Our Team
Blair Tamblyn
Chief Executive Officer
Blair Tamblyn Co-founded Timbercreek in 1999 and is Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Tamblyn is also CEO and Chairman of the Board for Timbercreek Financial.
In his role as CEO of Timbercreek Capital, Mr. Tamblyn is responsible for identifying strategic initiatives, managing global capital markets activities and general oversight of Timbercreek’s corporate operations. Mr. Tamblyn is also a member of the Investment Committe.
Mr. Tamblyn has over 25 years of experience in public and private capital markets and has led the origination, structuring, capitalization and execution of all public and private Timbercreek funds that currently manage ~$3 billion in assets. Prior to co-founding Timbercreek, Mr. Tamblyn worked at Connor, Clark & Company.
Mr. Tamblyn is an independent Director and chair of the Audit Committee of Parkit Enterprise Inc.
Mr. Tamblyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Western University. Mr. Tamblyn also completed the Board Effectiveness Program offered by Rotman and the Institute of Corporate Directors.
Tracy Johnston, CPA, CA
Chief Financial Officer
Tracy Johnston joined Timbercreek in July 2020 as Chief Financial Officer. In her current role as CFO, Ms. Johnston is responsible for overseeing financial and taxation reporting, treasury, corporate financing and the financial reporting and risk analytics platform.
Ms. Johnston has over 15 years of progressive experience in Finance. Most recently, Ms. Johnston was Senior Director, Financial Reporting at Cadillac Fairview. Prior to joining Cadillac Fairview, Ms. Johnston was Director, Corporate Accounting at DREAM Office REIT.
Ms. Johnston started her career at Deloitte & Touche LLP in the Assurance and Advisory practice. Ms. Johnston holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Dalhousie University. Ms. Johnston is a Chartered Professional Accountant.
John Walsh
Vice President, Corporate Secretary
John Walsh has over 25 years experience as a private markets investor and a legal and governance advisor to large institutions.
Mr. Walsh is the Chief Compliance Officer of Timbercreek Investment Management Services (“TIMSI”), and SVP Legal and Compliance of Timbercreek Capital, and is responsible for all corporate and investment-related compliance obligations, as well as overseeing Timbercreek’s corporate legal activities, including fund formation and launches, ongoing capital markets activities, and general corporate operations.
Mr. Walsh was most recently the Managing Director, General Counsel, at OPTrust where he led the strategic planning for a cutting-edge pension innovation lab, and created and led transaction-based legal, governance, ERM, compliance and privacy teams for the Trust. Prior to his senior management role, Mr. Walsh spent a decade helping create and lead the Private Markets Group (private equity and infrastructure) at OPTrust.
Prior to OPTrust, Mr. Walsh practiced M&A law for 10 years at both Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, and Davies Ward & Beck (as it then was).
Mr. Walsh currently serves as a Director with several international infrastructure investment organizations in addition to serving as a Governor at North York General Hospital.
Mr. Walsh obtained his B.A. History from Roberts Wesleyan College, his M.A. Political Science from Carleton University, and his LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School.
Karynna Ma
Vice President, Investor Relations
Karynna Ma has over 20 years of experience providing financial products and services to retail and institutional investors in public and private markets.
Ms. Ma is the Executive Director of Global Institutional Business Development at Timbercreek, overseeing sales and investor relations, and works closely with institutional investors and investment consultants in Canada, the U.S., and Europe.
Prior to joining Timbercreek in 2017, Ms. Ma served as Vice President of Investor Relations at Bastion Infrastructure Group with responsibilities in marketing and fundraising of a private infrastructure platform to institutional investors globally.
Before her role at Bastion, Ms. Ma was the Director of Managed Assets at Mackenzie Investments where she was responsible for the marketing and sales efforts of their managed portfolio solutions.
Ms. Ma began her career in finance as an analyst at Fidelity Investments where she held numerous positions in marketing and sales. Ms. Ma holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
Blair Tamblyn
Chairman
Blair Tamblyn Co-founded Timbercreek in 1999 and is Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Tamblyn is also CEO and Chairman of the Board for Timbercreek Financial.
In his role as CEO of Timbercreek Capital, Mr. Tamblyn is responsible for identifying strategic initiatives, managing global capital markets activities and general oversight of Timbercreek’s corporate operations. Mr. Tamblyn is also a member of the Investment Committe.
Mr. Tamblyn has over 20 years of experience in public and private capital markets and has led the origination, structuring, capitalization and execution of all public and private Timbercreek funds that currently manage ~$3 billion in assets. Prior to co-founding Timbercreek, Mr. Tamblyn worked at Connor, Clark & Company.
Mr. Tamblyn is an independent Director and the chair of the Audit Committee of Parkit Enterprise Inc.
Mr. Tamblyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from Western University. Mr. Tamblyn also completed the Board Effectiveness Program offered by Rotman and the Institute of Corporate Directors.
W. Glenn Shyba
Lead Independent Director
Mr. Shyba is a Founder and Principal of Origin Merchant Partners, an independent investment bank that provides value added corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions and merchant banking services across several core industries.
Mr. Shyba has over 20 years in the commercial real estate industry in Canada and is focused on the principal investing side. Prior to Origin Merchant Partners, Mr. Shyba was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Osmington Inc., one of Canada’s most active and successful private commercial real estate owners and developers. Mr. Shyba has extensive transactional experience having had corporate responsibility for $2+ billion in acquisitions and dispositions and for the firm’s finance and treasury functions. Prior to Osmington, Mr. Shyba was Vice President, Development at Bramalea Inc. Mr. Shyba has also participated in the development of Canada’s first property valuation software program for commercial real estate.
Mr. Shyba holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia.
Amar Bhalla
Independent Director
Mr. Amar Bhalla is a principal at the Amdev Property Group, a private real estate company that owns and manages a portfolio of apartment buildings, commercial sites, and development projects in the GTA. He has over 20 years of experience in the acquisition, repositioning and redevelopment of GTA based real estate across asset classes.
As well as his role at Amdev, Mr. Bhalla is founder of Capit Investment Corp., a Toronto based merchant bank focused on near public investment opportunities in both technology and mineral industry businesses. Mr. Bhalla has and continues to serve on the boards of several TSX and TSX-V listed businesses across technology and mineral industries and is the current Chair of Dream Impact Trust, Chair of the Independent Review Committee for BristolGate Capital Partners, Chair of the Audit Committee of Galane Gold.
Mr. Bhalla is a CFA charter holder, a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and holds a BA in Economics from McGill University.
Pam Spackman
Independent Director
Pam Spackman is a corporate director currently serving as a member of the Board of Trustees and a member of the Investment Committee of WPT Industrial REIT. She serves on the Board of Trustees, is Chair of the Corporate Governance, Compensation and Nominating Committee, and is a member of the Audit Committee for Slate Office REIT. Ms. Spackman is a member of the Independent Investment Committee of Bentall Kennedy High Yield Canadian Property Fund (a fund investing in high yield mortgage debt and real estate equity in Canada), and serves on the Valuation Committee of Crestpoint Real Estate Advisors.
Ms. Spackman previously served as Chair of the Timbercreek Mortgage Advisory Committee from July 2008 until June of 2016, and on the Board of Gazit America Inc. from July 2009 until August 2012 (the date of their privatization). She was also President and CEO of Column Canada Financial Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Credit Suisse Group AG from July 2000 to July 2008 and prior to that, Ms. Spackman was Vice-President, Mortgage Investments at the Ministry of Finance, Province of British Columbia and an Investment Manager for the Workers’ Compensation Board Investment fund in Ontario. She acquired the ICD.D designation in 2010 following completion of the Institute of Corporate Directors program at University of Toronto.
Deborah Robinson
Independent Director
Ms. Robinson founded Bay Street HR in 2001, an outsourced human resources service provider for small to mid-sized companies and remains on as Managing Partner. Prior to founding Bay Street HR, Ms. Robinson was Executive Director at CIBC World Markets where she oversaw human resources for Investment and Corporate Banking. She also held senior HR positions at Fidelity Investments and American Express Travel in Boston and New York City.
Ms. Robinson has been a Director and Chair of the Human Resources and Compensation Committee of Park Lawn Corporation (PLC-tsx) since June 2019 and a Director and Chair of the Compensation and Governance Committee of Blockchain Foundry (BCF-csx) since July 2018. From 2014 to 2018 she served a term as a Board Member of VIA Rail. Ms. Robinson also serves on the board and co-chairs the endowment of Best Buddies Canada, a global charitable organization dedicated to supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities. She is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Rotman School Directors Education Program (2010) and holds an ICD designation.
Scott Rowland
Director
In his role as Chief Investment Officer, Scott Rowland is responsible for the development of investment strategies and processes, as well as the overall performance of Timbercreek’s portfolios.
Mr. Rowland has over 25 years of industry experience with roles including the Co-Head of Debt Strategies for Fiera Real Estate and the Managing Director for Blackstone’s debt business in Canada. During a 19-year career at GE Capital, Mr. Rowland held a variety of roles including credit underwriting, Asset Management Leader, Originations Leader and the Managing Director for Real Estate in Canada. Mr. Rowland is a leading Canadian non-bank lender, having been involved in over $25B of transactions across a wide variety of asset types and capital structures.
Mr. Rowland holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University, and is a registered as both a portfolio manager and mortgage broker.
Scott Rowland
Chief Investment Officer
In his role as Chief Investment Officer, Scott Rowland is responsible for the development of investment strategies and processes, as well as the overall performance of Timbercreek’s portfolios.
Mr. Rowland has over 25 years of industry experience with roles including the Co-Head of Debt Strategies for Fiera Properties and the Managing Director for Blackstone’s debt business in Canada. During a 19-year career at GE Capital, Mr. Rowland held a variety of roles including credit underwriting, Asset Management Leader, Originations Leader and the Managing Director for Real Estate in Canada. Mr. Rowland is a leading Canadian non-bank lender, having been involved in over $20B of transactions across a wide variety of asset types and capital structures.
Mr. Rowland holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce from McMaster University and is a registered mortgage broker #M08007185.
Geoff McTait
Managing Director, Origination -Canada
Head of Global Syndication
Head of Global Syndication
Geoff McTait joined Timbercreek in January 2019 as Executive Director, Head of Origination, Canada.
In his current role as Managing Director, CDN Originations & Global Syndications, Mr. McTait leads the Canadian debt origination team and global syndications initiatives.
Mr. McTait has over 20 years’ commercial real estate lending experience. Prior to joining Timbercreek, he was SVP and Co-Head Debt Strategies at Fiera Properties where he focused on relationships and transactions, including new-business origination, underwriting and closing. Before this, Mr. McTait held origination leadership positions of increasing seniority at Blackstone and GE Capital Real Estate.
Mr. McTait holds an Honours Degree in Geography, Urban Development, from the University of Western Ontario. He is a Mortgage Agent, licensed with both FSCO (Ontario) and FICOM (B.C.) accreditations.
Patrick Smith
Managing Director, Head of Global Credit
Patrick Smith joined Timbercreek in September 2012 as Director, Origination.
In his current role as Managing Director, Head of Global Credit, he is in charge of leading the global underwriting, asset management, closing and loan servicing teams for the Canadian, U.S. and Irish debt platforms, and is responsible for all credit approvals. In his previous role as Executive Director, Global Credit, Canada, Mr. Smith lead the global underwriting team in support of origination and credit approval for the Canadian platform, as well as provided global asset management support by overseeing loan modifications, surveillance and reporting.
Mr. Smith has 20 years of experience in real estate finance and asset management. Prior to joining Timbercreek, Mr. Smith worked at Conundrum Capital as Director of Asset Management, responsible for the acquisition, financing and asset management of a commercial property portfolio. Prior to that, Mr. Smith worked at Merrill Lynch’s Canadian CMBS lending group for 10 years, holding progressively senior positions in origination, credit and structuring.
Mr. Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts from Western University and is a Licensed Mortgage Broker #M14000724.
Simon Verdy
Vice President, Orgination
(Quebec & The Maritimes)
(Quebec & The Maritimes)
Simon Verdy joined Timbercreek in April 2021 as Vice President, Origination (Quebec & The Maritimes).
In his role with Timbercreek, Simon will be responsible for sourcing new loan investment opportunities and building new borrower, broker, lender and investor relationships for Timbercreek in Quebec and the Maritimes.
Prior to joining Timbercreek, Mr. Verdy worked for First National as Assistant Vice President, Commercial Financing, where he provided multi-family and commercial financing for new acquisitions, renewals and construction projects. Prior to this, Mr. Verdy worked as a Financial Analyst for Montrose Mortgage Corporation.
Mr. Verdy obtained his BAA, Finance and his Master, Financial Economics from HEC Montreal.
Michelle Adair
Vice President, Global Credit
Michelle Adair joined Timbercreek in January 2021 as Vice President, Global Credit.
In her role with Timbercreek, Ms. Adair is responsible for recommending debt investments and overseeing the structuring, underwriting, and credit quality of loans within the portfolio.
Ms. Adair has over 20 years of experience in the commercial real estate lending industry. Prior to joining Timbercreek, Ms. Adair worked at Community Trust Company as Manager, Commercial Lending. Before this, Ms. Adair worked as a Senior Underwriter for Canadian Mortgage Strategies & Investments and an Underwriter for Canada ICI.
Ms. Adair obtained her Bachelor of Commerce from The University of Guelph.
Charles Lingren
Vice President, Origination
Charles Lingren joined Timbercreek in May 2011 as Director, Origination.
In his current role as Vice President, Origination, Mr. Lingren is responsible for sourcing new and existing debt opportunites for the fund. As part of this role, Mr. Lingren works closely with clients, brokers and the Timbercreek credit team to ensure all new and existing debt opportunities fit the fund mandate.
Mr. Lingren has over 15 years of experience in the non-banking commercial real estate industry. Prior to joining Timbercreek, Mr. Lingren worked at Quest Commercial Mortgage as a Loans Manager. Prior to this, Mr. Lingren worked at PenCor Capital as an Analyst.
Mr. Lingren holds a Bachelors Degree from the University of Victoria and a Graduate Degree from the University of Calgary.
Isaac Zimmer
Vice President, Orgination
Isaac Zimmer joined Timbercreek in April 2019 as Senior Associate, Debt Investments.
In his current role as Director, Origination, Mr. Zimmer is responsible for supporting the existing Origination’s team in respect of sourcing, structuring, negotiation and deal management in addition to running specific accounts and facilitating prospecting initiatives to assist in driving incremental growth of the debt platform.
Prior to joining Timbercreek, Mr. Zimmer worked in the Real Estate group at BMO Capital Markets.
Mr. Zimmer completed his undergraduate degree at Western University and obtained his Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) from Ivey Business School.