Bruce Flatt

Early life

Bruce Flatt was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. His father, Ian, was a Senior Executive at the Investors Group mutual funds empire for 43 years.

Education

In 1985, Flatt graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Manitoba and was hired at Clarkson Gordon, which was later acquired by Ernst & Young. While studying business at the University of Manitoba Flatt won “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

Career

Bruce Flatt’s career path began in 1990 at Brascan, which was later renamed Brookfield Asset Management under his leadership. In 1993 Flatt led Brookfield in its bid to purchase prime office properties from Olympia & York Developments, which was debt-ridden and in bankruptcy court. Four years later, at the conclusion of the purchase, Flatt was promoted to Chief Executive of Brookfield Properties in 2000. During his tenure, Flatt simplified the complex structure of the old Brascan conglomerate. After turning it into a global alternative asset manager with three permanent capital listed entities: Brookfield Property Partners, Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners and Brookfield Infrastructure Partners, all of which now trade on the New York Stock Exchange. In 2002, Flatt became the Chief Executive Officer of Brookfield Asset Management. Under his leadership, Brookfield has developed a global operating presence in more than 30 countries. Today, Flatt runs Brookfield Asset Management, the $600 billion (assets) alternative manager with real estate, infrastructure and private equity operations.

Net Worth

In 2022, Bruce Flatt’s net worth was determined as $2.8 billion USD and he is ranked as #1205 on the Forbes Billionaires List of 2021.

Achievement

Bruce Flatt has been referred to as the “Warren Buffett” of Canada, in recognition of his investment style, extended tenure as Chief Executive Officer, and large investment in Brookfield. David Peterson, the former Premier of Ontario stated Flatt is “among a handful of the smartest people in Canada”. Flatt has served as Chairman and/or Director of several corporate entities throughout the years during his career. In the past, he has been on the boards of Brookfield Property Partners, Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners, Brookfield Office Properties, Brookfield Properties Corporation, Brookfield Homes Ltd, Gentra Inc., Norbord, Fraser Papers, Noranda Inc., Falconbridge Ltd., and Carma Corp. Since November 2010, Flatt has been the Chairman of General Growth Properties Inc., an American commercial real estate company and the second-largest shopping mall operator in the United States. Canadian Business ranked Flatt third out of 50 of Canada’s Most Powerful Business People. The Harvard Business Review also ranked Flatt 57 out of the 100 Best-Performing CEOs in the World.