CMLC Announces New Leadership
From the desk of Randy Magnussen, CMLC Board Chair
As follow-up to yesterday’s announcement of Michael Brown’s departure as CMLC’s President & CEO at the end of 2019, I’m delighted to announce, on behalf of CMLC’s Board of Directors, that Kate Thompson—our Vice President of Development since 2013—will be our new President & CEO.
Over the past year, CMLC senior management and Board of Directors have undertaken an in-depth succession planning process that has equipped the organization for this type of change, and we are pleased to be in the position for Kate to naturally transition into this role.
Charged with overseeing the strategic direction of our development team, Kate’s exceptional leadership has been instrumental in the success of many major infrastructure and development projects—most notably (and most recently) Calgary’s new Central Library. Among the people and teams she has led during her tenure, Kate is highly regarded for her deep expertise, her uncompromising standards and her unwavering commitment.
Kate has long been regarded by the members of our board and our stakeholder community as Michael’s natural successor. Though there’s no good time to lose a leader of Michael’s quality, Kate’s outstanding leadership credentials give us full confidence that she will guide the organization through this complex period in our evolution.
Kate’s passion for commercial design, construction, project management and communications comes through in day-to-day work with CMLC and her diverse roles throughout the community—including chair of YWCA’s Board of Directors and adjunct professor with U of C’s Faculty of Environmental Design. In 2014, Calgary’s Avenue Magazine recognized Kate in its Top 40 under 40 list and in 2015, YWCA’s She Who Dares project included Kate among the 150 women who shaped Calgary over the last 150+ years.
Kate belongs to the Alberta Association of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.
Kate will benefit from Michael’s experience and wisdom during the nearly two-month transitional period between now and the end of the year, though she’s been preparing for this role for a long time. CMLC’s Board has complete confidence in Kate’s ability to step into this role in the new year, and we look forward to officially welcoming Kate as our new President and CEO early in 2020.
- Randy Magnussen, Chair of the Board, CMLC
