Evaluating and Valuing Private Investments in the Current Market

John is the Global Leader for KPMG’s Institutional Investors Group, which includes pension plans and sovereign wealth funds. In this role, John works with other global KPMG lead partners and account teams to ensure the best capabilities, experience and thought leadership within the global KPMG network are presented to these clients.

John is the Head of Deal Advisory for KPMG Canada. In this role, John is responsible for the coordination and execution of our deal advisory services to both domestic and international clients. John also serves as a Transaction Services partner supporting clients directly on transactions including buy-side and sell-side due diligence, closing assistance and post-acquisition support. John was formerly the Head of the Transaction Service practice for KPMG Canada. John is also a member of KPMG Canada’s Board of Directors.

Sam is responsible for our direct private equity efforts in the Industrial sector and serves as a member of the Active Equities Investment Committee. He has worked on private equity investments across sectors. Prior to joining CPP Investments in 2007, Sam worked as a management consultant at Bain & Company, an investment banker at CIBC World Markets and in PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Corporate Finance and Assurance groups. Sam holds a BComm From McGill University and an MBA from the Ivey Business School. He is a CFA Charterholder and a Chartered Professional Accountant. He is on the board of Berlin Packaging and previously served on the boards of The Gates Corporation and Air Distribution Technologies.

Julian Thomas is a Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer in Brookfield’s Renewable Group, with responsibility for evaluating and executing investments globally. Prior to joining Brookfield in 2015, Mr. Thomas was a Director at Onex Corp., a global private equity firm, where he focused on acquisitions in North America across multiple industries. He also worked at AEA Investors, a New York-based private equity firm, where he was involved in mezzanine debt and equity co-investments. He started his career in the mergers & acquisitions group at UBS in New York. Mr. Thomas holds a B.S. degree in economics from Duke University and an MBA from Columbia Business School. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Kevin is the Vice President of Investment Finance at OMERS where he is responsible for leading all activities supporting the valuation and analysis of OMERS infrastructure and private equity portfolios. Prior to joining OMERS, Kevin was a Partner within the Valuation Services Advisory Group at KPMG LLP in Toronto. In this role, he provided valuation services to both public and private companies for various purposes, including financial reporting, fairness opinions, M&A transactions, and corporate tax planning. Kevin is a Chartered Accountant (CPA, CA), Chartered Business Valuator (CBV), and holds the Financial Risk Manager (FRM) professional designation. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators.

Derek Melo is a Partner in the Toronto Valuation Services Group of KPMG where he helps private equity, pension fund, and corporate clients with valuations for purposes of financial or fund reporting, merger and acquisition transactions, corporate tax restructurings, and executive compensation plans. In addition, Derek assists the core audit team on a large number of KPMG audits by reviewing valuations performed by management or its advisors. Derek obtained an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University. In 1999, Derek qualified as a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) after successfully completing his professional examinations and experience requirements. In 2001, Derek became a Chartered Business Valuator (CBV). Derek has lectured at the MBA program at York University, presented on a number of topics, testified in proceedings, and helped draft valuation standards. Derek is also a member of the KPMG Canada Board of Directors.