CREA announces board of directors for Realtor.ca. From top left: Janice Myers, CEO, CREA; David Oikle, board chair, Realtor.ca; James Mabey, immediate past chair, CREA; Sheila Morin, CMO, Coveo; Sarah Miller Wright, former COO, Manulife; Peter Lukomskyj, CEO of Radiant Health
Realtor.ca is bolstering its board with expertise in technology, marketing, customer experience, and more as the platform finds its legs as a standalone, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Canadian Real Estate Association.
On Tuesday, Realtor.ca announced the appointment of business leaders Peter Lukomskyj, Sheila Morin and Sarah Miller Wright, bringing the board to six members.
Board chair David Oikle said the new members were chosen for their proven track records of driving revenue growth. Since transitioning from a not-for-profit to a taxable subsidiary of CREA this year, Realtor.ca has prioritized making a viable business model for the platform.
“We thought it was incredibly important to get a diversity of experience around the board table,” said Oikle.
CREA moved to spin out Realtor.ca into its own entity to maintain its dominating market share as competition heats up and consumer expectations rise. This enables the platform to pursue new revenue streams, some of which have already begun, said Oikle.
Who are the members?
Lukomskyj is a technology leader currently serving as the CEO of Radiant Health. Previously, he held senior leadership roles at ride-sharing company Lyft, where he launched new markets and oversaw expansion into Canada and across the globe. He is a Professional Engineer and CPA.
Morin is the chief marketing officer at Coveo, an enterprise software firm based in Quebec. She is recognized for her contributions to growing major brands and her talent for creating modern, sustainable strategies.
Miller Wright has scaled organizations at every stage. Miller Wright led customer experience strategy, operations, and digitization on a global scale in her previous role as COO at Manulife. She also served as a senior executive at Shaw Communications.
The board also includes CREA CEO Janice Myers and immediate past chair James Mabey.
The board’s top priorities
Oikle said the board will have its first meeting in two weeks.
Among the first action items is initiating the process of recruiting and hiring a permanent CEO.
Patrick Pichette currently serves as interim CEO.
“I expect (Pichette) will express interest in the position. He’s doing a terrific job,” said Oikle.
Board members are compensated for the position, said Oikle, adding that their pay is confidential.
He said they are recruiting three more directors and he hopes to have a nine-person board by the end of the year.
Oikle pledges to keep commitments
A huge element of CREA’s case for Realtor.ca’s independence was the ability to capitalize on revenue opportunities.
Some initiatives are already being piloted, said Oikle, such as banner ads and referral buttons to mortgage professionals.
Oikle said the board intends to honour its pledge to maintain Realtor.ca’s status as a market leader and ensure it remains a trusted resource for Realtors and consumers.
“We’re not out to do something that is not going to be a positive representation of the brand,” he said.
Courtney Zwicker is a digital reporter and associate editor for REM. Based in Atlantic Canada, she has over a decade of experience covering daily business news.