Northleaf Capital Partners Announces Executive Leadership Appointments to Support Continued Growth
- Michelle Joliat Appointed Chief Operating Officer, effective August 31, 2026
- Nadim Vasanji Appointed Chief Financial Officer & Head of Corporate Development, effective October 1, 2026
- Jeff Lucassen Appointed Vice Chair, Finance & Operations, effective October 1, 2026
TORONTO – August 12, 2026 – Northleaf Capital Partners ("Northleaf"), a global private markets investment firm, today announced key executive leadership appointments that reinforce continuity of leadership, strengthen the firm's operating platform and position the business for continued growth. Effective August 31, 2026, Michelle Joliat will join Northleaf as Chief Operating Officer and a member of the firm's Executive Committee. Effective October 1, 2026, Nadim Vasanji will be appointed Chief Financial Officer & Head of Corporate Development, and Jeff Lucassen will assume the newly created senior advisory role of Vice Chair, Finance & Operations.
"As Northleaf has scaled its global platform, we have remained focused on building the leadership and institutional capabilities required to serve our investors over the long term," said Stuart Waugh, Managing Partner of Northleaf. "Michelle and Nadim bring exceptional leadership and complementary expertise that will further strengthen our operating platform and the disciplined execution of our long-term strategy. These appointments reflect our focus on investing in people and capabilities as we develop the next generation of leaders at Northleaf. Over the past nine years, Jeff has played an instrumental role in helping the firm build its operational capabilities, and we are pleased he will continue to contribute to the firm in his new role."
As Chief Operating Officer and a member of the firm's Executive Committee, Michelle Joliat will lead firm-wide operations, including Investor Operations, Technology and Data, Business Transformation, Risk Management and Corporate Operations, with a mandate to leverage data and AI to scale the platform. She brings more than two decades of leadership experience across management consulting, financial services and operational transformation. Most recently, she was Senior Managing Director, Product and Delivery at Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, where she led complex enterprise transformation initiatives and technology delivery. Prior to that, she held senior leadership positions at BMO Wealth Management and RBC Wealth Management.
"Northleaf has built an exceptional global platform and has an ambitious vision for the future," said Michelle Joliat. "I'm excited to join the firm and look forward to partnering with colleagues across the business to strengthen Northleaf's operating platform, accelerate innovation across technology, data and AI, and support the firm's next phase of growth."
Nadim Vasanji will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer & Head of Corporate Development. The firm's Finance and Capital Markets teams will report to him, and he will continue to lead Corporate Development and Strategic Distribution. Marketing and Communications will transition to Robert Smith, in an expanded role as Managing Director & Global Head of Institutional Business Development and Marketing, creating greater alignment between the firm’s brand, investor engagement and growth-related activities.
"As Northleaf continues to grow, maintaining a strong financial foundation and the discipline to continue funding and prioritizing our growth opportunities will remain critical to our long-term success," said Nadim Vasanji. "I look forward to working alongside Michelle, Jeff and the broader leadership team to help support the firm's continued growth and the long-term interests of the investors and partners who entrust us with their capital."
The creation of separate Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer roles reflects Northleaf's continued growth and strategic focus on data, technology and AI, and provides dedicated leadership across these critical functions.
Jeff Lucassen will assume the newly created senior advisory role of Vice Chair, Finance & Operations. Jeff joined Northleaf in 2017 as Chief Financial Officer & Chief Operating Officer and has played an instrumental role in the firm's growth, helping establish its strategic partnership with IGM Financial and Great-West Lifeco while expanding the firm's finance, fund operations, risk management, capital markets and technology capabilities. As Vice Chair, he will help ensure a smooth leadership transition and continue coaching and mentoring the firm's Finance and Operations leaders.
About Northleaf Capital Partners
Northleaf Capital Partners is a global private markets investment firm with more than US$31 billion in private equity & venture capital, private credit and infrastructure commitments raised to date from more than 375 institutional and family office investors and a growing number of wealth, asset management and insurance partners. Northleaf sources, evaluates and manages private markets investments, with a focus on mid-market companies and assets. Northleaf’s 300-person team is located in Toronto, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, Menlo Park, Montreal, New York, Seoul and Tokyo.
Contacts
Prosek Partners
Pro-northleaf@prosek.com
Gina Lee
gina.lee@northleafcapital.com