The direct investor

The captive real estate development and acquisition arm of the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, Cadillac Fairview had a portfolio valued at approximately C$14.5 billion ($12.8 billion; €9.5 billion) at the end of 2006. Though 80 percent of its property investments are in Canada, the group recently has ventured further afield. In 2006, it acquired a 46 percent stake in Rio De Janeiro-based Multiplan Empreendimentos Imobiliários, the largest regional mall operator in Brazil. The pension fund investor has also been moving into Asia, primarily via investments in private equity real estate funds. Here, Andrea Stephen, the executive vice president for investments, talks about the problems with super-sized funds, what she likes about Brazil, and her interest in South Africa.