Michael Kaye

Michael Kaye, MBA, BA

Toronto, ON

Michael Kaye is a Co-Founder and Partner of Tilbury Properties, a real estate investment, development and management company focused on purpose-built student housing. Founded in 2020, Tilbury Properties has in excess of $150 million of projects in various stages of development. At Tilbury Properties, Michael is primarily focused on sourcing investment opportunities, asset management, financing, corporate strategy and overseeing the operations of Tilbury’s business.

Prior to Tilbury Properties, Michael co-founded Alexa Translations, one of Canada’s largest and most respected translation and localization companies. Michael spent nearly a decade building Alexa Translations into an industry leader. He exited the business in 2018 after guiding the company through a successful merger with Yappn Canada, a software company that leverages AI-powered neural machine translation systems to support real-time translation.

Earlier in his career, Michael worked in mid-market M&A at Ernst & Young LLP, executing various divestitures and debt and equity financings. These formative years spent advising other entrepreneurs on maximizing the value of their businesses were a catalyst for Michael’s entrepreneurial aspirations.

Michael is a Director of Tilbury Properties and a Director on the boards of Tilbury Properties’ various project companies. Additionally, Michael is a Director of the Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF), a member of the Sunnybrook Foundation Governing Council, and a member of the Odette School of Business Executive Advisory Board (University of Windsor). Previously, Michael served as a Director of the Sunnybrook Foundation, a Director of Rosedale Golf Club, the founding Chair of Sunnybrook Next Generation and a member of the President’s Planning Committee at the University of Windsor.

Michael holds an MBA from the University of Windsor, a BA from Western University and is a Certified Sustainability (ESG) Practitioner. Michael has been recognized by Profit Magazine as one of Canada’s entrepreneurial leaders and was a nominee for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.

Michael lives with catastrophic impairments as the result of a car accident. He did not suffer a brain injury in the accident.

BOARD MEMBERSHIPS AND COMMITTEE EXPERIENCE

  • Director, Tilbury Properties Corporation and its various project companies (2020–present)
  • Director, Windsor International Film Festival (WIFF) (2025–present)
  • Member, Governing Council, Sunnybrook Foundation (2014–present)
  • Advisor, Board of Advisors, Odette School of Business, University of Windsor (2010–present)
  • Director, Rosedale Golf Club (2022–2025)
  • Director, Sunnybrook Foundation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (2014–2016)
  • Founding Chair, Sunnybrook Next Generation, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (2012–2016)
  • Member, President’s Capital Planning Committee, University of Windsor (2015–2017)

EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS

  • Master of Business Administration (MBA), Odette School of Business, University of Windsor (2008)
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA), Honours, Geography, Western University (2006)
  • Certified Sustainability (ESG) Practitioner (CSR-P), Chartered Management Institute

Updated June 9, 2025