Nadia Somani – Forum Asset Management

Nadia Somani learned to read a contract the same way other kids learned to read a menu. Business language was a daily conversation in her household, tied to real risk and real negotiations. That early exposure shaped how she approaches law today, not as an abstract discipline but as a commercial instrument. Now SVP of legal and chief compliance officer for Forum Asset Management, she applies that lifelong business instinct to transactions, governance, and growth strategy across a rapidly scaling platform.

Nadia Somani | Forum Asset Management | SVP, Legal and Chief Compliance Officer

Forum Asset Management is a North American real estate and private equity investment firm focused on purpose-built student housing, multi-family, and alternative real asset strategies, managing billions in assets and structuring platforms designed for scale and measurable impact.

Early lessons in enterprise & debate

Somani grew up in a network of family-run businesses spanning retail, hospitality, property management, real estate, and international textile recycling. Exposure was constant and hands-on. She spent time in shopping malls where her family operated children’s clothing stores, observed hotel operations, and watched her parents and brother establish and operate a recycled textiles company where responsiveness and creativity to market swings and global dynamics were par for the course.

Commercial problem-solving was a normal part of family life. Conversations centered on contracts, supplier negotiations, human resource matters, strategic positioning, expansion plans, and regulatory hurdles. Her parents treated business issues as shared puzzles rather than guarded secrets.

“From car rides to kitchen tables, and everything in between, we talked about business, like others might talk about sports,” Somani says.

Her father regularly handed her agreements to review and asked for her opinion. She was included alongside her mother and older brother in substantive discussions, which built confidence early and reinforced that her judgment had value.

The family also helped extended relatives settle in Canada, often bringing them into the household and into business operations. That environment taught adaptability and responsibility and fostered an understanding that success was not to be measured solely from an individualistic perspective. Empowering others and supporting collective growth were core values instilled in Somani from a young age and modelled by her parents.

“There was always a problem to solve, and the assumption was that you would figure it out,” she says.

She developed an early love of debate but was more interested in how ideas translated into results. Law appealed to her to shape outcomes and allocate risk in business settings.

Building a commercial legal foundation

Somani earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and her JD from Northeastern University School of Law. During law school, she completed internships in social justice, regulatory systems, and public sector work, including time with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

Those placements broadened her understanding of how legal frameworks affect people and institutions differently and highlighted a practical gap between theory and execution.

“What you learn at law school is different than the practice of law,” Somani says. “You have to stay hungry and curious.”

She entered private practice with a focus on transactional and commercial work. Over more than seven years, she built experience in corporate, securities, and real estate matters, advised on complex deals, and served as corporate secretary for public companies. She progressed to partner at a relatively young age, supported by a reputation for commercial fluency and execution discipline.

Alongside billable work, she remained active in pro bono matters, keeping social impact in view and helping pave the way for later in-house leadership roles.

Global perspective & in-house evolution

Her move in house shifted her from advisor to builder. Over more than seven years with Aga Khan Foundation Canada and related institutions, she served as a primary legal leader responsible for governance and compliance frameworks. Her work extended into policy design, sanctions compliance, regulatory engagement, crisis response, and cultural property law. A period based in Geneva added cross border perspective.

Operating with limited internal resources required systems thinking. Processes had to be repeatable and practical, and governance had to function as operating infrastructure.

“You are wearing multiple hats and playing whack-a-mole,” Somani says. “You want to be proactive and not just reactive.”

The experience reshaped her approach to legal leadership. She served as a translator between legal detail and operational urgency, focusing on building self-running processes that reduced recurring friction.

After years in globally focused organizations, she chose to return to a commercial platform closer to home, seeking transactional scale and growth impact.

Scaling law & compliance

Somani joined Forum Asset Management in August 2023 as its senior legal leader and added the Chief Compliance Officer role in October 2024. She entered during a period of acceleration. The firm had launched a major fund platform in 2021 and set targets that depend on acquisitions and reliable capital activity.

She arrived as roughly employee number thirty. Headcount has since more than doubled, but the legal function remains lean. The organization prioritizes commercial speed and limited corporate overhead, which increases the importance of internal counsel who can independently manage structure and risk.

“My mandate grows as the company grows and scales,” Somani says.

Her scope covers legal, compliance, governance, risk, fund structuring, M&A, real estate transactions, investor support, and litigation management. She also serves as corporate secretary across multiple funds and leads privacy and anti-money laundering frameworks.

A defining moment came with a landmark real estate investment trust merger completed at the end of 2024, described internally as the largest transaction of its type in Canada. The merger positioned the platform as the largest owner of purpose-built student housing in North America and required the rapid integration of thousands of new investors into Forum’s systems and controls.

“It was a large-scale project in a small period of time, and alongside the legal complexities, the compliance and operational elements were significant,” Somani says.

Beyond transactions, she drives technology and AI-driven initiatives across legal and compliance functions, helping develop tools that streamline review and improve productivity. Her focus is on removing friction so governance supports growth instead of slowing it.

Her leadership approach emphasizes inclusion and real responsibility for emerging lawyers and interns. She remains optimistic about the next generation’s curiosity and engagement.

“There is no wrong choice at the end of the day,” Somani says. “You have to stay open and keep learning.”

Somani’s career connects directly back to her upbringing. Early immersion in entrepreneurship built commercial instinct and resilience. Legal training added structure and leverage. Today, she aligns legal and compliance architecture with business expansion while keeping an entrepreneurial mindset. Problems are still there to be solved, just at a much larger scale.