MEET OUR TEAM
Nicole Blajan
CIO & Managing Partner
Nicole has over 16 years of experience in real estate development with a passion for identifying opportunities that provide the greatest return on investments. Before co-founding Cogent Capital Group, Nicole worked on sourcing new sites, development and financial structuring on a wide variety of income-producing property types, with an emphasis on Self–Storage properties.
Armina Shakiba
Development Analyst
Armina is currently pursuing a master's degree in real estate at DePaul University. She has a degree in Architectural engineering and international business and has previously worked on development opportunities throughout the globe. Armina is passionate about leveraging her background in design with her passion for the real estate development.
Brian Coninx
COO & Head of Development
Brian has over 17 years of diversified experience in commercial real estate as a consultant, professional engineer, and self storage developer. Before co-founding Cogent Capital Group, Brian worked in numerous municipalities around the world, always striving to find the balance amongst stakeholders in his development projects.
Nicolas Salgado
Investment Analyst
Nicolas has a bachelor's degree in Economics and is a CFA candidate. Before joining Cogent Capital Group, Nicolas started his career as an Investment Analyst at SURA Asset Management, evaluating core/core+ real estate and infrastructure funds in the USA. He later joined Danescor, a UK-based boutique investment bank, where he engaged in low middle-market M&A transactions within the TMT sector.
Ned Mahic
Chief Executive Officer
Ned is an experienced real estate developer and investor. ​ He has accumulated more than 20 years’ experience in acquiring, financing, developing, and investing in various real estate properties, ranging from condos, student housing, and self-storage to light industrial properties across North America. As a business veteran, Ned is widely recognized for his ability to create stellar growth in a sustainable manner. His leadership skills in constructing scalable “corporate machines” and unlocking people’s potentials will significantly contribute to the success of the firm.
David Viveros
Investment Analyst
David has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, with a minor in Economics and a master’s degree with an emphasis in Project and Construction Management. Before joining Cogent Capital, David was part of the Financial Advisory team at Deloitte S-Latam and Norfolk Financial Group, one of the principal REITs in Panamá. He has gained experience in Infrastructure and Real Estate project management, dealing with all the stakeholders, including investors and bank officers.
Robert Luxenberg
Advisory Board Member
Robert worked in commercial real estate as a broker achieving Salesman of the Year honors on numerous occasions. Robert was also vice-president and senior vice-president of several Montreal-based tech and Internet companies. Along with his partner, Robert acquired and managed close to 900 apartments in several cities. His portfolio included a large forward-thinking student residence sitting on college property. In his youth, Robert was a swimming champion breaking multiple Canadian records. He was also a member of the Canadian national team and the leader of the Canadian contingent of over 35 sports to one of the largest international sports gatherings in the world.
Richard R. Hrabchack, CFA
Advisory Board Member
Richard R. Hrabchak (Rick) is the Chief Investment Officer of a Fortune 500 insurance company, responsible for the strategic development and tactical execution of an investment portfolio in excess of $25 billion. He is also a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team, working to develop and refine the company’s business strategy, execution and risk management. Previously Rick was the CIO of the Retirement Division of Prudential Financial, responsible for an investment portfolio in excess of $100 billion. Rick received a BA in Economics from Duke University and an MBA in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. He has earned the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations.
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Wing Kei Lo
Advisory Board Member
Following his engineering degree from McGill University, Wing Kei Lo started his career as engineer at Cummins, an American Fortune 500 corporation, and moved on to a supply chain management role prior to becoming an entrepreneur. Wing has always had an interest for numbers and calculations. He furthered this interest by applying it to the business world. After the obtention of his MBA degree from Kelley’s school of business at Indiana University, he started several real estate projects in Hong Kong and Mexico City. He then took advantage of the recession and entered the real estate market in United States, acquiring many multi-family complexes. From there, he expanded his investment horizon into commercial lending, senior care and hospitality businesses.
Jenny has never stayed far from real estate management and development. Right after the obtention of her CPA title, she started her first few development projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. She then shifted back to Canada and dived into the industry of child education and senior care. Within 10 years time, she expanded to several daycares, schools and senior residences across Quebec.
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