Choice Properties is a leading Real Estate Investment Trust that creates enduring value through the ownership, operation, and development of high-quality commercial and residential properties.

Real Estate

Choice Properties

Farid is responsible for the National Technical Operations and Capital Projects team across all assets at Choice Properties.

Farid has over 25 years of industry experience overseeing capital projects, technical operations, tenant fit outs, procurement, due diligence, sustainability, energy management, and standardization of maintenance best practices. Farid has Class 1 and 2 High Honours BES Certificate from Seneca College and an Associate of Arts in Business Management from Skyline College. In addition, he was awarded a certificate from Harvard on Smart Buildings.

Farid is a member of multiple professional organizations including the Allied Professional & Owners Division Committee with Toronto Construction Association, a Field Advisory Committee of TSSA, BOMA Canada and ASHRAE.

Farid Malek

Niall is responsible for overseeing the long-term growth of the Development and Construction portfolio at Choice Properties.

Niall is a real estate executive with 25 years of experience within residential and commercial development, alongside asset management and investment, consisting of numerous real estate asset classes in Europe, the U.S. and Canada.

Prior to joining Choice, Niall was President & COO of Great Gulf Group's Residential division, where he provided leadership and operational guidance to the group’s residential platforms in Canada, and high-rise projects in the U.S. Additionally, Niall held the position of Senior Vice President of Development at Cadillac Fairview, where he was responsible for many of the company's commercial and mixed-use residential developments.

Niall holds a BSc. in Surveying from University of Dublin, a MSc Real Estate (Honours), from The Dublin Institute of Technology and is an accredited Chartered Surveyor with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

Niall Collins

Simone has overall responsibility for leasing and compliance matters at Choice Properties.

Simone has spent over a decade within the George Weston Group of Companies, including the past five years as Vice President, General Counsel and Head of Compliance for a leading North American food manufacturing company. Prior to joining Weston, Simone practiced corporate law on Bay Street at Torys LLP. Simone graduated with a LL.B with distinction from the University of New Brunswick in 2006 and was called to the bar in 2007. Simone also holds an Honours BA degree and a BEd degree with distinction.

Simone Cole

Mario is responsible for growing a generation of major mixed-used development projects for Choice Properties.

Prior to joining Choice, Mario held progressive positions within Loblaw Companies Limited (“LCL”) for 25 years, culminating with his appointment to VP, Planning & Development in the real estate division. He was involved in all aspects of LCL’s development, construction and ultimate opening of the company’s assets. Mario holds a BA degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Ryerson University.

Mario Fatica

Ana has overall responsibility for the performance and asset management strategy of Choice Properties’ income portfolio.

Ana has over 25 years of commercial real estate experience in areas of leasing, property management, property accounting, and investments. Ana is a graduate of the University of Toronto and, prior to joining Choice, held positions at Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (“CREIT”) as SVP, Office Properties, and at Dream Office REIT as COO.

Ana Radic

Erin Johnston

Claudia leads and is accountable for Choice’s Property Management team, overseeing the planning and delivery of all property management services for their national portfolio of retail, industrial, and office assets.

Prior to joining Choice, Claudia has over 30 years of real estate experience, working at well-renowned companies. Her career in property management began at Slough Estates, and from there, she went on to work at Dundee Realty Management Corp., where she managed a challenging portfolio of office & industrial mix and led a property management team. Claudia was also at GE Capital Real Estate as Director of Property Management, where she collaborated with other colleagues in construction, accounting, and leasing, and was appointed Ombudsman for two years, achieving record registered calls and successful resolution of cases. Her final stop before joining Choice, was with CBRE Limited, as Canadian Director of Property Management, which allowed her a greater opportunity to mentor a young team and foster a high-performing and service-oriented culture.

Claudia Nemi

Julie is responsible for construction of all asset classes across Canada at Choice Properties.

Prior to Choice, Julie led a team at Hines that managed site plan approvals, permitting processes and construction of purpose-built high-rise rentals and a mixed-use subdivision in Toronto with mass timber office buildings. At Canderel, Julie managed the development approval, condominium registration processes and managed several landmark projects. Some notable projects include the 80-storey Aura mixed-use building, 66-storey YC Condominiums and the 51-storey, 46-storey Residences of College Park condominiums. Her experience in complex high-rise construction in Canada spans 20 years, while her in-depth knowledge of every stage of a project lifecycle is extensive. Julie holds a B. Sc. in Civil Engineering, with specialization in structures from U.W.I.

Julie Robinson

Sharon is responsible for the lease administration and property tax teams and is a co-lead of a current project to convert the accounting operating cost and tax recovery models to a new Tenant Share system.

Prior to joining Choice in 2019, Sharon has held several diverse corporate real estate senior roles spanning over 30 years in the industry, working for organizations such as Oxford Development, Bank of Montreal, and Dream.

Sharon holds a CPA, CA designation, and a Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo.

Sharon Mitchell

Mr. Cross is the President of The Howard Hughes Corporation. Prior to this role, he was the President of Related Hudson Yards, leading the Related Companies’ development efforts of the Hudson Yards site in New York City. Mr. Cross served as the President of the New York Jets LLC and President of Business Operations of the Miami Heat NBA Basketball Club. Mr. Cross has held several senior positions with Marlborough Properties Inc. and The Prudential Insurance Company of America's real estate investment operations. Mr. Cross has over 30 years of diversified real estate and corporate business experience has been a driving force behind the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, the American Airlines Arena in Miami, and the Air Canada Centre, home for the NBA's Toronto Raptors and the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs.

Mr. Cross holds a Bachelor’s degree in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Toronto and a Master’s degree in Architectural Technology from Columbia University.

L. Jay Cross

Ms. Lockhart, a corporate director, is the former Chief Administrative Officer of Frum Development Group and a former Vice President of Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation.

Ms. Lockhart is a director of The Royal Conservatory of Music and a member of the Sotheby's Canada Advisory Board. Ms. Lockhart is also Chair Emeritus of the Crow's Theatre Company. She is a former Chair of the Ontario Science Centre, former President of the Canadian Club of Toronto and a former Chair of the Canadian Film Centre. Ms. Lockhart is also a former director of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation and the Loran Scholars Foundation. Ms. Lockhart is also a board member of Atrium Mortgage Investment Corporation and George Weston Limited. Ms. Lockhart previously served on the Boards of Loblaw Companies Limited, Gluskin Sheff & Associates Inc. and Barrick Gold Corporation.

Ms. Lockhart has an Institute of Corporate Directors ICD.D certification.

Nancy H.O. Lockhart

Andrew leads the operations and leasing teams for the industrial and office portfolio at Choice Properties.

Prior to Choice, Andrew has held progressive positions at Dream Office REIT starting in 2012 and became the SVP of a 10 million square foot office portfolio across Canada in 2013. As the office portfolio began to sell in 2017 and 2018, Andrew also became responsible for a 5 million square foot industrial portfolio in Western Canada in 2018 until he left to join Choice. Andrew holds an MBA degree from the Schulich School of Business and is a CPA, CMA.

Andrew Reial

Mr. Eadie is the former Senior Managing Director for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (“CPPIB”) having retired from CPPIB on March 31, 2018. Mr. Eadie currently acts as a Senior Advisor on a consulting basis to CPPIB, participating in their Executive and Private Equity investment committees. Mr. Eadie previously held the position of Senior Managing Director, Global Head of Real Assets for CPPIB. Mr. Eadie is also a director of Neiman Marcus Group and GLP FM Holdings Limited. In addition, Mr. Eadie currently serves on the Board of Morguard Corporation and Morguard Real Estate Investment Trust. Prior to joining CPPIB, Mr. Eadie held multiple positions, including Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, and President of Cadillac Fairview. Mr. Eadie also held senior management positions with a number of entities in the retail and manufacturing areas and formerly was a director of the Ontario Realty Corporation and Alliance Shopping Centres Brazil.

Mr. Eadie graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.Comm. and Master of Science in Business Administration.

Graeme Eadie

Ms. Kinsley, a corporate Director, previously held the position of President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (“CMHC”) from 2003 to 2013. Prior to being appointed as Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Kinsley held multiple positions at CMHC including Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, and head of its mortgage insurance and securitization businesses. Ms. Kinsley serves on the Boards of Saputo Inc. and the National Bank of Canada.

Ms. Kinsley holds a B.Comm from the University of Ottawa.

Ms. Kinsley is a fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and has received the Certified Director designation (ICD.D) from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Karen A. Kinsley

Ms. Ponder is the Co-Chair of Osler, Hoskin, and Harcourt LLP ("Osler LLP"), a law firm, and also serves on the firm's Partnership Board. She is the former Chief Executive and Managing Partner of Osler LLP. Ms. Ponder's practice experience as a Partner of Osler LLP focused on mergers and acquisitions, securities regulation, and corporate governance. Ms. Ponder has had extensive experience throughout her career leading transactions relating to public and private merger and acquisition matters and advising boards of public companies.

Ms. Ponder graduated from the University of Western Ontario with an LL.B.

Ms. Ponder is a member of the boards of Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, the Governor's Council of St. Michael's Hospital Foundation, and the Caldwell Partners Top 40 Under 40 Advisory Board. Ms. Ponder is also Chair of the Canadian Business Growth Fund and serves on the board of Morneau Shepell Inc.

Dale R. Ponder

Mr. Clark, a corporate director, was the former Chief Executive Officer and a senior partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP from 2005 to 2011. Prior to being elected as its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Clark was a National Managing Partner and a member of the firm’s Executive Committee from 2001 to 2005.

Mr. Clark graduated from Queen’s University with a B.Comm. and the University of Toronto with an M.B.A. He is a Fellow Chartered Accountant and a Fellow Chartered Professional Accountant.

Mr. Clark is a director of Air Canada and Loblaw Companies Limited. Mr. Clark is also a member of the boards of the Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Olympic Foundation, Own the Podium, and the Sunnybrook Hospital Foundation, and a member of the Advisory Council of the Stephen J.R. Smith School of Business at Queen’s University. Mr. Clark previously served on the board of Hydro One Limited/Hydro One Inc.

Christie J.B. Clark

Evan leads the leasing and operations teams for the eastern Canada retail portfolio at Choice Properties.

Evan has worked in the retail real estate industry for over 35 years for both landlords and tenants. Prior to joining Choice, Evan held positions with First Capital Realty, Blockbuster, Snowcap Investments, Laing Properties, and Burnac Leasehold. Evan’s past responsibilities include property management, leasing, development, tenant representation, and consulting. He has worked on enclosed mall portfolios, fashion centers, and open-air and necessity-based retail plazas. As a retailer and consultant, Evan has helped reposition and expand national brands including Blockbuster, Guess, Jacob and Sony.

Evan Williams

Mr. Wright is President of Wittington Investments, Limited. Mr. Wright joined Wittington in 2021 following a 20-year career at the law firm of Torys LLP, where he was a leading corporate lawyer. Mr. Wright served as Chair of the firm’s Corporate practice and former co-head of the firm’s M&A practice. Mr. Wright has a broad range of experience in complex transactional, securities, private equity, regulatory, governance and compliance matters. Mr. Wright is a Fellow of The American College of Governance Counsel.

Mr. Wright is a director of George Weston Limited, Loblaw Companies Limited and BCE, Inc. In addition to his public board memberships, Mr. Wright is the Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Ballet of Canada, a Trustee of University Health Network and Executive in Residence at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Mr. Wright holds J.D. and M.B.A degrees from the University of Toronto and a B.A. from [McGill University](/org/mcgill-university).

Cornell Wright

Nicole leads the leasing and operations teams for the Ontario retail portfolio at Choice Properties.

Nicole has over 15 years of commercial real estate experience comprising a variety of functions including development, asset management, property management, and leasing. Prior to joining Choice, Nicole managed RioCan’s retail asset portfolio which included mixed-use and development sites. Previous experience also includes the development and expansion of enclosed shopping malls at Ivanhoe Cambridge and land development at SmartCentres. Nicole holds an Honours BA degree in Urban Development from Western University and an MBA degree specializing in Real Property from the Schulich School of Business.

Nicole Vicano

Carla leads the leasing and operations teams for the western Canada retail portfolio at Choice Properties.

Carla joined Choice upon the acquisition of Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (“CREIT”) in 2018 and previously worked in a management capacity for Cushman & Wakefield for 9 years. With over 23 years of real estate experience including brokerage, leasing, and property management, Carla has developed extensive knowledge of both the industrial and retail real estate markets. She served with NAIOP for over 10 years, beginning as the Chapter Administrator, then holding various positions on the Board of Directors and ending her tenure as Chapter President in 2009. Carla is currently serving as a Board Member of BOMA Calgary.

Carla Fedele

Sandra is responsible for the design, development, and implementation of information security, privacy, and governance programs at Choice Properties.

Prior to Choice, Sandra worked at LoyaltyOne, Netrus, Ernst & Young, and Unilever where she strategized and managed secure corporate information security architectures to meet industry best practices, compliance requirements and raised security consciousness levels of the organizations by actively engaging all parts of the business. Sandra is Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC), a Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer (CDPSE), and a graduate of OCAD University.

Sandra Liepkalns

Adam is responsible for advancing Choice Properties’ development strategy across the portfolio and working with partners to ensure the successful execution of development projects.

Prior to joining Choice, Adam led a team at Marlin Spring responsible for debt financing, investor reporting and asset management functions of the development portfolio. Adam helped grow the company through over $1bn of secured debt financings and acquisitions. Adam has extensive real estate experience across investments, financing, and asset management, and previously launched two first of its kind investment Funds focused on commercial real estate assets in gateway cities across the African continent.

Adam holds a BSc. in Advanced Mathematics of Finance and is a CFA Charterholder.

Adam Flekser

Rael has overall responsibility for Choice Properties’ strategy, operations, and performance.

Rael joined Choice upon the acquisition of Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (“CREIT”) in 2018. He joined CREIT in 2012 as CFO and became President & COO in 2014. Prior to joining CREIT he was with the Brookfield Group of Companies, where he served as CFO of several of Brookfield`s subsidiary public companies including Rouse Properties, Brookfield Office Properties Canada, and Howard Hughes Corporation. Rael holds a BBA degree and is a CPA, CA.

Rael L. Diamond

Mario has overall responsibility for Choice Properties’ financial strategy and capital management.

Mario joined Choice upon the acquisition of Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (“CREIT”) in 2018 where he served as EVP & CFO. Mario has more than 25 years of senior management experience in areas of corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions, financial reporting, operational analysis, and capital markets. Prior to joining CREIT, Mario served as CFO of several public real estate entities managed by Dream Asset Management Corp., and held senior positions with Molson Inc. and KPMG. Mario holds an Honours BCom degree from McMaster University and is a CPA, CA.

Mario Barrafato

Ms. Kazarian, a corporate director, was previously the Managing Partner of the Greater Toronto Area at PricewaterhouseCoopers Canada (PwC) and led PwC’s largest Canadian market, managing more than 4000 professionals and 300 partners across all sectors.

Ms. Kazarian is chair of the board of St. Joseph’s Health Centre Foundation and sits on the boards of Gibson Energy Inc., The Appleby College Foundation, Bryant University and Kingsway College School.

Ms. Kazarian holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Bryant University. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA) of Ontario and Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Ontario.

Diane A. Kazarian

Salman is responsible for asset management of the Ontario retail portfolio at Choice Properties.

Salman joined Choice upon the acquisition of Canadian Real Estate Investment Trust (“CREIT”) in 2018. He joined CREIT in 2009 and worked on acquisitions, dispositions, development and joint venture initiatives. Prior to joining CREIT he was with a private pension fund advisory group working on commercial real estate transactions and portfolio management in multiple asset classes. He holds an MBA degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and a BASc in Civil Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Salman Hirani

Amy leads the design and engineering teams for development projects at Choice Properties, delivering best in class design at our residential and mixed-use properties.

Prior to joining Choice, Amy held progressive positions within Loblaw Companies Limited (“LCL”) and other national retailers. She has over 20 years of experience in commercial real estate development including design, construction management and project management. Amy holds a BTech in Architectural Science from Ryerson University.

Amy Chan

Joe is responsible for the planning and development of the Ontario and Eastern Canada portfolio of mixed-use and retail assets at Choice Properties.

Joe has over 15 years of real estate experience, collaborating on large scale, mixed-use development projects with a variety of stakeholders including municipalities, elected officials, community groups, residents and non-profit sectors. Prior to joining Choice, Joe led several large redevelopment projects within the GTA on behalf of private sector companies, and for Build Toronto (now called CreateTO). Joe holds an MBA with a specialization in real estate from Ryerson University, a BA degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Ryerson University, a Diploma in Site Planning and GIS from Mohawk College, and a Communications Diploma from Humber College.

Joe Svec

Jennifer is responsible for the development and implementation of Choice Properties’ human resources business plan.

Jennifer has worked within the Weston Group of Companies in various progressive roles and a wide array of businesses throughout her career. As such, she has had the opportunity to work in merchandising, grocery retail and Joe Fresh (in Canada and the U.S.), and on the implementation of Workday. Jennifer holds a BA degree in Sociology and obtained her postgraduate degree in Human Resources Management from Seneca College.

Jennifer Maccarone

Mr. Currie is the Executive Vice President and Chief Legal Officer of George Weston Limited and Loblaw Companies Limited. He was formerly Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Direct Energy. Prior to that, Mr. Currie was a corporate law partner at the law firm of Blake, Cassels & Graydon, LLP. Mr. Currie previously served as a director of Loblaw from 2006 to 2014.

Mr. Currie graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a B.A. and from the University of Toronto with an LL.B.

Mr. Currie currently serves as the chair of the Independent Review Committee of Quadravest Capital Management Inc. and the chair of Pro Bono Ontario.

Gordon A.M. Currie

Marcus Bertagnolli is responsible for the design, development, and implementation of organizational information systems, software applications, and IT support and infrastructure systems at Choice Properties.

Marcus has worked in the real estate industry for over 30 years. Prior to joining Choice, he was COO of a major Canadian-based private real estate firm. Marcus holds an MBA degree in Entrepreneurial Studies from the Schulich School of Business.

Marcus Bertagnolli

Mr. Latimer, a corporate director, is the former Chief Executive Officer of OMERS, a pension plan providing defined pension benefits to local government employees, retirees, and beneficiaries in Ontario. Prior to this role, Mr. Latimer was the Chief Investment Officer of OMERS where he oversaw the strategic, operational, and financial leadership of the investment activities at OMERS. Mr. Latimer also served as the Chief Executive Officer of OMERS Administration Corporation.

Prior to joining OMERS, Mr. Latimer was responsible for Oxford Properties Group, a wholly-owned real estate entity of OMERS. Mr. Latimer is a former President and CEO of Primaris Real Estate Investment Trust.

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