Our Team
Meet With Experienced Team
Over 70 years of combined experience in real estate management, development, and investment
Management
Aurelio Baglione
Director and President of Virtus REIT Trustee Inc., Virtus Capital Corporation, & Virtus Real Estate GP Inc.
Before forming the REIT, Mr. Baglione was the President and CEO of Winchester Financial Group. Since 1995, Mr. Baglione has been promoting the purchase of fractional interests in commercial and residential real estate. Under his leadership, the company amassed over 40 properties throughout Canada and the United States of America. During his tenure at Winchester Financial Group, the company grew to include Divisions in Financial Services, Property Management, Asset Management and Corporate Finance. Winchester Financial Group has undergone a rebrand and is now renamed ‘Virtus Financial Group of Companies”.
Mr. Baglione has over 30 years of experience in the ownership and management of over 1.35 million square feet of Canadian and US retail, office, and residential real estate and has over 25 years of experience in the securities industry.
Joshua Will
President, Virtus Capital Corporation, & Virtus Real Estate GP Inc.
Josh Will has more than 20 years of experience in executive leadership, marketing, investment management, and the Canadian financial services industry. He currently serves as President of the asset manager for Virtus Diversified REIT and Virtus Real Estate GP, where he focuses on sales, marketing, and building relationships with investors, family offices, and CIRO member firms.
Throughout his career, Josh has held multiple senior executive and founding-partner roles with Exempt Market Dealers, registered Portfolio Managers, and other investment firms, with experience spanning capital raising, investor relations, business development, and investment firm growth.
Josh has also maintained a connection to education throughout his career. He attended Georgian College, where he met his wife, and later returned to teach Personal Finance. He continues to occasionally guest lecture in the Business and Communications departments. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Education from Brock University, along with the Canadian Securities Course, Exempt Market Proficiency Course, and other professional certifications.
Trevor Wolfe
Director and Officer of Virtus REIT Trustee Inc., Virtus Capital Corporation, & Virtus Real Estate GP Inc.
Mr. Wolfe is also the Vice President, Operations for Virtus Financial Group. In this capacity he oversees all Operations and manages all staff of Virtus. He also oversees the firm’s regulatory compliance regime including supervision and risk management of all compliance-related activities.
Mr. Wolfe has over 15 years of experience building and leading teams through divisional turnarounds. Previously, he consulted for national media companies where his projects focused on financial management and operational improvements to maximize revenue.
Mr. Wolfe graduated from Wilfrid Laurier University with a Bachelor of Business Administration. He focuses on continuing education, having completed the Exempt Market Proficiency and Officers’, Partners’, and Directors’ courses. With this background, Mr. Wolfe brings a comprehensive overview of suitability discussions and compliance topics.
Alexander Steele
Managing Director of Virtus Diversified REIT
Mr. Steele is Managing Director of Virtus Diversified REIT, where he is responsible for capital raising, advisor education, strategic relationships, and the continued growth of Virtus’ distribution network. He works closely with investment advisors, portfolio managers, and dealer firms across Canada to expand access to Virtus’ income-focused private real estate strategy.
Alex brings more than 20 years of experience in financial services, real estate investment, and capital raising. Prior to joining Virtus, he served as Senior Managing Director of Canadian Wholesale at Dalfen Industrial, where he was involved in the development and management of the Dalfen Industrial Real Estate Income Fund. Previously, he was Head of Sales at Avenue Living Asset Management.
Throughout his career, Alex has focused on building long-term relationships with financial professionals and developing investment solutions designed to meet the needs of Canadian investors. His experience includes distribution strategy, portfolio construction, capital raising, advisor education, and real estate investment.
Alex holds an Executive Masters in Financial Services from the Luxembourg School of Business, where he graduated at the top of his class and was awarded the school’s first Fellowship.
Mohammad Shafiee
Controller
Mohammad has over 20 years of extensive experience in Management and Finance, including preparing financial statements, consolidated statements, A/P, A/R, general ledger, reconciliations, payroll, income tax preparation, database administration and information system management. He currently serves as Controller with Virtus Financial & Winchester Group of Companies. While having a Masters Degree in management and a Bachelor Degree in Accounting, Mohammed has completed the CPA-CGA Ontario. Mohammed serves as the Head Accountant at VDREIT. In this capacity, he will, lead the internal and external accounting teams.
Axcess Capital Advisors
Investment Fund Manager
Headquartered in Calgary Alberta, Axcess Capital Advisors Inc. is an independent provider of financial services for investment funds.
Axcess Capital Advisors is registered as an Investment Fund Manager (IFM) and a Restricted Portfolio Manager (RPM) in Alberta, and acts in this capacity for private debt and equity funds. Axcess Capital Advisors is also registered as an Exempt Market Dealer (EMD) in Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario providing distribution for select private issuers through a network of registered Exempt Market Dealing Representatives.
Axcess Management Group has an average of 25 to 30 years of related experience in their field. This combination of in-depth private securities experience makes us a foremost provider of choice for IFM services.
The role of an IFM is to ensure that investments within the portfolio are consistent with the objectives, risk profile and investment criteria set out in the offering documents of an investment fund.
Axcess Capital Advisors in its role as an IFM provides professional services to VDREIT including third party due diligence, offering origination, fund administration, investment reporting, investor communications, and FundSERV registration through its affiliate, Axcess Capital Managers.
Our Team
Ed Wells
Business Development Executive
Financial Services Business Development professional with 30 years of financial services experience. Ed has evolved from being an investment advisor with a Big Five bank investment firm, to working in various senior roles in the investment and mortgage financial services industry. Ed is graduate from Western University ( UWO’88), and is a proud father of two sons. Besides being an avid cook, Ed enjoys being active in activities such as golfing, and exploring the great outdoors at the lake with his wife, Leah.
Justin Stein
Business Development Executive
Justin has over a decade of experience in the financial services industry, working with a diverse range of stakeholders, from individual clients to multi-billion dollar investment firms. As a wealth strategist, author, and member of the PCMA DR Advisory Board, he has demonstrated his expertise in navigating the complexities of the financial markets.
Justin has spent his career raising capital to help grow several Canadian businesses and build hundreds of homes. He manages a successful, client-focused financial services business, overseeing the wealth and retirement planning for business owners and families. Justin holds degrees from the University of Western Ontario and Seneca College. When he’s not working, Justin embraces his role as a dad, spending quality time with his family, indulging in his love for skiing and camping, and playing the guitar. His well-rounded approach to life and work has contributed to his success in the financial services industry.
Sham Flora
Business Development Executive
Amit Jhaveri
Investment Fund Manager
Amit Jhaveri has years of experience in the financial industry across diverse sectors including real estate, consumer discretionary, and energy. Amit currently serves as VP, Corporate Finance at Virtus Capital Management Inc. where he oversees product research and due diligence. Prior to his current role, Amit led a team of equity research analysts, delivering insights on publicly traded securities. His diverse background also includes tenures at financial institutions such as Bank of America Merrill Lynch US, where he worked in Global Wealth Management, and Natixis Corporate & Investment Bank US, where he specialized in Counterparty Risk Management. Amit holds an MBA in Financial Management from Pace University and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), reflecting his commitment to excellence and professionalism in the finance industry.
Independent Directors
Stephen Kangas, CAIA, CFA, CPA, CA
Director of Virtus REIT Trustee Inc. & Virtus Real Estate GP Inc.
Stephen Kangas has over 30 years experience in the Canadian investment fund industry. He has been actively involved in the research, structuring and capital raising of mutual funds, exchange traded funds, listed closed-end funds, hedge funds, and private asset funds including real estate investment trusts.
Mr. Kangas is registered with the Ontario Securities Commission as a Registered Portfolio Manager. Mr.Kangas also currently has his own consulting firm with a variety of clients and roles including the Chief Investment and Administrative Officer of a Single-Family Office and advisory work for private asset managers.
Previously, Mr. Kangas was a public accountant with PriceWaterhouse Coopers; a Vice President of Mutual Fund Research at BMO Nesbitt Burns; President & CEO of hedge fund company BluMont Capital Inc., and a Vice President at Manulife Asset Management.
Mr. Kangas holds a Master Business Administration (MBA) from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is also an honours graduate of the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Arts, Economics. Mr. Kangas holds the following Charters: Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA); Fellow, Life Management Institute (FLMI); Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA); Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) and Chartered Accountant (CA). He also serves as a Member of the Investment Committee of Knox College.
John Pizzacalla
Director of Virtus REIT Trustee Inc. & Virtus Real Estate GP Inc.
John Pizzacalla is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in capital markets and a decade in corporate finance. His diverse background includes senior leadership roles at Dynamic Mutual Funds, Titan Funds, and AIC Group of Funds. With a robust background in running a private debt pool and extensive expertise as a real estate investor, John leverages his deep understanding of market dynamics and investment strategies to drive financial performance and strategic growth.
John attended Mohawk College with a focus on sales and marketing, followed by Brock University where he earned his Bachelor of Business Economics degree. He holds the Certified Financial Planner designation and has completed the Canadian Securities Course.
Brad Walford
Director of Virtus REIT Trustee Inc. & Virtus Real Estate GP Inc.
Brad Walford started at CBRE’s Toronto West Office in 2008 before moving to the Toronto North Office in 2013 to lead the Retail Investment Group. The Retail Investment Group specializes in the acquisition and disposition of retail plazas and single tenant investment properties across Ontario. The team provides solutions to investors and developers looking to buy or sell stabilized retail assets or value creation opportunities.
The Retail Investment Group is led by Brad Walford and Sean Comiskey. Brad and Sean have created, and continue to maintain a property database of Retail Plazas and Single Tenant Assets across the province. From this property database, the team is able to seek out opportunities that cater to the preferences of each of their clients and have instant access to a qualified pool of investors.
Virtus Diversified REIT offers a unique investment strategy focused on real estate diversification, cash flow, and high quality tenants.
- 100 Arbors Lane, Unit D Woodbridge, ON L4L 7G4
- info@vreit.ca
- +1 (416) 222 - 5040
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