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Fiera Comox Partners
Fiera Comox Partners launched in 2016 when Fiera Capital backed three former Canadian pension executives to build a private markets platform.
Fiera Comox Partners
Fiera Comox Partners launched in 2016 when Fiera Capital backed three former Canadian pension executives to build a private markets platform. The team had a track record of deploying multiple billions together, and the new firm was designed to export that institutional discipline to a broader client base. The firm's identity is inseparable from its real assets heritage — it owns and operates farmland and forests while simultaneously running global private equity and private credit books, a combination that few competitors replicate. The firm runs four strategies. Agriculture focuses on permanent crops and row-crop operations in regions including North America and New Zealand. Timberland investments span fee-simple ownership and joint ventures; in 2024 the firm acquired 6,650 acres of private timberland and partnered with Ngāi Tahu Holdings over a New Zealand forestry estate (per firm website, 2024). Private equity targets growth, buyout, and late-stage opportunities, often alongside co-investors, across sectors that align with the firm's real-world operating experience. Private credit provides direct lending and structured solutions. The firm also participates in secondaries, selectively acquiring LP interests and portfolios. The firm is headquartered in Montreal. Total deployment is described as multiple billions of dollars across its strategies. Jeff Zweig joined as Vice-Chair and Head of Asset Management in 2024, signaling a deepening focus on operational oversight of real assets (per firm website, 2024). Stéphanie Lachance was appointed Head of Sustainable Investment earlier the same year, reflecting a formal commitment to sustainability as a risk- and opportunity-management function across the portfolio. The firm publishes annual sustainable investment reports for its agriculture and timberland strategies. Fiera Comox's structural differentiator is its integration of land ownership with institutional asset management. Owning and operating farms and forests directly — rather than through passive LP stakes — gives the firm control over cash flows and stewardship decisions that most private managers outsource. This operating-company posture, combined with a pension-style governance framework inherited from its founders' prior careers, makes the firm's architecture distinct from either a pure real asset manager or a traditional private equity generalist.
General information
Firm type
Generalist
Year founded
2016
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
Canada
City
Montreal
Corporate office
Montreal, QC, Canada
Principals
Jeff Zweig
Vice-Chair, Head of Asset Management
Stéphanie Lachance
Head of Sustainable Investment
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
How does Fiera Comox Partners source its real asset deal flow?
The firm sources agriculture and timberland deals through a combination of direct relationships with landowners, operators, and joint-venture partners. Its 2024 partnership with Ngāi Toho Holdings in New Zealand and a direct timberland acquisition of 6,650 acres demonstrate a mix of proprietary off-market and negotiated transactions. The team's Canadian pension plan heritage also provides institutional networks that smaller real asset managers typically lack.
What is the relationship between Fiera Comox Partners and Fiera Capital?
Fiera Capital founded Fiera Comox Partners in 2016, seeding the platform with three former pension plan executives. While the firm operates with substantial autonomy in investment decision-making, the backing of a publicly traded asset manager provides infrastructure and distribution support that an independent start-up would otherwise need years to build.
Does Fiera Comox invest in private equity outside of North America?
The firm's private equity strategy is described as global, and its timberland and agriculture portfolios confirm activity in New Zealand alongside North American holdings. However, specific private equity portfolio company names and non-real-asset deployment outside North America are not publicly disclosed, making precise geographic splits difficult to verify.
How does the firm integrate sustainability into its investment process?
Fiera Comox mandates that material sustainability risks and opportunities are integrated throughout the deal lifecycle, aligning with its fiduciary duty to clients. Stéphanie Lachance was appointed Head of Sustainable Investment in early 2024, and the firm produces annual sustainable investment reports for its agriculture and timberland strategies, detailing stewardship practices and environmental metrics.
Can external investors access Fiera Comox's timberland and agriculture strategies?
The firm provides investment solutions to a wide range of investors, implying that its agriculture and timberland strategies are open to institutional limited partners alongside private equity and private credit offerings. The specific fund structures and minimum commitments are not publicly detailed on the firm's website.
Who runs investment decisions at Fiera Comox?
The firm identifies its founding team as three former executives of a large Canadian pension plan, though their names are not publicly listed on the current leadership page. Day-to-day oversight now includes Jeff Zweig as Vice-Chair and Head of Asset Management, appointed in 2024, which suggests a structure where real asset and private equity decisions are unified under experienced institutional investors.
Does Fiera Comox participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?
The firm's private equity and private credit strategies include direct, co-investment, and secondaries capabilities, indicating a flexible mandate. It is not structured as a fund-of-funds, but it can acquire LP interests and portfolios in secondary transactions alongside making direct control or minority investments.
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