Full Name
Michael Brooks
Job Title
CEO
Company / Affiliation
REALPAC
Speaker Bio
Michael Brooks is a lawyer and is the CEO of the Real Property Association of Canada (REALPAC), the national industry association of Canada’s largest institutional, public and private real estate investment and development companies. He is a former Board member of the Toronto Foundation (2013 - 2023), GRESB BV (2018-2020) and the World Green Building Council (2021- 2023). Michael is former partner (1990-2015) and real estate practice group leader (2012-2014) at Aird & Berlis LLP. Michael is also a former Associate Professor, Adjunct Professor and Executive in Residence at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Canada.
During his time with REALPAC, Michael has led numerous advocacy and policy initiatives to support the commercial real estate industry across sustainability, green building, decarbonization, and more. These include the first corporate social responsibility guidelines in North America for commercial real estate companies, the first Green Lease in North America, and the first benchmarking program and target for energy use in commercial buildings with the CAGBC.
Michael has participated in numerous efforts within sustainability in the real estate sector in Canada and internationally, including contributing to a special multi-country global group of experts that developed the Construction and Real Estate Sector Supplement (CRESS) for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI, 2010-2013), participating as a special advisor to the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (Property Working Group,) and serving on the Board of GRESB (Green Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark). He currently is one of three business advisors to the Canadian federal government’s Sustainable Development Advisory Council and is on the Board of the World Green Building Council. Michael has also led in market and regulatory transformation in Canada, with effective representation for the REIT vehicle, on cross-border and domestic tax issues, affordable housing policy, capital market and regulatory issues nationally and internationally.
Michael’s work was recognized with CAGBC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
During his time with REALPAC, Michael has led numerous advocacy and policy initiatives to support the commercial real estate industry across sustainability, green building, decarbonization, and more. These include the first corporate social responsibility guidelines in North America for commercial real estate companies, the first Green Lease in North America, and the first benchmarking program and target for energy use in commercial buildings with the CAGBC.
Michael has participated in numerous efforts within sustainability in the real estate sector in Canada and internationally, including contributing to a special multi-country global group of experts that developed the Construction and Real Estate Sector Supplement (CRESS) for the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI, 2010-2013), participating as a special advisor to the United Nations Environment Program Finance Initiative (Property Working Group,) and serving on the Board of GRESB (Green Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark). He currently is one of three business advisors to the Canadian federal government’s Sustainable Development Advisory Council and is on the Board of the World Green Building Council. Michael has also led in market and regulatory transformation in Canada, with effective representation for the REIT vehicle, on cross-border and domestic tax issues, affordable housing policy, capital market and regulatory issues nationally and internationally.
Michael’s work was recognized with CAGBC’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.
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