Jacques Demers

Chairman of Red Rock Insurance Services

Mr. Demers is Chairman & Managing Partner of AGAWA Partners Inc. and its asset management subsidiary, AGAWA Fund Management Inc. Jacques co-founded AGAWA in 2015 bringing over forty years of experience in investment, law and pensions, both in Canada and globally. AGAWA is derived from the Ojibwe word meaning “sheltered place”.

Lawyer, since 1977, he co-founded and led one of Canada’s most respected business law firms, Meighen Demers, (now integrated within Norton Rose Fulbright) and pioneered a number of “first of-a-kind” corporate and project financings and infrastructure-related investments (eg. first airport, courthouse, hospital and toll highway PPPs; Canada’s diamond projects and environmental agreements with developers, First Nations, indigenous communities and governments; infrastructure related privatizations and PPPs in developing markets).

Private investor, since 1987, (an initial investor in Cashway, Porter Airlines, and others), he served, between 2008-2015, as a member of OMERS Senior Executive Leadership and President & CEO of the OMERS fund’s strategic investment division which managed $3.5B of investments and led a number of OMERS innovative, strategic investment initiatives, including the $12.6B Global Strategic Investment Alliance infrastructure fund (comprising investors from Canada, Japan and USA), OMERS Ventures and Airports Worldwide.

He serves as a member of York University Board of Governors, a Trustee of York University Pension (and active member of its sub-committee on investment performance) and the Comité permanent sur les affaires francophones, a member of the Japan-Canada Chamber Council, Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute Advisory Board and World Ocean Council (and Chair of the Ocean Investment Platform); continues to originate new sustainable investment opportunities, particularly, in agri-food and the oceans and to advise and work with institutional investors, governments, experts and regulators around the world and continues to invest.

He is a respected speaker on investment, legal and pension matters, addressing in 2017 a number of institutional investor gatherings in Asia, Europe and USA, as well as the United Nations Session on Financing Sustainable Ocean Development held at UN HQ, New York, and Roundtable Japan, Tokyo and the Sustainable Ocean Summit, Halifax. His 2018 schedule includes the Institutional Fund Summits in Santa Monica (including Ocean Day) and Tokyo in February and June. Following studies in economics, history and philosophy at McGill University, Jacques studied law at Université Laval. He is fluent in English and French and has basic proficiency in Japanese.

Robert Beutel

Director of Red Rock Insurance Services

Robert Beutel of Toronto, Ontario is the President of Oakwest Corporation, an investment holding company, where he has been employed since 1987. Mr. Beutel is responsible for the origination and monitoring of investments both publicly listed and private in the areas of financial services, distribution, manufacturing and chemicals. Mr. Beutel serves on the board of three TSX listed companies, as Chair of Strongco Corporation (construction equipment distributor); as a director of Accord Financial Corp. (asset based lender); and Firan Technology Group (electronics and aerospace).

Mr. Beutel graduate from University of Toronto, BA (Philosophy) 1982; and University of Michigan, MSE (Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering) 1985.

Oakwest Corporation Limited is a privately held, family owned, investment company whose mandate is principally to make long-term equity investments. Oakwest seeks opportunities with an identifiable market niche and strong leadership, in the hope of identifying and assisting businesses that will have long periods of growth and success.

Peter Graham

President of Red Rock Insurance Services
Director of Red Rock Insurance Services