Sharno Group is a privately owned independent principal investment group and family office focused on identifying strategic, value-add investment opportunities across a wide range of traditional and alternative asset classes and strategies.

With a commitment to value creation, Sharno seeks strategic partnerships and employs a long-term perspective in its approach to investment underwriting and selection.

Sharno Group’s partners benefit from the depth and breadth of its principals’ experience, expertise, and relationships.

LEADERSHIP Team

ALBERT

Albert Soberano
Executive Chairman

Albert Soberano, Executive Chairman of Sharno Group, is an accomplished entrepreneur, investor and corporate executive with extensive experience in the areas of retail and manufacturing, real estate ownership and development, and corporate sales, marketing and promotions.

Previously, Albert was the CEO of Y.M. Inc. (previously, Young Manufacturers), one of North America’s largest privately owned apparel retailers, operating over 650 stores encompassing banners such as Stitches, Bluenotes, Suzy Shier, Urban Planet, Sirens, and Siblings. While in this role, Albert led various high-profile M&A transactions including the acquisition of West 49 from Billabong International Limited.

Earlier in Albert’s career, he founded Actionware (a division of A.R.S. Sales and Marketing Group Inc.), a sportswear manufacturer, promotional product distributor, silkscreen printer, embroiderer and importer operating in corporate, retail licensing and private label programs.

Albert’s broad experience in real estate ownership, management, and development includes his position as CEO of The Whitby Waterfront Development Corporation where he spearheaded the development of the highly successful Yacht Club Condominiums at Whitby Harbour in conjunction with his joint venture partner Canderel Limited.

Albert has extensive corporate governance experience including his previous role as a Director of Flipp Corp, a leading Canadian-based retail technology company.

Albert is also an active philanthropist, including as Founder and President of the Soberano Charitable Foundation and through his past role as President of Yaldeinu, a charity devoted to helping foreign underprivileged and victimized children.

Shael

Shael Soberano, CFA
Chief Investment Officer

Shael Soberano, CFA, Chief Investment Officer of Sharno Group, brings the most current analytical tools and rigorous discipline to the financial analyses he utilizes in capital allocation decisions. Shael developed and refined his financial expertise as a securities analyst and principal investor across a wide array of alternative investments.

Shael is also the President & CEO, Portfolio Manager & Chief Compliance Officer of Sharno Capital Corporation, a registered Exempt Market Dealer and Portfolio Manager with the Ontario Securities Commission, and distributes securities in Ontario to eligible Accredited Investors.

Most recently, Shael Soberano was Vice President, Senior Analyst at Vision Capital Corporation, a leading Toronto-based Hedge Fund manager focused on publicly-traded real estate related securities. Shael first joined Vision Capital as an Analyst in 2009, shortly after its inception. He was promoted to Vice President, Senior Analyst in 2014, and was registered as an Advising Representative with the Ontario Securities Commission in 2017. With a wide range of roles spanning both business development and investment management initiatives, Shael’s contributions were integral in growing Vision Capital’s assets under management and contributed to its award-winning risk-adjusted performance over that period.

Shael is a CFA Charterholder and completed the Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies Honours Degree with a Specialization in Finance at the University of Western Ontario. Shael completed the Partners, Directors, and Senior Officers (PDO) Course in 2019 and the Canadian Securities Course (CSC) in 2010, provided by the Canadian Securities Institute (CSI), and attended the SNL Real Estate REIT School in Chicago, Illinois.

Ari Soberano, MBA
Managing Director, Real Estate

Ari Soberano, MBA, Managing Director, Real Estate of Sharno Group, heads the company’s real estate investment, development, and management initiatives and brings a diverse and unique depth of active real estate experience and expertise having worked across various real estate functions including acquisitions, development, investments, finance, leasing, property management, and commercial brokerage.

Most recently, Ari Soberano was Manager, Acquisitions & Development at Rice Commercial Group Limited, a vertically integrated retail, industrial, and infrastructure property developer with a portfolio in excess of 600 acres, primarily in the Greater Toronto Area, including 5 million sqft of developed space and more than 6 million sqft in the pipeline. Rice Group is the preferred developer for Costco Wholesale and has built millions of square feet of industrial space for clients including Honda Canada Inc. and Hyundai Motor Company (Mobis Parts Canada Corp).

Ari first joined Rice Group in 2014 with a focus on leasing and property management following his experience in commercial real estate brokerage at Devencore (formerly Newmark Knight Frank Devencore). After a temporary leave from Rice Group to complete his MBA in 2016-2017, Ari re-joined Rice Group with a focus on acquisitions and investments, supporting the strong growth of the firm’s property portfolio. Ari was also responsible for partnership relationships and leadership with the firm’s private investor clients and public fund & institutional partners, including TD Asset Management (formerly Greystone Managed Investments Inc.) and Choice Properties REIT (formerly Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (CREIT) Management Ltd).

Ari holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with Distinction from the Schulich School of Business where he specialized in Real Estate & Infrastructure. Prior to this, he completed a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction at the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University. Since 2013, Ari holds an active Ontario Real Estate License and is a registered Realtor® with the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB), Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), and the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA).

Matthew Yunger, CPA,CA
Vice President, Finance

Matthew Yunger, CPA, CA joined Sharno Group as Senior Director, Finance in February 2022. Following seven years as a leader in public accounting, passionate about building strong relationships with his clients and his peers, Matthew joined Sharno in its senior finance leadership position, eager to support various aspects of the firms accounting, tax, and investment initiatives.

Prior to joining Sharno Group, Matthew obtained extensive experience at Crowe Soberman LLP as a Manager in the Audit & Advisory group. As Manager, Matthew provided insightful solutions to his clients and tailored his work around their financial goals. Matthew was responsible for overseeing and reviewing audit, review, and compilation engagements and preparing personal and corporate tax planning for his clients. Matthew’s primary industry focuses were real estate, manufacturing and not-for-profit organizations.

Matthew has been a CPA, CA since 2018 and completed a Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies, Honours Degree with a Specialization in Accounting at the University of Western Ontario.

Paul Aritzakis
Investment Associate

Paul Aritzakis joined Sharno Group as an Investment Associate in March 2024. With previous experience in investment banking and treasury, Paul is eager to support the investment research and decision-making initiatives of the firm.

Previously, Paul worked as an Investment Banking Analyst at a leading Toronto-based boutique investment bank focused on fueling the growth and success of early-stage companies in North America. Paul helped with the advisory, restructuring, corporate finance, and mergers & acquisitions mandates across the firm’s global platform. Prior, he worked at Canada Goose, a performance luxury outerwear, apparel, footwear, and accessories brand, where he supported the treasury and cash management activities of the firm.

Paul holds a Bachelor of Commerce with a specialization in Finance and a major in Economics from the University of Toronto.

REAL ESTATE & DEVELOPMENT

As a real estate developer, manager, and investment group, Sharno Group, in conjunction with Sharno Developments, targets active and value-add real estate opportunities in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and surrounding Ontario markets.

Sharno endeavours to build long-term partnerships with like-minded real estate investors to support the development of compelling and unique real estate assets. Sharno’s nimble size, hands-on approach, and entrepreneurial philosophy across a variety of asset classes enables it to look at real estate opportunities that are off the radar of traditional institutional investors to surface compelling risk-adjusted return opportunities.

Sharno’s real estate services include:

Acquisition Due Diligence & Underwriting
Asset and Property Management
Development & Regulatory Approvals
Financing
Construction Management
Leasing

Investment focus: Sharno typically invests in real estate assets with a total development cost or total computed value of between ~$5M to ~$25M. Sharno is focused on leveraging its experience in both commercial real estate (including industrial and retail assets) and the residential sector (including low-rise and mid-rise assets). Sharno will seek sites in all stages of development from raw unentitled land, to stabilized assets. The acquisition team is primarily focused in Greater Toronto Area (GTA) but may consider opportunities surrounding area opportunities including the Greater Golden Horseshoe.

Sharno is not a passive real estate investor. Sharno is actively involved in the operations, development, and management of real estate. Levering its team’s experience, network, and know-how, Sharno continues to seek opportunities to unlock every site’s hidden potential.

Private Equity

As a private equity investor in the Canadian middle market, Sharno focuses its investment allocations on opportunities in which its team can provide active and value-add support to the talented and dedicated entrepreneurs and business operators it seeks to identify.

Sharno, supported by its broad and deep network of co-investor partners and sector experts, seeks to partner with existing management teams to support the long-term growth initiatives of its investee companies. While its private equity strategy is focused on control investments, Sharno’s entrepreneurial philosophy enables it to effect a variety of structures and bespoke solutions for transitioning business owners. Sharno also has specific experience in restructuring transactions.

Target acquisition size: Sharno typically invests in companies that generate between ~$2M to ~$10M of annual EBITDA; such target is driven by a base minimum to allow the overlay of professional management and an upper-end focus below the radar of competitive private equity firms.

Industry focus: While generally agnostic to industry sector, the Sharno team’s experience is focused in retail, manufacturing, consumer brands, real estate, and transportation & logistics. Sharno does not typically invest in highly technical sectors and avoids companies with significant commodity price exposure and dependence.

Geographic exposure: Primarily North America, but focused on Canada.

Sharno is not a private equity fund manager. Sharno provides business owners an alternative liquidity solution which endeavours to support the established culture and success characteristics of a business through such succession transition.

• No fixed holding period; while maintaining a long term horizon.

• No customer or supplier concentration limits or other restricting criteria typical to established private equity funds.

• Roster of strong operating partners across a variety of industries to support investment initiatives.

• Preference to opportunities in which the core operating team wishes to stay on through a transaction.

• Mandate is to provide liquidity opportunities to owners of businesses through a succession plan; offering flexible buyout solutions.

With a focus on equitable corporate citizenship and doing business with integrity, Sharno prioritizes efforts that support a company’s dedicated work-force and various stakeholders to ensure the continued legacy of established businesses.

OUR Partners

Sharno Group is focused on building strategic, value-add partnerships, including with the following:

Argyle Capital Partners

Active private equity investors focused on delivering superior investment performance by consistently taking a long-term view. Current portfolio companies include a group of metals service centres spanning from Kitchener-Waterloo to Windsor in Southwest Ontario, and one of Canada’s leading distributors of CNC machine tools.