Concert Properties has appointed Catherine Roome as president and CEO, effective May 26.

Roome’s appointment followed what the company described as a comprehensive search. She succeeds the late Christine Bergeron, who died in February after a hard-fought battle with cancer.

Roome brings more than three decades of leadership experience spanning infrastructure, regulation and public-interest organizations. She previously served as president and CEO of Technical Safety BC for more than 10 years, and most recently was interim CEO of Atira Women’s Resource Society.

“Catherine is a highly accomplished, transformational leader with a strong track record of delivering results across a range of organizations,” said Ivan Limpright, chair of Concert Properties. “She brings values that align with our culture, along with a proven ability to develop exceptional teams. Her forward-thinking leadership, financial discipline and expertise in navigating complex environments make her exceptionally well suited to lead Concert well into the future.”

Roome said she was “honoured to join Concert Properties at an exciting time for the company.”

“What drew me to Concert is the outstanding team and its commitment to building people-first communities, while delivering stable returns to its owners—represented by over 200,000 working Canadians who depend on Concert for their retirement,” she said.

“I’ve spent recent weeks listening to Concert’s shareholders and stakeholders. What I’ve learned is that the company has strong fundamentals, valuable assets and committed people. My focus will be to align our stakeholders around a clear strategic direction, execute with discipline and advance the company’s corporate goals. I see a significant opportunity to build on strong investor relationships while attracting new investors and partners aligned with Concert’s vision.”

Roome has also held governance roles including past director of BC Hydro, current board chair of Powerex, chair of the operating board for McElhanney, and board director for Prospera Credit Union.

Current Interim CEO John Dooling will return full-time to his role as managing director and CFO, remaining part of the executive leadership team.

Concert controls more than $6.6 billion in assets and is owned by union and management pension plans and institutional investors representing more than 200,000 Canadians.

Pictured: New Concert Properties President and CEO Catherine Roome

Photo: Courtesy of Concert Properties