John McKinlay to begin work as new CEO of LaSalle Canada

John McKinlay will start his role as the new CEO of LaSalle Canada from August 9. He will be based in LaSalle’s Toronto office, and will lead the 19 person team.

Zelick Altman, LaSalle Canada’s CEO for the past 11 years, will transition to Executive Chairman of LaSalle Canada and remain President of the LaSalle Canada Income & Growth Funds.

As part of his role as CEO of LaSalle Canada, McKinlay will become a member of the LaSalle Americas Management Board supporting the development and execution of the firm’s business strategy. He will report directly to Jason Kern, LaSalle Americas CEO, and manage all aspects of the business in Canada; including, delivering superior investment performance, developing new business and product opportunities, managing investor relationships and driving profitable growth.    

McKinlay brings more than 20 years of real estate investment management experience to LaSalle. Most recently, he served as Executive Vice President of Acquisitions for Canada at Bentall Kennedy in Toronto. In his previous role, he managed a team of seven professionals covering the entire Canadian market and originated over $5 billion in transactions during the last five years comprised of acquisitions, dispositions, and mixed-use development projects. Prior to Bentall Kennedy, McKinlay held senior positions at GE Capital in Toronto where he was responsible for real estate asset management and transaction activity.

Jason Kern, LaSalle Americas CEO, said: “I am very excited to have John joining us as the new leader of our Canada team. He brings deep investment management experience and leadership with strong relationships in the Canadian market, an impressive track record of originating and closing real estate transactions, extensive experience in asset management, and a successful history of managing teams and leading new investment initiatives. John will be a critical driver of future growth and continued stellar investment performance of the strategically important Canada business that has been built by Zelick and his team over the years.”

Zelick Altman, Executive Chairman, LaSalle Canada, said: “At this time in my career, I made the decision to take a step back from the day-to-day management of our business in Canada. John is a talented and energetic individual who can aggressively grow our Canadian platform. Our team built the successful LaSalle Canada Income & Growth Fund series and developed a number of important separate account relationships.  John’s experience in the Canadian market will allow us to build on those successes with new product initiatives and expanded client relationships. John is a great fit for LaSalle, and I look forward to working with him.” 

McKinlay, commented: “I am thrilled to be joining LaSalle and look forward to working with Zelick and his outstanding team. The company’s focus on delivering superior investment performance for clients is a perfect match with my own approach to the business and will remain the top priority for us going forward.”

Follow @BizReviewCANADA

Read the August 2016 issue of Business Review USA & Canada magazine