Michael Cairns is a retired business owner and real estate executive. He is the former Co-Managing Partner and Founder of Blackwood Partners, a real estate investment advisory and asset management firm. Blackwood provided transaction management services to pension funds, private investors, and public and private sector corporations across North America.
Cairns co-founded Blackwood in 2000, building it from zero AUM to approximately $3 billion AUM at its peak. The firm grew to over 60 employees across two Toronto offices and one in Vancouver. Blackwood served a client base of both domestic and foreign institutional real estate investors, along with other real estate owners and users.
In 2021, Blackwood was acquired by Nicola Wealth, a private investment counsel firm where Michael had been a long-term client. His entrepreneurial journey reflects the challenges and opportunities of transitioning a business through acquisition.