Key Takeaways
- • Leadership return: Eric Plesman rejoins Oxford Properties Group as President and CEO effective November 3, 2025, after a four-year absence leading global real estate at HOOPP (Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan).
- • Asset scale: OMERS, managing C$140 billion in assets, has appointed Plesman to lead its real estate subsidiary through a planned succession from outgoing Executive Chair Daniel Fournier.
- • Executive pedigree: Plesman brings over a decade of prior experience at Oxford in senior Canadian and North American roles, plus significant tenure at Morgan Stanley and current board positions at Toronto Pearson International Airport and the Pension Real Estate Association.
- • Transition continuity: Daniel Fournier will support the leadership transition through his stepping down on November 3, ensuring operational stability during the changeover.
Summary
The Ontario Municipal Employees' Retirement System (OMERS), Canada's largest pension fund with C$140 billion in assets under management, has announced a planned leadership transition at its real estate subsidiary, Oxford Properties Group. Eric Plesman will return to the firm as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective November 3, 2025, following a comprehensive succession process that concluded the three-year tenure of outgoing Executive Chair Daniel Fournier.
Plesman's appointment marks a significant rehiring of institutional real estate talent within the Canadian pension ecosystem. He most recently served as Head of Global Real Estate at HOOPP, where he managed a diversified international portfolio spanning North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific regions. His return to Oxford represents continuity with significant prior institutional knowledge: Plesman first joined Oxford in 2011 and spent over a decade at the firm, advancing through roles including Head of Canadian Investments before his promotion to Head of Canada and subsequently Executive Vice President, North America—a position overseeing Oxford's largest geographic region by both assets under management and personnel.
Beyond his direct real estate leadership experience, Plesman brings broader financial services credentials. Earlier in his career, he held progressively senior and global roles at Morgan Stanley spanning multiple decades. Currently, he serves as a member of the Board of Directors at the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, which operates Toronto's Pearson International Airport—Canada's largest airport—and chairs the Institutional Investor Council at the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), an advocacy organization representing global institutional real estate investors.
The transition structure preserves operational continuity: Daniel Fournier, who characterized his three-year leadership as "a profound privilege," will remain engaged through the November 3 transition date to support Plesman's onboarding and ensure smooth knowledge transfer. OMERS and Oxford have not disclosed specific strategic initiatives or portfolio changes anticipated under Plesman's leadership, but the appointment of an executive with dual deep expertise in both Oxford's operations and the Canadian institutional pension fund landscape suggests continuity in strategic direction rather than a marked portfolio pivot.
Plesman's appointment marks a significant rehiring of institutional real estate talent within the Canadian pension ecosystem. He most recently served as Head of Global Real Estate at HOOPP, where he managed a diversified international portfolio spanning North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific regions. His return to Oxford represents continuity with significant prior institutional knowledge: Plesman first joined Oxford in 2011 and spent over a decade at the firm, advancing through roles including Head of Canadian Investments before his promotion to Head of Canada and subsequently Executive Vice President, North America—a position overseeing Oxford's largest geographic region by both assets under management and personnel.
Beyond his direct real estate leadership experience, Plesman brings broader financial services credentials. Earlier in his career, he held progressively senior and global roles at Morgan Stanley spanning multiple decades. Currently, he serves as a member of the Board of Directors at the Greater Toronto Airport Authority, which operates Toronto's Pearson International Airport—Canada's largest airport—and chairs the Institutional Investor Council at the Pension Real Estate Association (PREA), an advocacy organization representing global institutional real estate investors.
The transition structure preserves operational continuity: Daniel Fournier, who characterized his three-year leadership as "a profound privilege," will remain engaged through the November 3 transition date to support Plesman's onboarding and ensure smooth knowledge transfer. OMERS and Oxford have not disclosed specific strategic initiatives or portfolio changes anticipated under Plesman's leadership, but the appointment of an executive with dual deep expertise in both Oxford's operations and the Canadian institutional pension fund landscape suggests continuity in strategic direction rather than a marked portfolio pivot.
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