Zottola Announced as Managing Director of Canada ICI Montréal

This week, Canada ICI appointed Stefano Zottola as Managing Director of the Montréal office. Zottola’s appointment reflects the deliberate, culture-driven succession that has defined Canada ICI’s growth.

Executing the Vision

One hundred and fifty-five Canada ICI team members converged in British Columbia in September 2025 to formalize its direction and its role in the real estate finance industry.

The brief synopsis:

1. Continue to originate the most deals in the country.
2. Unify the origination and AMG product lines into one aligned business structure.
3. Expand its position as one of the most active CMHC lenders in the country.
4. Lead the industry in Mortgage AUM growth from its existing 11-figure portfolio.

The focus is not on where the market was, or where it is today. Rather, Canada ICI is meeting the market where it is going by intentionally building a pipeline of institutional quality loan opportunities and harmonizing those opportunities with market-leading loan products.

That vision requires a methodical strategy and tight execution.

Montréal’s Success is a Team Story

To understand why Zottola was tapped for the role, we need to cover a bit of history. The relationship between Canada ICI and commercial real estate in Québec started in the ’90s under the aligned collaboration of Thomaso Marcantonio and Dale Klein. The relationship was formalized in 2021 when Canada ICI acquired MFCI. In the last five years, the Montréal team has grown through strategic additions and thrived under the principles of a service-centric approach, tight-knit collaboration, and patiently developing relationships.

With a very successful track record under the mentorship of Marcantonio, Zottola will continue a long-standing tradition of organic growth that has fuelled the majority of Canada ICI’s growth throughout its 33-year history. Canada ICI has a unique capability of developing leaders within the organization and scaling leadership. A strong culture of mentorship and a “team-first” approach have anchored the organization, and Montréal looks to expand on this to capitalize on its growth in the region. The office arranged over $2B in financing last year alone.

Passing of the Torch

The entire Canada ICI team is deeply entrenched in the market.

Stefano has seen the shifts in real time, and he has proven that he can take that ground-level intelligence and bridge it to Canada ICI’s institutional strategy.

At the same time, Zottola is also firmly established in the principles and traditions of culture, collaboration, and leadership exemplified by Marcantonio.

He watched, he learned, and he put it into practice.

And he will continue to learn and grow as he leads.

Over time, he developed his own brand of advisory, transparency, and patience. He mentored others in the same way that he was mentored. And those under his guidance are finding success.

If you ask Stefano what excites him most, he says, “To watch the others around me grow.” In that answer, you hear Thomas. You hear Dale. You hear what Canada ICI has always been — and where it’s going.