Our mission is to connect people who perform and make a lasting impact on the industry. While the hiring market has been subdued compared to previous years, we are proud to have helped several talented professionals make the best next move in their careers. We’re pleased to share the first edition of our Placement Highlight blogs with a selection of our work from coast to coast.
Liz Firer-Gillespie – Senior Vice President, Asset Management – Balfour Pacific
Liz brings over two decades of real estate experience, beginning her career in Chicago with CBRE before moving to Vancouver for her MBA at UBC. She went on to help scale Nicola Wealth Real Estate, leading a team that managed a $10B portfolio while embedding sustainability and introducing new tools across operations.
Having developed deep insight into key U.S. markets, Liz has hit the ground running, overseeing asset management and leasing at Balfour. Her technical expertise is matched by a leadership style defined by approachability, humour, and grounded insight, qualities that resonate with colleagues and partners alike.
Andrew Baldwin – Director of Finance – PATH Developments
Andrew Baldwin, CPA, brings a unique blend of technical expertise and relationship-driven leadership to his role. With a background in public practice and hands-on developer experience, he’s overseen everything from pro formas to debt restructuring within lean, fast-moving teams. That breadth of exposure gave him the technical chops and adaptability to thrive in complex situations.
What stood out just as much, though, was Andrew’s approach. He has a “roll-up-your-sleeves” attitude paired with an authentic way of connecting — conversations with him never feel scripted. Having explored candidates from lending, investment, and development, it became clear that Andrew’s combination of fundamentals, perspective, and people skills made him a natural fit. Just a few months in, he’s already making an impact and proving that the right mindset can be as important as the credentials behind it.
Krystal Kaju – Director of Residential Leasing – Warrington Residential
Krystal Kaju brings a proven track record in purpose-built rental leasing, stepping into her new role as Director, Leasing at Warrington Residential. Originally from Toronto, she began her career in residential sales before moving west and ultimately focusing on purpose-built rentals. During six years at Bosa Properties, Krystal advanced from Lead Leasing Associate to Senior Leasing Manager, leading major lease-ups in Burnaby, Surrey, and Squamish while mentoring teams and working closely with asset management and development.
Krystal blends strategic leadership with a people-first approach — balancing data and forecasting with a deep understanding of resident needs and hospitality-driven leasing experiences. With Warrington rapidly expanding its purpose-built rental platform, her expertise and leadership come at exactly the right time. She’s well positioned to help shape the company’s residential strategy while continuing to deliver strong performance and lasting community impact.
Anna Hetherington – Corporate Controller – PATH Developments
Anna Hetherington, CPA, has built a strong foundation in public practice and corporate finance, now stepping into the Controller role at PATH Developments. She began her career at PwC, advancing to Senior Associate and leading audit engagements for large public companies under IFRS and US GAAP. In 2023, she joined City Office REIT, where she was quickly promoted to Manager, Finance. There, she led budgeting, consolidation, and reporting, managed a cross-border team, and successfully rolled out a new ERP system — a project that significantly improved reporting efficiency and showcased her drive for practical, lasting impact.
What sets Anna apart is not just her technical expertise, but her thoughtful, grounded approach. She’s known for her steady work ethic, humility, and team-first mindset. PATH’s searches always go beyond technical capability to find people who contribute to culture and long-term growth — and Anna was a natural fit. With her combination of technical depth, leadership potential, and down-to-earth style, she is well positioned to make a lasting impact in her new role.
Jeremy Yu – Financial Controller – Burnaby Housing Authority
Jeremy Yu, CPA, joined the Burnaby Housing Authority (BHA) this summer as Controller, becoming one of the organization’s first team members. He brings over a decade of experience in real estate finance and accounting, with a background spanning the full development life cycle, corporate reporting, and system implementations.
Jeremy combines strong technical expertise with a collaborative, people-first approach. His ability to balance financial rigor with stakeholder communication makes him a natural fit for BHA’s entrepreneurial stage. In this role, he is well-positioned to help establish the Authority’s financial foundation and support its long-term growth.
Theresa Lapensée – Vice President, Property Operations – MillDon Living
Theresa brings over two decades of multifamily property management experience, building her career exclusively within family-owned companies. She has managed portfolios of 1,500 to 3,500 units across diverse asset classes, with expertise spanning operations, CapEx, and people leadership. Her leadership highlights include spearheading Ontario’s first net-zero residential community at Sifton, recognized with FRPO’s Mac Award for Best New Rental Development.
What sets Theresa apart is her ability to align operations with broader business functions while fostering collaborative teams. She consistently drives revenue growth and stabilizes assets through clear KPIs and people-first culture. Since joining MillDon, she’s quickly established herself as a strategic leader, implementing operational best practices across the portfolio and contributing to long-term planning. Her combination of operational excellence and community impact makes her a natural fit for MillDon’s growth vision.
Marie Girolamo – Vice President, Architecture – Mattamy Homes
Marie brings nearly two decades of progressive architecture and design experience across consultancy, entrepreneurial, and developer environments. Beginning at Cecconi Simone, she led large-scale residential projects for top-tier developers, including Great Gulf and Tridel. She went on to co-found White Space Properties, demonstrating entrepreneurial drive by independently acquiring and delivering projects, before serving as Director of Design at MOD Developments.
Marie’s approach balances creative vision with technical execution and collaborative leadership that elevates both design quality and stakeholder engagement. At Mattamy, she’s stepped into a pivotal role within the GTA Low Rise Division, already shaping design strategy by aligning community visioning and sustainability features with company objectives. Her ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and drive innovation ensures designs that are desirable, affordable, and constructible.
Erin Dwyer – Vice President, Marketing & Communications – Epic Investment Services
Erin is an accomplished marketing leader with over eight years in commercial real estate, spanning office, industrial, and retail assets. Starting in publishing and digital agencies, she built expertise in brand positioning before transitioning to real estate. At Colliers, she rose to Director of Marketing Strategy, leading a national team of 50+ professionals and consistently improving client win rates through strategic campaigns. She’s been recognized with multiple International Property Awards for development marketing.
Erin’s leadership style emphasizes mentorship and collaboration, transforming marketing teams into high-performing units that deliver measurable impact. At Epic, she’s brought fresh perspective to corporate and asset-level marketing by integrating storytelling and digital strategy into cohesive campaigns. Her mix of creativity, business acumen, and people-first approach positions her well to advance Epic’s brand and drive long-term value through its next growth phase.
Orel Samson – Director, Capital Projects – QuadReal Property Group
Orel brings over a decade of construction and capital projects experience, managing complex commercial developments. He began with PCL Construction before moving to Ledcor, overseeing major retail expansions. At Allied Properties REIT, he played a pivotal role in delivering The Well—managing procurement and execution on the 4.5-million-square-foot, $1.5B mixed-use development. Most recently, as Director of Construction at Allied, he led portfolio-wide capital programs, including building envelope restorations and HVAC upgrades.
Orel combines technical depth with collaborative leadership that fosters accountability and results. His experience with annual capital budgets and multi-system building upgrades aligns directly with QuadReal’s needs. He’s adept at risk management and value engineering, ensuring efficient capital deployment. With a proven track record on landmark projects and passion for sustainability initiatives, his mix of technical expertise and stakeholder management makes him well-positioned to lead QuadReal’s capital initiatives.
Jonathan Risorto – Director, Leasing – First Capital
Jonathan brings over 12 years of leasing experience across brokerage, third-party, and ownership platforms. Starting in finance at Cadillac Fairview, he transitioned to leasing with Strathallen before joining Cushman & Wakefield, where he spent six years leading leasing strategy for a 2M+ sq. ft. Ontario portfolio. His track record includes over 2.1M sq. ft. transacted across 522 deals since 2019, generating $3.2M+ in commissions. He’s established himself as an industry leader through active involvement with ICSC as provincial chapter chair.
Jonathan’s collaborative, people-first approach has consistently delivered strong results through complex negotiations and tenant relationships. At First Capital, he’s applying his institutional experience to the company’s grocery-anchored portfolio, focusing on maximizing NOI and driving long-term value. Known for his integrity and market insight, he’s well-positioned to deliver immediate impact while developing junior leasing professionals and contributing to First Capital’s community-driven retail culture.
Reach out to our team to discuss how we can help connect you to people who perform in Canadian real estate.
Co-founder of HighView Partners, Nicola brings over twenty years of experience in real estate recruitment across Canada. Nicola has worked with over 100 real estate employers and has successfully executed over 1000 searches throughout her career. Her focus on the real estate industry means she has built relationships with current and future real estate leaders. Her passion for connecting people who perform has created exceptional results and trusted relationships.
Nicola holds a degree in Psychology and a diploma in Life Coaching, and is a member of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC). Her professional opinion has been featured in Canadian Property Management Magazine, and she has worked closely with BOMA. Nicola has also been a guest speaker at various industry events where she shares her expertise in attraction, retention and recruitment. Affiliated with Toronto CREW, Nicola is an advocate for women in real estate and supports various committees.
Outside of work, Nicola volunteers in her local community and supports several local charities. She enjoys travelling, reading, cooking (with a glass of red wine), and spending time with her family and friends.
Based in Vancouver, Richard leads HighView’s recruitment and talent search practice on the West Coast. Richard has been connecting people who perform in Canadian real estate since 2010. The industry regards him as one of its most diligent and professional recruiters. Originally from the UK and now a proud Canadian citizen, Richard has a far-reaching professional network, having also spent time in Sydney, Australia. Richard embodies HighView’s values and is resolute in his commitment to do the right thing by his clients and candidates.
Richard holds a BA in Criminology and International Politics. Over the past decade, Richard is proud to have helped hundreds of real estate professionals move forward in their careers. He is dedicated to staying on top of market news and industry trends, and is a familiar face at real estate associations, including NAIOP, BOMA, UDI, ICSC, and ULI.
Outside of work, Richard lives a healthy and active lifestyle. He thrives on setting new challenges and personal goals. From competitive road cycling, running and cross-country skiing, he can’t say no to a little friendly competition
