Emeka Mayes, partner, head of capital markets, brokerage at Colliers. (Courtesy Colliers)

Emeka Mayes has joined Colliers (CIGI-T) as partner, head of capital markets, brokerage working out of the firm’s Montreal office. As part of the Colliers Canada senior leadership team, Mayes will lead and oversee the expansion of Colliers’ Canadian Capital Markets Brokerage team.

Mayes joins Colliers with more than 10 years of experience at First Capital REIT (FCR.UN-T) where she was vice president, investments for Canada. In her previous role, she managed a cross-functional team across Montreal and Toronto and was responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and closing all acquisitions, dispositions, and joint venture relationships.

Her track record includes over 60 acquisitions totalling over $1.2 billion and over 70 dispositions totalling $1.8 billion.

In her new role, Mayes will contribute to national decisions and be the primary entry point for high-profile real estate investment sales opportunities across the country. She will collaborate with Colliers’ brokers and brokerage leaders in local markets nationwide as well as the capital markets team in Canada and globally.

Renwick new president at Freed

Jane Renwick has been appointed president of Toronto-Based Freed Developments. Having spent over 15 years in the industry in Toronto, Renwick has worked her way up the ranks with positions at several GTA-based firms.

Her career has focused on market research, product development, and marketing and sale of new condominium projects and master-planned communities. She also been involved with acquisitions, planning and construction teams throughout her career.

Most recently, Renwick spent three years as vice president, marketing and sales, at Diamond Kilmer Developments. Prior to that, she was the chief marketing officer at Melbourne Group for about eight years, and spent time as vice president, GTA for Onni Group and was executive vice president at Urbanation Inc.

She has a bachelor of economics from McGill University.

Rodio becomes Great Canadian Gaming CEO

Apollo Global Management, Inc. completed its acquisition of Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GC-T) and has named seasoned gaming executive Anthony ‘Tony’ Rodio its new CEO. He will lead the company from its headquarters in Toronto, and also joins the board of directors.

Rodio has nearly 40 years’ experience in the gaming industry and was most recently CEO of Caesars Entertainment Corporation, where he led the casino and entertainment company from April 2019 through its acquisition by Eldorado Resorts in July 2020.

Prior to that, Rodio had served as the CEO of Affinity Gaming as well as president and CEO of Tropicana Entertainment, where he led the company through a period of significant growth driven by operational enhancements and regional expansion. Previously, Rodio held senior roles at Hollywood Casino and Harrah’s Entertainment.

Terrance Doyle, who served as Great Canadian’s interim CEO, becomes national president of business development. Doyle will assist the board and management on transition and business development initiatives, including the completion of its GTA development.

Trudeau becomes CFO at Brainbox AI

BrainBox AI has hired Francis Trudeau as its chief financial officer to oversee worldwide strategic and operational finances.

Throughout his career, he has worked with companies that have developed innovative technologies, have strong entrepreneurial values, and have scaled globally, including Logibec, Vision 7 International (Cossette) and CGI. Trudeau played a significant role in the privatization of Cossette and the recent sale of Logibec to Novacap.

A chartered accountant, he also holds a bachelor of commerce from McGill University, an MBA from Laval University and is a chartered business valuator.

Fengate names Tsang general counsel

Vernita Tsang, general counsel at Fengate Asset Management. (Courtesy Fengate)

Fengate Asset Management has appointed Vernita Tsang as its general counsel, following the retirement of Heather Crawford. Tsang brings a wealth of experience including five years as an expert and legal guide with Fengate’s complex infrastructure transactions and public-private partnerships.

Prior to joining Fengate in 2016, Tsang was a director in the transaction legal group at Infrastructure Ontario. She spent eight years there in progressively more senior roles advising authority clients on all aspects of major civil, social and transit infrastructure projects delivered through public-private partnership models. She also has experience in procurement, construction and commercial real estate from past positions at Infrastructure Ontario and McCarthy Tétrault LLP.

Tsang’s expertise includes combining her technical knowledge with an ability to create partnerships with legal and business leaders across a broad range of sectors.

New roles for Reetu Gupta at Gupta Group

Reetu Gupta, president and CEO of The Gupta Group and Easton’s Group of Hotels since 2018, is stepping into a new role of ambassadress and principal with the firm. She will continue to represent ownership interests going forward in diversifying the portfolio of Canada’s largest private hotel development corporation.

Her career within the family businesses, The Gupta Group and Easton’s Group of Hotels, began as a youth working the phones and completing administrative duties. Upon graduating from the University of Toronto in 2005, she rejoined the company as the director of sales and marketing.

Over the last 16 years, in addition to receiving her MBA from the Schulich School of Business, Gupta held a variety of roles including executive director, vice president of sales, marketing and strategic development, and chief operating officer before becoming president and CEO in 2018.

She will also continue as co-founder and chief strategy officer of Rogue Insight Capital, a venture capital and private equity firm she co-founded with her brother, president and CEO of Rogue, Suraj Gupta.

Great Gulf appoints two directors

Bill Tresham and Stephen Cole have been appointed directors of Great Gulf Group.

Tresham is the founder of RittenVest. He previously served as the president of Ivanhoé Cambridge, chief executive officer of SITQ, partner and chief operating officer of Callahan Capital Partners, chief operating officer of Trizec Properties, managing director real estate equity investments at Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, and partner at Equidev Group.

Cole is the president of Seeonee and formerly president of Duff & Phelps Canada Ltd., a company that acquired Cole & Partners which he founded. He serves on the boards of Westaim Corporation and FARO Technologies.

He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, Fellow of the Canadian Chartered Institute of Business Valuations and full member of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute of Canada, Inc.