In 1993, he withdrew from the partnership on being named CEO of The Lehndorff Group (an international commercial real estate firm with assets in Canada, the United States and Europe), where he led a 47-lender $1 billion debt restructuring and oversaw the creation of one of Canada's first Real Estate Investment Trusts; ResREIT which merged into CAPREIT in 2004.
Apps has been recognized as a leading counsel in the area of restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, private equity investment and infrastructure finance.
[15] While studying law, he was a speechwriter for David Peterson, then Leader of the Opposition in Ontario, as well as for several cabinet ministers in the last Canadian government led by Pierre Trudeau.
[16] Apps ran as a Liberal in his home riding of Oxford in the federal elections of both 1984 and 1988 but was defeated by the long-serving Progressive Conservative incumbent, Bruce Halliday, losing by less than 3% of vote in 1988.
He has played a key role in recruiting a number of prominent Liberal politicians into public life including former Prime Minister Paul Martin,[17][18] former Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff[19] and the first female black Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister, Jean Augustine.
[22] He was succeeded by Mike Crawley who was elected in a very competitive 5-way race, defeating former Deputy Prime Minister Sheila Copps.
In addition to being a longtime member of the Huron University College Corporation, Apps served as Chair of the Foundation Board for the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in 2006–2007.