As a young man growing up in Mississauga, Ont., Don Kottick had little interest in business. 

While his parents urged him toward a conventional path, he veered toward studies in anthropology, psychology and geology — not the typical origin story of a corporate leader.

Yet decades later, Kottick stands at the helm of Re/Max Canada, guiding the nation’s most recognized real estate brand at a high-stakes moment when the industry demands steady leadership.

Born to parents in academia and engineering, Kottick graduated from the University of Toronto during an oil industry downturn, which forced a change in direction. After briefly working as a computer programmer and systems analyst, he discovered his true calling in real estate while employed as a business analyst, setting the foundation for a career in the industry.

Kottick’s professional path includes several tenures at Royal LePage. He also served as VP of technology and business development at the Toronto Real Estate Board at the turn of the millennium. He worked with the real estate division of a Paris, France-based company, Trader Classifieds, and later became CEO of a company specializing in virtual tours, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In 2014, his career evolved to the executive level of Peerage Realty Partners, where he spent five years, during a time when the company was acquiring firms across North America. One major acquisition, Sotheby’s International Realty Canada, led to his appointment as president and CEO, a role he held for six years.

 

New beginnings at Re/Max

 

While at Sotheby’s, Kottick was approached by a headhunter with an unexpected opportunity: to lead Re/Max Canada as its president. 

“At the time, I really wasn’t overly interested,” Kottick said in an interview with Real Estate Magazine.

What sold him on the opportunity, he said, was hearing about the vision Erik Carlson, CEO of Re/max Holdings, Inc., had for the company. 

“They were working on building the real estate brokerage of the future,” said Kottick. “So all of a sudden, I started to get very interested in it, and then, I started to say, ‘Yeah, this is the place I want to be.’”

Kottick was announced as the new Re/Max president at the end of April.

 

 

‘Brokerage of the future’

 

For Kottick, keeping Re/Max on the leading edge begins with acknowledging that the real estate industry is undergoing profound change. 

Traditional models are unlikely to survive much longer, so the company must rethink its role and the value it delivers. This means ensuring that Re/Max offers products and services that not only strengthen its franchises, said Kottick, but also empower its agents to succeed in a competitive, evolving marketplace.

A central part of this transformation is technology. Kottick recognizes the disruptive influence of artificial intelligence, not only in society but in real estate, specifically. To remain ahead, Re/Max must anticipate how AI will reshape business practices and embrace it.

Equally important to Kottick is the leadership team driving this vision. He credits Denver-based Carlson, who joined Re/Max two years earlier, with assembling a forward-thinking group of business titans at the helm, including leaders such as Travis Saxton, who joined Re/Max Holdings in January as executive vice-president of strategy, and Chris Lim, also new to the company in 2025 as its chief growth officer.

 

Reckoning for the industry

 

For decades, Canada’s real estate industry has sold itself on trust, with agents cast as the guides through some of life’s largest financial decisions. But two serious events that came to light this year disrupted that carefully maintained reputation.

In Ontario, the iPro Realty Ltd. scandal revealed a multi-million-dollar shortfall in the brokerage’s trust account, leading to its accounts being frozen by the Real Estate Council of Ontario, and its branches being closed entirely, displacing more than 2,400 agents across the province in August. 

Earlier this year, Calgary’s Re/Max Central caught the media’s attention with a Ponzi scheme controversy, with its former agent Eric Drinkwater at the center of both criminal and civil court challenges. (Kottick, only months into the job, decided in May to cut ties with Re/Max Central). 

Together, these crises expose not only the vulnerabilities in how the industry is regulated, according to critics, but also the fragility of public faith in those charged with safeguarding one of the country’s most important markets.

Negative headlines have amplified concerns about professionalism and agent behaviour, putting pressure on agents to prove their credibility in an increasingly skeptical market. Kottick acknowledges the challenge, calling it a defining moment for the industry.

In this climate, Re/Max holds a distinct advantage, he says. As one of the most prominent real estate brands in Canada, it enters the conversation with credibility. But reputation alone, Kottick argues, isn’t enough. Agents need tools, resources and professional standards that actively reinforce that trust.

At the same time, the industry is undergoing what Kottick describes as a “flight to quality.” According to him, the market is polarizing between discount brokerages and full-service firms, with top producers gravitating toward environments where excellence is the norm. Re/Max thrives in this space, he explains, offering agents a supportive brand and innovative technology, which allows them to elevate their businesses.

He said recent events have also shifted marketing tactics, describing an emerging trend of agents leaning into the brokerage name for recognition, rather than building a brand based on their individuality.

“We went through this phase where agents were always about their own personal brand,” Kottick said. “But because of all the media attention on the bad actors out there, I think consumers are looking again for a brand they can trust. Brand has become important again.”

 

Restoring public trust

 

For Kottick, rebuilding public trust in real estate requires stronger collaboration between industry leaders, associations, and regulators. He stresses that regulation, while important, must be informed by those who actually understand the business.

Too often, decisions are made without input from practitioners, resulting in rules that may not reflect the realities of the industry, he said. As he put it, “You wouldn’t build a medical board without doctors at the table,” and real estate should be no different. Ensuring that experienced professionals are part of the policy-making process is critical to creating fair, effective oversight, he said.

At the same time, Kottick acknowledges that no system can eliminate every issue. “Things happen,” he said. “You’re always going to have unavoidable events that you can’t predict. You just make sure you have mechanisms so they don’t repeat themselves.”

 

Market outlook 

 

Kottick remains optimistic about Canada’s housing market, even amid softening conditions in some of Canada’s biggest cities, like Toronto and Vancouver.

He emphasizes that the country has long struggled with a chronic housing shortage that’s relative to population growth. This imbalance has only deepened in recent years with historic levels of immigration, creating sustained pressure on both the ownership and rental markets.

Borrowing conditions further support demand, he said. With interest rates at relatively low levels — and the possibility of further reductions ahead — capital remains accessible. 

At the same time, Kottick said there is a significant pool of pent-up buyers waiting to re-enter the market. 

While uncertainty around tariffs has slowed momentum in 2025, Kottick views this as a temporary hurdle. He believes the Canada-U.S. trade dispute will ultimately be resolved, clearing the way for a rebound. 

“Once this is fixed, the floodgates will open,” he said.

Kottick also argues that Canada’s foreign buyer ban has unintentionally worsened supply constraints. He said that many people don’t realize that new condominium projects require 70 per cent of units to be presold before construction can begin, and foreign investors have historically provided essential funding. By cutting off that capital, the government has stalled the new housing supply. 

He said while the policy may seem appealing politically, “optically, people don’t understand that it actually has an adverse effect.”

 

Advice for thriving in a challenging market

 

For Kottick, difficult markets separate the best agents from the rest. He said that when conditions turn tough, top performers don’t slow down — they ramp up.

Instead of retreating, they return to fundamentals: connecting with their networks, reaching out consistently, and staying visible.

“The best agents never take their foot off the gas,” he said.

He recalls the early days of the pandemic as a prime example. Many agents treated the disruption as a break, only to struggle restarting their businesses later. Meanwhile, those who stayed active — calling clients, farming their markets, and maintaining relationships — were ready when demand surged.

Kottick advises agents to focus on “the little things” — regular client touches, consistent follow-ups and nurturing relationships.

 

A modern brand 

 

From a Mississauga kid curious about people, to a C-suite executive focused on standards and cutting-edge tools, Kottick’s through line is simple: credibility first. As the market finds its footing, he’s betting Re/Max’s future on the quiet work of better advice, steadier leadership and results you can measure.