Brick by Brick, Building Ontario’s Housing Supply
Roundtable Luncheon with Romy Bowers, Tim Hudak, Ene Underwood and Tony Irwin
Sponsored by:
C.D. Howe Institute events and webinars are open to members and their guests.
Please follow this link or contact events@cdhowe.org to register.
Romy Bowers, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Romy Bowers was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of CMHC in April 2021. She leads a team of housing experts who share a single goal: that “By 2030, everyone in Canada will have a home that they can afford and that meets their needs.” Romy believes CMHC can be a catalyst for solving housing affordability challenges and a leader in building a housing system that is equitable and free of systemic racism.
Romy joined CMHC in 2015 as the company’s Chief Risk Officer. She has also served as CMHC’s Chief Commercial Officer and most recently was Senior Vice-President of Client Solutions, where she led a team that brings together the expertise of CMHC’s commercial and assisted housing businesses to better understand the housing needs of Canadians and develop new client-focused products and services to meet those needs.
Prior to joining CMHC, Romy had a diverse career in the Canadian banking industry, including 12 years with the Bank of Montreal, where she gained extensive experience in treasury operations and risk management.
Romy holds an M.A. in Business Administration (Finance) from the University of Toronto and an M.A. in Arts from McGill University.
Tim Hudak, Chief Executive Officer, Ontario Real Estate Association
Tim Hudak is the CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association, Canada’s largest provincial real estate industry association representing 92,000 REALTORS®. He joined OREA in 2016.
With a passion and voice for championing the dream of home ownership, Tim came to OREA following a distinguished 21-year career in politics, including five years as Leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
In his role, Tim has focused on transforming OREA into Ontario’s most cutting-edge professional association at the forefront of advocacy on behalf of REALTORS® and consumers, and providing world-class conferences, standard forms, leadership training and professional guidance to its Members.
Under his leadership, the Association has attracted some of the most influential people to speak at their conferences, had historic wins in advocacy, including the passage of the Trust in Real Estate Services Act (TRESA) in 2020, and demonstrated strong thought leadership in the real estate industry.
As part of his work at OREA, Tim was named one of the most powerful people in North American residential real estate by Swanepoel Power 200 for the last five years. In 2021, he was also named to the Government of Ontario’s new Housing Affordability Taskforce, which will explore measures to address housing affordability and job creation.
Tim is married to Deb Hutton, and together they have two daughters, Miller and Maitland. In his spare time, Tim enjoys trails less taken on his mountain bike or hiking shoes as well as grilling outdoors.
Tony Irwin, President & Chief Executive Officer, Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario
Tony Irwin is President & CEO at the Federation of Rental-housing Providers of Ontario. Before joining FRPO, Tony was President & CEO with the Canadian Consumer Finance Association as well as was Vice President, North American Government Affairs, with Dollar Financial Group, Inc., where he directed government affairs initiatives across Canada and the United States to influence the public policy environment and enhance the company’s profile and position as an industry leader. Tony served as Chairman of the Canadian Payday Loan Association, and was active with the Community Financial Services Association of America. From March 2009 to July 2012 Tony was Manager of External Affairs & Consumer Relations with Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, where he implemented a national government relations strategy and served as official company spokesperson.
Prior to joining Allstate, Tony served as Executive Director of the Justin Eves Foundation, a non-profit organization granting scholarships and bursaries to learning-disabled and disadvantaged young people to assist them to achieve a post-secondary education. Tony has also held key political roles and was Senior Advisor to an Ontario Premier and Executive Assistant to the Leader of the Official Opposition.
Ene Underwood, Chief Executive Officer, Habitat for Humanity GTA
Ene (pronounced, “Een”) Underwood is CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater Toronto Area where she leads a team that helps working, lower income families build strength, stability and self-reliance through affordable homeownership.
Ene was a member of Ontario’s Housing Affordability Task Force which filed its report with the Ontario government in February 2022 setting an ambitious goal of 1.5 million new homes over the next decade.
Ene’s career began in the private sector as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company before transitioning to not-for-profit sector leadership, first in publicly funded health care and, for close to a decade, at Habitat for Humanity.
Ene holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from the University of Waterloo and a Master of Business Administration from Ivey Business School
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