People on the Move
Education
Ten post-graduate students have been selected to receive 2016 Geoscience BC Scholarship Awards, valued at $5,000 each. The scholarships are awarded annually to post-graduate students working on a B.C.-based mineral or energy exploration project and/or development of a related thesis topic. The students are Sina Abadzadesahraei, University of Northern BC; Kevin Byrne, University of Alberta (U of A); Michelle Campbell, Oregon State University; Rachel Chouinard, University of British Columbia (UBC); Aadish Gupta, U of A; Duncan McLeish, McGill University; Samantha Morgan, Simon Fraser University; Noga Vaisblat, U of A; Bei Wang, McGill; and Tessa Wilson, UBC. Visit the Outreach section of www.geosciencebc.com to learn more about the 2016 scholarship winners and their projects.
Finance
Paul Therien has been appointed vice-president, training, Western Canada, at Dominion Lending Centres and will be based out of the company’s head office in Port Coquitlam. Therien, a 25-year veteran of the financial services industry in Canada, was previously vice-president of operations for Centum Financial Group.
Kieran Bowes has joined Crowe MacKay as its firm-wide partnership controller, associate. Bowes has worked in multiple industries and sectors including corporate finance, project and change management.
Media
Lenny Brown has been appointed manager, business development, in the business affairs and sales department of Bardel Entertainment Inc. Prior to this appointment, Brown was with Toonz Entertainment and has more than a decade of industry experience, including corporate development and management roles at film and television studios such as THQ, HBO, Sony and Universal.
Non-Profit
Bas Brusche and Ron Prasad have joined Geoscience BC as vice-president, external relations, and GIS (geographical information system) specialist, respectively. Prior to this appointment, Brusche was director of development, partnerships and community relations at a leading Canadian independent renewable power producer. Prasad has a technical background in mineral exploration and most recently worked for a Vancouver-based junior exploration company as a GIS specialist where he was responsible for managing the GIS data for mineral exploration projects in British Columbia, Australia and the U.S.
Sofia Janmohamed has been appointed director of development at Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. Prior to this appointment, Janmohamed was a senior-level fundraiser at Simon Fraser University (SFU). She specializes in managing traditional annual giving programs, as well as establishing mid-level leadership giving programs. Janmohamed currently serves as the committee chair for Youth in Philanthropy with the Association of Fundraising Professionals Vancouver Chapter and is a former director and treasurer for the SFU Management Staff Association Board.
Sales/Marketing
Daryn Medwid has joined the executive team of Central City Brewers + Distillers as its vice-president of sales. Medwid has previously worked with large international organizations within Canada and has a strong background in the Canadian alcohol beverages field.
Technology
Jeremy Hilton, previously vice-president of processor development at D-Wave, has been promoted to senior vice-president, systems. Hilton joined D-Wave in 2004, where he helped to create a world-class research and development facility and built the world’s first scalable quantum processors. Hilton also led the creation of the most advanced superconducting integrated circuit foundry, where D-Wave’s quantum processors are produced. He is a named inventor on 28 granted U.S. patents.
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.
CKNW Orphan’s Fund donated $10,000 to help children and youth through Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver’s Teen Mentoring Program. This program gives teens an opportunity to be a positive role model to a child in a nearby elementary school.
McDonalds Restaurants of Canada Ltd. and its franchisees donated $379,699 to Ronald McDonald House BC and Yukon. The funds were raised through the 2016 McHappy Day Campaign in communities across B.C. and the Yukon.
The Minerva Foundation recently created the Michelle Pockey Leadership Award to recognize exceptional female leaders in the community. The award will give first priority to an aboriginal woman, a single mother or a woman facing economic hardship, second priority to a woman pursuing law, justice, aboriginal or environmental studies. Donations to the award are now being accepted by emailing Nicole-Ann Poitras at the Minerva Foundation, [email protected]. Cheques can be mailed to 320 – 111 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1H4 with a note indicating the donation is directed to the Michelle Pockey fund. Donations through the Minerva website may not be allocated directly to the Pockey fund.
Envision Financial donated $15,000 to Children of the Street Society. The donation will support the delivery of the society’s sexual exploitation prevention workshops in Abbotsford, Coquitlam and Maple Ridge for the coming school year.
Customers, managers and team members at PH Restaurants LP (Pizza Hut) donated $59,447 to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), which is dedicated to preventing, treating and finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes. Funds were raised through the purchase of paper sneakers at local Pizza Hut restaurants and participation in fundraising events for the 2016 JDRF Telus Walk to Cure Diabetes. There are more than 300,000 Canadians living with Type 1 diabetes and the estimated cost to the health care system will be as high as $16 billion by 2020.
The UPS Foundation donated a $26,880 grant to Big Sisters of Lower Mainland. More than $10,000 will be directed to the Big Sisters Activities Program, allowing for more diverse and engaging experiences for more Big and Little Sister matches while the remainder of the funding will provide support for some of Big Sisters’ capital expenses in 2016. •
