer in greater Vancouver.
Brodie has advised on numerous investment transactions and has leased over 3 Million square feet of retail space across Western Canada. Brodie’s clientele includes both landlords and tenants, while tenant representation is his primary focus and clients have included both national and international brands. Brodie currently represents several premier retail brands including, TJX (Winners Marshalls & Homesense), PetSmart, Staples, and McDonalds.
Brodie holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from The University of British Columbia, and he is an actively involved with the Sauder School of Business. He is a LEED AP, a member of the Canadian Green Building Council and on the organizing committee of the Vancouver Real Estate Forum.
Winnie Ng
Senior Manager, Investments
Concert Properties
Winnie is responsible for leading acquisition activity in Western Canada for Concert Properties – a Canadian institutional real estate investment, management, and development company based in Vancouver, British Columbia – and its open-ended fund, Concert Income Properties. Prior to joining Concert Properties, she worked at BGO and Avison Young.
Winnie holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a double major in Finance and Real Estate, from the University of British Columbia. As an active contributor to the real estate industry, she currently chairs NAIOP Vancouver’s Developing Leaders Committee and co-chairs BCIT’s Next Program.