Ian Gillespie (born 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 $25 billion of projects completed or under development. The company is active across Canada and expanding into the United States with projects including residential, rental, affordable housing, office, retail, hotels and public art. Biography Gillespie was born in Port Coquitlam, one of five children. His father was a technician at an oil refinery and his mother worked at Riverview Hospital, and both were lifelong environmental activists. 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. Westbank In 1992, Gillespie started Westbank Projects Corp. To date, the Westbank group of companies employs in excess of 1800 people, including its construction company ICON West Construction, three hotels and restaurants, and the recent acquisition of downtown Vancouver's district utility company Central Heat, which Westbank rebranded Creative Energy in 2014. LEED and Low Carbon Development Westbank has completed two of North America's first LEED Platinum office buildings, Telus Garden, on completion Canada's most sustainable office building and Telus Sky, as well as the targeted LEED Platinum residential high rise at Vancouver House, and the re-development of Oakridge Centre, as Vancouver's designated new town centre and a LEED Platinum neighbourhood. Westbank low carbon projects currently under development include Senakw in partnership with the Squamish Nation, a carbon-neutral rental residential development project and one of the largest First Nations economic development projects in Canada. Westbank is also currently developing a net zero carbon campus in Silicon Valley, with six mixed-use projects in Downtown San Jose. Projects Westbank creates housing across the continuum with projects ranging from affordable and market rental housing to definitive luxury residential developments. Gillespie has worked with global architects including Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), James K.M. Cheng Architects, Henriquez Partners Architects, Hariri Pontarini Architects, Kengo Kuma and Associates and Studio Gang Architects. Around 2008 Woodward's the department store, built in 1903, was redeveloped amid controversy with affordable housing, retail and restoration of the ‘W’ neon sign using LED lights atop the building. (BC Business Magazine called it "the most