By Baila Lazarus
For yet another year, the Influential Women in Business (IWIB) Awards luncheon was a sellout, with a waiting list of people wanting to hear words of wisdom from the winners.
The 460-plus audience members were not disappointed, as the six winners gave advice ranging from “always do the right thing” to “never cry in public.”
This year’s winners of Business in Vancouver’s IWIB Awards were Amiee Chan, president and CEO, Norsat International; Christine Day, CEO, Lululemon; Evaleen Jaager Roy, principal, Jaager Roy Advisory Inc.; Tina Osen, president and CEO, HUB International Insurance; and Tracy Redies, president and CEO, Coast Capital Savings.
Receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award was Bev Briscoe, president, Briscoe Management.
“Business is all about people,” said Briscoe. “What makes a difference is how [companies] treat their customers, how they treat their clients and how they treat their employees.
“I don’t believe great companies create great employers; I believe great employers create great companies.”
Chan added her own views focusing on women in business, saying that what was once a 12-inch-thick glass ceiling is now only a thin pane.
“Hopefully, in our daughters’ and granddaughters’ generation, the glass ceiling will just be made out of Saran Wrap,” she said.
Day advised that to “truly empower others, you have to give them the power to act.” She said Lululemon puts its focus not on rules and process, but on outcomes, passions, values and contribution.
Jaager Roy closed the speeches with an emphasis on taking risks. “Find passions that are bigger than yourself and think without limits,” she said. “Ask yourself, ‘What would I do now if I were 10 times bolder?’”