Mortgage Professionals Canada announced today that Lauren van den Berg will take over as President and CEO of the association starting next month.
Van den Berg will fill the position left vacant by former MPC CEO Paul Taylor. The change in leadership comes as the association recently achieved the milestone of 15,000 members.
Van den Berg said she’s “thrilled” and “genuinely excited” to be stepping into the role and looks forward to getting down to work to tackle the issues that face the industry.
“Every board director, every member, every staff employee I’ve met so far have just been as passionate about the future of the industry and the voice of the association as I am. And the enthusiasm is contagious,” she said. “So, I’m excited for what we will accomplish together, especially at a time when the country is looking to rebuild post pandemic.”
A career in association management
Prior to joining MPC, van den Berg was the Executive Vice President, Government Relations, at Restaurants Canada, where she was responsible for navigating the government relations and public affairs units through the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was in that role that she secured significant support for restaurants from both federal and provincial governments. Prior to that, van den Berg started her career in federal politics.
Her former roles armed her with extensive experience in member relations, governance and advocacy, events and developing revenue generation models for growth.
“With my work experience and my political background, I have always been exceptionally passionate about interesting public policy challenges, and the state of our housing industry absolutely fits that bill,” she said.
“I am excited to bring this same enthusiasm to the challenges facing our membership today,” she added. “As Canada looks ahead to the light at the end of this pandemic tunnel, I believe that MPC has a unique opportunity to lead from the front and stand up as a key economic pillar in the country’s recovery.”
Van den Berg holds a Master’s degree in public policy from Carleton University in Ottawa and a Bachelor’s degree (Hons.) in economics and political science from McGill University in Montreal.
In her free time, she volunteers on several notable boards, including serving as vice-chair of VentureKids Canada, and she has also volunteered with the Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee’s Women in Politics Mentorship Program.
Van den Berg will officially begin her new role on September 6.
