Biography
After forty years as an academic I have become a corporate and not-for-profit director and speaker. My last postingI was Chief Academic Officer of Universitas 21 Global in Singapore before which i was Associate Vice President International at the University of British Columbia and the HR Fullerton Professor of Urban Land Policy in the Sauder School of Business. I was Dean of the Sauder School of Business (1991-97). My research explored urban land markets, urban and regional transportation, urban housing economics and policy, globalizing real estate markets and global cities and how urban areas. I also studied ecological systems and their meaning for economic and business strategy.
I have extensive board experience. My directorships provide vital insights on corporate governance, executive compensation and audit functions and knowledge of financial markets and investments and current economic and financial crises.
My service on government and NGO boards is equally broad. spanning 2 dozen government and not-for-profit organization boards in the past 40 years in Canada and the US. I now serve as a Director of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, Canada’s pension plan with $183+ billion in assets and as Chair of the Surrey City Development Corporation, owned by the City of Surrey (BC) to work with private developers to develop city-owned properties.
Asia is a focus, as I studied real estate investment behavior of Asian ethnic Chinese via extensive travel and interviews in Asia. I also I have a long association with top Chinese universities starting in 1979 and subsequently with the leading universities and business schools in Hong Kong, China, India, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. I developed strong ties with top universities in Chile, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland with my work as Dean and Associate VP–International at UBC. I traveled extensively in Asia and Europe and became knowledgeable about their business cultures.
I consult to businesses and governments globally and have given 60+ lectures at 50+ universities in 16 different countries and hundreds of public and business presentations. and authored/co-authored 9 books and 200+ academic and professional articles. I am an honorary life member of the Real Estate Institute of British Columbia and of the Mortgage Investment Association of British Columbia and a past Fellow of the Urban Land Institute in Washington, DC.
Industry Expertise (5)
Research
Housing
Real Estate Dev/Ops
Education/Learning
Public Policy
Areas of Expertise (6)
The Economic Crisis: Its Origins and Meaning
The Inefficiency of Being Efficient
Housing Affordabiilty
The Housing Crisis and the Way Forward
The Rise of Asia
Excellence in Corporate Governance
Accomplishments (6)
Fellow, ULI-Urban Land Institute (professional)
2013-07-01
The ULI named me as a research fellow
Fellow, Homer Hoyt Institute (HHI) (professional)
2013-07-01
HHI is a leading institute of senior scholars and practitioners in real estate and urban land economics.
Honorary Life Member, Real Estate Institute of British Columbia (REIBC) (professional)
1999-07-01
REIBC is the leading professional body for people involved in real estate research, appraisal and practice.
Honourary Life Member, Mortgage Investment Association of British Colmbia (MIABC) (professional)
2009-03-01
MIABC is the professional organization mortgage dealers and providers in British Columbia
125th Anniversary Medal of Canada (personal)
1993-09-01
Awarded by the Governor-General of Canada
Honourary Alumnus of the Year for 1992, Alumni Association, University of British Columbia (personal)
1992-10-01
Annual Award given to a non-UBC graduate who advanced the cause of the UBC Alumni Association.
Education (3)
Brooklyn College: BA (cum laude), Economics 1962
University of California at Berkeley: MA, Economics 1965
University of California at Berkeley: Ph.D., Economics 1968
Affiliations (4)
- Lambda Alpha International
- University of British Columbia
- Canada Pension Plan Investment Board
- Surrey City Development Corporation
Style
Availability
- Keynote
- Moderator
- Panelist
- Workshop Leader
- Host/MC
- Corporate Training
Social