McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Ltd. (NYSE:MCD) is getting a new big cheese. The Toronto-based company has named John Betts as president, replacing the retiring Louie Mele. Betts began his career as a McDonald's crew member in 1970 in New York and most recently held the position of VP for national beverage strategy. McDonald's Canada and its franchisees own and operate more than 1,400 restaurants and employ more than 77,000 people.
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* The president of Vancouver investment management house Phillips, Hager & North is to head a combined asset management business when it is bought by the Royal Bank of Canada (TSX:NYSE:RY). The deal will close around the end of April. John Montalbano will become CEO when PH&N is folded into RBC Wealth Management. Brenda Vince, current president of RBC Asset Management, will lead the combined mutual fund and high net-worth businesses. Dan Chornous, currently CIO of RBC Asset Management, will become the CIO of the combined entity, while PH&N's Hanif Mamdani will be head of alternative investments. PH&N was founded in 1964 and has about $69 billion of assets under management. RBC Wealth Management has nearly $500 billion of assets under administration.
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* Tim Hortons Inc. (TSX:THI) has named Don Schroeder as its new president and chief executive; former CEO Paul House will become executive chairman. Schroeder joined Tim Hortons in 1991. He previously dealt with the distribution, manufacturing, construction, legal and human resources segments. Tim Hortons was formed in 1964 and acquired by Wendy's International in 1995, operating as a wholly owned subsidiary until being spun off in September 2006 as an independent public company. Its head office is in Oakville.
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* Equitable Group Inc. (TSX:ETC) says its CFO, Randy Nanek, has left two months after joining the company. His tasks will be shared by Equitable's executive team until a replacement is found. Equitable Group is a niche mortgage lender that conducts business through its wholly owned subsidiary, The Equitable Trust Co. Its head office is in Toronto.
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* Russel Metals Inc. (TSX:RUS) has promoted senior executives Brian Hedges and Marion Britton. Hedges moves from CFO to chief operating officer and Britton from chief accounting officer to CFO. Hedges has been with Russel for 13 years and Britton for 23. Russel Metals carries on business in three distribution segments: Metals service centres, energy tubular products and steel distributors, under various names. Its head office is in Mississauga.
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* South American Gold and Copper Co. (TSX:SAG) says William O'Donnell has retired as executive VP, CFO and secretary. Peter Hogg has been named interim CFO. Hogg has been assistant treasurer since 2000. SAG is a minerals-producing, exploration and development company focused on Chile and Peru. Its registered office is in Toronto.
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* First Uranium Corp. (TSX:FIU) has announced several management changes. Jim Fisher moves to executive VP for corporate development in the Toronto office from COO. Syd Caddy joins the company from Simmer and Jack Mines Ltd. as executive VP and COO. John Gould joins as VP of exploration and business development. First Uranium is a resources company focused on uranium and gold projects in South Africa. It has offices in Toronto and South Africa.
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* Caledonia Mining Corp. (TSX:CAL) has named Trevor Pearton as VP of exploration, following the resignation of Jeff Smith. Pearton has worked for Caledonia since 2001. Caledonia is an African-focused mining company with projects in Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. Its head office is in Toronto.
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* Uranium One Inc. (TSX:UUU) has named Jean Nortier, its executive VP for business development, as interim CEO. He succeeds Neal Froneman, who has resigned. David Hodgson, a non-executive director of the company, has been appointed acting COO. He is a civil and mining engineer who joined the board in 2006. Uranium One has interests in Kazakhstan, South Africa, Australia, the U.S. and Saskatchewan. It has offices in Toronto, Vancouver and abroad.
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* Gabriel Resources Ltd. (TSX:GBU) says David Christensen has resigned as VP of corporate development. He had been with the company since October 2006. Gabriel is engaged in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Romania. Its head office is in Toronto.
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* ARISE Technologies Corp. (TSX:APV) has named Bart Tichelman as president and CEO. Former CEO Ian MacLellan takes the new role of chief technology officer. Tichelman was the CEO of Serveron Corp. until its sale in December 2007. ARISE is dedicated to accelerating the use of solar energy in mainstream markets. Its head office is in Waterloo.
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* Burntsand Inc. (TSX:BRT) says its CFO, Blair Baxter, is resigning effective March 31 to accept a position outside the IT services industry. Burntsand is a business consulting and technology services company. Its head office is in Toronto.
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* West 49 Inc. (TSX:WXX) says Steve Boyack is resigning as CFO and corporate secretary effective March 14 for personal reasons. West 49 is a multi-banner specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories and equipment related to skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, BMX, motocross and the music industries.
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* Cyberplex Inc. (TSX:CX) has named Isaac Osiel as CFO. Osiel brings nearly 20 years of financial and administrative experience with various technology organizations, most recently with Redline Communications Inc. Cyberplex provides web advertising services and online customer acquisition strategies. Its head office is in Toronto.
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* Patheon Inc. (TSX:PTI) has appointed Terry Novak as president of North American operations and chief marketing officer. He was most recently president of DSM Pharmaceuticals Inc. Nick DiPietro will be assuming a new role as executive VP for corporate development, moving from president and COO. Clive Bennett, president of Patheon U.S.A., becomes chief technical officer. Steve Liberty becomes senior VP for operations in Canada and the U.S. Patheon provides drug development and manufacturing services to the international pharmaceutical industry. Its corporate office is in Mississauga.
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* Toronto-based international and sports television broadcaster JumpTV Inc. (TSX:JTV) has made key additions to its executive team. Blair Baxter becomes CFO; Elmer Sotto VP for product and business operations; Jay Howard VP and general counsel; and Nada Usina president of JumpTV Inc.
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* Castle Resources Inc. (TSXV:CRI) has named Stephen Shefsky as its new president and CEO, replacing Stephen Wallace. Shefsky has been a company director since March 2007. Castle Resources Inc. is focused on the exploration and development of silver properties located in proven mining camps. Its head office is in Toronto.
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* Trelawney Resources Inc. (TSXV:TRR) has hired Andres Tinajero as CFO. He was formerly controller of Eastern Canada Aggregates for Lafarge Canada. Trelawney is exploring for gold in the Wawa area, and has its head office in Toronto.
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* ZipLocal Inc. (TSXV:ZIP) has appointed Aris Zakinthinos as CTO. Zakinthinos was most recently VP of engineering for Vizible Corp. ZipLocal is an online directory providing local search services. It has offices in Toronto and Montreal.
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* East West Resource Corp. (TSXV:EWR) has announced the appointment of geologist Moe Lavigne as president and CEO. Blake Colvin continues as a director and member of the audit committee.
Neil Pettigrew has resigned as vice-president and a director to pursue his consulting practice. East West is an exploration company based in Thunder Bay.
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* NCR Corp. (NYSE:NCR) has named Michael Taylor as the new general manager for NCR Canada's retail organization. For the past five years, Taylor led the sales organization at Getronics Canada. NCR Corp. is a global technology company headquartered in Ohio. NCR Canada's head office is in Mississauga.
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* Hillsdale Investment Management has hired Harry Marmer as executive VP for institutional investment services. Marmer was most recently senior VP for institutional investment services for Franklin Templeton Investment Canada. Hillsdale is an independent investment boutique, serving both institutional and individual investors. It is based in Toronto.
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* Business services firm Deloitte has named partner Jane Allen as its first chief diversity officer. She joined Deloitte's consulting practice in 1996, became a partner in 2001, and national leader for the firm's power and utilities segment in 2004. She retains this role. Deloitte is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu.
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* DMTI Spatial has appointed Kara John as VP for intellectual property and privacy. John was previously director of strategic initiatives. DMTI Spatial provides enterprise location intelligence services. It is privately held and has its headquarters in Markham.
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* Ann Nurock has been appointed president and CEO of Grey Canada, after serving as CEO of Grey Africa since 2004. She succeeds John Clinton, who is joining the publishing industry. Grey Canada is a unit of the Grey Group, a global communications company. Its parent company is WPP (Nasdaq:WPPGY).
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* - with files from The Canadian Press (E-mail notices and photos at least two weeks before publication date to murdoch@businessedge.ca)
