Building Canada: Real Estate Investing

Join us for an evening of learning, discussion, and community engagement on real estate investing. This event features expert panel conversations and guided spotlight sessions that break down the principles, strategies, and opportunities available to new investors entering today’s market.

You’ll gain insights on:

• The foundations of real estate investing and how beginners can enter the market
• Practical steps to analyze your first deal and understand key numbers
• Financing basics, creative strategies, and how to qualify for your first investment
• How institutions evaluate deals — and how beginners can apply the same thinking
• Early habits that separate successful new investors from those who never start
• The future of real estate opportunities in Canada

Sibtain Panju, CFA – Founder & CEO of PRAGMA Inc. and President of ExpandWealth Fund. Multifamily investor with 20+ years of experience helping new investors understand market fundamentals and value‑add strategies.

Marcel A. P. Greaux – Real estate investor and mortgage financing specialist. Principal Broker of Open Financial. Founder of Garrison Capital with a portfolio of 100+ properties, guiding beginners on financing, JVs, and early scaling.

Umair Raza, CFA, MBA – Director of Real Estate Investments at OPTrust and owner of 100+ personal properties. Provides institutional‑grade insights for beginners on risk, discipline, and deal evaluation.

Hammad Ahmar – EVP, Real Estate Operations. Former SVP, Strategic Operations & Head of U.S. Multifamily at Baz Group. Former manager of 5,500+ global properties, offering beginner‑friendly guidance on habits, operations, and future opportunities.

Moderator: Mujir A. Muneeruddin, J.D., LL.M. – Partner at Pallett Valo LLP and Chairman of Velocity1 Group. Corporate finance and securities lawyer guiding the entire session with clarity, structure, and beginner‑focused direction.

Accessibility:

We are committed to ensuring that all attendees have a comfortable and inclusive experience. If you require any accommodations to participate in our event, please let us know during the registration process. We will make every effort to accommodate your needs based on facility accessibility and program resources availability. In the event we are unable to fulfill your accommodation requests, we will reimburse your ticket in full. Should you have any questions or specific requests, please don't hesitate to reach out to us.

Contact Us:

For any attendees who may have financial needs and require a sponsored ticket, or for any questions or comments please contact:

• Mohamed Alzohery | [email protected]
• Jamiu Abdsalami | [email protected]

Website: onemax.org | LinkedIn: MAX | Twitter: @max_gala | Instagram: @_maxcommunity

ALL TICKET SALES ARE FINAL

Sibtain Panju, CFA:

Founder and CEO, PRAGMA Inc. · President, ExpandWealth Fund

Sibtain has spent over twenty years acquiring, repositioning, and operating multi-residential property in Canada. Before moving into real estate full time he held senior roles at Nestlé and CIBC. He works primarily with professionals and family offices seeking passive income from apartment assets.

Role in the event: market fundamentals, how to read a deal, and the errors that cost new investors money.

Marcel A. P. Greaux:

Marcel Greaux is a real estate entrepreneur and Principal Broker of Open Financial, an Ontario-based, AI-native mortgage brokerage specializing in alternative, private, commercial, and construction mortgage financing. With more than 20 years of experience in structured mortgage financing, capital stack design, and multifamily real estate development, he brings both an investor’s and a developer’s perspective to structuring financing aligned with each borrower’s goals and project requirements.

Over his career, Marcel has directed more than CAD $125 million in residential real estate acquisitions through limited partnership funds and joint venture platforms, with a track record that includes more than five limited partnership exits. His asset management experience spans repositioning underperforming assets and advancing urban infill renewal projects, with a focus on long-term value creation and risk-adjusted returns.

Marcel is a member of the Canadian Mortgage Brokers Association (CMBA) and serves on the CMBA Ontario Governance Committee. He also serves on the Urban Land Institute Toronto Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) and is a co-founding member of the Black Opportunity Fund. He is a former CMHC Housing Supply Challenge jury member and a faculty member with the FutureBUILDS Real Estate Incubator.

Marcel holds a Bachelor of Technology from Toronto Metropolitan University and has completed a Mini-MBA through the Schulich School of Business. He is based in Toronto, Canada.

Mujir A. Muneeruddin, J.D., LL.M. — Moderator:

Partner, Pallett Valo LLP · Chairman, Velocity1 Group.

Mujir is a corporate finance and securities lawyer who advises growth companies on capital markets, mergers and acquisitions, and going-public transactions. As Chairman of Velocity1 Group he has led large-scale land development work, including the conversion of several hundred acres near the Canada–United States border into industrial and commercial use.

Role in the event: sets the frame, runs the question sequence, moderates the panel, and closes with the takeaways.

Hammad Ahmar:

Hammad is currently EVP, Operations at Shiplake Properties. Previously the SVP of Strategic Operations (Special Situations) at the BAZ Group of Companies.

Some of his notable/relevant experience includes being the Head of Marlin Spring US Multifamily, the Chief Operating Officer of Spring Living Retirement Communities and the Head of Real Estate Asset Management at Restaurant Brands International (Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs).

He currently chair’s Habitat for Humanity GTA’s Next Generation Leaders group and is on the Realpac Apartment Owner’s committee.

He has an Electrical & Computer engineering degree from the University of Toronto, an MBA from Insead in France, and an executive certificate in Management & Leadership from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Umair Raza, CFA, MBA

Real Estate Investments, OPTrust

Umair invests in real estate on behalf of one of Canada's large pension plans and holds an MBA in real estate and infrastructure from the Schulich School of Business. He also invests privately, which gives him a view from both sides of the table.

Info:

Event venue & nearby stays

Meadowvale Community Centre, 6655 Glen Erin Drive, Mississauga, Canada

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