Holden is the father of four amazing children and husband to a wonderful wife who have all put up with his passion for continuously risking all their worldly possessions in the pursuit of building businesses, resorts and quality construction projects. He and his wife have owned their family cottage in Morgan Bay, Lake Rosseau since 2012.
Holden started his undergraduate studies in Political Science at York University and completed those studies at Western. In 1992, he then went on to complete law school in Birmingham, England and continued at Western in order to be able to practice in Canada. Over the last few years, he has spent time learning to be a pilot and was licenced as such in 2019.
For most of his working life he has been an owner of various businesses including as a partner for more than 10 years at McKenzie Lake law firm where he practiced business law, development and commercial real estate, having been an articling student and an associate there for 6 years prior to partnership.
While building a practice at the law firm, in 2000, he co-founded one of Canada’s fastest growing, best managed and award-winning companies, as he and his partners took CarProof from an idea to a successful and exciting company. In addition to his ownership role, he was a Director and General Counsel to CarProof throughout the 15 years he and his partners owned the business. He now manages the Real Estate Group for AutoCanada, a public company that owns over 100 auto dealerships and collision centres across Canada and the United States.
His entrepreneurial spirit shines through with his financial and operational investments in several other businesses along with various commercial real estate projects in London and Muskoka. Holden also owns two resorts on Georgian Bay (Killarney Mountain Lodge and Sportsman’s Inn) along with The Boat Launch in Killarney where his family has roots going back to the early 1800’s. He is also part owner of a brewery on Manitoulin Island, a warehouse distribution company in London, and a sustainability focused private debt lending company based in Toronto.
Holden enjoys cottage time with his family and friends in the summer, golf when he can fit it in, and skiing and travel in the winter. Technology can be a burden sometimes, but it is also astounding what we can get done without having to be physically present all the time.
Holden has served as a Director on London’s Chamber of Commerce Board, as Chair of the entrepreneurial Summit event in London, as a member of the Audit & Finance Committee at London’s Hunt Club and as Director to the MS Society.
