EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Chair
Radha Curpen
Radha is the Vice-Chair, Managing Partner of Bennett Jones' Vancouver office, National Leader of ESG Strategy and Solutions, and co-head of the firm's Environmental Law Practice. Radha specializes in environmental, regulatory and Aboriginal law, including ESG, crisis prevention and management. Radha is the Senior Vice Chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBOT). She is a member of the Board of Governors of the Business Council of British Columbia (BCBC). Radha is a member of the ESG Advisory Council to the Minister of Finance (British Columbia). Radha is also a member of the Board of Directors at Bennett Jones LLP. She is a member of the ESG Industry Working Group for the Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities' (CAPSA) for the development of an ESG Guide for pension fund investment and pension plan administrators. Radha is a trusted strategic advisor to some of the firm's most significant clients and has acted on a number of recent high-profile matters.
Radha is a recognized leader in the legal and business communities, and has been far ahead of the curve in advising clients on the importance of ESG and CSR. Radha works with the management teams and general counsel offices on regulatory investigations, Indigenous relations, Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG), crisis prevention, management and recovery and reputation management. She is a sought-after speaker and has recently led discussions on topics including ESG, crisis management and governance, women in leadership and in law, mentorship and sponsorship and overcoming barriers, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in the workplace, the evolving role of general counsel in ESG strategy and Indigenous relations and rights, ESG and risk management, climate change and adaptation, energy transition and security.
Fluent in both French and English, Radha practices across Canada and advises on cross-border issues, including those relating to the United States.
Radha is recognized as a leading lawyer in many publications including Chambers Canada, Chambers Global, The Legal 500 Canada, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, Best Lawyers in Canada, Best Lawyers in America, Finance Monthly, Who's Who Legal, and Lexpert Report on Business Special Edition for Energy, Infrastructure, and Litigation.
Senior Vice-Chair
Juggy Sihota-Chahil
A telecom executive with more than 25 years of leadership experience, Juggy has enjoyed a fulfilling and rewarding career with TELUS leading many emerging technology businesses and operations. She has a well-established reputation for building and leading high performing teams with some of the highest engagement scores and engagement transformations across the company. Juggy is known for her unrelenting focus on quality and efficiency combined with a genuine concern and commitment for all who work with her. Juggy has led ground-breaking service development initiatives and diverse portfolios, and gained invaluable experience in strategy, marketing and operations management at TELUS overseeing many different portfolios throughout her tenure.
Currently, as the Vice President of Consumer Health, Juggy is responsible for the national strategy, execution and operation of the Consumer Health business unit for TELUS Health. Juggy believes in empowering Canadians with the right tools, information and support so they can live happier and healthier lives. She is revolutionising access to healthcare in Canada with important products she has launched virtual care (Babylon by TELUS Health), curated health content in the TELUS Healthy Living Network, personal emergency response systems (largest Canadian-owned provider in Canada), personal health records and more. She was the executive producer for the critical documentary "PainKiller" on the opioid crisis ravaging our country.
TELUS Health transforms information into better health outcomes by ensuring valuable medical information is in the right hands at the right time. TELUS Health is also the largest healthcare IT company in Canada. TELUS is the leading provider of electronic medical records, pharmacy management software, remote patient monitoring and health benefits claims management in Canada.
Community leadership is a critical component of Juggy's leadership story. Juggy is the Vice Chair for the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation Board, she is a Director for the Vancouver International Airport Authority (YVR), the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, and the Canadian Men's Health Foundation. She previously served as a director on the Justice Institute of British Columbia, the Vancouver Community Board, and the Vancouver Board of Trade's Women's Leadership Council. Juggy also serves as an advisor to the City of Vancouver on racial and social justice issues.
Juggy is the recipient of the Diversity Champion award at TELUS. This award recognises leaders who are champions of all diversity and celebrates those who leverage diversity of thought to help advance business strategy. Juggy received the Leadership Excellence Trailblazer Award by Canadian Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) as well as the Forty Under 40 award in BC by Business in Vancouver for her business achievements, inspirational leadership and community contributions. In 2019, Vancouver Magazine recognized her as one of the most powerful 50 people in BC.
Juggy holds an MBA from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. She has also completed Executive Development programs at Harvard and INSEAD.
Vice-Chair
Walter Pela
Walter Pela is KPMG's Regional Managing Partner leading BC's largest and oldest professional services firm with over 1,650 team members in 12 offices across the Province. Walter also serves on KPMG's National Clients & Markets Committee overseeing client service and market development across Canada, and on the Firm's National ESG Council and its Digital Executive Team, collectively responsible for digital and sustainability transformation. Walter also co-leads KPMG's Vancouver Ignition Centre, a disruptive innovation and design thinking lab dedicated to exponential technologies and business transformation. With a 30 year career at KPMG, Walter enjoys leading conversations with clients, business leaders and organizations on the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of digital transformation, business model disruption, and changing environmental, social and economic dimensions affecting businesses and their broader stakeholders. Walter has been recognized as a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Accountants (FCPA), as a Champion honouree by the Association of Women of Finance, as one of BC's Most Influential Leaders by BIV BC500, is part of the President's Group representing BC's Accessible Employers, serves on the Executive Committees and Boards of the Business Council of British Columbia, the BC Achievement Foundation and the Pacific Autism Family Network, and is a past Governor of the Canadian Tax Foundation and past Finance Committee Chair of UNICEF Canada.
Stuart Louie
Stuart Louie
Stuart brings a wealth of legal and commercial expertise to the H.Y. Louie and London Drugs Group leadership teams, derived from his years with one of the leading business and litigation law firms in the United States. He focuses on strategic planning relating to business growth and development, working with teams at head office, and across the store network.
Stuart graduated from Duke University with a Bachelor
of Science in Economics, and a certificate in Markets and
Management. He completed his law degree at Duke Law School, and spent the next several years as a practicing attorney in the Finance and Commercial Transactions Department at Davis Wright Tremaine, in both their Seattle and New York offices.
Continuing his family’s legacy of philanthropy, Stuart serves as a a Director of the St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation, and a Trustee of the Vancouver Police Foundation.
Secretary-Treasurer
Todd Shewfelt
Todd Shewfelt is the Regional Vice-President, Business Financial Services with RBC Royal Bank in British Columbia. He co-leads B.C’s team of Commercial and Small Business bankers serving clients from 17 centres across the region. Clients include mid-sized private and public companies from all industries.
With almost twenty years’ experience within RBC, which includes several leadership positions covering a broad range of customer markets; Todd has been actively involved in many local community organizations and boards, such has BC Children’s Hospital and coaching his sons’ baseball teams.
In Todd's spare time, you can find him enjoying a round of golf, cycling and spending time with this wife and two sons.
Finance and Audit Committee Chair
Diana Vuong, CPA, CA
Diana Vuong is the Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Vancouver Airport Authority, the non-share corporation that operates Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The airport plays a vital role in the region, enabling trade, travel and the exchange of knowledge, in service of the community and the economy that supports it. YVR was voted the best airport in North America for the twelfth consecutive year and was the only Canadian airport that earned the first COVID-19 Airport Excellence Award in 2021.
As a key member of the YVR Executive Team, Diana is involved in all facets of the Airport Authority’s business and is responsible for finance, enterprise risk management and sustainability reporting. An innovative leader and driver of change, Diana delivers on both strategy and execution, with a firm understanding of what it takes to implement change.
Diana is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CA), holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University and worked at KPMG as a Senior Manager in the audit practice. Diana joined the Airport Authority as the Director, Finance and Controller in 2007 and has been in her current position since 2018. Diana also serves on the World Economics Committee of Airports Council International and on the Board of the Richmond Hospital Foundation.
Policy Council Committee Chair
Brad Eshleman
Brad Eshleman
Brad Eshleman was the President of Western Group Holdings Limited/Western Stevedoring Company Limited, a diversified transportation and logistics company. During his career at Western, Brad was active in growing and diversifying the Company with acquisitions and joints ventures including Coast 2000 Terminals, Interhold, Pacific Northwest Transportation Services, Squamish Terminals, Tidal Transport, Tymac Launch Services, BC Vehicle Processing Center, BMS Group Services and G3 Terminal Vancouver.
Educated at the University of British Columbia, Brad received his Chartered Accountant designation while articling with KPMG prior to joining Western and holds the Institute of Corporate Directors designation (ICD.D).
He was also active in numerous industry and government initiatives including serving as a Director and Past Chair of the BC Maritime Employers Association, Vice Chair of the Greater Vancouver Gateway Council, Chair of the BC Marine Terminal Operators Association, Chair of the BC Ports Competitiveness Committee, and past Director of the Western Transportation Advisory Committee. Brad also served as a Director and Treasurer for the Mission to Seafarers and is on the Cabinet Committee for the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame.
Brad now acts as an advisor to the transportation industry, Western and related companies.
Immediate Past Chair
Kirsten Sutton, ICD.D
Kirsten Sutton is an unconventional tech leader. From a professionally trained chef, Kirsten Sutton navigated a significant career pivot to become one of Vancouver's most celebrated tech execs. As Chief Technology & Information Officer at Vancity, Kirsten oversees all Vancity's technology operations as well as drives the organization's digital future linking technology, members and community.
Before her appointment at Vancity, Kirsten spent 25 years at SAP across a variety of roles, most recently as Managing Director for SAP Labs Canada, the 3000-strong development organization across the country.
Her experience in the tech sector spans 25 years. But that only tells part of Kirsten's story.
Apart from being regarded as an energetic, inspiring and authentic leader, Kirsten is a highly engaged community leader: immediate past chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, past co-chair of the Government of BC's Presidents Group which champions accessible and inclusive workplaces, serves as a member of the Government of Canada's Task Force for Women in the Economy, member of the Provincial Accessibility Committee and director of BC Tech and Science World.
A recipient of many awards, Kirsten has been recognized as a YWCA Woman of Distinction and received a Business in Vacouver Influential Women in Business award. She is also an in-demand speaker with more than 35 engagements a year in person and through the media.
An inquisitive thinker, Kirsten explored 24 different jobs early in her career before she set out on a technology path. The most interesting? You'll have to ask her, but Private Investigator would be up there.
Kirsten holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in linguistics and creative writing from Western Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with honors from the University of California at Irvine.
Kirsten unleashes her creativity through cooking and writing. Thanks to her university education and training as a French chef she has created and served thousands of meals, published several short stories and theater productions as well as continues to plug away at a half-written novel.
Member at Large
Jennifer Foster
Ms. Foster is currently the Sr. Vice President, Human Resources & Corporate Affairs of Western Forest Products Inc., a publicly-traded, high-value, specialty forest products Company. Western operates primarily on the coast of British Columbia and Washington State, with lumber capacity in excess of 1.1 billion board feet and sources timber from its private lands, long-term licenses, First Nations arrangements, and market purchases. Jennifer moved to British Columbia in 2015 to join the executive team at Western.
Prior to moving to B.C., Ms. Foster worked in a global leadership capacity in the automotive industry. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees for the IWA-Forest Industry Pension Plan and has previous board experience as a Board member for AUTO21 (a national research initiative supported by the Government of Canada through the Networks of Centres of Excellence Secretariat) as well as for a number of charitable organizations.
Ms. Foster hold an Honours Bachelor of Psychology from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University.
Jessica McDonald
Ms. McDonald is the past President and Chief Executive Officer of the BC Hydro and Power Authority, a clean energy utility with over $5.5 billion in annual revenues and more than 5,000 employees. Ms. McDonald is a Board director of GFL Environmental (a TSX listed public company), Coeur Mining (a NYSE listed public company) and Sustainable Development Technology Canada. She is a past board Chair as well as interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Post Corporation, with a group of companies that includes a majority shareholding in Purolator, SCI Logistics and Innovapost, She is a past director of Hydro One (a TSX listed public company), past director and Chair of Trevali Mining Corporation (a TSX listed public company), past Chair of Powertech Labs, one of the largest testing and research laboratories in North America, and director of Powerex, an energy trading company. Ms. McDonald has extensive government experience, including Deputy Minister to the Premier and Head of the BC Public Service. She is a graduate of the Institute of Corporate Directors and holds certification in cybersecurity oversight from the National Association of Corporate Directors and Carnegie Mellon University.
President and CEO
Bridgitte Anderson, ICD.D
Bridgitte Anderson is the President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade - Western Canada's most active and influential business association. Her expertise spans a broad spectrum of disciplines including business, communications, government and public policy.
She is the first woman to lead GVBOT in its 133-year history and came to the organization from Edelman, a global public relations firm, where she led the Vancouver office, the city's largest communications agency.
Prior to that, Bridgitte was Press Secretary to former BC Premier Gordon Campbell and an award-winning journalist. As a core member of Premier Campbell's strategic advisory group, Bridgitte provided communications strategy during the 2009 BC election and the 2010 Winter Olympics. As a journalist, Bridgitte was a news anchor in Vancouver and Toronto.
Bridgitte is a graduate of the ICD-Rotman Directors Education Program and holds the ICD.D designation. She lives in North Vancouver with her two children.
2022-23 BOARD OF DIRECTORS
As the Senior Vice President, Head of Operations, EA SPORTS & RACING, Natali oversees development for Electronic Arts (EA)'s multi-billion dollar portfolio of industry-leading sports and racing franchises, which entertain and connect hundreds of millions of people. She is responsible for driving product development activities, with a strategic and operational focus, across their multidisciplinary, international team of 2500+ developers.
Natali joined EA – a global leader in digital interactive entertainment – after graduating from the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a degree in Computer Science and has built her career there over the past two decades.
In addition to her contributions as a Board Director for the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Natali is also on the Board of Directors for DigiBC.
She is passionate about mentorship, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), and is a strong advocate for women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields – actively mentoring others through the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade's "Leaders of Tomorrow" program, as well as the UBC Computer Science Mentoring Program.
In 2022, she was recognized as one of the 500 most influential business leaders in British Columbia by Business in Vancouver.
Roberto Aquilini
Roberto Aquilini, Managing Partner of the Aquilini Group, was born and raised in Vancouver and began his career with the family business 40 years ago. The family owns and manages a portfolio spanning 27 lines of business comprising of commercial, industrial and residential properties, construction and developments, food and beverage, hospitality and entertainment enterprises, diverse agribusiness operations, and sustainable aquaculture and renewable energy ventures. A Business graduate of University of British Columbia, Roberto received his Bachelor of Commerce, and has played a key role in the continuous development of the Group’s diverse operations and growth.
Roberto, along with his wife and five children, believe in carrying on the tradition of putting family first and supporting their community. Roberto is a loyal supporter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation, UBC Sauder School of Business FAB member, and is involved in many of the Group’s supported organizations such as British Columbia Children’s Hospital and Canucks for Kids Fund.
Kim is Chancellor for Kwantlen Polytechnic University and is the owner of Kim Baird Strategic Consulting and offers First Nation related and strategic advice to industry, government, and First Nations. While Chief of the Tsawwassen First Nation for over thirteen years, her most notable achievement was when she negotiated and implemented British Columbia's first urban treaty which is now culminating in expansive community development. She spent six years on the BC Hydro Board – providing her with in-depth knowledge on energy issues in BC. She is on several boards and has received numerous awards, including Indspire, the Order of Canada, and the Order of BC. Kim holds an Institute of Corporate Director's designation.
Colin Bosa
Colin is CEO of Bosa Properties, a fully integrated real estate development and asset management company with roots in construction, based in Vancouver. A values-based leader, Colin joined his father, Robert, in the management and operation of Bosa Properties and its affiliated group of companies in 1993.
Prior to taking on his role as CEO, Colin worked his way up through the company in progressively expanding roles touching on all aspects of the development business. Now leading Bosa Properties for the past 25 years, he has been instrumental in the continued success of the organization. Driven by the relentless pursuit of progress, Colin encourages his team to innovate and raise the bar, collectively enabling a vision to create places and spaces that inspire better living. His entrepreneurial mindset has helped establish him as one of our province’s leading development visionaries and has also distinguished Bosa Properties as one of the leading real estate development companies in Canada.
Christian Chia is CEO of OpenRoad Auto Group, the largest-volume dealership group in British Columbia. Representing more than twenty brands with over thirty locations in Canada and the US, OpenRoad is a proven innovator and has been recognized as one of Canada's Best Managed Companies for nine consecutive years.
Prior to OpenRoad, Christian established Summit Motors China, one of only five distributors for BMW and Toyota automobiles in China with locations in six provinces. He previously worked with Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan and was engaged in the finance industry in Toronto.
Christian has been involved with numerous private and non-profit organizations and currently serves on the boards of Servco Pacific Inc., the Vancouver Police Foundation and the UBC Sauder Faculty Advisory Board. He has been active in numerous community activities and is a member of the Young Presidents Organization. Christian was previously Chairman of the Vancouver International Auto show and was appointed a member of the Canadian Federal Advisory Committee on Financing. In 2012, he was named as the Laureate Award winner of the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association and more recently he was recognized as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2018, Pacific-region.
Christian was educated at the Sauder School of Business in the University of British Columbia, with a Commerce Degree in Finance. In 1991 he was recognized by UBC as a Leslie Wong Fellow.
Edoardo De Martin is the past President & CTO of CubicFarms, a local chain ag-tech company providing innovative automated technologies to grow onsite commercial-scale quantities of fresh food anywhere on earth, 365 days a year.
Graduating from SFU with a double major in Economics & Geography, his skill in putting culture first to build profitable, productive teams has been at the heart of his more than two decades in technology. A British Columbian by birth, De Martin launched his career in telecommunications before transitioning to successive roles in video games that would see him deliver the franchise leading, number one selling game worldwide, Need for Speed Underground, and become a voice for operational excellence within the industry and earn back-to-back 'Best Company' honours for Next Level Games. In 2010, De Martin joined Microsoft to work on early HoloLens development following that, in 2015 he was named Microsoft Vancouver's new global development center, Site Leader. During his time as Site Leader, Microsoft Vancouver grew from 350 employees to over 1,700 employees.
Today, De Martin lends his expertise to organizations shaping the local ecosystem. As an advocate for Vancouver's tech industry, he seeks opportunities to drive action around the city's position in the global marketplace. He's previously served on the board of BC Tech, the board of Cascadia Innovation Corridor, and was Co-Chair of the Canadian Digital Supercluster. Currently, De Martin sits on the board of Innovate BC and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
Peter Dhillon
Mr. Dhillon graduated from the University of British Columbia (UBC) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and went on to complete an LL.B. with honours from the University of Leeds.
Mr. Dhillon is active in several business enterprises, most notably as President and CEO of the Richberry Group of Companies and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ocean Spray. Mr. Dhillon is also on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Canada.
Other board positions have included Vice Chairman, British Columbia Ferry Corporation; Vice Chairman, Agricultural Land Commission; Board Director, Canada Customs and Revenue Agency; Board Director, Vancouver Airport Authority; Board Governor, Simon Fraser University; Board Director, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation; Board Director, Seacor Environmental; and Board Director, CanWel Building Materials.
He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation and served as chairman of the audit committee for the Vancouver 2010 Organizing Committee Board. He is also a past chair of the Vancouver branch of the Right to Play, an international humanitarian organization for children in communities affected by war, poverty and disease.
Mr. Dhillon is widely known for his philanthropic work, particularly in the areas of health care, child humanitarian support, education and sport. He has made significant financial contributions to the Kwantlen Polytechnic University, the Canadian Red Cross, the Canadian Olympic Committee, Arts Umbrella and the Khalsa Diwan Society. In his father's memory, he established both the Rashpal Dhillon Fund in Idiopathic Pulmonary Research and the Rashpal Dhillon Fund in Cranberry Research at UBC, as well as the Rashpal Dhillon UBC Track and Field Oval. In 2015, he established the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics, in partnership with the Sauder School of Business at UBC.
Mr. Dhillon was appointed to the Order of British Columbia in 2009 and is a recipient of the Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Richard Eppich is the President and CEO of the Ebco Group of Companies. Ebco manufactures custom industrial machinery for international markets in the Aerospace, Energy, Mining and Healthcare industries. Notable past and present projects include building the tunnel boring machine for the English Channel, water turbines for Alaska, airplane production equipment for Boeing, and providing components for the Skytrain and Site C dam. Richard is also CEO of Advanced Cyclotron Systems which designs and manufactures cyclotrons which are used to produce medical isotopes for the diagnosis of various cancers and heart disease. These cyclotrons are sold around the world to hospitals with nuclear medicine capabilities. Our cyclotrons are installed locally at BC Cancer Agency and TRIUMF, and globally in locations such as Bolivia, China, Europe and the USA.
Privately owned and with 250,000 sf of manufacturing space, Ebco is BC's largest job shop with machining capability that can't be found anywhere else in Canada. Established in 1956, Richard is committed to the long term growth of the Ebco Group by remaining focused on "BC Made" manufactured products for international markets.
Prior to Ebco, Richard was founder and CEO of Enterra Systems, a provider of workforce management software for manufacturing companies including Raytheon and Hitachi. Additionally, Richard was VP Operations and Director of Epic Data, a provider of workforce data collection systems to Fortune 500 companies.
Teara Fraser is the Lead Executive at Iskwew Air Becoming a pilot was transformational, truly giving this young Métis woman wings. Teara is the first Indigenous woman to launch an airline in Canada – Iskwew Air. Iskwew Air is the bridge between traditional air service and the sustainable technology of the future. She believes that together in this innovative space we will rematriate, reimagine, and rebuild our air transportation system - centering equity, resilience, and sustainability. Teara serves as a BC Executive Committee member of CAAM, the Canadian Advanced Air Mobility consortium, where Iskwew Air is a proud founding member.
As the visionary of the Raven Institute, she is particularly inspired by the RavenSPEAK initiative (Indigenous changemakers – visible, masterful, amplified, and connected). RavenSPEAK is elevating the voices, stories, and remarkable profiles of Indigenous peoples.
Teara founded the not-for-profit Indigenous LIFT Collective and launched Give them Wings (Indigenous Youth Taking Flight) and the LIFT Circle (collectively co-creating the conditions for Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs to THRIVE).
Teara has been actively engaged in the British Columbia Aviation Council for over a decade and is a Board Director for Unmanned Systems Canada. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.
Teara holds a Master of Arts in Leadership degree from Royal Roads University, and she is a Certified Executive Coach. The journey of learning now takes her back to Royal Roads as Associate Faculty and to Fielding University where she is studying in the Human Development Ph.D. program.
Teara has been named WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100, Top 25 Women of Influence, YWCA Woman of Distinction, and one of 24 ‘real world heroes’ in the DC Comics Wonder Woman anthology – Wonderful Women of the World. In 2021, she ranked 44 on Maclean’s Power List.
Teara is a proud Métis bridge builder.
David Garofalo serves as Chairman & CEO of Gold Royalty Corp., Chairman & CEO of the Marshall Precious Metals Fund. David previously served as President & CEO and Director of Goldcorp (2016-2019), President & CEO and Director of Hudbay from 2010, Senior Vice President and CFO and Director of Agnico-Eagle from 1998 and Treasurer of Inmet Mining from 1990. David is FCPA, FCA and ICD.D and holds a B.Comm. from the University of Toronto. He also serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.
Miranda is the Chief Legal Officer & Senior Director, Business Development at Acuitas Therapeutics, Inc., a biotechnology company that works with partners to advance nucleic acid therapeutics to address unmet clinical needs based on its internationally recognized capabilities in delivery technology. Formerly an equity partner in the litigation group at the national law firm, McCarthy Tetrault, Miranda has been recognized as a Leading Lawyer in the area of General Commercial Litigation in independent publications such as Chambers Canada, The Best Lawyers in Canada, and Benchmark Canada: The Definitive Guide to Canada’s Leading Litigation Firms & Attorneys. In 2019, market research firm Acritas identified Miranda as a “Stand-out Lawyer”. In 2018, she was named to Vancouver Magazine’s Power 50 List of the City’s Most Influential People. She has been identified as a Leading Lawyer under 40 by Lexpert (2017), “Best 40 Under 40” Lawyer by the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (2015), and the recipient of the Association of Women in Finance 2014 PEAK Women in Finance “Rising Star” Award. In 2013, she was recognized as one of Business in Vancouver’s “Forty Under 40”.
Miranda is a frequent speaker on corporate governance issues, investigations, and dispute resolution processes, as well as diversity and inclusion and served as McCarthy Tetrault’s first National Chair of its Gender Equality Action Group. She has also served as faculty for the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, The Directors’ College and for The Advocates Society, and as an adjunct professor on corporate law topics at the University of British Columbia Allard School of Law. A passionate community leader, Miranda currently serves on the University of British Columbia Board of Governors and on the Board of Directors of BC Cancer Foundation. She has previously served on a number of community boards, including as chair of the boards of the Vancouver Foundation, the largest community foundation in Canada, the UBC Alumni Association and Vantage Point. She has also served on the boards of the United Way of the Lower Mainland and Imagine Canada.
Kirk LaPointe is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at Business in Vancouver Media Group and is responsible for the editorial standards of parent firm Glacier Media, western Canada's largest news organization, as its Vice President, Editorial. He also teaches ethics and leadership as an Adjunct Professor and Executive-in-Residence at the Graduate School of Journalism at University of British Columbia.
He has been a media executive for three decades in Canada, leading the editorial operations of CTV News, Southam News and the Hamilton Spectator. He was the founding Executive Editor of National Post, Managing Editor of the Vancouver Sun, a program host on CBC Newsworld, the ombudsman for the CBC, and the Ottawa Bureau Chief and General News Editor of The Canadian Press, among other roles. He ran for mayor of Vancouver in 2014 and has a BA in Journalism from Ryerson University.
Michele Matthews has been a key contributor to the success of Canada’s leading haircare manufacturer, AG Hair, for over 27 years. As Chief Operating Officer, Michele is responsible for helping to set the strategic direction of the company in the ever-changing and fast-paced haircare industry, and working to enhance performance by aligning leadership, business strategy and culture. She is responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership to AG’s Operations, IT and People & Culture Departments.
By designing and implementing new business processes, systems, technology and job roles, Michele has fostered a dynamic company culture that inspires innovation and promotes ethical practices aligned with AG’s belief statements. Michele is a purpose-driven leader and her focus in helping her teams reach key milestones, issue resolution, company-wide project development, and transparent communication drives overall business results and ensures organizational effectiveness.
Michele is a Certified Executive Coach (Royal Roads University), holds a CPHR designation, and is a graduate of BCIT in Human Resources Management. Michele and her husband Glenn were both raised in North Vancouver, and along with their 2 daughters are still proud to call it home.
Jennifer Twiner-McCarron is the CEO of Thunderbird Entertainment Group, and the Company’s kids and family content arm, Atomic Cartoons. The Vancouver-based global multiplatform entertainment company creates award-winning scripted, unscripted and animated programming for the world’s leading digital platforms, as well as Canadian and international broadcasters.
Jennifer joined Atomic Cartoons as the Head of Production in 2011. Under her leadership, the studio grew from 25 artists to more than 1200 today. She has led production on multiple titles including the Emmy-winning Beat Bugs for Netflix, Cupcake & Dino for eOne and 101 Dalmatian Street for Disney+. She is also an executive producer for the Emmy-winning The Last Kids on Earth, which streams on Netflix, and Dogs in Space, also streaming on Netflix. Molly of Denali, which airs on PBS Kids, is another notable production that Jennifer has executive produced that highlight Thunderbird’s mission of creating intentional content with a focus on diversity and inclusivity.
Jennifer was promoted to CEO of Atomic Cartoons in 2016, and CEO of Thunderbird in 2018. She continues to hold both roles, overseeing Thunderbird’s overall business as well as a team of more than 1,400 people, in Vancouver, Los Angeles, Toronto, and Ottawa. Jennifer’s collaborative leadership is responsible for continued growth, creative excellence and thriving partnerships, which culminated in the Company going public on the TSX-V in 2018.
Jennifer background includes her working as the vice president of production for Rainmaker Entertainment. Over the past 20 years, Jennifer has produced or executive produced dozens of animated series, video game cinematics, and direct to DVD features, including the popular Barbie Princess franchise with Mattel Filmed Entertainment. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carleton University in Ottawa, and a degree in film studies from the Vancouver Film School.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Carleton University in Ottawa, and a degree in film studies from the Vancouver Film School. Throughout the years, her work has received several recognitions, including multiple Leo Award, an ELAN, a DTV, two Emmys and a Peabody, among others. In 2022, she was named by Business in Vancouver as one of their five Most Influential Women and by Bay Street Bull to their Women of the Year List. Jennifer was also named the Equity and Inclusion Champion in BC Business’ 2021 Women of the Year Awards, one of WXN’s Most Powerful Women in Canada (2019) and Executive of the Year by Playback Magazine (2018).
Jennifer also sits on various boards and committees, including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s BIPOC Council, the CKNW Kids’ Fund, the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, and more. She resides with her family in North Vancouver, and cherishes spending time with her husband, three children, and two dogs.,
David McKenna joined Rocky Mountaineer as President and Chief Executive Officer with extensive experience in Canada’s tourism industry.
Prior to joining Rocky Mountaineer, David was President of the Banff Jasper Collection by Pursuit where he led notable tourism expansion and acquisition projects in the Canadian Rockies, including the construction of the Glacier Skywalk, expansion of the Banff Gondola, and the acquisition and implementation of the Lake Minnewanka Cruise, Maligne Lake Tours, Maligne Canyon Wilderness Kitchen, Maligne Canyon Icewalks, Elk & Avenue Hotel in Banff, Mountain Park Lodges and Sawridge Hotel in Jasper, Golden Sky Bridge in Golden, and FlyOver Canada. Prior to joining Pursuit, David held hospitality roles at Sunshine Village and Rimrock Resort Hotel in Banff, and Delta Lodge at Kananaskis.
David currently serves as Board Chair of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada Board of Directors and on the Board of Directors for Travel Alberta. He previously served on the Board of Directors for Tourism Jasper, Banff & Lake Louise Hospitality Association, Canadian Passenger Vessel Association, the Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment, Strategic Tourism Marketing Council (AB), and the Banff Community Foundation.
David and his wife of more than 20 years, Julie, are originally from Ottawa, Canada where they both attended Carleton University. Together, they are strong advocates for tourism and the social and economic benefits it brings communities around the world. They look forward to working with Rocky Mountaineer’s global team to further this impact.
Gail C. Murphy is a Professor of Computer Science and Vice-President Research and Innovation at the University of British Columbia. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and a Fellow of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), as well as co-founder of Tasktop Technologies Incorporated.
After completing her B.Sc. at the University of Alberta in 1987, she worked for five years as a software engineer in the Lower Mainland. She later pursued graduate studies in computer science at the University of Washington, earning first a M.Sc. (1994) and then a Ph.D. (1996) before joining UBC.
SSusannah has held senior positions in the energy and technology sectors in Canada, the United States and Europe, most recently as Director of Corporate Affairs for LNG Canada.
She joined LNG Canada in 2013 as a Shell secondee and has been responsible for the project's federal and provincial regulatory approvals, Indigenous relations, government relations, media relations and community communications. Under her leadership, the project achieved federal and provincial environmental approvals on schedule and received unprecedented support from First Nations, communities and governments. .
Prior to joining LNG Canada, Susannah served as Vice President, Value Chain Integration, Shell Canada. In this capacity, she was responsible for identifying new business opportunities across Shell's multiple businesses in Canada. Prior to this position, Susannah was Vice President, Communications, Upstream International based in The Hague.
Susannah was previously Head, Government Relations for Shell Canada, where she established the government relations practice to support Shell Canada's Upstream, Downstream, and manufacturing businesses.
Prior to joining Shell in 2009, Susannah was Director, Government Affairs for TransCanada Pipelines based in the United States, where she was responsible for driving government policy at federal and state levels in support of TransCanada's existing power and pipeline interests, as well as new business development activities. Susannah was named one of Vancouver magazine's Power 50 in 2019 and on B.C. Business's 2015 Most Influential Women in Business list. She was also recognized as a 2019 Most Influential Woman in Business by Business in Vancouver magazine.
Susannah is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) and The George Washington University, and speaks English, Spanish and French. She lives in Vancouver with her two children, Robert and Gabriela.
Tracy Redies. ICD.D joined as President & CEO of Science World British Columbia in 2020, inspired by Science World’s mission to ignite wonder and empower dreams through science and nature. She is passionate about disseminating STEAM-learning to more people in BC, believing these skill sets will be key to the province's and Canada's success in the coming decades.
Tracy has over 25 years of experience as a high-growth organization builder with a strong commitment to serving the province and its communities. Tracy spent much of her career leading complex financial institutions, serving as CEO of Coast Capital Savings Credit Union and, before that, Executive Vice President and Head of Personal Financial Services of HSBC Bank Canada. In 2017, she joined the B.C. Liberal party as MLA, Surrey-White Rock serving as Finance Critic for the Opposition.
Tracy has served on the University of Victoria board of governors, the Surrey Memorial Hospital Foundation board, and as a corporate director for BC Hydro. As a member of the Premier's Women's Economic Council for BC, Tracy supported the improvement of economic outcomes for women entrepreneurs and business leaders. She was also a past director of the Vancouver Board of Trade and the Sauder Advisory Council. She is currently on the Sources Foundation Board, an organization responsible for supporting local food banks, women’s shelters and affordable housing options.
Tracy and her husband have raised their 4 children in the Surrey-White Rock area. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, horse racing and spending time outdoors with her family and dogs.
David Seymour is Partner Director of Product Management in Office Media Group. He has been part of Microsoft’s Vancouver team since the acquisition of BigPark in 2009. In the last decade, David has delivered a range of products, from day-one experiences for Kinect and Xbox One, to MSN, Office 3D, the Mixed Reality Viewer, Paint 3D and the 3D Viewer. Today, his team of 130+ (and growing) owns Windows Photos and photos ecosystem components for OneDrive, and delivers new M365 video experiences within Teams, Yammer and additional partners.
David began his career in IT, working for Compugen and as an IBM Global Services E-Business Specialist. Shifting industries to video game development in 2001, David joined Radical Entertainment as a lead designer. Successive positions as Producer at Electronic Arts and Design Director at Slant Six Games brought him to BigPark. As a member of the Vancouver leadership team, David has been a strong advocate for growth. While focussed on local studio culture, product development and thought leadership, he prioritized the establishment of cross-organizational partnerships across the engineering organization in Redmond.
David thrives on building software and services that enable people to be more creative, effective, and expressive. He brings this passion to the team and sees tremendous opportunity to leverage it within our British Columbia and Cascadia partnerships. As an anchor in the BC ecosystem, we’re creating interesting and challenging jobs that make a difference.
Microsoft Vancouver has experienced steady growth since opening the Georgia & Granville site in 2016. As we enter FY22, it’s with significant investments from both E&D and C&AI that are driving the need for talent. David is focused on the evolution of our campus and the future needs of our teams. We have broadened the work being done in Vancouver from high-end gaming to leading applications in Intelligent Communications, Office, Azure, OneDrive, News and HoloLens – and David is committed to working with local and Redmond leadership to shape the next phase of our investment.
Bruce is the Western Canada Tax leader for BDO. Bruce has been practicing for over 25 years and has considerable experience advising Boards and Senior Executives on a range of issues including succession planning, governance, estate and trust planning. Bruce works with a wide range of private businesses and has experience in proactive tax planning for companies in Canada and with foreign operations. In addition to bringing substantial technical and leadership skills to the overall direction of his mandates, Bruce is a trusted advisor to many of his family business and high net worth clients.
Anna Stukas is a Vice President Business Development at Carbon Engineering Ltd. (CE), a Canadian-based clean energy company. CE is leading the commercialization of ground-breaking technology that captures carbon dioxide directly from the atmosphere, and a second technology that synthesizes it into clean, affordable transportation fuels.
Anna is a professional engineer with over 15 years’ experience bridging the gap between technology and business to overcome barriers to cleantech commercialization. Anna previously worked with Angstrom Power and BIC developing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, where her responsibilities spanned IP and licensing strategy, product safety, and international regulatory development. She currently leads a variety of CE’s partnering and strategic business development efforts, and previously led CE initiatives ranging from strategic projects to government programs. Anna’s work has been recognized by the Minerva Foundation’s Women In™ Energy Award for Philanthropy and Business in Vancouver’s Forty Under 40 Award.
Driven by purpose to take the industrial sector mainstream and drive economy with heart, Lisa Tuningley is an inspired leader, industry advocate and entrepreneur specializing in RAIL. RAIL transports 70% of surface goods, producing only 3.4% of transportation greenhouse gas. RAIL has impact and creating sustainable rail solutions has become her team's passion. Proud to be a Canadian. She reminds us "Rail Connects Us", invites innovations to rail, which in turn promote our growth as a nation and our individual rights and freedoms.
In his role as Vice President, Operations and Supply Chain, Peter Xotta is responsible for the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority's long-term planning, land and marine operations, security, and trade development activities.
For more than a decade, Peter has led the development and funding of the port authority's gateway infrastructure programs. These trade-enabling infrastructure projects will improve the efficiency of goods movement throughout the Lower Mainland road and rail network, while also mitigating the impacts of trade on local communities. He also leads the port authority's data-capture and supply chain visibility work, which are collaborative initiatives between the Port of Vancouver and other industry partners that aim to improve the supply chain from prairie to port.
Throughout his career, Peter has held diverse portfolios including business development and leading strategic port projects.
He was previously president of Modalink Distribution Hub Ltd., a multi-modal logistics facility in South Richmond, British Columbia. He is also the former chair of Canada Place Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.
Peter currently sits on the board of directors for the Freight Management Association of Canada, a position he has held since October 2018. He has a Masters in Business Administration from Simon Fraser University's Segal Graduate School of Business and is an active mentor in the program.