Photographic portrait of Zach Pendley
Having an inclusive culture isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a business imperative.

Zach Pendley

EY Canada Real Estate and Hospitality Transactions and Valuations Leader

Strategic transaction advisor. Diversity and inclusiveness champion.

Zach leads the Real Estate Transactions and Valuations practice for EY Canada. He specializes in helping clients make strategic real estate decisions to address their biggest challenges and capitalize on their biggest opportunities.

Having over 15 years of experience, Zach’s been involved in real estate transactions worth over $15 billion over the past five years for both private and public-sector clients. His global experience includes running sales and marketing processes for clients and assets in North America and Europe. Zach is passionate about how technology will change real estate. Zach is a subject matter expert on the impact of cannabis in the real estate market and has helped licensed producers across Canada unlock capital from their business through bank financing.

He holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Arizona and an Executive Masters in Business Administration from Columbia University with Honours.

Zach is also a member of the Board of Directors of Canada’s LGBT Chamber of Commerce (CGLCC).

How Zach is building a better working world

“We often think about diversity as something that must happen within the walls of our offices, but it’s really about how we engage in our communities and develop relationships with other individuals and businesses. I started getting involved in many organizations to become a visible leader in the LGBT community as a gay proud male executive. It proved to be a totally rewarding experience for me as I learned that people's differences are their strengths, and those strengths can catapult your career when you embrace them and bring your full self to work.

We still have a ways to go to ensure that bisexual, lesbian and transsexual individuals see a path to partnership at EY. I’m making it my mission to fundamentally change the culture of EY and inspire people to be authentic to themselves and make a difference.”

Contact Zach