Jim Keohane will retire as CEO of HOOPP in March 2020. (Courtesy HOOPP)

The reorganization of its management and board structure continues at Crombie REIT (CRR-UN-T), which announced the pending retirement of three long-serving members of its board of trustees, chair Frank Sobey, Brian Johnson and Kent Sobey.

They will step down at Crombie’s annual meeting May 9. Crombie’s incoming board chair will be appointed and announced following the AGM.

“After 13 years as chair of Crombie’s board, eight years as chair of Crombie REIT’s predecessor, Crombie Properties Limited, and 40 years of being connected in one way or another with Crombie, I have decided it’s time to pass the torch and retire,” said Frank Sobey in a release. “It has been an honour, a privilege, and a very rewarding experience for me to be involved in the development and growth of Crombie from a small regional company to the dynamic and exciting national real estate investment trust it is today.”

Jason Shannon will seek election as a trustee at the AGM after being an Empire Company Limited (EMP-A-T) appointee to the board since 2016. Jana Sobey will take Shannon’s role as Empire’s appointed trustee. 

She is vice-president of field merchandising for Sobeys Inc. Jana Sobey has held consecutively senior roles at Sobeys in merchandising, marketing, human resources and, most recently, as vice-president of operations in Western Canada.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, a Masters of Arts in consulting and entrepreneurship, and is past chair of the Grocery Industry Foundation of Atlantic Canada.

“On behalf of all Crombie stakeholders, I would like to thank Frank Sobey for the many years of tremendous governance and leadership provided to me and to this company,” said Donald Clow, president and CEO, in a release.

“His leadership, vision and knowledge have been instrumental in Crombie’s success, and he retires leaving this company stronger and poised for continued growth.”

Keohane to retire from HOOPP

The Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP) has launched a search for a successor to CEO Jim Keohane, who will retire in March 2020.

Keohane began his career at HOOPP in 1999 as manager of equity trading and rose through the ranks until taking the CEO’s job in 2012. A release from HOOPP calls him “a pioneer in the area of liability-driven investing, which he introduced and implemented at HOOPP.”

During Keohane’s tenure as president & CEO, the fund has doubled to $79 billion in assets.

“Jim is well-respected around the world for his pension advocacy, investment strategy and leadership,” said Adrian Foster, chair of HOOPP’s board of trustees, in the release. “Under his leadership, he and his team have done an exemplary job of delivering on the pension promise.”

“I am very proud of the many shared achievements during my time with the organization,” said Keohane. “I will retire next year knowing that HOOPP is well-positioned for the future and has a great team in place to continue on our 59-year history.”

Desharnais joins AY Board

France Desharnais has been appointed an independent member of the Avison Young board of directors. Her appointment expands the board to nine members, and Desharnais will also be a member of the audit committee.

Most recently a business development executive with EY, Desharnais has led companies through significant growth, enhanced operating efficiency and increased profitability during three decades of management, finance, business-turnaround, accounting and business development experience.

“We are thrilled to have France join Avison Young’s board of directors,” said chairman and CEO Mark Rose in a release. “She is pragmatic and creative, and excels at simplifying complex situations to facilitate effective decision-making, strategy development and the successful execution of long-term business goals.”

Desharnais, who is based in Montreal, is an independent board and audit committee member with Quebec’s television and broadcasting society. She has also held board and committee positions with the Quebec MBA Association, the Canadian Cancer Society and Desjardins Credit Union.

Desharnais is a Chartered Professional Accountant and certified corporate director. She holds a Master of Business Administration degree in finance from HEC Montreal business school and a Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from Université de Sherbrooke.

With the addition of Desharnais, the board consists of Rose, Mathieu Desforges, Carol Johnson, Arthur Mirante, Benoit Raillard, Bob Slaughter, Earl Webb and Cory Wosnack.

Rachiele Colliers’ new Calgary managing director

Matthew Rachiele has been appointed managing director of the Calgary office of Colliers International.

Reichele moves to Colliers from TD Securities, where he was a vice-president in the Global Energy Investment Banking practice.

While at TD, he and his team advised on $8.7 billion in royalty transactions, totalling approximately 16 million royalty acres since May 2014, including the $3.3-billion sale of Cenovus’ royalty assets to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and the $1.7-billion IPO of PrairieSky Royalty, the largest energy IPO in Canadian history.

Rachiele is a CFA Charterholder and FINRA registered broker, with a Bachelor of Commerce, Finance from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary.

Alarie joins Fiera Private Lending

Fiera Private Lending has added Sébastien Alarie as its vice-president, business lending.

Alarie brings 18 years of experience to the position, including managing complex projects and creating strong, competitive sales forces. He takes over responsibility for developing business opportunities and promoting Fiera’s business financing product lines in Quebec.