Executive search, contingency recruitment & leadership advisory consulting
Edmonton & Calgary, Alberta
Commercial real estate is our sweet spot. Uncovering exceptional talent is our specialty.
The right talentchangeseverything.
Executive search, contingency recruitment and leadership advisory in Edmonton & Calgary, Alberta
AVID EXEC offers over 15 years of specialization in Commercial Real Estate, spanning all levels of property management, operations, leasing, asset management, finance & accounting, brokerage, multi-family, investment & lending, land/development, project management, maintenance & facilities, and specialized administration. AVID also works across Engineering, Finance & Accounting, Corporate/Professional Leadership, and Not-for-Profit & Association environments. Founded and led by Cindy Nicholls Smith, AVID provides executive search, contingency recruitment and leadership advisory in Edmonton & Calgary, along with other western Canadian markets.
The right talent can change a company.
The right fit can change lives.
Commercial & Multi-Family Real Estate
Search and recruitment at every level and in every sector of commercial and multi-family real estate.
Practice 02Not-for-Profit & Association Search
Executive directors, CEOs and senior leadership for boards, associations and member organizations.
Practice 03Executive Search
For leadership and highly specialized roles, encompassing C & V level executive to highly talented Senior Project Managers.
Practice 04Contingency Recruitment
Professional level roles that allow companies more flexibility.
Practice 05Leadership Advisory Consulting
Talent Strategy, Hiring Process, Organization Effectiveness, Terminations and Exits — the conversations boards and executive teams find hardest.
We tell you what we see, even when it isn't what you expected to hear. If the original search criteria are wrong, we say so before the shortlist, not after.
Work Joy
What is Work Joy?
Work Joy is the term AVID EXEC uses for the point where what a person is good at, what matters to them and what an organization genuinely needs come together. It is the standard we assess against: a placement is successful only when the person is doing work they are suited to, in an organization that suits them.
So we assess self-awareness, motivation, capacity and alignment as closely as the résumé. When those things line up, people perform, contribute and stay, and the organization gets stronger. A hire that looks right on paper and is wrong in the role costs far more than the search did.
Why Cindy built AVID EXEC around Work Joy →A résumé tells part of your career story. AVID looks deeper.
Context, scope and results help a reader understand what you have done and the value you created. Career decisions, motivation and emotional intelligence add meaning that a résumé cannot carry on its own.
Your résumé should make your career story, relevant experience, progression and value proposition clear. Not everything that matters comes with a number — but it should come with a result. AVID's in-depth assessment looks beyond the page to understand the person and the alignment.
Are you hiring your replacement — or the leader the business needs next?
Read →Commercial real estate talent12 August 2026What separates a strong Property Manager from a great Property Management leader?
Read →Talent, alignment & retention19 August 2026Why do good people leave good companies?
Read →
In her own words"I have never been able to treat this as a transaction. The decisions I help people make change families."
Over 15 years, conducting search and recruitment across Commercial Real Estate, Engineering, Finance & Accounting, Corporate/Professional Leadership, and Not-for-Profit & Association environments. I built this firm on a simple belief: the work is personal, the judgment has to be excellent, and the candidate deserves the same care as the client.
Let's talk.