Bridgemarq Real Estate Services® is a leading provider of services to real estate brokers and their agents across Canada. Bridgemarq generates cash flow primarily from fixed and variable franchise fees earned from a national network of more than
21,000 REALTORS® operating under the Royal LePage® brand name across Canada, under the Via Capitale® Real Estate Network, Proprio Direct® and Les Immeubles Mont-Tremblant brands in Quebec, and under the Johnston & Daniel® banner in upscale neighbourhoods in Ontario.
Approximately 82% of Bridgemarq’s franchise fees are fixed in nature, providing revenue stability and helping insulate cash flows from market fluctuations. This recurring, fixed revenue structure combined with strong brands and a successful growth strategy position Bridgemarq to continue generating stable, long-term cash flows and paying growing dividends to shareholders.
Franchise fee revenues are protected through long-term franchising agreements, with royalties predominantly driven by fixed fees based on the number of agents in the network, mitigating the impact of market downturns.
Growth is produced both organically and through acquisition. Company offices are diversified geographically across Canada, and within a trading area, across culturally distinct markets.
The Company is listed on the TSX and trades under the symbol BRE.
INDUSTRY-LEADING
CANADIAN BRANDS
DIVERSE SOLUTIONS FOR REALTORS® AND CONSUMERS
TRUSTED EXCELLENCE
IN LEADERSHIP
LEADERSHIP
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Bridgemarq is governed by a board of directors with six members, four of whom are independent of the Company. The names and biographies of each of the Directors are listed below. The Board oversees Bridgemarq’s business affairs.
While the Board has not developed written position descriptions for each position, the Board delineates the roles and responsibilities for each such position through ongoing communications among Board members that occur with respect to such roles. In addition, the Board has developed written charters for the Board and each of its Committees. These charters are updated periodically and govern responsibilities of the Board and the Committee Chairs.
1 Member of the Audit Committee
2 Member of the Governance Committee
3 Member of the Human Resource & Compensation Committee
LORRAINE BELL CPA, CA
Independent Director and
Chair, Board 2,3
Lorraine Bell is a Corporate Director and a Chartered Professional Accountant with many years of experience as a Director and in the financial sector as a derivatives and risk management expert. Ms. Bell is former Chair of the Audit Committee of IBI Group Inc. (taken private by Arcadis), a services and software company, and was also a member of the Governance and Human Resources Committee. She served for twelve years as a Director and Vice Chair of the Human Resources and Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee of the Ontario Financing Authority, the governmental agency that manages the debt and borrowing program for the Province of Ontario. She is a Director of the University of Toronto Associates in New York, a Trustee and Treasurer of the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society, a Director of the Saint Andrew's Society of New York, appointed a Global Scot by the Scottish Government in 2023 and is a member of the Métis Nation of Ontario through her Red River settlement ancestry.
COLUM BASTABLE FCA (lrl), LL.D
Independent Director and Chair, Audit Committee 2
Colum Bastable is a Corporate Director and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (Ireland). Mr. Bastable has served as a senior executive in the real estate services industry for over 40 years including as Chairman, President and CEO of Cushman & Wakefield Canada Ltd., Managing Partner of Commercial Real Estate Services at Brascan Corporation, and CEO of Royal LePage Limited. Mr. Bastable is on the Board of Trustees of Slate Grocery REIT, an investment trust, where he chairs the Audit Committee and sits on the Governance and Nominating Committee. He is also a member of the Independent Review Committee of Bridgehouse Asset Managers, an asset management company. Mr. Bastable has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Brookfield Canada Office Properties REIT, an investment trust, and as a Director of Toronto Hydro Corporation, an electric utility. Mr. Bastable has served on the Board of Governors of McMaster University, a university, as Director of the YMCA, a not-for-profit organization, and on the Campaign Cabinet for the United Way in Toronto, a not-for-profit organization.
JITANJLI DATT ICD.D
Independent Director 1,2
Jitanjli Datt is a strategic advisor at Forum Equity Partners, an investment management company. Prior to that, she worked in the investor relations department at Royal Bank of Canada and in equity research at the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. Ms. Datt has studied at a number of progressive educational institutions including the Harvard Business School and the Rotman Initiative for Women in Business.
SPENCER ENRIGHT CPA, CA
Director and CEO of the Company
Spencer Enright was appointed as CEO of the Company in April, 2024. Prior to the internalization of the management team, he was Chief Executive Officer of the external management company since December 2012, overseeing the growth in both Bridgemarq’s legacy franchising business as well as the recently-acquired brokerage businesses operating under the Royal LePage, Via Capitale and Proprio Direct brands. Spencer, who is also a director of the Company, sits on the Board of the Bridgemarq Real Estate Services Charitable Foundation, a charitable organization. Prior to joining Bridgemarq, he was General Manager for The Minute Maid Company Canada Inc. and Chief Financial Officer for Coca-Cola Ltd. Spencer is a Chartered Professional Accountant and is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce, specializing in Economics.
JOE FREEDMAN J.D., MBA
Independent Director 3
Joe Freedman retired as Senior Vice Chairman, Private Equity at Brookfield Asset Management in 2020. While at Brookfield, Mr. Freedman held a number of positions including General Counsel and head of mergers and acquisition transaction execution, fund formation and fund operations. Mr. Freedman is a director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, a not-for-profit organization, The Centre for Aging and Brain Health Innovation, a not-for-profit organization, RAD Technologies Inc., a technology company and Contact Free LLC, a technology company.
GAIL KILGOUR ICD.C, MBA
Independent Director,
Chair, Governance Committee and
HR & Compensation Committee 1
Gail Kilgour, is a Corporate Director with over 25 years of experience in the financial services industry. She is a past Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors for the Ontario Realty Corporation, a Crown Corporation, and Chair of its Governance Committee, a past director of Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation, a Crown Corporation. She is a past Trustee of the University of Guelph, where she chaired its Audit Committee and a past Chair of the Board of St. George’s Golf and Country Club.
Bridgemarq continually strives to ensure that sound corporate governance practices are in place to maintain investor confidence in the way Bridgemarq conducts its business.
Corporate governance relates to the activities of Bridgemarq's Board of Directors who are elected by and are accountable to the shareholders, and charged with the ongoing management of Bridgemarq. The Board assumes explicit responsibility for the stewardship of the Company directly and through its Committees.
Bridgemarq’s Board of Directors encourages sound corporate governance practices that are designed to promote the well-being and ongoing development of Bridgemarq, while having Bridgemarq’s best interests as its number one objective.
The Board is of the view that Bridgemarq's corporate governance practices are comprehensive and consistent with the guidelines for improved corporate governance in Canada as adopted by Canadian Securities Administrators. Bridgemarq continues to assess its governance practices and disclosure in relation to evolving guidelines.
Bridgemarq’s governance practices include charters for the Board and for its Standing Committees, the Audit and Governance Committees. The Board believes that Board Committees assist the effective functioning of Bridgemarq’s Board of Directors and help ensure that the views of Independent Directors are effectively represented. Only Independent Directors sit on the Board’s Committees.
The Audit Committee’s primary responsibility is to ensure the integrity of Bridgemarq’s financial reporting, risk management and internal controls. The Audit Committee has unrestricted access to the Manager’s employees and Bridgemarq’s records. In addition, the Audit Committee has direct communication with Bridgemarq’s internal and external auditors in order to discuss audit-related matters.
The Governance Committee’s primary responsibility is to review the Company's performance, develop Bridgemarq’s approach to governance issues, recommend potential Director candidates for nomination to the Board and to review the composition and effectiveness of the Board and the contribution of its Directors periodically. The Governance Committee considers many factors before recommending potential Director candidates for nomination to the Board, such as required skill sets that will ensure the Board runs effectively, the size of the Board and the diversity of the Board members.
Bridgemarq does not have a written policy or stated target regarding the identification and nomination of female Directors. Bridgemarq does recognize the importance of gender diversity on the Board as evidenced by the significant representation of female Board members. Specifically, 50 per cent of all Directors, 75 per cent of Independent Directors, 67 per cent of members of the Governance Committee and 67 per cent of the members of the Audit Committee are women.
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION
SPENCER ENRIGHT
Chief Executive Officer
Spencer Enright was appointed as CEO of the Company in April, 2024. Prior to the internalization of the management team, he was Chief Executive Officer of the external management company since December 2012, overseeing the growth in both Bridgemarq’s legacy franchising business as well as the recently-acquired brokerage businesses operating under the Royal LePage, Via Capitale and Proprio Direct brands. Spencer, who is also a director of the Company, sits on the Board of the Bridgemarq Real Estate Services Charitable Foundation, a charitable organization. Prior to joining Bridgemarq, he was General Manager for The Minute Maid Company Canada Inc. and Chief Financial Officer for Coca-Cola Ltd. Spencer is a Chartered Professional Accountant and is a graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce, specializing in Economics.
PHIL SOPER
President
Philip Soper was named President of Royal LePage in October 2002, and Chief Executive in January 2004. In August 2003, he directed the restructuring of Royal LePage into a public company traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, with the successful launch of what is now named Bridgemarq Real Estate Services (TSX: BRE). Prior to joining Royal LePage in 2000 as General Manager, Corporate Relocation Services, Phil was General Manager of IBM Canada’s Information Technology consulting and services business. Phil graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce and from the University of Western Ontario's Ivey Executive Program.
GLEN MCMILLAN
Chief Financial Officer
Glen McMillan joined Bridgemarq Real Estate Services from Brookfield Asset Management, where he was a Senior Vice President. He has worked in executive finance roles for over 25 years, including Chief Financial Officer for Fraser Papers Inc., and as Vice President of Finance, Controller and Corporate Secretary for Nexfor Inc. Glen's diverse background includes overall business management and governance as a member of Brookfield’s private equity team, as well as broad financial management responsible for finance, treasury, business development and investor relations at a number of public companies. Glen is a Chartered Professional Accountant and graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa.
PAUL ZAPPALA
Executive Vice President,
General Counsel
Paul Zappala is a lawyer who joined the organization in 2017 as Executive Vice President, Legal & General Counsel, and Corporate Secretary. He has worked in executive operations and legal roles for over 20 years, including as Vice President and Corporate Counsel to a Fortune 500 company in the financial services and insurance industry. Prior to joining, Mr. Zappala was Executive Vice President, Legal & General Counsel with a leading Canadian appraisal management company of Brookfield.
AIDEEN KENNEDY
Senior Vice President,
Human Resources
Aideen Kennedy holds the position of Senior Vice President of Human Resources, People and Culture with Bridgemarq. Prior to joining the organization in 2017, Ms. Kennedy held various positions within Brookfield affiliates since 2003, including as Vice President of Human Resources with a leading Canadian appraisal management company of Brookfield.
To ensure Bridgemarq communicates its practices and commitment to strong corporate governance, Bridgemarq is pleased to provide you with the following charters and policy: