Ivan Limpright has been appointed chair of both Concert Properties and Concert Infrastructure Fund.

He replaces David Podmore, who retired at the end of September but will serve as chair emeritus in an advisory role to both boards. 

“I’m delighted to see Ivan assume the role of chair. I’m confident that his enthusiastic, proactive approach will greatly benefit both companies as they continue to grow and evolve,” Podmore said in a released statement. 

Limpright has served as a director of Concert Properties and Concert Infrastructure Fund (CIF) since 2013.

He started his career at B.C.’s largest private sector union, the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) International Union local 1518, eventually serving as its president from 2006 to 2018. He was chair of the board of trustees for the UFCW 1518 pension plan for 22 years, and chair of the board of trustees for the UFCW health and welfare benefits plan for 30 years. 

Podmore co-founded Vancouver-based Concert in 1989 and co-founded CIF in 2010. A past president of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders Association, Podmore is also a recipient of the Order of British Columbia and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

He currently chairs the INSPIRE fundraising campaign at the B.C. Institute of Technology and sits on the executive committee of the Business Council of British Columbia.

Mitchell to retire from Northwest Healthcare Properties REIT

Craig Mitchell will retire from his job as CEO of Northwest Healthcare Properties REIT (NWH.UN-T) in mid-2025. 

Northwest owns and operates healthcare real estate infrastructure in North America, Brazil, Europe and Australasia. The board has launched an executive recruitment search to replace Mitchell, who joined Northwest seven years ago, became president in 2020, and was appointed CEO in 2023. 

After his retirement from the CEO position next year, Mitchell will remain on the board of Vital Healthcare Property Trust until the end of 2025. 

Pearce takes senior MD role at Hines

Jonathan Pearce has joined Hines as senior managing director, where he will lead leasing efforts and tenant engagement strategies across Canada, and broader Americas customer-centric efforts.

Pearce joined Hines after approximately 10 years at Ivanhoé Cambridge, where he was head of investments U.S.A. for office and life sciences and, prior to that, executive vice-president of leasing and development. His responsibilities included leasing for all properties and developments in Canada and the U.S., comprising 120 million square feet across the office, industrial, life sciences, and retail asset classes. 

Pearce holds a bachelor of science with honours in urban land economics from Sheffield Hallam University, U.K., and is a professional member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS). 

Picciola moves to Bertone Development

Peter Picciola has accepted a new job as senior VP at Montreal-based Bertone Development Corp. 

Picciola was formerly chief investment officer at BTB REIT.

His 26-year career also includes seven years as VP of Quebec office leasing at Ivanhoé Cambridge, and more than a decade at Canderel in Montreal, where he was VP of leasing and development from 2003 to 2014. 

JLL names new regional leads

Deborah Romano and Laura Kurcharczyk have joined JLL as regional leads for project development services (PDS) in the Americas. 

Romano will lead teams in Canada, New England and the New York tri-state area as executive managing director of PDS for Americas markets in the northeast and Canada. She moves to JLL after 24 years at CBRE, where her most recent title was senior managing director, New York project management leader. 

As executive managing director of PDS for Americas markets in the Mountain States and Pacific Northwest, Kucharczyk will lead teams in markets including Hawaii and Phoenix. She returns to JLL after seven years at CBRE, where she was most recently a Denver-based managing director. 

Vitug joins Nexus Industrial REIT board

Mary Vitug has been appointed to the board of trustees at Nexus Industrial REIT (NXR.UN-T).

Vitug is currently an external advisor to Nicola Wealth, a trustee at Slate Grocery REIT, and a director at StorageVault Canada Inc. She’s also a cabinet member of the University Health Network Foundation Surgical Tower Campaign.

Vitug spent 24 years at Scotiabank, most recently as managing director of investment banking for real estate from 2019 to 2021. 

SvN announces series of promotions

A flurry of promotions have been announced at SvN Architects + Planners. 

Ana Espinosa becomes a principal at the firm while retaining her title as managing director for Latin America. She joined SvN in 2013 as a landscape architect and urban designer before becoming an associate in 2018, and has spearheaded major SvN projects in Canada and Mexico. 

Also promoted to the role of principal is Gerardo Paez, who moves up from his previous position as lead, landscape architecture. He joined SvN in 2022 following nearly eight years with the City of Vaughan. 

SvN’s third new principal is Laura Sellors. She joined the firm in 2023 as its first chief growth officer. Sellors was the CEO of Frontier Design Inc. from 2021 to 2023, has served on the board of the Urban Land Institute Toronto, and has contributed to the Global Design Alliance. 

Rounding out the promotions at SvN, Michael Matthys has taken on the role of planning lead, Kelly Graham and Kevin Hurley have become senior associates, and Lucy Cui, Ana Morodo and Daniela Leon have moved into new positions as associates.