PCL announced Friday Chris Gower has been appointed the ninth president and CEO of the firm in its 118-year history, taking over from Dave Filipchuk who led the company for the past eight years.
Gower brings nearly three decades of experience with PCL to his new role. He was previously deputy CEO, and before that was chief operating officer, overseeing PCL’s building operations in Canada, the United States and Australia. He has been a major figure in PCL’s Office of the CEO and on its board of directors.
Gower has guided several of the company’s most significant projects across North America, and played an instrumental role in its expansion into the solar energy market.
He holds an executive certificate from Stanford University and is an alumnus of Fanshawe College. He is also a CCA Gold Seal certified estimator and project manager and was recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 leaders.
Filipchuk will become chair of PCL Construction’s board of directors, continuing an over-40-year career with the company.
He has recently been recognized with the University of Alberta Canadian Business Leader Award in 2023 and the Canadian Construction Association’s Pinnacle Leader Award in 2024. He was inducted as a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2024.
Mélanie Robitaille new president at Rachel Julien
The role of president at Montreal developer Rachel Julien is transitioning internally, but staying within the Robitaille family. Mélanie Robitaille will take over the job from her uncle Denis Robitaille.
Mélanie first joined the company a decade ago as director of finance and administration and was promoted to VP of finance and administration in 2015. She has been vice-president and general manager since 2018. She has served as a member of the provincial government relations committee at the Association des professionnels de la construction et de l’habitation du Québec (APCHQ) for the past three years.
Denis founded Rachel Julien 30 years ago. He got his first taste of property development at age 21, when he renovated a small house and sold it to finance the construction of a duplex.
“Since its beginnings, Rachel Julien has been proud to enable thousands of Montrealers to rent or buy a home through various projects. As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we look to the future with a clear and ambitious vision,” Denis said in a recent news release launching development at its Canoë project.
Rachel Julien was recently named builder of the year by APCHQ. The company has completed numerous commercial, residential and rental projects, including the Laurent & Clark condos and the Petit Laurent apartment complex. The Canoë development will feature condos, small local retail shops, a mix of affordable and social housing, a childcare centre, and a public park.
More senior executive shuffles at Wall Financial
Wall Financial Corp. (WFC-T) has announced a flurry of executive changes.
Simon Yoon has been appointed president of the company as well as a director. He was promoted from his post as general manager of Wall Centre Hotels. Yoon replaces Bruno Wall, who resigned from his position as president and is now chief financial officer and chair of the board of directors.
In addition, Peter Ufford has stepped down as chair and is now vice-chair and lead director of the board. Peter Wall, the company’s founder and controlling shareholder, has resigned from his position as a director.
The moves follow an announcement just weeks ago that Peter Wall had joined the firm’s board of directors. In the early 1960s, he and his cousin Peter Redekopp co-founded the original business that eventually became Wall Financial.
Metro CFO, treasurer Thibault to retire
After 12 years at Metro Inc. (MRU-T), Francois Thibault will retire next spring from his roles as CFO, treasurer and executive vice-president.
Thibault will stay on until a new CFO is hired through an executive search process now underway. During his time at Metro, he played key roles in the modernization of the company’s supply chain and in numerous acquisitions, including the purchase of Jean Coutu Group.
Before joining Metro, Thibault was VP of finance at Bombardier Aerospace from 2009 to 2012. Prior to Bombardier, he held senior financial positions with companies in the printing and telecom sectors.
Ferguson gets new role at Ellis Don
Wayne Ferguson is the new COO and executive VP of the services division at EllisDon Corp.
Ferguson was promoted from the position of senior VP of construction and buildings for Ottawa, Quebec and Atlantic Canada. During his 27-year career at EllisDon, he has contributed to major projects at Toronto Western Hospital, the Art Gallery of Ontario, and Toronto South Detention Centre.
Ferguson has served on the board of the Canadian Construction Association since 2020.
Oxford promotes Peets to VP of leasing
John Peets has been named senior VP of leasing at Oxford Properties.
It’s the latest chapter in his two decades with Oxford, where he was mostly recently VP and head of office leasing for Toronto. He joined the company in 2004 as VP of leasing.
Peets began his 35-year career in real estate at Brookfield Properties before moving on to roles at Cadillac Fairview and Royal LePage Commercial Inc. (now Cushman & Wakefield).
Fedchyshyn named Building Ontario Fund’s inaugural CEO
Michael Fedchyshyn has been hired as the inaugural CEO of Building Ontario Fund.
The appointment is effective Nov. 12. Fedchyshyn takes on the job after serving five months as interim CEO of Invest Ontario, which he joined in 2022 as VP of strategies and business solutions. Fedchyshyn’s previous experience includes roles at Infrastructure Ontario, Regulus Investments, and Gemini Power Corp.
Fedchyshun, who has a PhD in neuroscience from the University of Toronto, worked at Toronto’s Hospital For Sick Children as a research scientist from 2000 to 2008.