On May 7, Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon, President of the University of British Columbia (UBC), spoke to the Greater Vancouver business community During his keynote, Dr. Bacon emphasized UBC's commitment to fostering healthier lives, restoring the planet's health, and nurturing thriving communities. Dr. Bacon touched upon various topics, ranging from UBC's dedication to truth and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples to its pivotal role in driving innovation and addressing global challenges. Here are a few highlights:

Meet Cathryn Wilson, who leads the BC Achievement Foundation (BC Achievement). As Executive Director, she spearheads an independent foundation dedicated to honouring excellence across British Columbia to drive meaningful change. Through five award programs, BC Achievement showcases the very best of the province, highlighting the remarkable efforts of individuals who contribute to building stronger and more engaged communities. With a mission to elevate excellence and inspire achievement in program areas which include civic leadership, artistic endeavors, entrepreneurship, and reconciliation, BC Achievement tells powerful stories of extraordinary people doing extraordinary work

Joshua Myers is the Executive Director of the BC Centre for Ability (BCCFA). Under the leadership of Joshua Myers, the BC Centre for Ability designs and delivers community-based programs for persons with disabilities. They are on a quest to foster inclusive communities where every person thrives at all stages of life. Based in Vancouver but serving nearly 5,000 people across BC each year, they offer a wide range of programs to support people with disabilities to achieve personal goals and be meaningfully included in all aspects of life.

Hello there! I'm Megan Shallow, the founder of BNL Media Consulting. We specialize in helping businesses engage with their communities both online and offline through a range of services, including social media management, email marketing, UGC creator management, and social media consulting.

With over 7 years of experience in the social media industry, I've gained valuable insights that I'm eager to share. That's why I founded BNL and launched my Social Media Academy last September. And today, I'm excited to share with you the top social trends to keep an eye on in 2024!

Here are the top 4 trends you'll want to pay attention to this year as you navigate your own social media marketing journey:

Reflecting on Alan Hart's impact and legacy.

Susan Tohyama is the Chief Human Resources Officer of Ceridian. Susan is a highly accomplished leader with a proven track record of driving organizational transformation with some of the world's top brands. 

On October 25, 2023, the Vancouver business community gathered at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront for the annual GVBOT Business Distinction Awards.

The awards were presented to businesses that have gone above and beyond to set themselves apart in one of seven distinct categories.

In the world of sports and community engagement, my journey has been an incredibly fortunate one. What started as a two-year working holiday in Canada became a fulfilling career with the Vancouver Whitecaps. I had the privilege of being part of their business development team and now the Canucks as the Director of Premium Sales & Experience. I firmly believe that sports organizations should be pillars of their communities, using their influence to drive positive change. Reflecting on my professional growth, I can confidently attribute a part of my success to the transformative experience of GVBOT's Engaged Leadership Program.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) drives transformative results for business, whether its with faster and deeper analytics for stronger supply chains, heightened cybersecurity defense, or improved customer service. Still, we are at a pivotal moment for how AI is – and will be – used for cross-industry, cross-enterprise. For some, there is a lack of clarity as to what impact it can have. Business leaders can feel overwhelmed, underprepared, and unsure how to best utilize AI, but know they need accurate results they can trust that can easily be adapted to new scenarios and use cases. ChatGPT and other generative AI capabilities have woken businesses up to the possibilities that AI offers, but consumer use cases are not where the real transformational powers lie.

Major projects like Woodfibre LNG and others underway across British Columbia provide real opportunities for local employment and procurement contracts, including for workers that otherwise might have to leave their hometowns to find steady work in their industry.

On March 28, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland released Canada's 2023 budget and fiscal plan, A Made-in-Canada Plan: Strong Middle Class, Affordable Economy, Healthy Future.