excellence awardee: The Lawson Lundell LLP Award for Law Department Leader of the Year

Gaurav Manhas

https://www.facebook.com/KalfaLaw

@Kalfa Law Firm

@transalta

Gaurav is sole in-house counsel and a key leader at OpenRoad Auto and OpenRoad Group, BC’s largest automotive dealership group, with 37 dealerships across 23 brands, seven collision centres, and more than 2,000 employees across BC and Ontario. Over the past five years, he has led the company through a significant rise in complex legal matters and played a key role in OpenRoad Auto’s expansion into Ontario where it has added ten dealerships and one collision centre since 2024. Additionally, Gaurav has also led OpenRoad’s expansion efforts in the express car wash sector through OpenShine Auto Wash, which launched the first Tommy’s Express Car Wash in Canada. Gaurav leads with levity, empathy, and humour, combined with a frank, thoughtful approach that encourages questioning and critical thinking. His work has earned the trust of executives, colleagues, and external partners alike. Gaurav provides strategic legal guidance across operations, accounting, tax, facilities, IT, human resources, and marketing, while also managing relationships with OEM partners, service providers, and external counsel on multi-faceted legal issues, which span M&A, Franchise and OEM Agreements, Real Estate and Property Development, Governance, Financial Services and Litigation Management. Gaurav is Secretary of the OpenRoad Foundation and a member of the Advisory Committee and Investment and Finance Committee, reflecting his commitment to corporate leadership and community impact. Gaurav has been recognized as an Excellence Awardee in 2025 and 2026, and named in Canadian Lawyer magazine’s 2026 Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers survey for the In-House category.

youtube.com/@canterburycollege-waterford

OpenRoad Group

The CMP Young Guns recognized him in 2016 as one of the Canadian mortgage Industry’s 50 brightest young stars. In 2018, 2020 & 2021, he was nominated as a Finalist for the Canadian Mortgage Awards in the categories of Alternative Lending Broker Specialist and Digital Innovator of the Year and in 2018 as a finalist for the Canadian Mortgage Awards of Excellence. In 2019, he was the recipient of the Community Trust Award for Alternative Broker Specialist of the Year – Business for Self. Reza was also recognized by the Canadian Mortgage Professional (CMP) magazine on its CMP Hotlist 2021 as one of the 53 professionals who survived the twists and turns of 2020 turning difficult situations into extraordinary opportunities, and in 2022 his brokerage was also recognized as a top brokerage on their 5-Star Brokerage List. Reza is passionate about community work, philanthropy, and contributing to initiatives that help our society’s overall success. Reza served in not-for-profit organizations in the areas of business & mentoring/ innovation, civil rights and social actions, and youth for several years in different capacities. In March 2014, he was granted the Ontario Volunteer Service Award from the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, Province of Ontario in recognition of a 5-year award for continued services.

@blackfishfinance

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