My name is Emma Miron. This year I joined the Ivey HBA program after completing 2 years in Western’s BMOS program. I’m a member of the Western Mustangs Varsity Swim Team training 20hoursper week and competing at a national level, including at USports and Olympic Trials. This summer, I interned with the Investments Team at KingSett Capital, Canada’s leading private equity real estate firm. This incredible experience was the catalyst for my goal to pursue a career in commercial real estate merging my interest in finance, my passion for real estate, and my values through a career that supports ESG initiatives.

What is your personal definition of sustainability?

Sustainability to me means taking a big picture approach to ensure we meet our current needs without compromising future generations’ ability to meet their needs. It goes beyond not exploiting natural resources and ensuring sustainable practices support a healthy environment, social equity and a vibrant economy. That will create dynamic communities, strong inclusive cities and ultimately a better world. Sustainability is about what kind of world our generation leaves for future generations.

What role do you see sustainability playing in your professional career?

After witnessing trailblazing sustainability projects during my Summer Internship at KingSett, I discovered that sustainability practices gave a sense of meaning and reward to my passion for real estate. It is my goal to tackle climate change, create home affordability ,and address social equity by using commercial real estate. Everyone needs a community to live, to work, to shop and to socialize so using real estate as a driver for sustainability will create impactful changes. Earning Ivey’s sustainability certificate will be a catalyst for my pursuit of a career with a real estate firm that aims to create communities that thrive for future generations.

What sustainability projects have you been engaged in?

During my Internship at KingSett, I had the opportunity to learn about and see first-hand their retrofit of Scotia Plaza to be the largest Zero Carbon office building in Canada and the first to be certified under Zero Carbon Building Performance V2. At KingSett, I also spearheaded a research project to determine the viability of investing in affordable housing in major Canadian markets to support expansion of KingSett’s Affordable Housing Fund. This Fund addresses Canada’s affordable housing crisis, thus providing social and economic equality benefits.

This first-hand experience made me realize that I can pursue a career in real estate while making a positive impact in society; an objective that aligns with my values and that I find extremely rewarding. It also inspired me to network with individuals from impact focused firms including RBC, OMERs and TAS to see what ESG initiatives the top firms in Canada are engaging in to make current cutting-edge differences.

To provide a learning experience for my peers regarding sustainability in real estate, I used my position as an Analyst for the Ivey Real Estate Club, to organize a fireside chat with Jon Love, CEO of KingSett Capital where I asked progressive questions relating to carbon neutrality, home affordability, green technologies, geothermal technologies etc.