LHH Knightsbridge Assists the Toronto Community Housing Corporation with CEO Search

July 13, 2021 – Following an extensive executive search process, Toronto-based LHH Knightsbridge has assisted in placing Jag Sharma as the new president and CEO of the Toronto Community Housing Corp. (TCHC). “I commend the TCHC board for their selection of Jag Sharma as the corporation’s next president and CEO,” said John Tory, mayor of Toronto. “Toronto Community Housing is tasked with delivering the quality homes and services that TCHC tenants want and need. I believe Mr. Sharma is an outstanding choice to continue moving TCHC forward.”

“Jag Sharma is a passionate and strategic leader with proven success in driving customer service excellence,” said Tim Murphy, chair of the TCHC board of directors. “The board is confident that Jag’s unwavering commitment to service excellence and exemplary leadership skills, experience, and genuine interest and empathy for the tenants we support will enable TCHC to build on our strengths and empower employees to make a difference in the lives of our tenants. His leadership experience in equity, diversity and inclusion, and in addressing anti-black racism, will be invaluable as we implement the TCHC confronting anti-black racism strategy that the board approved earlier this year.”

“I want to thank the search committee led by board vice chair Brian Smith for their dedication to the search process and tireless efforts in meeting with a strong field of candidates to select an outstanding new leader for the corporation,” Mr. Murphy said. “I also want to express the board’s gratitude and appreciation to Sheila Penny for her contributions in serving as acting president and CEO and her continuing contributions as chief operating officer.”

In his new role Mr. Sharma brings exceptional private and public sector experience from top-tier organizations such as the Ford Motor Co., Maple Leaf Foods and Canada Post Corp. He served eight years with the City of Oshawa as commissioner of the community services department and then as city manager. He joins TCHC from the Town of Newmarket, where he is currently chief administrative officer reporting to the mayor and council and leading a team of close to 700 employees.

At the Town of Newmarket, Mr. Sharma drove the organization’s success in key areas such as customer service excellence, establishing council’s strategic priorities and related public reporting, delivering the town’s first financial strategy; overseeing its pandemic response, championing Newmarket’s digital transformation strategy; and establishing an emerging leaders development program. He was instrumental in establishing the Newmarket Task Force to address anti-Black racism, supported by the diversity, equity and inclusion staff committee.

“Joining TCHC at this time is an incredible honor,” said Mr. Sharma. “In learning about TCHC and its mandate over the past few months, I have been inspired by the passion and commitment of its employees to deliver services and support tenants through one of the most difficult times in society’s history. A key priority for me will be to connect with tenants to understand their needs and the ways we can continue to support them.”

Toronto Community Housing is Canada’s largest social housing provider. It provides homes for 58,500 low- and moderate-income households in neighborhoods across the city. Toronto Community Housing is wholly owned by the City of Toronto and its 2,100 buildings represent a $10-billion public asset.

Four Search Practice Areas

A subsidiary of LHH—the leading global provider of talent and leadership development, career transition and coaching—LHH Knightsbridge delivers expertise in four search practice areas: executive search and recruitment, interim executive management, board of directors search and recruitment solutions. The firm assists organizations in finding new talent, as well as helping their employees navigate change, become better leaders, develop better careers and transition into new jobs.

Earlier this year, LHH Knightsbridge was included on Hunt Scanlon’s Canada Recruiter Ranking. The list, compiled by Hunt Scanlon Media – the most widely referenced, single source for information in the human capital sector – ranks the top executive recruiting firms in Canada and acknowledges the most prominent leaders in the search and recruitment practice across the country.

Over the past year, LHH Knightsbridge has continued to find innovative and bespoke ways to support its clients through the strategic, tailored search and recruitment of talented senior executives, despite challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, LHH Knightsbridge helped fill 195 executive positions in 129 organizations. Since its inception, LHH Knightsbridge has placed more than 3,072 professionals in 1,180 organizations and has successfully completed 95 per cent of all search mandates. The practice has completed 95 per cent of search mandates successfully, due to its team of experts, tailored approaches, and close relationships with clients and their business needs.

“Having the right leaders in place is essential for organizations navigating times of uncertainty, which has become evident to many companies over the last year,” said Mr. Hosking. “It’s always been clear to LHH Knightsbridge that the best organizations start with exceptional talent at all levels of business and therefore the search and recruitment team sources diverse, qualified and committed candidates for roles in executive and senior management full time and interim roles as well as for boards of directors.”

“Our tenured, industry specialized team of recruitment experts have helped countless organizations find the best talent to lead their business through both proactive and reactive transformation, and we will continue to innovate our practices to best serve the changing needs of our valued customers,” said Mr. Hosking.

Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media