Manulife (MFC-T) president and CEO Roy Gori has announced he will retire effective May 8, 2025, to be succeeded by Phil Witherington.

Gori has been with the financial services company since 2017. After he steps down, Gori will serve as an advisor through Aug. 31 to support the transition.

“Roy is an inspiring, values-driven leader who has transformed the company and delivered outstanding results over his tenure,” Don Lindsay, chair of the board of Manulife, said in the announcement.

“It has been my honour to serve. We’ve delivered superior operating results, de-risked our business and become a digital customer leader in our industry,” Gori said in the same release. 

Witherington will also join the company's board of directors.

He has been a member of Manulife's executive leadership team since 2017, serving as CFO for five years before moving to his current role as president and CEO of Manulife Asia. He has over 25 years of experience, working with HSBC and AIA prior to joining Manulife. 

“(Phil) has consistently demonstrated the ability to navigate complexity, deliver on commitments and drive change and highly engaged teams through his authentic leadership,” Lindsay said.

Earlier in his career, Witherington spent a decade with KPMG in London and Hong Kong. He holds an executive MBA jointly awarded by the University of Edinburgh Management School and the École nationale des ponts et chaussées and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. 

Manulife's investment portfolio was valued at $429 billion as of the end of Q3 2024. Its commercial real estate portfolio was almost $17 billion, and it held over $54 billion of direct mortgage investments.

BGO names Holmes Canadian CIO

BGO has promoted Simon Holmes to the chief investment officer's post in Canada. 

Holmes will lead the team that manages Canadian real estate transaction activity. The appointment adds to his current position as leader and portfolio manager for the firm’s Canadian core strategy. He will also chair BGO Canada’s management investment committee.

“Simon is an exceptionally talented and strategic leader with a sophisticated understanding of commercial real estate and a strong track record of delivering for our investors,” Christina Iacoucci, BGO's managing partner and head of Canada, said in the release. 

Since re-joining BGO in 2016, he has set the strategic direction for the Prime Canadian Fund. Previously, he spent 10 years at CPP Investments after starting his career with BGO in 2003.

New COO at Equiton

Christopher Wein has been appointed as COO at Equiton Developments.

Wein has more than 25 years of experience leading projects across North America. He previously served as president at Lanterra Construction Management and COO of Lanterra Developments.

He also serves as chair of the Canadian Cancer Society and is a member of the board of Elevate, Canada’s largest tech festival. 

Anand promoted at Regional Group

Sachin Anand has moved up to become vice-president of acquisitions at Regional Group in Ottawa.

Anand joined Regional Group in 2022 as senior director, acquisitions and played a role in the firm's recent acquisitions of 1600 Carling Ave. and the Qualicum Centre office properties in Ottawa.

He has a wide range of industry experience including underwriting, valuation, risk management and brings decades of experience from previous roles at CMLS Financial and RBC. 

Ger new CEO at Options for Homes

Daniel Ger was recently named CEO of non-profit developer Options for Homes (OFH) in Toronto. 

His real estate development career spans more than 15 years with experience in both private and non-profit sectors. Ger joined OFH’s non-profit financing partner Home Ownership Alternatives as CEO in 2022 and assumed leadership of OFH in 2024 after they united under the same leadership. 

Cantiro names fund review committee

Real estate development company Cantiro has created a three-member Independent Review Committee for the Cantiro Opportunity Fund, which was launched on Oct. 28.

The committee includes:

• Bob Gomes, former president and CEO of Stantec;
• Tim Gillespie, former executive vice-president and head of corporate financial services for ATB; and
• Margaret-Jean Mannix, chair of Viridian Family Office.

The Cantiro Opportunity Fund provides real estate investors access to purpose-built, multifamily rental development opportunities.

New investment director for Nofada Immobilier

Jason Riley is the new director of investment at Nofada Immobilier.

The Quebec-based real-estate asset management firm - which mainly operates around Montreal, the province’s south shore and Quebec City areas - owns more than 500 units under partnership agreements.

Riley’s previous experience includes time with Camco Realties, Carbonleo, Prével and Groupe Sélection. He is a CFA charterholder, and holds bachelor degrees from McGill University in economics and biomedical sciences.

Colliers adds to Montreal retail team

Colliers Montreal has expanded its retail team with the additions of Jean-Francois Mauger, vice-president, Bénédict Bouvier, associate vice-president, and Nicolas Furtado, associate.

Mauger is a commercial real estate industry veteran who joins Colliers from Intercom Services Immobiliers. He has extensive leasing experience from time with Groupe Devimco, North American Development Group (NADG), RioCan and Ivanhoé Cambridge.

Bouvier is a retail transactions expert with specialization in landlord representation and brings experience in both Toronto and Montreal markets. He joins Colliers from Avison Young.

Also hailing from Avison Young is Furtado, whose expertise is focused on retail market data and a knowledge of Montreal’s downtown core.

Interim board at OHBA’s EnerQuality subsidiary

The Ontario Home Builders’ Association (OHBA) has appointed three interim board members for its EnerQuality division. 

The interim members are:

• Gord Cooke, president of Building Knowledge Canada;
• former CEO of CreateTO Brian Johnston; and
• Peter Saturno, president of Midhaven Homes.

OHBA has been a shareholder of EnerQuality since it founded the company with Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance (CEEA) in 1998. It acquired full ownership of EnerQuality in September. EnerQuality provides training and education for the residential construction industry in Ontario, in addition to its energy-certification business.