By Shan Shan Fu
June 2014
Leadership Forum sets a record as largest event in history of the Company of Young Professionals program
The most powerful way to share a lesson is to pass on a story. Four of Vancouver's premier young leaders did just that on May 13, as they shared valuable lessons and life stories at the Company of Young Professionals (CYP) annual signature event, the Leadership Forum — the largest event in the program's history.
Ashleigh McIvor, an Olympic gold medallist in ski cross, shared the story of her road to the 2010 Olympics. The road was not easy, said McIvor, noting that she passed through multiple rounds of competition before being selected to represent Canada at the Games. McIvor quoted the book Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, which states that if a person invests 10,000 hours into something, they will eventually master it — a fitting motto for an athlete who won gold on the world stage.
To complement mastery of skills and dedication, Victor De Bonis, the Chief Operating Officer for Canucks Sports and Entertainment talked about the power of relationships. De Bonis said he started working in the parking lot at the Pacific Coliseum, which gave him the connections that led to working in the corporate audit division at KPMG. From there, De Bonis joined the Vancouver Canucks as their corporate controller and rose through the ranks to his current role.
Susan Dolinski, Vice President of Communications and Social Responsibility for BCLC, said she started off from humble beginnings in the lumber industry, thanks to her parent's connections. At the time, the economy was rough, and switching jobs — if you were lucky enough to have one — was difficult and rare. Despite that, Dolinski decided that the lumber industry was not her sole calling, so she made bold new moves in her careers. Dolinski said one of her biggest lessons was that being a great subject matter expert doesn't mean that you will make the best leader. In her own words, "life is a playground" and it's up to us to build a life that excites us.
Terry McBride, CEO of YYoga and Nettwerk Music Group certainly had an actionpacked life, managing world-famous artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, and Coldplay. McBride said that while Nettwerk Music Group was in full swing, he would be away from home for up to nine months of the year. McBride said he discovered the power of yoga, and felt that it was a way to heal his ailments and improve his overall health. Thus, he started YYoga, a place where people can have a great experience while practicing yoga. McBride made the great sacrifice to sell his most liquid asset — his house — in order to fund YYoga. Now, thanks to his hard work and sacrifice, YYoga is growing and rapidly expanding across Canada.
The 2014 Leadership Forum was the largest event for the CYP program, with more than 250 guests in attendance. Steadily growing, the CYP program boasted an enrollment increase of almost 300 per cent last year, due primarily to word-of-mouth buzz in the business community. The annual forum also honours recipients of the Engaged Leadership Certificate – a threeyear program that recognizes CYP members who have achieved specific milestones in leadership, networking, development and volunteerism.
Congratulations to the 2014 Engaged Leadership Certificate recipients:
- Seth Baker – Associate, Marcus & Millichap
- Gerald Chan – B.C. Regional Sales Coordinator, RBC Global Asset Management
- Jullian Deschutter – Cofounder, Voyte
- Rochelle Diablo – Associate Director of Advancement, Simon Fraser University, Department of Science
- Mandeep Dhaliwal – Project Manager, Industrial Buildings and Facilities, Stantec
- Shan Shan Fu – Web and eCommerce Director, Graphically Speaking
- Sandra Gee – Director of Operations, EasyPark
- Vic Herr – Owner, 2K Trades
- Kellan Higgins – Founder, Kellan Higgins Photography
- Kuan Ho – Commercial Account Manager, RBC
- Geoff Livingston – Director of Marketing, Noravera Visuals
- Kristine Louie – Marketing Communications Specialist, BC Dairy Association
- Amrit Matharu – Travel Service Representative, Canada Border Services
- Grace Mok – Finance Manager, Internal Controls And Compliance, BC Hydro
- Karoline Monkovic – Human Resources and Communications Coordinator, Anthem Properties
- Asa Nerelus – People And Culture Specialist, Traction On Demand
- Lindsay Noves – Media Strategist and Buyer, OMD
- Allan Pun – Senior Financial Planning Consultant, Investors Group
- Scott Regamble – Realator, Sotheby's International
- Michael Sadnovik – Partner, Morgan LLP
- Rob Sarkissian – Business Development Manager, Sea To Sky Network Solutions
- Colleen Wong – Recruiter, Five Hole For Food
- Victor Yan – Senior Analyst, Ministry Of Health
- Lisa Zhang – Campus Recruitment Coordinator, Deloitte Canada
Many of these recipients were profiled in The Vancouver Board of Trade's CYP Year in Review video, produced by Noravera Visuals and now available on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/ theboardoftrade.
The event was sponsored by the BCIT School of Business, and guests were fortunate to be welcomed by a member of BCIT's marketing faculty, Tracey Renzullo. Guests were also welcomed by The Vancouver Board of Trade's President and CEO, Iain Black, who made a special presentation to TELUS VP of Government Relations, Dave Cunningham who has successfully chaired the CYP Program during its largest growth period to date.
Shan Shan Fu is an Account Director at Graphically Speaking and a member of the Company of Young Professionals (CYP) Program. CYP is a leadership development program of The Vancouver Board of Trade which engages those under 35 through leadership, networking, development, and volunteerism opportunities. To engage your emerging leaders or learn more about the program, visit boardoftrade.com/CYP.