Welcome to our family.

Barrie Brayford

Former Chief Financial Officer, White Owl

Barrie Brayford is the former Chief Financial Officer at White Owl. After retiring as a partner from Grant Thornton, Barrie embarked on a new journey with Miller Group in 1993, where he served as Vice President of Finance, Chief Administrative Officer, and Executive Vice President until 2018, when the company was sold to Colas. During his time at Miller Group, Barrie was deeply involved in all aspects of the business, focusing on financial management and mergers and acquisitions.

Working in collaboration with the advisory board, Barrie has been instrumental in establishing the family office and supporting the development of a new management team.

Barrie is a distinguished professional with a Bachelor of Engineering Science (Electrical) from the University of Western Ontario.

George W. Denier

Former Senior VP & Managing Partner, KPMG

George Denier, a CPA, is a former Senior VP and Managing Partner with KPMG. In 1994, he was recognized by CPA Ontario, which awarded him a Fellowship in the Institute.

In addition to providing boutique corporate services to clients in the manufacturing, legal and real estate industries, George’s professional career has centred on client wealth management services involving estate, trust and will planning, business and wealth succession, insurance advisory services, and merger and acquisition counsel. A large part of his practice focused on the shareholders and families of privately held Canadian companies, to whom he offered structural counsel designed to achieve specific family and estate objectives.

George is on the Board of various private companies and is the former Chair of the CNIB’s National Library for the Blind and a member of its National Board. From 1989 to 2002, George was a member of the Board of Mackenzie Health (then known as York Central Hospital), including two years as Chair of its Board of Trustees.

James B. Kelsey

Former Senior VP, Commercial Banking, BMO

James (Jim) Kelsey is former Senior VP, Commercial Banking at BMO. A results-driven executive with over 50 years of experience in the financial services industry, Jim is an exemplary leader with diverse experience ranging from retail to commercial banking and corporate finance at the C-suite level. Jim led the startup of the Corporate Finance Division for Bank of Montreal and worked with the team to significantly grow that Division.

Jim served as an integral member of the North American commercial banking leadership committee for BMO.

Steadfastly focused on team engagement and organizational culture throughout his career, Jim has been a valued team member and supported the development of many professionals. Jim also remains passionately and actively involved in his community, including roles as a director on private company boards and various charitable initiatives, including as a board member of Autism Speaks Canada.

M. John MacNeil

CEO & Founding Partner, Jomac Properties

A CA/CPA with the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, John MacNeil is a seasoned veteran of the North American real estate industry.

John has led and completed successful real estate projects across Canada, the United States and Europe. With a background in both the residential and commercial sectors, John has been involved with some of the largest, most innovative and award-winning real estate developments of the past 35 years.

John is currently the CEO and founding Partner of Jomac Properties, an active investor in existing buildings and development projects with a total completion value in excess of $2 billion.

John was most recently the President, COO and Partner at First Gulf, an award-winning leader in the development of industrial, office, mixed-use and retail properties, with developed assets of over $4 billion completed since the company’s inception in 1987. First Gulf is a fully integrated development company involved in all aspects of real estate development, from land acquisition and planning approvals to design-build, construction, leasing, financing and property management. To date, First Gulf has developed and constructed over 30 million square feet of office, retail and industrial real estate.

Prior to joining First Gulf, John was the President of SmartCentres (formerly First Pro Shopping Centres), Canada’s largest retail developer over the past twenty-five years. John was also a trustee of SmartCentres REIT, listed on the TSX.

Richard Grant

Former General Counsel, White Owl

Richard Grant is the former General Counsel at White Owl. He practised law in northern Ontario for 25 years and began working for the Miller Group in 1990 as outside counsel, joining the Group in 2000 as its first General Counsel. He brought a legal perspective to all aspects of the business and was deeply involved in the Group’s public-private partnership (P3) work and its relations with Indigenous communities. He oversaw the legal elements of Miller’s many acquisitions and represented Miller on the boards of various joint ventures.

He led the legal team that completed the sale of Miller Paving and McAsphalt to Colas in 2018, and was among the group that established the White Owl Family Office. He has served on the Markham Stouffville Hospital Board, chairing its building and audit committees; chaired the boards of the Ontario Northland Transportation Commission, the Temagami Community Foundation and the Temagami Region Planning Board; and is currently involved with the Canadian Canoe Museum as a member of its collections committee.

In 2024, Richard completed 50 years as an Ontario lawyer and 25 years with Miller and White Owl.

Stephen R. Cole

Lead Advisor · President, Seeonee Inc.

The Lead Advisor for White Owl, Stephen Cole is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario, a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators, and a Full Member of the ADR Institute of Canada, Inc.

Stephen is the President of Seeonee Inc. He was the Founding Partner of Cole & Partners, and later President of Duff & Phelps Canada Limited. Duff & Phelps, Cole & Partners and Seeonee are all financial and valuation advisory firms.

Stephen is a Director of the public companies FARO Technologies Inc. and The Westaim Corporation. He has served as Lead Director and Chair of many committees for public companies and various private businesses, family offices, private pools of capital and charitable organizations.