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Maxime Foucaud is CBRE Ottawa’s New Managing Director

September 27, 2024 4 Minute Read

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Maxime Foucard in the Ottawa office

Maxime Foucaud is the new Managing Director for CBRE Ottawa. It represents a homecoming for Foucaud, an Ottawa native who most recently worked for CBRE’s National Investment Team in Montreal.

When former Ottawa Managing Director Louis Karam headed to Montreal to become Managing Director for CBRE in Quebec, he asked Foucaud if he’d be interested in taking on the job of running the Ottawa office.

“To be in management and play a different role – that ticked a lot of boxes for me for what I wanted to do next,” Foucaud says.

The timing couldn’t have been better, as CBRE Ottawa celebrates 25 years in business and marked a record year for revenues in 2023. “We’ve had tremendous growth in Ottawa, and there is a great history there,” says Karam. “But there is still a lot of runway and growth potential. And as a successful broker who knows CBRE well and was born and raised in Ottawa, Max is definitely the right person for the job.”

Moving to Montreal and Back

Foucaud moved from Ottawa to attend Concordia University in Montreal when he was 17. He landed a job in real estate following his first year – walking office buildings to gather leasing information as a research analyst during summer break – and continued working in the industry while completing his Bachelor of Commerce.

He got started in the commercial real estate industry in 2012, working in leasing and investment for several firms before joining the investment team of Scott Speirs, which moved to CBRE in 2019.

In partnership with Speirs, Foucaud brokered more than $4 billion in real estate transactions, including some of the most notable files in Quebec history, such as the sale of Molson Brewery’s site in 2018, the Montreal World Trade Center in 2019 and Tour KPMG in 2021.

Foucaud also brokered Allied Properties REIT’s 2021 purchase of the office component of Jesta Group’s million-square-foot Place Gare Viger redevelopment, and LaSalle Canada Property Fund’s acquisition of a 50% stake in the Ivanhoé Cambridge office tower - Maison Manuvie, also in 2021.

During the pandemic Foucaud and his wife Angela, who also works at CBRE, bought a farm in Wakefield, Que., near Ottawa, where they grow their own food and raise livestock. Foucaud departed CBRE Montreal last year and decided that his family would live in Wakefield full-time. 

Young Energy

Foucaud visited the CBRE Ottawa office over the summer and found himself inspired by the energy, camaraderie and enthusiasm he encountered.
“You get that feeling when you talk to the people here, that feeling of youth and drive and focus,” he says. “It’s a young office, with the top producers in their 40s, and the people here are motivated.”

The fact that CBRE Ottawa skews young is the result of a concerted strategy on Karam’s part to organically recruit and nurture emerging talent in-house. “I’m excited to carry that momentum forward and take things to the next level,” Foucaud says.

CBRE Ottawa is also more collaborative than many of the siloed shops he’d worked at in the past, he notes. “The mindset in Ottawa feels unique – both welcoming and tight-knit. There is a strong worth ethic and collaborative drive to meet our clients’ needs.”

Maxime Foucard on farm

Down to Earth

When he’s not involved in commercial real estate, Foucaud is focused on his farm. “It’s a big part of our life.” He’s also an avid hunter and hiker, and loves the outdoors.

As he returns to CBRE, Foucaud plans to match the energy and drive he admires in his new colleagues at the Ottawa office. 

“As I transition into the role of Managing Director for the Ottawa office, I’m excited about the opportunity to build upon Louis’ success, and am eager to work with the talented team in Ottawa.”

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