Board of Directors

Bob Dhillon is Founder, President & CEO of Mainstreet Equity Corp., a publicly traded real estate corporation on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX:MEQ). Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, as at Q3 2023, assets are valued at CDN$3B with 17,000+ rental apartment units across western Canada (BC, AB, SK and Winnipeg). For over 22 years, Bob and Mainstreet have provided consistent, year over year, double digit returns to investors through MEQ’s continued organic growth.

In the 2019 Scotiabank Equity Research Daily Edge poll, MEQ led the Total Return Performance for the Canadian Listed Real Estate Sector, outperforming the TSX Real Estate Index at 89.9%. In a 20-year (2000 - 2020) stock performance comparison of the TSX, MEQ outperformed Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and Royal Bank of Canada.

Along with its healthy balance sheet success, Mainstreet is a strong and proud champion of affordable housing in western Canada.

Bob is also the owner of National Payments, a Visa and MasterCard approved merchant-processing business in the financial services sector.

In 2018, Bob gifted CDN$10M to the University of Lethbridge towards the creation of the Dhillon School of Business (DSB)*. Bob’s strong belief that education and entrepreneurship are the engines of national prosperity, along with his strong desire to give back to the province that provided him with so many opportunities, motivated his decision to make this substantial and transformative contribution. One of the primary areas of study at DSB is world class research and emerging technologies. Bob is also very proud of the fact that DSB was the first post-secondary institution in Canada to mandate an indigenous studies course requirement.

Special Appointments

• Appointed as Officer of the Order of Canada, 2021 for his achievements in business and for his unwavering commitment to philanthropy and higher education
• Awarded Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal 2022 and Diamond Jubilee Medal, 2012 for his dedication and accomplishments in his work and community
• Appointed Honorary Consul General of Belize for Canada, 1999 for his service to the welcoming people of Belize through his efforts to promote their investment friendly, eco-friendly economy

Other Awards

• Entrepreneur of the Year Prairies Real Estate and Construction Ernst & Young, 2015
• Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards Royal Bank of Canada, 2015
• Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People Alberta Venture Magazine, 2011

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• Recognized Contributor, Canada-India Relations, India@75 Impact Media & Events Gala, 2022
• Philanthropy Leaders List Indiaspora, 2021
• Legacy Award Transformation Institute for Leadership & Innovation, 2019
• Business Man of the Year The Sikh Awards (London, UK), 2016
• Lifetime Achievement Award India Association of Manitoba | University of Winnipeg, 2016
• 25 Most Influential Indians in North America Global Indian Origin, 2012
• Male Entrepreneur of the Year Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 2004

Publications

• “Business and Retirement Guide to Belize” (with Fred Langan), Dundurn Press, 2018 (Second edition)

Philanthropy (donations listed are in CDN $)

• Gifted $10,000,000 to University of Lethbridge toward the creation of the Dhillon School of Business, 2018
• Donated apartments to refugees from Syria (2015) Afghanistan (2019, 2021) and Ukraine (2022)
• Donated $10,000 to the creation of the Sikh Studies Program at University of Calgary, 2021
• Established a $10,000 business studies scholarship for Lakehead University, 2017
• Donated apartments to victims of Fort McMurray wildfires, 2016
• Donated apartments to victims of Slave Lake wildfires, 2011
• Raised $60,000 for underprivileged children in San Pedro, Belize, 2010
• Donated $500,000 to the town of San Pedro, Belize, 2008
• Donated $25,000 to Richard Ivey School of Business Financial Contributions, various years

Board Appointments

• Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) since 2015
• Alberta Investment Management Corporation (AIMCo) since 2022
• Board of Governors of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity since 2022
• Advisory Council for the Canada-India Business Council since 2021
• Invest Alberta Corporation since 2020
• Premier’s Alberta Economic Recovery Council since 2020-2022
• Macdonald-Laurier Institute Advisory Board (Retired)
• Entrepreneurial Advisory Board of Richard Ivey School of Business (Retired)

Other Notables

• Ongoing eco-development of 3,000 acres in Belize
• Donated Intellectual Property to Richard Ivey School of Business, 2000
• Industry leader in Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG)
• Continues to build an organization based around inclusivity and engagement

Education

• Master of Business Administration Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, 1998
• ICD-Rotman Director’s Education Program Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, 2021
• Honorary Doctorate of Laws University of Lethbridge, 2019
• Honorary Doctorate of Commerce Lakehead University, 2017

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bob-dhillon

John Irwin, retired, served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Vice-President of the Ivey Companies for the Richard Ivey School of Business. He was primarily responsible for Ivey's financial organization, information technology, conference centres, main campus facilities, and global asset management in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, and Mumbai.   

Mr. Irwin holds a Bachelor's Degree from Western University, as well as being a retired CPA-CGA. He was the project manager for the new $110 million Ivey Business School building. Mr. Irwin was a key player in Ivey's strategic initiatives.  He was responsible for the financial re-organization and privatization of business operations, expansion of the school's operations in Asia, physical expansion and financing of Ivey's Leadership Centres in London, Toronto, and Hong Kong. 

In addition to Mainstreet, Mr. Irwin previously was a member of the Board of Directors of Richard Ivey School of Business Foundation, Richard Ivey School of Business (Asia) Limited, RISB Ltd (Beijing), and the London Convention Centre. He currently serves as the Chair of Mainstreet's Audit Committee.

Joe Amantea is a senior associate with the law firm Warren Benson Amantea LLP in Calgary, Alberta. Mr. Amantea has more than three decades of experience in real estate, multi-family acquisitions, construction law, foreclosures and corporate/commercial law. He deals mainly with small and medium-sized private companies. Mr. Amantea articled with Warren, Raymaker & Stewart (now known as Warren Benson Amantea LLP) in 1977 and was admitted to the Bar in 1978. He became a partner of the firm on February 1, 1982. 

Mr. Amantea has an extensive record of professional and community service that has included roles as Past Director and Chairman, Columbus Savings and Credit Union Ltd.; Director, Calgary Italian Sportsmen's Dinner Association; Past Unit Chairman, Western Canada Summer Games; Member and Executive Officer of the St. Joseph's School Parent Council; Member, Calgary Winter Club; and Member, University of Calgary Chancellors Club. 

Mr. Amantea acts as corporate counsel on real-estate-related matters on behalf of Mainstreet.

Rich Grimaldi is a seasoned real estate executive with over 25 years of experience in senior roles in the real estate industry. He has held various positions in the Commercial Real Estate Division at GE Capital, including Managing Director of Institutional Accounts, Managing Director - Canadian Real Estate, and Managing Director - Large Transaction Group. He has extensive experience in financing public and private companies, structuring debt, equity and joint-venture new business opportunities.

As the Managing Director of GE Real Estate National Accounts from 2001 to 2004 (in New York), he was responsible for all debt investments in North America covering a customer base that consisted of Opportunity Funds, REITs and Public Companies. National Accounts consisted of a $4 billion portfolio and closed approximately $3 billion of new business during that term.

Mr. Grimaldi was Managing Director of GE Capital Commercial Real Estate Financing and Services (CREFS) operations in Canada from 1997 to 2000. The Canadian Division of CREFS consisted of ownership interests in 189 properties and a combined base of loans and owned properties exceeding $2 billion.

Prior to his appointment in Canada, Rich was based in Stanford, CT, as the Managing Director of CREFS Large Transaction Group (LTG). In his capacity as Managing Director, he spent four years valuing, acquiring and lending on more than 100 transactions worldwide totaling in excess of US$28 billion.

Mr. Grimaldi was initially recruited by GE Capital for its Financial Management Program (FMP) in 1980. From 1983 to 1988, he specialized in structuring joint venture transactions with GE Real Estate. In 1988 he joined CREFS where he focused on traditional core lending and portfolio acquisitions until his appointment as Managing Director of the LTG in 1993.

Mr. Grimaldi holds an MBA from the University of Miami.

K.V. Dhillon is the CEO and Managing Director of Guggenheim Capital Management (Asia) and Head of Guggenheim's India operations. Guggenheim Capital is a leading investment management firm with over $100 billion under management. Mr. Dhillon has over 16 years of experience in the financial services area.

Prior to joining Guggenheim Partners in 2008, he was a partner at Thomas Weisel Partners (TWP). Mr. Dhillon led TWP's efforts in India by establishing its Mumbai office. Before joining the Institutional Sales team at TWP in 1999, He was a VP on the Sales team at First Analysis, and prior to that, he was an Associate in Sales at Kidder Peabody. During his career, Mr. Dhillon has established strong relationships with leading investment managers including AIM Funds, Chartwell Investment Partners, Morgan Stanley Asset Management, T. Rowe Price and Turner Investment Partners.

Mr. Dhillon holds a Bachelor's degree from the University of Calgary and an M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Ron Anderson has over 30 years of experience in real estate finance, private equity, M&A and corporate and commercial banking in Western Canada. He ran the British Columbia operations of National Bank of Canada from 1986 to 1993. Tallinn Capital, which he founded in 1999, has offices in Vancouver and Calgary and manages two private mezzanine loan funds, one focused on real estate finance and the other focused on financing the mid-market corporate and junior oil & gas sectors.

Mr. Anderson received his Certified General Accountant designation in 1987 and earned a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia in 1979. In addition to sitting on the Mainstreet board, he is a director of The Nature Trust of British Columbia, a Governor and past-Treasurer of Crofton House School and has been a director of a number of public and private companies and non-profit organizations.