Leadership Team

Paula Horn is the President and Chief Investment Officer of Brookfield’s Public Securities Group. In this role, she is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the business, setting strategic direction and priorities in alignment with Brookfield’s broader organizational goals. Ms. Horn also serves as a Portfolio Manager on Brookfield’s multi-asset solutions team, where she oversees asset allocation and portfolio construction across both public and private markets.

Prior to joining Brookfield in 2021, Ms. Horn was the Chief Investment Officer of Ziegler Capital Management where she oversaw the firm’s fixed income and equity teams and served as the CIO and primary portfolio manager for all marketed fixed income products.

Ms. Horn holds a Master of Business Administration from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Tufts University. She is an active member of the Economic Club of Chicago, University Club of Chicago and Women Investment Professionals (WIP), and currently serves on the board of the CFA Society Chicago.

Bernie Norton is a Managing Director for Brookfield’s Public Securities Group. In this role, he is responsible for leading the group’s business development efforts with institutional clients and consultants globally.

Prior to joining Brookfield in 2019, Mr. Norton was a Director of consultant relations at BMO Global Asset Management where he was responsible for cultivating relationships with investment consultants.

Mr. Norton holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Washington and Lee University.

Elizabeth Nelson is a Managing Director and General Counsel for Brookfield’s Public Securities Group. In this role, she oversees the legal and compliance functions for the investment advisory business, including institutional and retail separately managed accounts, registered and unregistered funds and general corporate governance.

Prior to joining Brookfield in 2022, Ms. Nelson served as Assistant General Counsel at Invesco Ltd.

Ms. Nelson holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Kevin Christy is a Director and the Chief Compliance Officer for Brookfield’s Public Securities Group. In this role, Mr. Christy oversees the compliance department and is responsible for the implementation of compliance control structures, new regulatory requirements, and related policies and procedures.

Prior to joining PSG, Mr. Christy was a Managing Director at Blue Owl Capital, where he led the firm’s compliance testing and controls program. Prior to Blue Owl, Mr. Christy spent ten years on the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission, both as an exam manager in the Division of Examinations and an attorney in the Office of General Counsel.

Mr. Christy received his JD from the Washington College of Law at American University and holds a BA in government from Georgetown University.

John Font is a Director and Head of Operations and Technology Services for Brookfield’s Public Securities Group. He is responsible for the operations and technology teams that support the other teams within PSG’s business.

Prior to joining the firm in 2018, Mr. Font was an Executive Director and Head of Software Development for UBS O’Connor, a multi-strategy hedge fund manager within UBS Asset Management.

Mr. Font earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management and a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the University of Michigan.

Liam O’Connor is a Director and the Head of Finance for Brookfield’s Public Securities Group. He is responsible for internal and external financial reporting, budgeting and overseeing the accounting operations of the firm.

Prior to joining the firm in 2010, Mr. O’Connor was an auditor in the financial services practice at RSM for eight years.

Mr. O’Connor earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accounting from the University of Northern Iowa.

Andrew Alexander is a Director and Portfolio Manager on the Public Securities Group’s Infrastructure Equities team. In this role he oversees and contributes to the portfolio construction process, including execution of buy/sell decisions. Prior to joining the firm in 2008, Mr. Alexander was with SNL Financial where he specialized in the energy sector. Mr. Alexander earned a Masters in Corporate Finance degree from the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of Virginia.

Brandon Benjamin is a Director and Portfolio Manager on the Public Securities Group’s Real Estate Equities team. Mr. Benjamin assists in construction, execution and daily oversight of several portfolio strategies. He focuses on U.S. Retail and Japan. Prior to joining the firm in 2019, Mr. Benjamin was a Global Real Estate Senior Investment Analyst at American Century Investments where he covered U.S. Residential and Self Storage REITs, homebuilders, and commercial real estate brokers, as well as Japan. Prior to American Century Investments, he held positions at Harrison Street Securities, NAREIT and Cambridge Associates. Mr. Benjamin is a member of the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT). He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Indiana University Maurer School of Law, a Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana University Kelley School of Business, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Business from Lafayette College.

Christopher Janus is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager on the Public Securities Group’s Real Asset Debt team. In this role, he oversees and contributes to the portfolio construction process, including execution of buy/sell decisions. In addition, he is responsible for covering Real Estate and CMBS. Previously, he was a Director on PSG’s Structured Products team focused on CMBS, CRE CLOs and direct lending. Prior to joining Brookfield in 2009, Mr. Janus began his career at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey within the Real Estate Investment Banking group. Mr. Janus earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Miami University.

Tom Miller is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager on the Public Securities Group’s Infrastructure Equities team. In this role he oversees and contributes to the portfolio construction process, including execution of buy/sell decisions. Prior to joining Brookfield in 2013, Mr. Miller worked at FactSet Research Systems working with institutional investment managers to incorporate portfolio analytics and risk management tools into their respective investment processes. Mr. Miller holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University.

Riley O’Neal is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager on the Public Securities Group’s Multi-Asset Solutions team. In this role he oversees asset allocation and portfolio construction across private and public markets. He is also actively involved in the risk analysis of the firm’s equities and fixed income strategies, including independent monitoring of risk levels versus guidelines and assisting portfolio management teams in managing overall portfolio risk. Prior to joining the firm in 2016, he worked at multi-strategy hedge funds for four years focusing primarily on portfolio risk analytics and overall market risk. Mr. O’Neal holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation and received his Bachelor of Science in Finance and Accounting from Indiana University.

Daniel Parker is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager on the Public Securities Group’s Real Asset Debt team. In this role, he oversees and contributes to the portfolio construction process, including execution of buy/sell decisions. Prior to Brookfield in 2006, Mr. Parker was a credit analyst at Standard & Poor’s Rating Services. Mr. Parker started his career in international trade finance at Export Development Canada. Mr. Parker earned an Honors Bachelor of Commerce degree from Lakehead University. He is a CFA charterholder and a member of the CFA Society of Chicago.

Gaal Surugeon is a Managing Director and Portfolio Manager on the Public Securities Group’s Multi-Asset Solutions team. In this role, he oversees and contributes to the portfolio construction and asset allocation for the firm’s diversified real asset portfolios. Prior to joining Brookfield in 2019, Mr. Surugeon was an Executive Director at Oppenheimer Asset Management where he served as manager of the firm’s multi-asset portfolios and director of asset allocation and research. Prior to that, he was an associate economist at Decision Economics, Inc. Mr. Surugeon holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

Richard Sweigard is a Director and Portfolio Manager on the Public Securities Group’s Real Estate Equities team. Mr. Sweigard assists in construction, execution and daily oversight of several portfolio strategies. In addition, he focuses on the U.S. Office and continental Europe. Prior to joining the firm in 2005, he was an analyst at KeyBanc Capital Markets, a division of McDonald Investments. Mr. Sweigard earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Wisconsin Madison.