TORONTO, July 22, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust (“RioCan”) (TSX: REI.UN) today announced the appointment of Dennis Blasutti as Chief Financial Officer of RioCan, effective September 7, 2021.

Mr. Blasutti joins RioCan from Brookfield Asset Management where he most recently served as Managing Director, Infrastructure, and Chief Financial Officer for Enwave Energy, Brookfield’s district energy business, during a period of robust organic growth and capital investment. In his time at Brookfield, Mr. Blasutti also held progressively senior roles, within the corporate finance and infrastructure groups. Prior to this, he held senior finance roles in the mining industry and started his career in the audit practice of KPMG. Over the course of his career, Mr. Blasutti has led various finance functions, at both the corporate and operations levels, with experience including corporate finance and treasury; public company financial reporting; investor relations; financial and strategic planning; valuations; supply chain management; and information technology.

“I am delighted to welcome Dennis to RioCan’s Executive Team. His breadth of financial knowledge and relevant experience as well as his background in sustainable technologies will be important assets to RioCan,” said Jonathan Gitlin, President and CEO of RioCan. “Dennis’ strong financial and leadership skills will serve us well as we continue to responsibly enhance the strengths of our well-positioned portfolio and unlock the value of our rich development pipeline to drive growth and long-term value creation.”

Mr. Blasutti earned a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Economics and Accounting from Wilfred Laurier University and is a Chartered Professional Accountant.

About RioCan
RioCan is one of Canada’s largest real estate investment trusts. RioCan owns, manages and develops retail-focused, increasingly mixed-use properties located in prime, high-density transit-oriented areas where Canadians want to shop, live and work. As at March 31, 2021, our portfolio is comprised of 223 properties with an aggregate net leasable area of approximately 38.0 million square feet (at RioCan's interest) including office, residential rental and 15 development properties. RioCan’s development pipeline as at March 31, 2021, is estimated at 41.8 million square feet, of which 14.1 million square feet is already zoned primarily for mixed-use developments. To learn more about us, please visit www.riocan.com.