On Oct. 28, PBY Capital hosted its signature family office event in support of McGill University Health Centre Foundation’s Women’s Cardiovascular program.
The theme, “Generations in Conversation,” brought together two generations from three of Canada’s leading entrepreneurial families: Tina Naqvi-Rota, CEO of Cameron Development Corporation, and her daughter Aliya Rota, CEO of the Naqvi Family Office; Jim Hewitt, chairman of the Hewitt Group and his son David Hewitt, founder of 1KD Ventures Inc.; and Pierre Somers, founding partner, chairman and CEO of Walter Group, and his daughter Isabelle Somers, president and COO of Walter Group. The three parent-child pairs took to the stage to discuss everything from leadership transitions to evolving family values.
Alexandra Reda, strategic partnership manager at PBY Capital, moderated the conversation between Tina Naqvi-Rota and Aliya Rota; Randall Birks, CIO and vice-president of the Birinco Family Office, led the conversation between Jim and David Hewitt; and Patricia Saputo, co-founder of Crysalia, guided the conversation between Pierre and Isabelle Somers.
The event raised more than $385,000 and sparked plenty of conversation about transitions and how the next generation can shift from following in the footsteps of their parents and grandparents to finding and pursuing their own passions–and what that can look like.
From footsteps to passion: A new model to grow entrepreneurship in Canada
Growing up, David Hewitt was always very aware of the family business–Hewitt Equipment, a Caterpillar heavy machinery distributor based in Pointe Claire, Quebec, started by his grandfather in 1952. “These were hard-to-miss products,” he says. I would see our family name on the side of machines throughout the city. My father described an excavator as a moving billboard for the business.”
Still, it wasn’t until he was working in the U.S. for an oil and metals commodities trading firm that also owned mines, smelters and refineries, that David first realized he wanted to work in his family’s business and explore his passion for entrepreneurship. “At that firm, I was most interested in the production and physical side of the business–not in trading contracts and speculating on the future pricing of commodities.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, this more real, tangible aspect of the company represented Hewitt Equipment’s customers. David also saw firsthand the values of a purely for-profit business versus a family-run business that put customers, employers and community ahead of profit.
“That experience made me realize I was excited by my family’s business,” he says.
David joined Hewitt Group as president when it was formed in 2017 by his father. “For me, it was an opportunity to continue to create jobs and work with entrepreneurs to build innovative companies, particularly industrial and manufacturing companies.”
At the PBY event, David announced a new initiative: 1KD Ventures, a private investment group that is working with Propulsa Innovations, a small startup based in Chicoutimi, Que., that has developed self-cleaning air filtration systems for heavy machinery. His excitement is palpable as he talks about Propulsa and its game-changing technology, which improves air quality for machine operators and engine performance and reduces waste. “It’s a win-win-win,” he says.
David is focused on getting Propulsa on a steady growth course and will then start looking for similar Canadian businesses. 1KD Ventures is an independently managed structured partnership with Hewitt Group with shared governance.
“It’s a great setup because this is a shared passion with my father, who is as excited about Propulsa as I am.”
David Hewitt
When asked how he was able to find his passion and make this pivot, David credits his family’s openness to leave room for exploration, and for risks to be taken. “It was obvious to me where my passion was,” he says. “The family was ready to partner to make it possible. It’s an amazing model to support new entrepreneurship.”
Securing the family legacy
A third-generation member of Edmonton-based and family-owned real estate development company Cameron Corporation, Aliya Rota grew up in the company that her grandparents founded and her mother now leads. She recalls the ExerSaucer set up for her at the office when she was little, and there are pictures of her sitting on her aunt’s lap while she was working. By the time Aliya was 8 or 9, she was answering the phone. “I wanted to feel like I was contributing in some way,” she says.
When she was in her early teens, she was part of a governing body called a “cousin consortium”’” for the third-generation cousins, where she learned what it means to be a fiduciary.
Still, there was never any expectation that Aliya would join the family business—a freedom that she credits with helping her to find her own purpose and passion. Instead, she focused on building an independent career trajectory. She became a chartered professional accountant, moved to Calgary and joined a professional services firm. Chronic health challenges led her back to Edmonton, where she began working in Cameron Corporation’s corporate accounting function as she focused on her health. This gave her an opportunity to work directly with and learn from the founder, her grandfather. It also helped confirm to her that accounting alone was not providing the career fulfillment she was looking for—a realization that had already started to set in before she returned home.
A stint with an institutional investment manager provided exposure to the sustainable investing space—another key piece in helping Aliya discover her passion. A year later, in 2024, she was tapped to lead her family’s family office.
“I see a lot of parallels between sustainable investing and family offices. We are investing for future generations, and we would be remiss in not looking at the impact of our investments beyond the financial return.”
Aliya Rota
She has a clear vision for the family office to become a centralized, trusted resource that evolves to meet the needs of each generation and to help keep the family aligned and connected. That includes supporting each family member in discovering their own passions and what brings meaning to their lives.
“If you pursue something you’re passionate about, you will find success in it—not necessarily financial success but fulfilment, purpose and well-being,” Aliya says. “My grandparents made so many sacrifices to give us a better life, and now we have the privilege to find that purpose. Our aim is to give the next generation the confidence and resources to explore what excites them and to know the family office is there to support them along the way.”
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