AGF Management Ltd. has appointed Ashley Lawrence as senior vice-president, head of alternatives, the firm said in a release this week.

Lawrence will join AGF on Feb. 14 and report to Kevin McCreadie, CEO and chief investment officer.

Lawrence has about 20 years of private alternatives experience in global markets, including 16 with Brookfield Asset Management, where he most recently led real estate investing for Canada.

“Ash is a respected and seasoned leader with a wide breadth of expertise in investments, portfolio and asset management, development and restructuring,” McCreadie said in the release. “He brings the right combination of strategic thinking, deep experience and strong relationships that will be the catalyst we need to accelerate the growth of our alternatives business.”

McCreadie described that business as an “integral” part of the firm’s growth strategy.

AGF has $2.2 billion in assets under management and fee-earning assets in private alternatives.