James Macrae

James’ career in the real estate development, real property, design, and construction industry spans 28 years and has included many significant, large-scale local and national projects. James has a diverse knowledge range and management capability which brings executive level leadership to investors in large scale and complex real estate and infrastructure programs. Prior to establishing verTerra in 2009, James held senior management positions with leading national and international corporations.

James has a diploma in architectural technology, is a Project Management Professional, LEED Accredited and a Certified Risk Management Analyst. James is active in the industry with memberships in the Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships, Canadian Design Build Institute, Project Management Institute, Canadian Green Building Council, and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce.

James is an Ottawa native and an ardent advocate for mental health care in Ottawa. James has been a volunteer at the Royal Ottawa Hospital for the last 10 years, was the past President of the Royal’s Volunteers Association and in 2017 was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group.  James (and his firm verTerra) were the founding sponsors of Cracking Up the Capital, an annual comedy festival that supports mental health care organizations in Ottawa, and in 2016 James and his wife Anastasia, committed to a multi-year donation to the Ottawa Art Gallery to launch the creation of a community accessible art therapy program, now named Creative Spaces, in collaboration with the Royal Ottawa Hospital.