Canada
People & Companies News for Week Ending February 21, 2025
- Trez Capital has strengthened its leadership team with key executive appointments. John Maragliano has been named Co-CEO alongside John Hutchinson while continuing as CFO. Additional leadership appointments include Christian Skogen as chief investment officer and Keiju Yamasaki as chief credit officer. The executive leadership team now includes Darren Esser, joining existing members Hutchinson, Maragliano, Skogen, John Creswell and Alec Barry. Founded in 1997, Vancouver-based Trez is a diversified real estate investment firm and a leading provider of commercial real estate debt-and-equity financing solutions with offices in Canada and the U.S.
- Colliers has entered into an agreement to acquire a controlling interest in Ethos Urban, a leading Australian urban planning and design advisory firm. Ethos Urban, which employs 160 professionals across Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, will continue to operate under its senior leadership team as part of Colliers’ partnership model. The business will be rebranded as Colliers in the second half of 2025, with the transaction expected to close in the first half of the year. Toronto-based Colliers said the the acquisition aligns with the firm’s strategy to expand its urban design and strategic advisory capabilities in Australia.
- Kilmer Group has appointed Tom Kornya as its new president, effective March 1. He succeeds Michael Griffiths, who is transitioning to vice-chair after 45 years with Kilmer, including 25 as president and chief operating officer. Kornya brings more than two decades of experience from Ernst & Young, where he held senior executive roles advising major global clients across various sectors. A chartered professional accountant (fellow), he also serves on the board of Sinai Health. Kilmer focuses on infrastructure and real estate, sports and media, and private capital investments, including majority ownership of Coca-Cola Canada Bottling. Kilmer’s sports holdings include the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs, CFL’s Toronto Argonauts and Toronto FC through the company’s minority stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. The company is owned by legendary Toronto entrepreneur Larry Tanenbaum.
- The Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) is introducing Ardi (Artificial Reasoning and Decision Intelligence), an AI-powered virtual service agent, to enhance support for its 68,000 members. Ardi provides 24/7 access to accurate, multilingual responses on association rules, member benefits, and industry topics through multiple platforms, including SMS, voice, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. The service aims to improve efficiency and consistency in member support. TRREB will first launch Ardi internally to train staff and refine the service’s knowledge base before rolling it out to members this summer.
- Unceded: Voices of the Land, a groundbreaking Indigenous-led contemporary architecture exhibition, will be showcased at Edmonton City Centre from March 8 to June 21. Originally created for the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale, Unceded is the first exhibition of its kind to be presented on the world stage, celebrating Indigenous architecture through the perspectives of 18 Indigenous architects and designers from across North America, which has the Indigenous name Turtle Island. The immersive audio-visual experience explores themes of Indigeneity, resilience, and cultural sovereignty, offering a vision of harmonious co-existence. Following its previous exhibitions in Venice and Gatineau, Unceded continues to highlight Indigenous worldviews and architectural contributions. More details are available at Unceded.org.
- EllisDon Corporation has appointed Melissa Chee to its board of directors, bringing the total number of board members to 11. A seasoned technology executive, entrepreneur, and business leader, Chee has more than 25 years of experience scaling global technology multinationals and start-ups. She is a champion of diversity, inclusion, and the advancement of women and girls in STEM, and recognized as a thought leader at the intersection of critical technology sectors. Chee’s appointment reinforces EllisDon’s commitment to innovation and technology in transforming the global construction industry, said the Mississauga, Ont.-based construction firm.
- Steve Da Cruz has joined Newmark as managing director of its Vancouver office, where he will specialize in land and investment sales, including lower-middle market business exits. He brings more than a decade of experience in off-market and confidential transactions. His previous roles include serving as executive vice-president and co-founder of a boutique commercial real estate brokerage, as well as a top-producing vice-president CASM Global. He serves as president of CCIM’s Western Canada chapter.
- Connect CRE Canada is now accepting nominations for its 2025 Canadian Top Brokers Awards. Would you like to recognize a commercial real estates sales or leasing specialist who excelled as the market faced numerous challenges in 2024? The nomination deadline is February 28. Nominate a candidate today.
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