MISSISSAUGA, ON, Dec. 3, 2012 /CNW/ - Morguard Corporation (TSX: MRC) ("Morguard") today announced the appointment of Vikash Jain, CFA to Vice President and Chief Investment Officer of its wholly-owned fund management company, Morguard Financial Corp.  Mr. Jain will succeed Charles Dillingham on December 31, 2012.

Mr. Jain brings more than 15 years of global portfolio strategy, design and management to Morguard.  He has proven expertise in managing multi-billion dollar structured portfolios for large institutional clients and global asset allocation portfolios for high net worth families. Mr. Jain worked for several years in Mumbai and Singapore as an oil and industrial sector analyst. That global perspective combined with his deep experience across asset classes and capital markets will be invaluable in leading Morguard Financial in its next phase of growth.

As Chief Investment Officer, Mr. Jain will oversee the management of the equity and fixed income portfolios Morguard Financial manages for its institutional, retail and high net worth investors. These portfolios include separately managed accounts on behalf of Canadian pension funds, the Morguard Sunstone Real Estate Income Fund (TSX: MSN.UN), the Morguard Real Estate Equity Fund, and the Morguard-managed CIBC Canadian Real Estate Fund, winner of the prestigious Thomson Reuters Lipper Fund Award in 2011 and 2012.

"Charles has done an outstanding job over the past 15 years," said Rai Sahi, Chief Executive Officer of Morguard, "He's one of the best in the industry, with two Lipper Fund awards and ranking as one of Canada's 50 TopGun Equity Portfolio Managers by Brendan Wood International in 2009. Most of all, he's helped our clients by delivering solid, risk-adjusted returns. Vikash will build on Charles' success to expand our business and bring the benefits of Morguard's expertise to more Canadians."

The experienced members of Mr. Dillingham's hand-picked portfolio management team, Derek Warren and Kate MacDonald will continue their day-to-day management of the Morguard portfolio of funds under Mr. Jain's direction.

"In the current environment, investors need quality investments that offer safety and yield," said Mr. Jain. "That is exactly what Morguard has delivered over the past 15 years and what we will continue to deliver over the next 15," he concluded.

About Morguard
Morguard is an expert in North American real estate ownership, investment and management. With a strategic focus on high-quality assets and diversification, Morguard has a proven track record of realizing the potential of real estate through consistent investment performance.  Morguard has more than $12 billion of assets owned and under management. The integrated real estate services company manages its own real estate portfolio, and also invests and manages on behalf of third-party institutional and private real estate investors. Morguard offers integrated real estate services, including investment management, asset management and property management.

Morguard Corporation also owns a 42.8% interest in Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: MRT.UN) and a 56.1% effective interest in the Morguard North American Residential Real Estate Investment Trust (TSX: MRG.UN).

SOURCE Morguard Corporation