Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 32
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CANADA'S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS (2025)
Fengate makes people its biggest investment asset
W
hen Jennifer Honey
made the switch
from a decadeslong career
in the technology and hospitality
industries to become chief human
resources officer at Fengate Asset
Management five years ago, she
was a bit apprehensive at first.
After all, technology and
hospitality are notorious for
their fast-paced environment
for HR professionals. There is
a lot more turnover — which
means onboarding, learning and
development, and issues with
employee relations. “I worried
that the financial industry would
be slower paced,” says Honey. “I
like to build platforms and
develop programs that are very
IT-focused, and you need a fun
and very engaged executive team
in order to do that.”
Within days, she realized she
had found a home at Fengate.
Instead of the staid, slow-paced
workplace she had envisioned, she
found a dynamic company full of
entrepreneurial spirit. “It’s a young
culture, a fast-paced work environment where everyone makes a big
contribution. There’s lots going
on, and when you have a young
demographic like ours, they want
ways to connect with others and
grow their careers.”
Fengate operates as a leading
alternative asset manager focused
on three pillars: infrastructure,
private equity and real estate
strategies. With $10 billion in
market capital and $40 billion in
gross asset value, the company operates from offices in Toronto and
Oakville, Ont., with U.S. offices in
Houston and Miami.
As managing director of asset
management, John-Bosco Agbasi
oversees all aspects of Fengate’s
commercial and residential
portfolio including investment
strategy, capital raising, risk management, asset allocation, portfolio structure, fund management,
and analytics. He is focused on
multi-family housing, a task that
carries a lot of meaning for him.
“From a residential perspective,
our pipeline is over 25,000 units. If
you think about the housing crisis,
we’re doing our part to provide
a solution. For me, that is what
has made my work meaningful
— knowing I’m contributing to a
better future for our economy and
for Canadians.”
Agbasi says the company does
several things to keep the closeknit culture that has existed since
Fengate’s founding 50 years ago.
“It's a reflection of our leadership
team and our people, and us never
forgetting our roots. Our company
has expanded, we now have projects all over North America, but
we haven’t forgot our purpose. We
remember that we’re here to exceed our clients’ objectives while
improving the world through our
investments.”
Fengate has a number of
programs focused on employees.
Flex days that give employees the
ability to control their own work
schedule are popular. So are
company-wide “recharge days”
— a scheduled day off at the
beginning of each long weekend
that creates a four-day minivacation. A social committee is
responsible for planning extracurricular activities and events,
the company sponsors regular
Dine and Discover luncheons
for employees, and Fengate also
“IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE HOUSING CRISIS, WE’RE
DOING OUR PART TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION. FOR ME,
THAT IS WHAT HAS MADE MY WORK MEANINGFUL.”
— John-Bosco Agbasi, Managing Director, Asset Management
Employees at Fengate Asset Management attend FUEL Day (Fengate University Engaged Learning), an offsite
event.
