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B.R.K. Capital Inc
B.R.K. Capital was established in Montreal in 2016 by Glenn J. Chamandy, who co-founded the apparel manufacturing giant Gildan Activewear.
B.R.K. Capital Inc
B.R.K. Capital was established in Montreal in 2016 by Glenn J. Chamandy, who co-founded the apparel manufacturing giant Gildan Activewear. The firm consolidates management of the Chamandy family's wealth under a single-family-office structure. While precise assets remain undisclosed, the office's mandate encompasses the financial interests of Glenn Chamandy, his wife Amel Murad Chamandy, and their children, with a separate philanthropic vehicle, the Chamandy Foundation, handling charitable priorities. Karim B. Abuani leads day-to-day investments as President and CIO, executing a strategy that spans private equity, private credit, hedge funds, and public-markets macro investing. The firm accesses private markets through funds, co-investments, and direct North American deals, often alongside trusted managers and family-office peers. In public markets, it favors a macro lens and select external equity fund managers. Known L.P. relationships include a significant commitment to Sagard's credit funds and an alliance with the activist shop Browning West — whose co-founders Usman Nabi and Peter Lee were key allies in the 2024 Gildan proxy contest that sought to reinstate Glenn Chamandy as CEO. The office maintains a lean footprint from its Montreal headquarters at 600 de Maisonneuve West, with additional real assets including the Apes Hill Club in Barbados and residential properties in Westmount and Austin, Quebec. In September 2023, the firm's public posture sharpened when Glenn Chamandy was terminated as Gildan's CEO, triggering a five-month proxy battle in which B.R.K. Capital-aligned Browning West successfully campaigned for his return to the board in March 2024 (per The Globe and Mail, 2024). The episode illustrates how the family office can function as a platform for direct operational influence over the underlying wealth engine. Structurally, B.R.K. Capital blurs the line between passive asset allocator and activist platform. Its capital base derives from an operating business where the founder fought — and temporarily lost — direct control, and its closest investment partners overlap with the governance players in that contest. That interdependence gives the office an unusually active voice in the stewardship of its own wealth origin, a posture most single-family offices cannot replicate.
General information
Firm type
Single Family Office
Year founded
2016
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
City
Montreal
Corporate office
600 de Maisonneuve West, Suite 2410, Montreal, QC H3A 3J2, Canada
Principals
Glenn J. Chamandy
Founder and CEO
Altss tracks 3 additional named team members for this firm — including direct investment leads, IR, and operating principals not listed on the public website.
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Frequently asked questions
Who runs day-to-day investment decisions at B.R.K. Capital?
Karim B. Abuani serves as President and Chief Investment Officer, overseeing the firm's high-conviction multi-asset strategy. He reports to founder and CEO Glenn J. Chamandy, who sets the office's overall direction. The team remains intentionally lean, with CFO Sergio Scarpelli handling financial oversight.
What is the relationship between B.R.K. Capital and the activist firm Browning West?
Browning West is a significant business partner and appears to function as the public-market activist arm of the Chamandy ecosystem. Its co-founders Usman Nabi and Peter Lee were instrumental in the 2024 proxy fight to return Glenn Chamandy to Gildan Activewear's board. The relationship suggests B.R.K. Capital uses allocations to activist managers as a tool for governance influence over assets core to the family's wealth.
How does B.R.K. Capital allocate across private and public markets?
The office invests across private equity, private credit, hedge funds, and public-market macro strategies. In private markets, it uses a mix of fund commitments, co-investments, and direct deals in North American companies — often alongside trusted GPs and family-office partners. Public-markets exposure is achieved through a discretionary macro book and allocations to external equity fund managers.
Is B.R.K. Capital open to co-investments or external LPs?
No. B.R.K. Capital operates exclusively as the single-family office for Glenn J. Chamandy, his family, and their foundation. It does not manage outside capital. However, it actively seeks co-investment opportunities alongside its GP relationships, viewing them as a way to augment returns while leveraging a manager's due diligence.
What is the Chamandy Foundation and how does it relate to the family office?
The Chamandy Foundation (Fondation Chamandy) is the family's primary philanthropic entity, operating alongside — but structurally separate from — B.R.K. Capital. Amel Murad Chamandy, Glenn's wife, is active in the foundation's governance and also serves as a trustee of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. The office manages the foundation's assets as part of its broader mandate.
What investment stages and geographies does B.R.K. Capital target?
The firm's mandate spans North America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Oceania, and South America. It does not publish strict stage limits, but its direct-investment criteria favor founder-led businesses with durable competitive advantages and clear exit paths — a posture more common in growth equity and buyout-stage deals than early venture.
How did the 2024 Gildan proxy contest reshape B.R.K. Capital's posture?
The five-month battle following Glenn Chamandy's December 2023 termination as Gildan CEO revealed the extent to which the family office can mobilize capital and partners to protect its wealth engine. With Browning West leading the activist charge and B.R.K. Capital as a central backer, Chamandy regained his board seat in March 2024. The event underscored the office's unusual willingness to engage in public-market activism when core assets are threatened.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
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