The room was full of commotion, the reception full of energy, and the guest list bursting with business leaders from all over the province.
The Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame takes pride in connecting the past, present, and future of business leaders every year with their Gala Dinner and Induction Ceremonies.
Unlike any other event in Vancouver, the BC Hall of Fame Gala celebrates BC’s well-respected and successful business leaders, who have made lasting impacts in various industries all over our province. The foundation of the Business Laureates of BC Hall of Fame lies in the words, “They built. We benefit”, which was truly the case as the 2014 inductees were announced and their stories of impact were shared.
The BC Hall of Fame’s most prestigious award for outstanding young business leaders is Junior Achievement. This year, they were proud to present the award to Alina Huang and Wendy Ming. “Leadership isn’t about the final say,” said Huang. “It’s about focusing on others and encouraging them to reach beyond their potential”.
The momentum of leadership continued as M. Elyse Allan, President and CEO at GE Canada, took the stage. Allan shared her thoughts on what a successful leader looks like, and how leadership has changed and will continue changing in the years to come. “By 2020,” she said, “The world will be totally connected with 50 billion handheld devices”.
In the ever-changing face of business, Allan believes that effective leaders are those that make sound decisions. She continued by emphasizing GE’s perspective of what leadership looks like: being customer focused and understanding the market by listening and learning, balancing risks and rewards, and thinking clearly in a time of information overload.
“Leaders have to be adapt at steering their company through oceans that will never be serene again,” commented Allen on how rapid change in business trends and technologies have now created a “figure-it-out” world for today’s business leaders.
Following Allan’s words of inspiration was the presentation of the 2014 Hall of Fame Inductees.
Among the inductees was the late Lucille Johnstone who, in her time as CEO and Chair of the Integrated Ferry Corporation, led the organization to build the largest ship ever to be built in BC – the BC Super Ferry. Johnstone’s words of the importance of philanthropy echoed throughout the room, as a video quoted her saying “No matter how successful, it’s equally important to give back”.
The second Hall of Fame Inductee was Dave Lede, who has spent many years building the Ledcor Group of Companies and is now the Chairman and CEO. Lede put people first and pioneered work safety policies and practices within the Ledcor Group, which resonated across the province in various sectors. After years of leading one of Canada’s largest and most diversified construction and industrial operating companies, Lede’s best advice to business leaders was to “Do what you’re most passionate about”.
As the evening drew to a close, the final 2014 inductees were George Melville and Jim Treliving. As the dynamic duo behind one of the world’s most beloved Canadian-grown franchises, Boston Pizza International Inc, they currently have 410 stores, with 6 opening in Mexico and even more business expansion planned for the future.
In words that perfectly closed the evening, Melville and Treliving smiled as they said, “It’s amazing how much this province has to give to the rest of the world.”
Rosa Tang is a 3rd year student in Marketing and Design completing a Joint Major program with the Beedie School of Business. She has worked in social enterprise funding and development for the Vancity Community Foundation, and has previously led SFU’s Young Women in Business (YWiB) organization as President. She hopes to continue her growing interests in community engagement, advertising, design thinking, and brand development by working in New York or San Francisco for a socially conscious advertising agency. Her dream role is to run her own design and branding agency as the Creative Director.