Governance

Surrey City Development Corporation is governed by an independent Board of Directors and is incorporated under the Business Corporations Act of BC

The primary role of the Board of Directors is to look out for the best interests of the company and to ensure that it operates according to sound business practice.  It has the responsibility of providing direction and oversight of the conduct of the Company’s business and the management team which has been delegated the responsibility for the day-to-day operation of SCDC. The Board is responsible for searching for and recommending to the Shareholder the appointment of the President and CEO.

The Board of Directors is appointed by the City of Surrey, who is the sole shareholder. The Board is made up of the City Manager and a senior manager of the City of Surrey, along with five independent Directors who have no direct or indirect material relations with the Company or its subsidiaries and who are independent of management. Each term appointment is established by the City of Surrey.

Director re-appointment is recommended by the Board and approved by the City of Surrey. Directors are required to affirm annually that they will abide with the Director Code of Conduct and must declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest on an ongoing basis. Directors are selected based on expertise and competencies in areas such as risk management, finance, real estate law, and real estate development as established by the Board.  When a vacancy occurs, Board openings are publicly advertised on both the City of Surrey and the Institute of Corporate Director’s websites.

The Board is responsible for appointing the Chair, who is responsible for appointing the Committee Chairs and evaluating the performance of the President & CEO and Officers of the Company. A Board evaluation process is completed each year, and time is set aside at each Board or Committee meeting for an in-camera discussion.

At this time, the Board has established three standing Committees: an Audit & Finance Committee which advises the Board on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Company’s financial reporting, internal controls, information systems and risk management; the Development Committee to oversee SCDC matters relating to the acquisition, disposition, development, financing, and management of real property and the Governance, Human Resources & Compensation Committee which advises on the adequacy and effectiveness of the corporate governance practices and procedures, human resources, and compensation policies. 

Re-appointment is recommended by the Board and approved by the City of Surrey. Directors are required to affirm annually that they will abide with the Director Code of Conduct and must declare any actual or potential conflicts of interest on an ongoing basis. Directors are selected based on expertise and competencies in areas such as risk management, finance, real estate law, and real estate development as established by the Board.

The SCDC Board of Directors is comprised of six independent directors, City Manager, and two senior City Administrators

  • Howard Nemtin

    INDEPENDENT MEMBER - BOARD CHAIR & CHAIR, GOVERNANCE, HUMAN RESOURCES COMPENSATION COMMITTEE

    Howard Nemtin established Nemtin Consultants Limited in Vancouver in 1976. The firm provides project management, consulting and real estate development expertise to institutional, government and large private clients throughout British Columbia. Prior to this, Howard worked with Marathon Realty developing shopping centres in western Canada and Narod Construction in project management. Howard has served as Chairman of Coast Mountain Bus Company and Vice-Chair of Translink. He is a Director of SFU Community Trust (UniverCity) and Chair of the Finance & Audit Committees. Howard has been on the BC Mediator Roster since 2003 and is the author of “Communities in Cooperation – A Guide to Alternate Dispute Resolution for First Nations and Local Governments in British Columbia”. Mr. Nemtin has a Bachelor of Science from York University and an MBA from the Western University. He is a practicing mediator with over 2,000 successful commercial mediations. Howard is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

  • Scott Dutchak

    INDEPENDENT MEMBER CHAIR, DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

    Currently the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Victoria, Scott Dutchak has more than 25 years of real estate experience including real estate development, asset management and portfolio strategies. Previous to his current position, Scott led the TELUS Corporation’s corporate real estate function and he has also held senior management positions with BCI (British Columbia Investment Management Corporation), several major real estate organizations, including three of North America’s largest investors, owners and managers of commercial real estate, as well as a leading multi-national retailer. Scott is an independent board member of the Songhees Development Corporation and an advisory board member of the Beedie School of Business at SFU. Scott is a professional urban planner, a member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, and holds a Master of Business Administration degree.

  • Bruce Joyce

    INDEPENDENT MEMBER CHAIR, AUDIT & FINANCE COMMITTEE

    Bruce Joyce was a Senior Partner at Deloitte in Ottawa where he served terms as the Office Managing Partner National Capital Region and the National Leader of the Federal Government Practice. Since retiring from Deloitte, he has served on the Boards of a number of companies and organizations including the Auditor General of Canada, two publicly listed technology companies, CounterPath Corporation in Vancouver and ProntoForms Corporation in Ottawa and and various private companies. For all of these organizations he Chaired their Audit Committees. . Bruce lives in South Surrey, with a second home in Ottawa. Bruce has an FCPA, FCA (Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario), has his ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors and is Human Resources and Compensation Committee Certified through The Directors College.

  • Christine Lundvall

    INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

    Christine Lundvall has nearly 30 years’ experience in the Canadian real estate sector; specializing in portfolio strategy, asset management, development as well as acquisitions and dispositions. Christine worked primarily at Bentall Kennedy, one of North America’s largest real estate investment managers. As a senior executive, she was dedicated to the growth and performance of the firm’s largest client, the British Columbia Investment Management Corporation (BCI). Christine also led the Responsible Property Investing initiatives for the BCI account. Christine was a management partner at Bentall Kennedy, involved in the transformational growth of the firm. Key programs included; strategic corporate planning, growth initiatives, risk management and governance frameworks. Christine also serves on the Board of the Downsview Aerospace Innovation & Research Hub (DAIR); a collaboration of leading aerospace companies, academia and government with the shared goal of advancing Canada’s global aerospace industry. She is a member of the DAIR Board’s Audit & Finance and Real Estate Advisory Committees. Christine holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and a BA (Economics) from the University of Western Ontario. She is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

  • Suki Sekhon

    INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

    Suki Sekhon is the President and CEO of CRS Group of Companies, which consists of a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate holdings in Western Canada. Born and raised in Vancouver, Suki attended the University of British Columbia before obtaining a Marketing Real Estate Diploma from BCIT. He is an active member of the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver and NAIOP, as well as a mentor for others in the community. Suki and his wife raised their four children in West Vancouver. Community and giving back has always been the forefront for the family. Over the past 25 years, the Sekhon family has been committed to supporting charities by philanthropic initiatives locally and globally.

  • Archie Johnston

    INDEPENDENT DIRECTOR

    Archie has strong financial corporate governance and financial statement reporting skills gained while serving as Senior Audit Partner with KPMG LLP and contract Practice Review Officer with the Chartered Professional Accountants – British Columbia. He served as National Industry Leader for KPMG’s Canadian public sector practice and was the leader of the firm’s public sector, first nation and not for profit practices in British Columbia. Archie has strong leadership and human resource governance skills. He cultivates relationships and builds consensus amongst his team members and applies integrity and passion in all his activities. He has experience with industrial and commercial real estate development gained through his service on the Tsawwassen First Nation Economic Development Corporation Advisory Committee and through the provision of strategic advice to his public sector clients on the structure and financing of complex real estate development projects while working at KPMG. Archie has served on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards for a number of public sector, first nation and not for profit organizations. He lives in South Surrey and serves as community representative on the Surrey School Board’s audit committee and the City of Vancouver’s Office of the Auditor General oversight committee. Archie has a BComm from UBC, executive MBA from SFU and FCPA, FCA (fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia and is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

City Representatives

  • Jeff Arason

    CITY REPRESENTATIVE

    Jeff Arason is a Professional Engineer with over 20-years’ experience working in the consulting industry and with the City of Surrey. Jeff is currently serving as the Director, Strategic Initiatives & Corporate Reporting in the Office of the City Manager where he is responsible for overseeing the continued development and application of the City’s strategic framework as well as other major cross-departmental initiatives including the delivery of the City’s Major Facility capital program which includes the Cloverdale Sport & Ice Complex, the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre Expansion and the Newton Community Centre. In addition to his work the Office of the City Manager, Jeff has served as the Acting General Manager, Planning & Development, and prior to that, Jeff led the Design&Construction Division and the Utilities Division in the City’s Engineering Department.

  • Robert Costanzo

    CITY REPRESENTATIVE

    As City Manager for the City of Surrey, Rob Costanzo leads an innovative and dynamic Senior Management team to help shape and guide the City’s strategic and corporate goals. Through value-based leadership, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a focus on inspiring and empowering his teams, Rob is committed to working with Mayor and Council to deliver a thriving, green, inclusive city. Since joining the City of Surrey in 1991, Rob has held several positions of increasing responsibility, including General Manager of the Corporate Services Department overseeing Legal Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, Legislative Services, and Bylaw Enforcement & Licensing Services. Prior to his tenure as General Manager, Corporate Services Rob was Manager, Engineering Operations, which included being responsible for the maintenance of the City's roads, utilities, and fleet, as well as the City’s waste management services, including waste collection, waste planning and policy development, marketing, and public education. In this capacity, Rob led Surrey's sustainability goals related to waste diversion and reduced carbon emissions from its fleet operations. He was responsible for the development of Surrey's Organic Waste Biofuel Facility which processes kitchen and yard waste collected at curbside into a renewable natural gas that is used to fuel the City’s Compressed Natural Gas waste collection fleet and as a nutrient rich compost that is used by local food growers, resulting in a closed-loop, net-zero carbons impact system.

  • PHOTO

    Vipin Sachdeva

    CITY REPRESENTATIVE

    Vipin Sachdeva is a CPA, CA with over 15-years’ experience working in the areas of Finance, Assurance and Taxation, including over 12-years with the City of Surrey. Vipin is currently serving as the Director, Finance where he is responsible for overseeing the City’s Financial, Planning and Analysis team, that prepares the City's budgets for City of Surrey Council. This team also helps monitor and analyze expenditure and revenue trends throughout the fiscal year, assisting departments in achieving their financial targets to ensure the City meets its annual budget. Prior to this role, Vipin was the City’s Internal Audit Manager, responsible for providing internal audit and advisory services to the City. Prior to joining the City, Vipin was an Audit Manager with a professional services firm in Vancouver, where he was responsible for audit and tax engagements for publicly listed entities and private company clients.

    Vipin previously served as a Director at SCDC from January 2021 to May 2023, and has been serving on SCDC’s Audit & Finance Committee as a delegate for the City Manager since May 2023.Description goes here