People Moves: July 2025

Kris Barnard will join Buttcon as its Senior Vice President of Operations for Buttcon Central. Barnard brings over 20 years of experience in construction leadership, most recently with Metro-Can Construction in Vancouver. 

Michael de Jong, K.C. has joined Maple Leaf Strategies as Strategic Advisor – Western Canada. The veteran BC politician served as an MLA from 1994 to 2024 and held key ministerial roles including Minister of Finance, Health, Aboriginal Relations, and Attorney General under Premiers Gordon Campbell and Christy Clark.

Angela Clayton, CPA ICD.D has been permanently appointed as CEO of Infrastructure Ontario. 

[Angela Clayton’s] leadership over the recent past has been instrumental in advancing IO’s $100 billion infrastructure portfolio, including major transit, healthcare, and justice initiatives. Angela’s vision for collaboration and innovation will continue to drive IO’s commitment to delivering world-class infrastructure projects.

David Lindsay, Board Chair, Infrastructure Ontario

Diamond Schmitt has announced multiple promotions: Iva Radikova has been appointed Principal; Dieter Janssen, Jose Trinidad, and Mehdi Ghiyaei have been named Senior Associates; Anthony Brown, Houng Te, Mojdeh Vali, Sarah Mercer, and Vesna Maklenovic Al-Hamadani have been promoted to Associates; and Christiano Mahler has advanced to Director of Visualization.

Michael Lindsay has been appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer at Metrolinx, effective July 1. He previously served as Interim President and CEO since December 2024.

Cameron Shantz, Director of Parkin Architects, will retire on October 9, 2025, after 38 years with the firm where he led significant healthcare infrastructure projects including Canada’s first P3 hospital and first Alliance contract healthcare project.

Bird Infrastructure has promoted three leaders: Robert Sgro has been promoted to Director, Service; Brandon Pinch to Vice President, Specialty Trades & Service; and Andrew Rowland to Senior Vice President.

Alexa Young has been appointed Vice President, Government Relations and External Affairs, for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

Duncan Dodd-Hughes is starting a new position as Director, Centre of Excellence at Chandos Construction.

Yama Danishwar has joined Buildots as Senior Account Executive, focusing on expanding the company’s presence across Canada. He previously spent nearly three years at Revizto working with construction leaders in North America.

Blaine Collett has joined the First Nations Major Projects Coalition as Senior Advisor of Project Development, bringing over two decades of experience in Indigenous-led project development and energy infrastructure.

Barry Charnish, Principal at Entuitive, has been appointed to the board of directors of the Canadian Institute of Steel Construction (CISC).

Craig Watters has been named COO of Concert Properties.

Meghan Murtha has been promoted to General Counsel and Betty Wong has been promoted to Director of Development Accounting at Wesbild.

Pauline Thiessen has been promoted to Sales and Leasing Operations Manager at Townline.

Paraic Treacy has joined Cascadia Green Development as Manager of Finance.

Nicholas Frappell has joined Tera Development as a Development Coordinator.

Grant Balacko has joined Anthem Properties as Senior Site Superintendent.

Geevan Dhesi has joined Zenterra Developments as a Sales Advisor.

Marcio Teixeira da Silva has been promoted to Senior Development Manager, Private Partnerships at BC Builds.

Annie Silver has been promoted to Manager of Indigenous Asset Management at BC Housing.

Rob Blouin has joined Avison Young as Principal & Director of the new Property Tax Services team in Vancouver, after 17 years at Altus Group.

Colin Kehoe has joined Colliers’ Development Advisory team in Vancouver as VP of Development, after six years at QuadReal.

Susan Thompson has been promoted to Director of Research at Colliers.

Erin Vance has been promoted to VP of Sales at Fifth Avenue Real Estate Marketing.

Tyson Toth has been promoted to Vice President at Epic Roofing & Exteriors after 20 years with the company.

Barbara Oliveira has been promoted to Director Human Resources at Reliance Construction.

Kathy Kadziela has been appointed as Director, Development, at Crozier.

Bringing Kathy on board amplifies our ability to drive projects forward with purpose – combining technical excellence with strategic big-picture thinking.

Nick Mocan, President, Crozier

Grant Grenier has started a new position as Construction and Asphalt Manager at Amrize.

PCL has appointed Tyler Kautz as Vice President, Data Centers, where he will lead the company’s Mission Critical Center of Excellence. 

Ron Raj has been promoted to District Manager for Fraser Valley in British Columbia at Gescan.

Pasha Shobeiri has joined Turner Construction Canada as SPD Project Manager.

Kieran McConnell has been promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer at Creative Energy.

I am honored to have been part of this incredible team since 2016. I’ve witnessed firsthand the dedication and innovation that drives our mission of transforming the way cities produce, distribute, and consume energy.

Kieran Mconnell, COO, Creative Energy

Brad Hansen has joined BBA as Vice President of Operations for Canada’s Prairies, based in Calgary.

Luc Jolicoeur has joined CIMA+’s board of directors. He has been with the company for 17 years.

Davie Johnston has joined Aura as Senior Project Manager, bringing 35 years of global experience in delivering complex, high-performance environments, particularly in the media and entertainment sector.

Simon Trott has been named as the next Chief Executive for Rio Tinto, with current CEO Jakob Stausholm stepping down after seven years of leadership.

The Canadian Crane Rental Association announced its new Board Chair: Ryan Long, President, A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment Ltd.

Rob Poystila has been hired by RWC Systems as its Business Development Manager. 

Angela Sharman has joined RR Power Consulting Inc. as Director of Marketing, bringing over a decade of experience in marketing and business development within the energy and utility sector.

Brad Loewen has been promoted to President of MAREX Constructors after 21 years with the company, taking over leadership as founder Marv Loewen officially retires.

Christine Boyle has been appointed as the new Minister of Housing in British Columbia, with BC Housing congratulating her appointment and expressing their commitment to working together.

Yonni Fushman has joined Bird Construction as Executive Vice President & Chief Legal Officer, bringing over 25 years of global leadership experience across Infrastructure, Buildings, and Industrial sectors.

Danielle Huffman has joined GHD as People Leader for the Americas, bringing extensive AEC industry experience from her previous role as HR Senior Vice President at WSP.

Ryan Stan is now Senior Vice President at Canderel Group

Stephen Bang has joined Tricon Residential as its new Director of Development.

Stuart Marshall has joined Stack Modular as Director of Global Sales, bringing over 20 years of modular construction experience from senior roles at Tata, Kingspan, Algeco, and Elements Europe.

Mathieu Bélanger has been appointed Vice President, Earth and Environment at CIMA+, bringing over two decades of leadership experience in urban planning, real estate development, public policy and infrastructure.

Carlos Bandeira has joined CDC Construction as Project Director.

John Burke P.Eng, M.Sc. has been named Principal of Mechanical Engineering at Edge Consultants, bringing over 20 years of experience in designing complex HVAC, plumbing, and energy systems across Western Canada.

MCM Architects has promoted nine team Members: Aaron Petruic and Djam Shakirin to Associate Principals; Don Chow and Sabina Gleeson to Senior Associates; and Wen Sun, Mark Grimsrud, Henry Eksteen, Isaac Neufeld, and Ryan Swirsky to Associates.

Tannis Liviniuk has stepped into the role of CEO at Liviniuk Group, returning to the family business where her career began.

My brother Trevor Liviniuk, RSE has carried the torch and grown this business with grit, innovation, and integrity. He’s built something remarkable, and I couldn’t be prouder to step in to help build on his legacy, and the legacy of my family. It’s a full-circle moment, and one that I’m incredibly proud of.

Tannis Liviniuk, CEO, Liviniuk Group

Arya Beheshti has started a new position as Vice President, Construction and Environment at CreateTO.

Shawn Arndt has been promoted to Vice President, Land Development, at Mattamy Homes.