Jose Ribau

Jose is a senior executive with depth in data strategy, digital technology and marketing that spans numerous sectors including retail, commercial real estate, and financial services. As a founder and sponsor of both startups and technology venture funds, he has leveraged his enterprise experience to help companies transition through different stages of growth.

In 2022, Jose established R5 Innovations – a consulting and advisory firm that focuses on digital transformation and helps companies implement AI capabilities. Before starting his own business, Jose served as EVP Digital & Innovation at Cadillac Fairview, a $30B commercial real estate firm. In this role, he built a new innovation practice, and led Technology, Marketing, Brand and Communications.

Leveraging his experience in financial services, Jose led the creation of award-winning experiences by modernizing marketing technology and creating integrated customer journeys. Prior to Cadillac Fairview, Jose spent 18 years at CIBC where he launched Canada’s first Visa debit product, and pioneered the use of segmentation analytics in driving sales and marketing campaigns. As CIBC’s Chief Data Officer he was responsible for governance of retail customer information and analytics, and led the development of the bank’s first enterprise data and AI program.

He holds an Honours B.Sc. degree from Wilfrid Laurier University, an M.Sc. from McMaster University, and an MBA from Queen’s University.