People on the Move
Education
Bruce Donaldson, vice-admiral (retired), Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), has joined Royal Roads University’s board of governors for a three-year term. Donaldson retired as second-in-command of the CAF in 2013 after more than 35 years in the military.
Finance
Mitch Salis has been appointed co-founder and COO at Lendful, a Vancouver-based online marketplace consumer lender. Salis previously held the role of CFO at Montreal-based Thinking Capital Financial Corp.
Hospitality/Tourism/Convention
Tourism Richmond recently elected its 2016-17 board of directors. Eda Koot, general manager, Pacific Gateway Hotel, is chair; Wayne Duzita, associate vice-president, Western region, Aeroterm, is vice-chair; and Yannick Simovich from the Vancouver Airport Marriott is treasurer and finance committee chair. Other members of the board are Russell Atkinson, manager, air service development, Vancouver Airport Authority; Cathy Volkering Carlile, general manager, community services, City of Richmond; Ken Flores, general manager, Fairmont Vancouver Airport Hotel; Harald Kurtzke, director, hotel operations, Executive Airport Plaza and Conference Centre; Joe Erceg, deputy chief administrative officer, City of Richmond; Andrew Hobbs, community representative, City of Richmond; Kathryn Warren, general manager, Radisson Vancouver Airport Hotel; and Steve Veinot, general manager, Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel.
Legal
After more than 44 years at Lawson Lundell LLP, William Everett has left the firm. Everett has taken the following appointments: commissioner, BC Utilities Commission; member, Property Assessment Appeal Board; and resident neutral, Vancouver Arbitration Chambers.
Media
Tina Chow and Justin Gladden have been appointed to the executive team of Bardel Entertainment Inc. as director of development and strategy, and director of production, respectively. Chow has more than 15 years of industry experience holding key roles in animation and delivering more than 300 episodes of content, including Gemini award-winning and Emmy-nominated series Hot Wheels: Battle Force Five. Gladden has a decade of experience working on productions such as Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses, Jurassic World, Transformers and Max Steel.
Non-Profit
Fran McDougall has been appointed executive director at Act 2 Child and Family Services, replacing Brad Watson, who has retired. McDougall has more than 25 years of non-profit experience and has worked with Abbotsford Community Services, Fraser Valley Child Development Centre, Make-A-Wish Foundation of Canada and Seton Villa Retirement Centre for low-income seniors.
Sarah Roth has been appointed president and CEO of the BC Cancer Foundation. Prior to joining the foundation, Roth was assistant dean of development and alumni relations at University of British Columbia’s faculty of medicine. Roth has more than 20 years of fundraising experience. Previous roles include leading teams through large-scale fundraising initiatives for Boston Children’s Hospital and New York Presbyterian Hospital where she led a $120 million campaign to build a new children’s hospital.
Resources
David Dicaire has been appointed project director at Lundin Gold Inc. Dicaire will be responsible for overseeing the proposed early works program, engineering and construction for the Fruta del Norte project in Ecuador. Most recently, he was employed by Freeport-McMoRan Inc. as project director for the US$4.6 billion Cerro Verde expansion project in Peru.
Ioannis (Yannis) Tsitos has been appointed to AsiaBaseMetals Inc.’s board of directors. Tsitos, originally trained as a physicist-geophysicist, has more than 27 years of experience in the mining industry, including 19 years with BHP Billiton Group. Tsitos has lived and worked in South Africa, Ecuador, Greece, the U.K. and Canada. In addition to having been part of two discovery teams with BHP Billiton in porphyry-copper and nickel-sulphide deposits, he has been instrumental in the identification, negotiation and execution of more than 50 exploration agreements with juniors, majors, as well as with state exploration and mining companies.
Hats Off
Business in Vancouver welcomes submissions from local small businesses and large corporations alike that demonstrate examples of corporate philanthropy and community involvement in the Vancouver area. High-resolution images are also welcome.
The Mischa Weisz Foundation has donated $15,000 to YWCA Crabtree Corner Community Resource Centre, helping vulnerable single mothers, children and youth who turn to Crabtree Corner for nutritious meals, a safe space and trusted support.
Rexall Foundation donated $10,000 to the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation (FVHCF) in support of Chillwack General Hospital’s regional eye centre. The donation helps FVHCF and fundraising partner Mount Cheam Lions Club reach their campaign goal of $600,000 for new equipment for the eye centre, which performs over 5,000 cataract surgeries each year and serves the Fraser Valley, interior and northern B.C.
Vancity Credit Union, its members and staff donated $100,000 to support three local immigrant and community-serving organizations for their resettlement programs and services for refugees. Immigrant Society Services of B.C., Vancouver Association for the Survivors of Torture and Mount Pleasant Family Place will each receive a portion of the Vancity donation to support an array of programs and services.
Corix donated $10,000 to Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation in support of the neonatal intensive care unit, one of four in the province able to care for the most fragile premature babies.
TD has committed to a multi-partnership donation of $75,000 over the next three years to Out in Schools, an organization that curates films that compel youth to step into the challenges and the triumphs of LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer] youth. The films debunk stereotypes, humanize LQBTQ youth and envision the next generation of LGBTQ youth and allies.
Mt. Seymour’s Shred for the Cause, Vancouver’s largest ski and snowboard charity fundraiser, donated $17,777 this ski season to Powell Place and Springhouse, two women’s shelters in the Downtown Eastside operated by The Bloom Group Community Services Society. Shred for the Cause, sponsored by Okanagan Spring Brewery, ran for nine Mondays, from January 25 to March 28, offering women and girls evening skiing and snowboarding for $10 – half of which went to the Bloom Group.
Several times a year, Vancouver area Whole Foods Market locations holds a 5% Day, where five percent of that day’s net sales are donated to a local nonprofit or educational organization. April’s 5% Day, on April 7, totaled $27,004.95. Park Royal donated $7,960.60 to PJ Outdoor Learning and Community Park, Cambie donated $8,634.25 to Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House, Kitsilano donated $4,376.65 to Kitsilano Neighbourhood House, Robson donated $2,795.20 to Gordon Neighbourhood House and Burnaby donated $3,238.25 to Burnaby Community Services. •
