BC Business
Kevin Falcon will leave his post as MLA for the Surrey-Cloverdale riding.
After 12 years of acting as the MLA for the Surrey-Cloverdale riding, B.C.-born Kevin Falcon is leaving behind the limelight of public life to become the executive vice-president of private equity and real estate development company, Anthem Capital Corp.
How did the move to Anthem Capital Corp. come about? I was approached by Anthem Capital, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that not only is Anthem Capital involved in what they’re best known for, which is the Anthem Properties Group, but I also discovered that they are involved in investments that span four different sectors, from oil and gas to mining to technology to consumer products. I’ll be working to oversee the business portfolio, which covers the categories I mentioned. I’ll also be working with Anthem Properties to raise capital from both institutional and individual investors so that we can continue to do more real estate projects.
Is this a sign that Anthem Capital is growing? Yes, it is. It’s a real clear sign. Anthem already has 150 employees, it’s got an incredible platform and a really impressive team that works out of their real estate subsidiary… and we’re looking at potential acquisitions and investments and are looking to continue to grow the Anthem Capital side of the business.
This move is quite a change from politics. It is and it isn’t. It is in that I won’t have to operate under the public light every single day, but there are some similarities. When I was chairing the treasury board as finance minister… it gives you good insight into evaluating people and evaluating projects and proposals and that’s not dissimilar from the kinds of things I’ll be doing at Anthem Capital.
What made you decide to leave politics? I’ve got a young family: I’ve got a three-year-old daughter and an eight-week-old daughter, and I felt it was time to spend more time with my growing family. When they’re that young in particular I wanted to make sure I could spend some quality time with them. Working in the private sector will give me that opportunity—I’ll be able to go home most nights, and won’t have the travel schedule that you have when you’re an MLA.
You have said that you chosen Anthem because it is a B.C. headquartered company. Why was this important to you? Well, that was very important to me. I had a number of offers from outside of B.C. to work back east, but I love British Columbia. I grew up here, born and raised, and so was my family. If I could find an opportunity with a company headquartered in B.C. that is a growing company with strong leadership, I said I would take that opportunity. The group here just fit that mark perfectly.
Do you think we’ll see you go back into politics in the future? Well you know, the day I resigned, when they asked me that question I said that you never want to say “never,” because you don’t want in the future, if you decide to [come back], someone to be playing back the tape. But really, my focus now is on building a future in the private sector.