Private Equity
Toronto mid-market private equity firm backing growth-oriented Canadian and US companies with long hold periods.
Birch Hill Equity Partners is a Toronto-based mid-market private equity firm, co-founded as an independent firm in 2005 by the team that ran TD Capital's Canadian mid-market private equity group, with a track record dating to 1994. It partners with growth-oriented Canadian and US companies valued at roughly $75 million to $3 billion, manages over $6 billion, and has invested in 74 companies (60 fully realized). Its latest fund, Birch Hill Equity Partners VII, raised $2.6 billion, and an in-house Data Science team supports sourcing and portfolio value creation. Recent moves include taking control of Velan and building an 18.66% stake in Pason Systems.
1 open roles6 deals6 people36 sources
Partnerships with growth-oriented Canadian and US companies valued between about $75 million and $3 billion across sectors including manufacturing, software, distribution, retail, healthcare and services; latest fund is Birch Hill Equity Partners VII ($2.6 billion).
Takes significant stakes in TSX-listed companies: acquired control of Velan Inc. (closed June 2026) and built an 18.66% position in Pason Systems through an August 2026 block trade.
Internal data science team supporting deal sourcing, company building and exit: data infrastructure, market mapping and strategy, and sales/operational efficiency projects; also incubates analytics teams at portfolio companies.
Partner-led capital markets role, filled in September 2025 by a former CIBC Capital Markets co-head.
Portfolio Support group listed on the team page: the Partner and COO, the Partner, Capital Markets, a VP Finance and a Director, Portfolio Support.
| Toronto | ON | headquarters |
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From the inside
Reasons that work in interviews
4 reasons for Birch Hill Equity Partners
One of the longest-running dedicated Canadian mid-market funds, so the track record spans several cycles rather than one.
Exclusively Canadian mid-market, which means the firm competes on knowing this market rather than on scale.
Operating team works with portfolio companies directly, so value creation is visible to juniors.
Independent since spinning out of a bank, which is the firm's own origin story and worth referencing.
Coming soon
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How juniors get in
Hires one or two Associates a year with two to four years of investment banking or consulting experience; its student internships and co-ops are on the separate Data Science & Strategy team, not the investment team.
Green: evidence it does. Struck through: evidence it doesn’t. Dashed: no public evidence either way.
Each row is a start season; the bars are when you apply. The track starts this month, so how far right a bar sits is how far off it is.
Open roles on BSO Jobs1
Midstream, energy infrastructure and energy supply business with natural gas pipelines and processing in Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Energy InfrastructureCalgary, AB
U.S. knife sharpening rental and exchange service for restaurants, grocers and foodservice kitchens.
Commercial Services
Producer of sodium chlorate, chlor-alkali products and chlorine dioxide technology for pulp, paper and water treatment.
Chemicals
One of Canada's largest non-bank mortgage lenders for single-family and multi-family residential markets.
Financial Services
Builds and operates fibre-optic networks providing dark fibre and broadband in secondary Canadian markets.
Telecommunications
Facility services provider offering janitorial, industrial and mechanical maintenance services in Canada and the U.S. Northeast.
Facility Services
Seaplane airline flying passengers between destinations on Canada's west coast.
TransportationVancouver, BC
Operator of funeral homes, cemeteries and crematoria across Canada and the United States.
Deathcare
Quarrier and producer of dimensional natural stone, founded in Quebec City.
Natural Stone
Canadian retail pharmacy chain with roughly 400 stores.
Retail Pharmacy
Canadian recycler of spent lead acid batteries with facilities near Montreal and Toronto.
Environmental Services
Midstream and energy infrastructure business with processing, transportation and terminalling assets in Alberta and B.C.
Energy InfrastructureCalgary, AB
Velan
Manufacturer of industrial valves for critical energy and industrial applications.
Industrial ManufacturingMontreal, QC
Canadian post-secondary education provider, including degree programs and the Toronto Film School.
Education
Partner and COO
Partners / Portfolio Support
Joined Birch Hill in 2005 and oversees its sustainability initiatives; serves on the board of the CVCA. Previously spent about a decade in CFO and finance roles at emerging and mid-size companies and consulted at McKinsey and Monitor. Stanford MBA, Ivey HBA.
Partner
Partners
Co-founded Birch Hill in 2005 after running TD Capital's Canadian mid-market private equity group, which he joined as an associate in 1989. Sits on the boards of Harbour Air and Bank of Montreal; past boards include Constellation Software and Sleep Country. Ivey MBA, Laurier BBA.
Partner
Partners
Joined Birch Hill in 2005 after serving as President of Rogers Cable's high-speed internet business, and earlier at McKinsey and Morgan Stanley. Chairs GDI Integrated Facility Services and sits on the Polycor board. Harvard MBA, Ivey HBA.
Partner, Capital Markets
Partners / Portfolio Support
Joined Birch Hill in September 2025 from CIBC Capital Markets, where she co-headed the Financial Institutions and Private Capital investment banking team. Earlier worked at George Weston, Citigroup Global Markets and PwC. Cornell MBA, Western BA.
Partner
Partners
Joined in 2000 while the group was still part of TD Capital. Chairs Terrapure and FlexNetworks and sits on the boards of Campus Energy Partners and Tidewater Midstream. Previously at private equity firm Harrowston and at Nortel Networks; Chicago Booth MBA, University of Toronto engineering degree, CFA and P.Eng.
Partner
Partners
Joined Birch Hill in 2012 from McKinsey & Company in Toronto. Chairs Rexall Pharmacy and sits on the Polycor board; became chair of the Velan board when Birch Hill closed its acquisition in June 2026. Ivey HBA (Loran Scholar).
Professional information only, drawn from official biographies and published reporting. BSO never lists private contact details.
Sep 2025
Melissa LiHire
Partner, Capital Markets
CIBC Capital Markets → Birch Hill Equity Partners
Birch Hill brought in a senior CIBC investment banker with about 18 years of M&A experience as Partner, Capital Markets.
Aug 28, 2026
Pason Systems Inc.
Acquirer (minority stake) · Energy services technology
Buyer Birch Hill Equity Partners
Bought 7,412,575 Pason shares in a block trade at C$14.00, roughly doubling its holding to 18.66% of outstanding shares.
Jan 14, 2026
Velan Inc. (TSX: VLN)
Acquirer (control stake) · Industrials
Buyer Birch Hill Equity Partners · Seller Velan Holding Co. Ltd.
Bought Velan Holding's entire stake in Velan Inc. at C$13.10 per share (about 72.1% of shares; 91.9% of votes at signing, 92.8% at closing per deal counsel). Closed June 15, 2026; Birch Hill partner Patrick Duncan became board chair.
Dec 23, 2025
GDI Integrated Facility Services Inc.
Co-investor · Business Services (Facility Services)
Buyer Birch Hill Equity Partners and Gestion Claude Bigras
Birch Hill and Claude Bigras agreed to take GDI private at $36.60 per share in cash.
Jul 27, 2025
First National Financial Corporation
Co-investor · Financial Services (Mortgage Lending)
Buyer Birch Hill Equity Partners and Brookfield (Regal Bidco Inc.)
Birch Hill and Brookfield agreed to acquire First National at an implied equity value of about $2.9 billion, with founders Stephen Smith and Moray Tawse rolling part of their stakes.
Sep 5, 2024
Rexall Pharmacy Group and Well.ca
Acquirer · Retail pharmacy / healthcare
Buyer Birch Hill Equity Partners · Seller McKesson Corporation
Acquired Rexall, a chain of about 385 Canadian pharmacies with roughly 8,000 staff, plus online health retailer Well.ca from McKesson, which stayed on as wholesale supplier. Announced September 2024; closed December 30, 2024.
Oct 5, 2010
Atria Networks LP
Seller · Telecommunications
Buyer Rogers Communications Inc. · Seller Birch Hill Equity Partners
Rogers agreed to acquire Ontario fibre-optic network operator Atria Networks for $425 million in cash from owners including Birch Hill.
Early-warning disclosure of Birch Hill's block purchase lifting its Pason stake to 18.66%.
Birch Hill funds completed the purchase of Velan Holding's majority stake; Patrick Duncan named Velan board chair.
Velan announces the sale of its controlling family holding to Birch Hill at C$13.10 per share.
Former CIBC Capital Markets co-head joined to lead capital markets.
McKesson confirms it closed the sale of Rexall and Well.ca to Birch Hill on December 30, 2024.
Birch Hill to buy McKesson's Canadian pharmacy chain and online health retailer.
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CNW Group (via Yahoo Finance) · Aug 28, 2026 · finance.yahoo.com
GlobeNewswire (Velan Inc.) · Jan 14, 2026 · globenewswire.com
GDI Integrated Facility Services Inc. via CNW · Dec 23, 2025 · newswire.ca
First National Financial Corporation via CNW · Jul 27, 2025 · newswire.ca
McKesson · Dec 31, 2024 · mckesson.com
Newswire.ca (Cision) · Sep 5, 2024 · newswire.ca
Rogers Communications Inc. via SEC (Form 6-K) · Oct 5, 2010 · sec.gov
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Birch Hill Equity Partners (Greenhouse) · Date unavailable · job-boards.greenhouse.io
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McCarthy Tétrault · Jun 15, 2026 · mccarthy.ca
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Summer Analyst · Toronto
Summer internship for undergraduates (business, sciences, math, statistics or engineering) in the summer before their final year, requiring SQL or Python skills; analysts work on portfolio-company process and systems improvement projects with the data science team.
Co-op · Toronto
Twelve-month co-op for undergraduates in the year before their final year, requiring SQL or Python proficiency and legal entitlement to work in the role location, supporting analytics projects across the portfolio.
Typical background
GuidanceA Big Six or boutique investment bank, a pension rotation, or asset management.
Large-cap platforms and global multi-strategy funds
Upper mid-market PE, infrastructure, the Maple 8 and large managers
Birch Hill Equity Partners is hereMid-market PE, mid-sized managers, domestic hedge funds and smaller pensions
Small-cap private equity, boutique managers and early-stage VC
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