Position: CEO & Director
Mr. Braun brings to the company more than 22 years of diversified real estate, finance and oil and gas industry experience in operations, finance and strategic planning. Prior to joining Blackbird Investments Inc., he served as one of the lead Investment Bankers at Gateway Securities Inc. Mr. Braun gained extensive experience in the operations of an international oil and gas company where he served as CEO and Chairman. He has owned and operated several profitable real estate development companies in Canada.
Position: President & Director
Mr. Macdonald is a founder and principal of Macdonald Tuskey, Corporate and Securities Lawyers, a boutique securities and corporate finance firm located in Vancouver, British Columbia established in April 2008. From February 1998 to April 2008, Mr. Macdonald was a partner with Clark Wilson LLP and a member of the firm's Corporate Finance / Securities Practice Group. Mr. Macdonald became a director of Pannonia Ventures Corp. on April 13, 2008. Pannonia Ventures has filed a preliminary prospectus with the Commissions and is seeking to list on the Exchange as a CPC.
Mr. Macdonald has a varied legal practice, focusing on cross-border and international corporate finance, securities and transactional matters. Mr. Macdonald has experience serving companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, TSX Venture Exchange, CNSX and OTCBB. He has advised a variety of public and private companies on legal matters related to acquisitions, mergers, takeovers, initial public offerings, secondary financings, cross-border financings, cross-border mergers and acquisitions, public company disclosure requirements and stock exchange listings.
Mr. Macdonald's general corporate and securities practice has been focused on Canadian, U.S., Asian and cross-border public offerings, private and institutional financings (including U.S. private investment in public equity, or PIPE transactions), stock exchange listings, reverse takeovers and mergers and acquisitions. He advises numerous private and public companies on corporate governance, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, regulatory filings, including registration statements and periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, and corporate transactions.
Mr. Macdonald has been a member of the Law Society of British Columbia since February 1999 and a member of the New York State Bar since February 2002.
Position: Chairman & Director
Mr. Booth holds a BA in Political Science and Urban Studies from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver and an MA in Real Property Development and Planning from the University of British Columbia.
Currently the CEO for Emaar in North America, Mr. Booth oversees Emaar Canada and until June of 2009, also John Laing Homes the second largest home builder in the U.S. In addition, Mr. Booth is also a Director for Hamptons International, a European Real Estate Brokerage with 100 offices and 1,000 staff. Robert's career with Emaar since 2001 has covered various parts of the world in his responsibility for Development, Sales and Marketing. Robert Booth, in his capacity as the CEO of Emaar for North America, is to assist Emaar's entry into the Canadian market, and its subsequent expansion into the rest of North America. Prior to joining Emaar in 2001, Mr. Booth was Director of Development at Concord Adex Developments Corporation in Toronto, Canada. With experience in large-scale master-planned real estate development projects, Mr. Booth has also served as the Development Manager of Pacific Place Holdings Ltd. in Vancouver and led the Special Projects Division of Concord Pacific Corporation.
Position: Director
Ron Schmitz is the Principal and President of ASI Accounting Services Inc., which has provided administrative, accounting and office services to public and private companies since July 1995. Mr. Schmitz has been a director of Gold Canyon Resources Inc. (TSX-V: GCU) since April 1997 and is also its Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Schmitz has been a director of Touchstone Resources Ltd. (TSX-V: TCH.U) from March 1999 to September 1999, and since March 2001 has been its acting Chief Financial Officer. From April, 2001 to March, 2004 Mr. Schmitz was a director and President of Bradner Ventures Ltd., a company with a class of securities registered under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and also a reporting issuer in British Columbia. Mr. Schmitz was also the President, CEO and a director of Knightsbridge Resources Inc., a company with a class of securities registered under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, from October 2002 to September of 2007. Knightsbridge Resources Inc. voluntarily ceased reporting under the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in September of 2007.
Mr. Schmitz is a graduate of the Associate of Commerce (Accounting and Financial Management) Program (1985) from Malaspina College in Nanaimo, B.C. and has completed level 3 of the Certified General Accountants Program.
Position: Director
Mr. Sweatman possesses in excess of 20 years experience as a Chartered Accountant in public and private practice and has worked with and provided advice to many companies listed on the TSX Venture and Toronto Stock Exchanges. Mr. Sweatman was admitted to the Institute of Chartered Accountants of British Columbia in 1982 and in the Yukon in 1990. He has been the principal of Michael Sweatman Limited, Chartered Accountant, since 1999, as well as having been the owner-manager of MDS Management Ltd., a personal management company, since November 1992. Mr. Sweatman was a Director and the Chief Financial Officer of Pan American Gold Corporation, a reporting company listed on the United States OTC Bulletin Board. He is also a Director of Brownstone Resources Ltd., Mega Silver Inc. (MSR.V) and Glenthorne Enterprises Ltd. (GLT.P), which are reporting companies listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, and of Mega Uranium Ltd., which is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Mr. Sweatman was the Chief Financial Officer and is now V.P. Business Accountant of Run of the River Power Inc., and CFO of Marifil Mines Limited, which are both reporting companies listed on the TSX Venture Exchange. From October, 1999 to June, 2001, Mr. Sweatman was a Director of RAT International Marketing Ltd., from June, 1999 to May, 2001, and a Director of Octagon Industries Inc., both of which were reporting companies listed on the Vancouver Stock Exchange, and from November, 2000 to September, 2001, he was Vice-President, Finance and the Secretary of Return Assured Incorporated, a reporting company listed on the United States OTC Bulletin Board.
Mr. Sweatman will devote the time necessary to perform the work required in connection with the management of Blackbird.
Position: Directors
Mr. Loo is founder and managing director of Blue Ocean Capital Partners Pte Ltd, a boutique corporate finance firm located in Singapore with offices in Shanghai and Dubai since November, 2005. Prior to that, Mr. Loo had been Senior Vice President at Mitsubishi-UFJ Securities, from July, 2003 to November, 2005, a merchant banking subsidiary of MUFG in Singapore. He was also a principal of Advent International Corporation, from July, 1999 to November, 2002. Advent International is a private equity firm head quartered in Boston with offices in Europe and Asia. He was based in its Singapore office. In addition, he was a deputy managing director of Nomura Securities' operation in Malaysia, from May, 1996 to November, 1998.
Mr. Loo has a varied professional career, straddling various practices from strategy consulting to investment banking to private equity before founding Blue Ocean Capital Partners where he has since its inception in 2005 advised clients on cross-border merger and acquisition transactions and investments in the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Vietnam and China.
Mr. Loo started his post-graduate career with Arthur D. Little in May, 1990 in Singapore as a management consultant where he had advised multinational clients and several governments in South East Asia on issues relating to corporate strategy and public policy.
Mr. Loo received an honours degree in Economics and Politics in 1989 and a Masters in Business Administration in 1991 from Monash University, Australia.