Ian Gillespie (developer)

Ian Gillespie (30 September 1961) is a Canadian real estate developer. In 1992 he founded Westbank Projects Corp. based in Vancouver, British Columbia, which now has more than $12 billion of projects completed or under development. The company is active across Canada and expanding into the United States with luxury residential, rental apartments, affordable housing, office, retail and hotels.

Gillespie is credited with re-introducing the mantra of Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) into the modern development realm.

Gillespie was born in Port Coquitlam, one of five children. He completed a Business degree at the University of British Columbia (1985) and then an MBA at the University of Toronto, (1986) after which he went to work for his mother's cousins company, shopping centre developer Schroeder Properties in Vancouver. Gillespie is married to Stephanie Dong, niece of Vancouver property magnate Robert H. Lee.

In 1992, Gillespie started Westbank Projects Corp. The first project was a mixed-use development in Richmond, British Columbia, in partnership with the Hong Kong-based Kuok Group known for their ownership of the Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, the South China Morning Post newspaper, and Kerry properties, along with other local investors. To date, the Westbank group of companies employs in excess of 1800 people, including its construction company ICON West Construction, the hotels and restaurants, and the recent acquisition of downtown Vancouver’s district utility company Central Heat, which Westbank is in the process of reimagining into a new business called Creative Energy.

Westbank has completed two of North America’s first LEED Platinum office buildings, TELUS Garden and TELUS Sky, as well as the targeted LEED Platinum residential high rise at Vancouver House, and the re-development of Oakridge Centre into a LEED Platinum neighbourhood.

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