Our Leadership

Leadership Built on Experience

Sterling Maple is governed by a board whose experience spans institutional investment, capital markets, engineering, construction, advanced manufacturing, business operations and corporate governance.

Our directors bring different professional backgrounds to the table, providing the financial, technical and operational perspective required to evaluate opportunities, manage risk and move complex housing developments toward execution.

Experience Across the Board

Sterling Maple brings together complementary experience across several disciplines critical to successful development. The Board combines institutional investment and capital allocation expertise with engineering, construction, manufacturing, business operations and corporate governance.

Capital & Investment

Institutional investing, capital markets, portfolio management, financial analysis and capital allocation.

Engineering & Construction

Structural engineering, design-build construction, prefabrication, manufacturing and practical project delivery.

Business & Operations

Entrepreneurship, organizational systems, process improvement, technology adoption and operational efficiency.

Governance & Strategy

Board governance, risk management, development strategy, corporate leadership and long-term decision-making.

39+ Years

Institutional Investment Experience

Experience represented at the Board level across pension management, public markets and investment management.

30+ Years

Construction & Manufacturing Leadership

Experience spanning construction, prefabrication, advanced manufacturing and integrated project delivery.

Multidisciplinary Board

Capital • Engineering • Construction • Operations • Governance

Board & Leadership

The Sterling Maple Board brings together experience from investment management, institutional capital, engineering, construction, manufacturing and business.

Leadership

Jeffrey Francoz, P.Eng.

President & CEO

Investment Management • Capital Markets • Engineering • Entrepreneurship

Jeff Francoz brings more than 35 years of experience spanning investment management, financial services, engineering and entrepreneurial business leadership.

Jeff co-founded Aquilon Capital Corp., where he served as President and CEO. Aquilon Capital operated as an investment dealer and investment manager, providing investment management services to high-net-worth individuals and family offices. After 18 years of operations, Aquilon Capital was sold to National Bank of Canada.

His broader financial-sector experience has included corporate finance and funding, investment management, investment dealer operations, energy markets and advisory services. He has also served in corporate and industry governance roles.

Jeff began his career in engineering after graduating from the University of Waterloo with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Civil Engineering. He worked as a structural design engineer and project manager before moving into finance and entrepreneurship.

As a Professional Engineer and experienced investment and business executive, Jeff brings Sterling Maple a combination of technical understanding, financial discipline, capital-market experience and entrepreneurial leadership.

Board of Directors

James Donegan, CFA

Chairman of the Board

Institutional Investment • Capital Markets • Risk Management • Governance

Former President of OMERS Capital Markets with extensive experience in institutional investing, risk management and corporate governance.

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James Donegan brings more than 39 years of investment experience across pension management, capital markets and the investment dealer industry.

James spent 21 years at OMERS in public-market investment roles. From 2007 to 2015, he served as President of OMERS Capital Markets, with responsibility for the pension plan's publicly traded investment portfolios across equities, fixed income, currencies and hedge funds, as well as capital-markets risk management. He was also a member of the OMERS Executive Senior Leadership Team.

James later co-founded AGAWA Partners, where he serves as President and Managing Partner. Throughout his career, he has held a number of board and committee positions, including serving as an independent director of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.

James holds a BA in Economics from Carleton University and an MA in Economics from the University of Toronto and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

His extensive experience in institutional investing, capital allocation, risk management and corporate governance brings Sterling Maple a sophisticated understanding of how major investments are assessed, structured and governed.

Ed Newton

Board Director

Construction • Prefabrication • Advanced Manufacturing • Entrepreneurship

More than three decades of leadership in construction, prefabrication, manufacturing and integrated project delivery.

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Ed Newton brings more than three decades of construction and business leadership experience as the founder, President and CEO of Kiwi Newton.

Ed founded the company in 1994 as a traditional construction business. Under his leadership, Kiwi Newton expanded into design-build construction, modular and prefabricated building systems, precast concrete and structural steel manufacturing, creating an increasingly vertically integrated approach to project delivery.

He has led the development of proprietary prefabricated construction systems and overseen the company's work across residential, industrial, commercial, institutional and parking infrastructure projects. His focus on manufacturing, automation and integrated design and construction has helped position Kiwi Newton at the intersection of construction and advanced manufacturing.

Ed's career began with hands-on experience in farming, land development, carpentry and construction in New Zealand and the United Kingdom before he established his business in Canada.

His experience gives Sterling Maple practical expertise in construction execution, manufacturing, cost-conscious design, prefabrication and the delivery of complex building projects.

Jeremiah Vanderlaan, P.Eng.

Board Director

Engineering • Construction • Business Systems • Development Strategy

Engineering and construction experience combined with a focus on business systems, efficiency and project feasibility.

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Jeremiah Vanderlaan brings experience across structural engineering, construction, prefabricated building systems, business operations and development strategy.

He began his career in structural engineering with Walters Group, working on structural analysis and design, steel connections, fabrication and construction support. He later joined Newton Group, where he progressed to Vice President of Business Development, with responsibilities spanning Sales, Marketing, Estimating and IT within a vertically integrated design-build and manufacturing company.

A consistent focus throughout Jeremiah's career has been improving how businesses operate. Through his work at Newton and his consulting practice, Infinite Leverage, he has focused on process improvement, business systems, automation and the practical use of technology to improve efficiency, decision-making and scalability.

At Sterling Maple, Jeremiah applies this combination of engineering, construction and operational experience to project feasibility, development strategy and problem-solving, helping evaluate options quickly and turn technical, financial and operational considerations into practical decisions.

Scott Leckie, CFA

Board Director

Investment Management • Capital Allocation • Entrepreneurship • Governance

Investment management and governance experience focused on disciplined capital allocation, risk and long-term enterprise value.

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Scott Leckie brings decades of experience in investment management, capital allocation, entrepreneurship and corporate governance.

Scott was a founding partner, director and senior officer of Aquilon Capital, an investment firm established in 1990 and sold to National Bank Financial in 2008. His work at Aquilon centred on portfolio management, investment analysis and long-term capital allocation.

Following Aquilon, Scott continued his investment activities through private investment businesses and has founded several private companies in which he has held senior management and board responsibilities. He has also served on the boards of public and private companies.

Scott is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

His experience as an investor, entrepreneur and corporate director brings Sterling Maple a disciplined perspective on capital allocation, financial performance, risk, governance and the long-term creation of enterprise value.

The Origin of Sterling Maple Corp.

Sterling Maple began with a simple idea: real estate development should combine disciplined financial analysis with practical execution.

The company's roots trace back to 2018, when Jeff Francoz and Scott Leckie began evaluating a retirement-community opportunity in the Belleville region. Although that project did not move forward, the experience reinforced their belief that a more structured, financially disciplined development approach could create better outcomes.

That thinking ultimately led them to Kingston and the acquisition of 1081 Montreal Street in 2019, establishing the foundation for what would become Sterling Maple.

From Investment Experience to Development

Jeff Francoz, Scott Leckie and James Donegan had known one another since the early stages of their careers in finance and investment. Jeff and Scott worked in investment management and financial services, while James built a career in institutional investing that ultimately included serving as President of OMERS Capital Markets.

That background shaped the way Sterling Maple approached development from the beginning. Opportunities were evaluated through the lens of economics, risk, capital structure and long-term value before significant commitments were made.

After the Belleville opportunity did not proceed, Jeff and Scott began looking for an opportunity they could develop themselves. Their search led to Kingston, where they acquired 1081 Montreal Street in 2019. James subsequently joined Sterling Maple as a partner and investor, adding extensive institutional investment and governance experience to the team.

Adding Construction and Technical Expertise

As planning for 1081 Montreal Street progressed, Sterling Maple began exploring prefabricated and modular construction approaches that could improve project efficiency, sustainability and constructability.

That search led Jeff to Ed Newton and Jeremiah Vanderlaan.

Ed and Jeremiah brought experience in construction, prefabrication, manufacturing, engineering, business systems and project evaluation. What began as a discussion about construction methodology developed into a broader strategic relationship.

In August 2024, Ed and Jeremiah joined Sterling Maple as partners, adding technical, construction and operational experience to the company's existing financial and investment capabilities.

Sterling Maple Today

Today, Sterling Maple combines experience in institutional investment, capital markets, engineering, construction, manufacturing, business operations and governance.

That combination continues to shape how the company approaches development: evaluate opportunities carefully, challenge assumptions early, understand the economics, design with execution in mind and build teams capable of carrying projects forward.

Experience Across the Development Lifecycle

Sterling Maple's Board brings together financial, technical, operational and governance experience to assess opportunities carefully, manage complexity and move viable housing developments toward execution.

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