Corporate Governance

Best-in-class Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees is committed to the highest standards of governance. Its members provide sound guidance to management as it pursues PROREIT’s strategic objectives and to ensure its long-term success.

James W. Beckerleg

Trustee, Chair of the Board and Co-Founder

Until his retirement on April 1, 2023, James W. Beckerleg was the President and Chief Executive Officer of the REIT. From May 2010 until March 2012, James W. Beckerleg was the President and Chief Executive Officer of CANMARC Real Estate Investment Trust (“CANMARC”). From 1995 to 2010, Mr. Beckerleg was President of Belwest Capital Management Corp., a private consulting firm which provided consulting and management services in the area of strategic advice and planning, corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions to various clients, including but not limited to, Homburg Canada Inc., a private international real estate management company. From 2005 to 2009, Mr. Beckerleg also served as Executive Vice-President, Québec Region for Homburg Canada Inc. Mr. Beckerleg has many years of experience in corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and has served as an executive and director of several public companies, including CANMARC and several other companies in the real estate sector. Until the internalization of the REIT’s asset management function in 2019, Mr. Beckerleg was also a principal of the REIT’s external manager, Labec Realty Advisors Inc., until the internalization of the management function. He has a B.Sc. (Mathematics) from McGill University (Montréal, Québec) and an MBA from Concordia University (Montréal, Québec).

Investment Committee (Chair)

Vincent Chiara

Independent Trustee

Vincent Chiara, president and sole owner of Groupe Mach Inc. (“Mach”), began his career in 1984 as a lawyer specializing in real estate transactions and corporate litigation. In 1999 he ceased practicing law and focused on real estate acquisitions and property development through Mach, a private holding company. Mach and its affiliates hold significant investments representing more than 10.4 million square feet of office buildings located in Montréal and throughout Québec, including the Place Victoria, the CIBC Tower, the Sun Life Building, the Quartier des Lumières and the University Complex. Mach also renovated over two million square feet of obsolete office space in the Montréal region. Mach has built, developed and owns shopping centers throughout Québec and Ontario with a leasable area of over 6.5 million square feet. In addition to office and commercial spaces, Mach owns 19.7 million square feet of industrial space, residential and development properties and land for development.

Investment Committee (Member)

Martin Coté

Independent Trustee (Lead)

Martin Coté is a founder and managing member of Bluenose AC Investments Inc., an investment vehicle formed in 2013 to invest in real estate in Canada and the United States. Mr. Coté brings over 20 years of real estate experience across all real estate asset classes in Canada, Europe and the United States. Bluenose AC Investments Inc. is also the exclusive investment manager and partner to BXR Group, a private equity fund based out of Europe, for Canadian real estate investments. Prior to founding Bluenose AC Investments Inc., Mr. Coté spent five years in the Czech Republic working for RPG Real Estate, a division of BXR Group. During that time, he oversaw the management and development of a 12,000 acre land portfolio as well as investments in Tower Group A.S., a Danish listed company that owned 10,000 apartments in Germany. He also served as CEO of Tower Group A.S. and managed the group’s U.S. investment strategy. Mr. Coté holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a Bachelor’s degree from HEC in Montréal.

Audit Committee (Member)

Investment Committee (Member)

Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee (Member)

Shenoor Jadavji

Independent Trustee

Founder of Lotus Capital (“Lotus”), Ms. Jadavji is responsible for the strategic direction of the firm including capital sourcing and structuring value aligned joint venture investments. She brings over 30 years of experience in real estate transactions totaling more than $2.5 billion across all real estate classes in major and secondary Canadian markets, as well as select US markets. Since 2012, Lotus has been involved in the acquisition, development, reposition and disposition of 6 million square feet of commercial assets. Outside of her leadership role at Lotus, Ms. Jadavji is an active and committed member of the community and has served on numerous boards. She is currently serving on the Multi Generational Housing Advisory Board for the Ismaili Community which delivers affordable housing rental and owning options. She also spearheads an advisory committee for the Aga Khan University (“AKU”) focused on developing income producing properties on AKU lands in Sub Saharan Africa and Pakistan.

Investment Committee (Member)

Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee (Member)

Ronald E. Smith, FCPA, FCA, ICD.D

Independent Trustee

Ronald E. Smith is a corporate director and highly experienced Board Member with an extensive background in finance, human resources and management consulting across a wide spectrum of industries and enterprises. He is the former Chair of the Nova Scotia Public Service Superannuation Fund and serves on the Board of the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OSBI) and Covalon Technologies Ltd., a TSX Venture Exchange listed entity. For 10 years, from 2002 to 2012, he was a member of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. Over the last 30 years, he has served on boards and audit committees of seven Canadian public companies and was a member of the Advisory Board of Southwest Properties Ltd. He has also served on various not-for-profit boards and committees. From 2000 to 2004, he was Chief Financial Officer of Emera Inc., a publicly-traded energy company. From 1987 to 1999, he was Chief Financial Officer of Maritime Telegraph and Telephone Company Limited (“MTT”), a predecessor of Bell Aliant Inc. Prior to MTT, he had a 16 year career at Ernst & Young including as a Partner in financial recovery and insolvency consulting in real estate, construction, financial services, and a variety of other industries. He is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nova Scotia.

Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee (Member)

Audit Committee (Member)

Gordon G. Lawlor, CPA

Trustee, President and Chief Executive Officer, Co-Founder

Gordon G. Lawlor became President and Chief Executive Officer of the REIT on April 1, 2023, and was until then its Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary, since co-founding the REIT in 2013. From May 2010 until March 2012, Gordon G. Lawlor was the Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Secretary of CANMARC. From 2005 to 2010, Mr. Lawlor held senior management positions, including that of Chief Financial Officer, with a private international real estate management company. After graduating from Saint Mary’s University (Halifax, Nova Scotia) in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics), he began working with a chartered accounting firm, receiving his Chartered Accountant designation in 1994. Prior to CANMARC and the other real estate management company, Mr. Lawlor spent seven years at Emera Inc., a publicly traded utility company where he served in a number of senior management positions, including Director of Finance.

Investment Committee (Member)

Christine Pound, ICD.D

Independent Trustee

Christine Pound is a partner at the law firm of Stewart McKelvey in Halifax, Nova Scotia, with over 15 years experience practicing primarily in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, banking and finance, corporate governance and commercial law. She advises both private and public companies from a broad range of industries. Ms. Pound has received repeated recognition by Lexpert, Best Lawyers, Acritas and Chambers and Partners. She is a Governor of Acadia University, a former member of the Stewart McKelvey partnership board, a lecturer on Business Associations Law at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University and also serves on various not-for-profit boards. She holds a BSc in Biology with Psychology from Acadia University and an LLB from Dalhousie University. Ms. Pound completed the Institute of Corporate Directors Education Program at ICDRotman and received her ICD.D designation in 2019.

Governance, Nominating and Compensation Committee (Chair)

Deborah Shaffner, FCPA, MBA

Independent Trustee

Over a 24 year period, from 1997 to 2021, Deborah Shaffner was a senior member of the management team of Eastlink, Canada’s largest privately held telecommunications company, progressing from Chief Financial Officer to President and Chief Operating Officer in 2009, and then to Chief Executive Officer in 2018. Throughout her time with Eastlink, Ms. Shaffner contributed to and oversaw rapid organizational growth, the integration of strategic acquisitions, and the launch of new services in a fiercely competitive, rapidly changing industry with intense regulatory requirements. Ms. Shaffner has experience in mergers and acquisitions, change management, operational excellence, talent development and succession planning. Prior to joining Eastlink, Ms. Shaffner had over 10-years experience in senior financial management roles with manufacturing processing companies. She is currently serving as a trustee of the River Philip Foundation. Ms. Shaffner has a B.Sc. from McGill University, an MBA from Dalhousie University, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Nova Scotia.

Audit Committee (Chair)