Caldwell Assists the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority with the Recruitment of President for the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project
September 14, 2026 – Toronto-based Caldwell has assisted the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority with the recruitment of Cheryl Nelms as president of the Roberts Bank Terminal 2 Project. Her appointment follows a competitive international executive recruitment process. The search was led by Drew Railton, Lucy Antrobus, and Vicky O’Connor.
“With more than 25 years of experience delivering complex infrastructure projects across Canada, Cheryl brings proven leadership and deep expertise in transportation, buildings, water infrastructure, and alternative delivery models,” the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority said in a LinkedIn post.
Ms. Nelms has experience implementing alternative delivery of projects in the transportation, building and water sectors. Most recently, she served as general manager of project delivery at Metro Vancouver, where she oversaw a capital portfolio of more than $20 billion. She has also previously held leadership roles at the City of Vancouver, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Public Works and Government Services Canada. Ms. Nelms is an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia, focused on major infrastructure project delivery. Her work has seen her receive numerous honors including a 2020 YWCA Women of Distinction Award and the 2024 Women’s Infrastructure Network (WIN) Outstanding Leader Award.
Roberts Bank Terminal 2 in Delta is a once-in-a-generation project that will unlock $100 billion of trade capacity annually and create tens of thousands of jobs. The project is uniquely poised to deliver for Canada and federal goals to double non-U.S. trade over the next decade, with consent from 27 First Nations and key environmental approvals already in place.
The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority is the arm’s-length federal agency that stewards the lands and waters that make up the Port of Vancouver, alongside the enduring stewardship of First Nations. As a Canada Port Authority, it is accountable to the federal Minister of Transport and operates pursuant to the Canada Marine Act.
Finding Senior Leaders Across Multiple Sectors
Caldwell Partners is a retained executive search and leadership advisory firm headquartered in Toronto that recruits board, CEO, and other senior executive leaders for clients across multiple industries in North America and Europe. The firm is publicly traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Related: Caldwell Recruits Chief Product and Innovation Officer for Beem Credit Union
Mr. Railton is a managing partner in Western Canada. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience placing senior executives and board directors, he provides expertise in board, CEO, and senior executive recruitment. Mr. Railton has experience as a director, serving on both volunteer and corporate boards, as well as extensive philanthropic involvement. Prior to joining Caldwell in 2006, Mr. Railton’s career spanned a wide range of industries and functions including roles in operations, sales, human resources, customer service, and general management.
Private Equity Recruiting – Return on Investment: Creating Value with Talent
Talent has become a defining driver of performance in private equity, shaping how firms manage risk, execute strategy, and deliver sustained returns. As deal cycles tighten and value creation depends increasingly on operational excellence, leadership quality and organizational design are no longer secondary considerations — they are central to how firms source, underwrite, and scale investments. From talent diligence and CEO succession to team integration and leadership development, human capital decisions now influence outcomes across the entire investment lifecycle.
Hunt Scanlon Media will convene more than 250 private equity operating partners, chief talent officers, and executive recruiters at the Hilton in Chicago on September 29, 2026. The program will explore how firms are elevating human capital into a core driver of investment outcomes—redefining how leadership is assessed, built, and deployed across the portfolio to support growth, execution, and long-term value creation.
To register for Hunt Scanlon Media’s upcoming conference please click here!
Ms. Antrobus is a partner in Caldwell’s industrial practice and based in the firm’s Dubai office. She focuses on senior and board-level appointments in the nuclear, construction, infrastructure and mining sectors, with particular expertise in the global transportation markets and a niche in rail and tunnelling markets. Ms. Antrobus has knowledge and solid expertise across the various infrastructure sectors, gained through more than a decade of experience recruiting in this space. She has a global network at the board and C-suite levels for companies with significant infrastructure projects in Europe, the Middle East, Australasia, Asia and North America.
Ms. O’Connor is a consultant in the London office and a member of the industrial practice. She focuses on recruiting senior executives in the built environment, infrastructure and transportation sectors, with a particular focus and expertise in rail and transit. Having conducted searches targeting talent across the globe, Ms. O’Connor has developed a breadth of experience in both the U.K. and global rail markets. She has supported clients including HS2, SNC Lavalin, Flatiron and McConnell Dowell Group.
Related: Caldwell Recruits CEO for Radius Global Market Research
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief and Dale M. Zupsansky, Executive Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
