Advisory board
Dex Gittens
Corporate finance · MBA
Corporate finance and growth-stage capital, Calgary. MBA. A member of the Luxara advisory board.
The people
behind Luxara.
A dedicated team with a shared belief in exceptional places, meaningful experiences, and long-term relationships.
Our team
Experience
builds trust.
Our team brings together deep industry experience, local knowledge and a shared commitment to doing this carefully.
We are here to make the process simple, thoughtful and personal, from a first enquiry to your next stay.
The founder
Vladlen Xavier Stark
Founder · CPA, CA · ICD.D
Vladlen founded Luxara to own and run a small collection of private residences in the places his family keeps returning to. The collection began with Vista Bahia, above Playas del Coco in Costa Rica, which he has operated since 2022, and now includes Serenity Point on the Silvertip hillside in Canmore, open to guests since August 2026. Each house is kept the way an owner keeps it, whether the people arriving are guests for a week, co-owners for a season, or investors for the long term.
His finance career began at PwC, where he earned his Chartered Accountant designation, and went on to senior finance leadership at a major North American energy company. He is Chief Financial Officer of Remuda Group, a Corporate Director (ICD.D), the incoming Chair of the Financial Executives International Canada National Board, and a Board Advisor at Zindis Hospitality Group.
He immigrated to Canada from Ukraine in 2002 and lives in Calgary with his wife and two young children. He hosts The Immigrant Hustle, a podcast on entrepreneurship and AI. Vladlen co-invests in every Luxara property on the same LP terms as every other investor.
The advisory board
Who Luxara answers to.
Banking, brand, real estate, risk and law, in Calgary and the Bow Valley. Select a portrait to read more.
Advisory board
Leah Burke
Brand and product marketing
Brand and product marketing at Reddit, and previously at Snapchat. A member of the Luxara advisory board.
Advisory board
Shaun Oosthuizen
Bow Valley real estate
Calgary and Canmore real estate, including the luxury and recreational segments of the Bow Valley market. A member of the Luxara advisory board.
Advisory board
Nadine Niba
Risk advisory · CPA, MBA
Risk Advisory Practice leader for Alberta at BDO Canada. A CPA and MBA, and a bestselling author. A member of the Luxara advisory board.
Advisory board
Andrew Wong
Corporate and M&A law
Corporate, M&A, and capital markets partner at Gowling WLG in Calgary. A member of the Luxara advisory board.
Our partners
Trusted collaborators.
We work with a select group of partners, from local operators to legal, hospitality and real estate specialists, who share our standards and values.
- Gowling WLG Partnership structuring and corporate counsel
- MLT Aikins Real estate acquisitions and title
- Vacations in Canmore Property management, Serenity Point
- Zindis Hospitality Group Property management, Vista Bahia
- CIBC Private Wealth Banking
- Bow Valley Credit Union Serenity Point first mortgage
