CAGBC Board

As Global Head of Sustainable Investing with BentallGreenOak, Ailey leads the firm’s global ESG platform. She is responsible for developing and implementing the firm’s ESG strategy in close coordination with senior leadership and portfolio management teams to drive performance and integrate risk mitigation and value creation into investment decision-making and management. Ailey also played a key role in establishing BentallGreenOak’s net zero commitment, strategy, and execution plan.

Ailey has 10+ years of experience in ESG practice and holds a Master’s of Environment & Sustainability from Western University, Bachelor’s degree from the University of Waterloo in Environment & Business, LEED Green Associate designation, and was recognized as one of Canada’s Clean50 sustainability leaders in 2020.

Jason Manikel is a long-time green-building practitioner, and is currently an Energy and Decarbonization Consultant at Purpose Building. Jason has held leadership positions at each of his last three firms and has experience with a full range of business-management topics, including strategy, planning, management, accounting and human resources. A people person, Jason thrives on building open, trusting relationships.

Jason is a graduate of the mechanical engineering program at Queen’s University and is licensed to practice engineering in British Columbia, Ontario and Québec. After ten years designing new, high-performance green buildings, the second half of his career has been focused on the operational improvement of existing ones. For more than ten years, Jason has been a member (and past chair) of the CAGBC’s Energy & Engineering Technical Advisory Group, helping CAGBC rule on technical issues related to LEED and the ZCB program. He is also a Certified Building Commissioning Professional.

An advocate for ESG, Nisha Agrawal is QuadReal’s Director, Sustainability, joining the company in 2017.  Her expertise includes promoting green building certifications across the Canadian portfolio and supporting development of environmental, social and governance practices at QuadReal properties internationally. 

Nisha brings more than 10 years of experience in the commercial real estate industry, beginning her career in Finance at Bentall Kennedy.  From there, she moved into Sustainability and for over five years has been developing programs to effectively streamline and integrate sustainability initiatives with operations. 

Nisha holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of British Columbia and is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of BC.  Nisha is inspired by the progress companies have made to improve tenant health and well-being, reduce resource depletion, and innovate to create solutions in building operations.

Kit is responsible for developing and executing KingSett’s Sustainability Strategy and managing the climate risks and opportunities across its existing assets, developments, lending, and internal operations. Kit leads the development of KingSett’s market-leading decarbonization strategy across its portfolio and is also responsible for its internal and external ESG reporting, third-party standards alignment, and sustainable investment and lending programs. Kit has successfully secured over $45 million in government financing to execute decarbonization projects, with a further $50 million in the pipeline, with the Canadian Infrastructure Bank. Kit has successfully converted KingSett’s Core Fund line of credit into a Sustainable Linked Loan, meeting key performance criteria annually to maintain the preferred rate offering. Prior to joining KingSett, Kit was the Senior Manager of Sustainability at Triovest Realty Advisors. While at Triovest, Kit rolled out new technologies to improve asset and portfolio ESG performance, achieved Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) Global Sector Leader standing, and helped develop and implement its Innovation Strategy. Kit’s experience covers nearly a decade and a half of business, strategy and sustainability experience across a variety of industry sectors and asset classes. Kit holds an Honours Bachelors degree in Environmental Science from Dalhousie University and is a LEED Accredited Professional.

Emma Schindler is a seasoned professional with over two decades of experience in the construction materials industry. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto and an Executive MBA from Ivey Business School, enhancing her strategic insight and leadership capabilities. Serving as the Vice President of Sales & Marketing at CRH Canada since July 2021 and promoted to Vice President, Commercial, Market Intelligence, Transportation & Logistics in November 2024, Emma brings a wealth of expertise to the sector.

Throughout her career, Emma has excelled in various roles, demonstrating her proficiency in sales, marketing, and strategic planning. Prior to her current position, she held key roles in sales management, where she successfully drove revenue growth and expanded market presence. Her career journey also includes roles in customer service and logistics, where she developed a strong foundation in understanding customer needs and optimizing operational processes. Her multifaceted experience has equipped her with a comprehensive understanding of the industry and a track record of delivering results.

In addition to Emma’s contribution to CRH Canada, she is currently participating on the board of the Canadian Concrete Precast Pipe Association and supporting the Canadian Cement Association with industry lobbying efforts. Additionally, she is a member of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Net Zero Council, contributing her expertise to sustainability initiatives within the industry.

Emma’s leadership acumen and commitment to environmental stewardship position her as a valuable asset in promoting sustainability initiatives. Her passion for innovation and fostering collaborative partnerships underscores her ability to make a meaningful impact in advancing industry practices.

As the Principal and Canadian Director of Regenerative Design at Perkins&Will, Kathy
possesses over 23 years of experience in spearheading regenerative design initiatives. She leads a multidisciplinary team dedicated to advancing project performance, ensuring they are healthy, resilient, and low carbon. In her capacity at Perkins&Will, Kathy directs several sustainability and research initiatives and has been instrumental in the development and implementation of three consecutive sustainability strategic plans, along with a green operations plan and decarbonization policy.

Over a span of 20 years, she has effectively managed both small and large teams, developed and executed operational budgets, and overseen leadership transitions. Kathy has led research on healthy materials and oversaw the firm’s Embodied Carbon Primer aimed at building awareness amongst clients and project teams. Currently, she leads the firm’s ESG reporting efforts and was pivotal in delivering
Perkins&Will’s inaugural Building Momentum Report.

A distinguished LEED Fellow and recipient of the CAGBC National Green Building Champion award, Kathy is a driver of change and committed to transforming the building industry through education and advocacy. Kathy is an active educator and delivers lectures on regenerative design practices to students at BCIT and UBC annually, alongside other industry forums. She is a trusted advisor within Canadian green building community, serving on a Canadian Standards Association (CSA) advisory committee focused on promoting circularity in the industry, mentoring women through the City of Vancouver’s C40 Women4Climate program, and providing guidance to the City of Vancouver and other jurisdictions on green building regulations, healthy materials, and policies related to embodied carbon.

Darryl is focused on leading sustainability and decarbonization best practices,
advocacy, and professional development across the Canadian commercial real
estate industry.

Prior to his current role as Vice President, Sustainability at the Real Property
Association of Canada (REALPAC), Darryl was Director, Sustainability for a large
global real estate investor, developer and manager – Oxford Properties. His
responsibilities included driving sustainability and decarbonization strategies and
performance across a 100 million square foot portfolio with business partners in
Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. Darryl started his career with
the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) managing voluntary environmental,
quality and health & safety standards and training programs in collaboration with
leading Canadian and global companies.

Darryl has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from the University
of Waterloo (BES), a Masters Business Degree (MBA) from York University and has
achieved his Global Competent Boards Designation (GCB.D).

Xavier Biot is a dedicated leader with a passion for sustainability. As Vice President of Digital Energy & Power Products, he helps building owners, operators, and tenants make their buildings more sustainable, efficient, and user-centric. Xavier believes that digitization is key to a sustainable future and envisions a world where energy efficiency is fully implemented.

He is also passionate about people, focusing on maximizing their skills and ideas to build
successful, diverse teams. Xavier is committed to customer satisfaction, helping them achieve their goals for a better planet.

Prior to his current role, Xavier held various positions within Schneider Electric in Latin America, Belgium, and the Pacific. He holds a Master of Science in Engineering and resides in Canada since June 2023.