Calgary Economic Development (CED) and the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF) filed their 2021 Annual Reports and announced changes to their respective Boards of Directors following their Annual General Meetings before Calgary City Council.
The 2021 Annual Reports are available online for Calgary Economic Development and OCIF.
“The value we provided Calgarians in 2021 helped accelerate Calgary in the New Economy and advance a future-focused economy and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of a great team and the collaboration across our community,” said Joe Lougheed, Board Chair, Calgary Economic Development. “I want to thank the Directors whose terms have concluded for their service to our city and welcome the new members to these important roles for Calgary.”
Council elected six new individuals to the Board of Calgary Economic Development.
Joining the Board are:
- Dan Balaban, Executive Chair, CEO, and Co-Founder, Greengate.
- Tamar Epstein, General Counsel & VP, ESG, Validere.
- Ed McCauley, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Calgary.
- Ali Shivji, Principal, Optima Living.
- Usman Tahir Jutt, President and Chief Executive Officer, Chirp Group and Chirp Foods.
- Kate Thompson, President & CEO, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation.
Joining the Board of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund is:
- Marcos Lopez, Founder, Solium Capital. Executive in Residence, Inovia Capital.
Mark Blackwell’s term as the OCIF Board Chair concluded with the annual meeting. Michael Brown, President of Trico Residential, a Director since OCIF’s launch in 2018, has been selected as the new Chair by the Board.
“We were fortunate to have such a wide ranging and talented group of Calgarians put their hands up for consideration to be part of our Boards. We are working at all levels of our organizations to advance and embed equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility into how we operate. The leadership from our Boards has been critical on our journey and continues to drive us to reflect all Calgarians as we create a more prosperous and resilient future” said Brad Parry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calgary Economic Development and Chief Executive Officer, OCIF. “I am personally looking forward to working with every one of our accomplished Directors in continuing to deliver on our mandate.”
The Boards of Calgary Economic Development and OCIF approved an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion policy in 2021 which commits to the Government of Canada’s 50-30 Corporate Challenge, which calls for Boards of Directors to see at least 50 per cent gender diversity and 30 per cent members from equity-deserving groups. We worked with a local executive search firm this year to identify potential Board members that reflect our community and bring a diversity of perspectives and experiences to the Boards.