Beedie alumnus and MP Terry Beech named Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum

Terry Beech, MP for Burnaby North-Seymour MP and a Beedie School of Business alumnus

Burnaby North-Seymour MP and Beedie School of Business alumnus Terry Beech has been named as one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leaders. The program recognizes young leaders from across 40 different countries for making positive change in their communities.

“It’s a privilege and a pleasure to be inducted into the Young Global Leaders program and to stand with so many amazing recipients, past and present,” says Beech. “I’m proud to represent Burnaby and North Vancouver through my work as an MP in Ottawa, and now through the Young Global Leaders program on the international stage. I look forward to finding new ways to create positive change in Burnaby North-Seymour.”

Beech, who is also a former Beedie School adjunct professor, was elected to parliament in 2015, and also serves as Parliamentary Secretary for Science. He began his career in politics early, at the age of 18, after being elected as a city councillor in Nanaimo, BC.

Following his three-year term, Beech returned to education and earned a BBA from Beedie and an MBA from Oxford University.

As a young entrepreneur Beech has founded a number of successful companies, including hiretheworld.com, a web-based logo design platform that leverages crowdsourcing to fulfill customer needs.

He started the company in 2009 as an early client of Coast Capital Savings Venture Connection, which provides resources and mentorship to SFU innovators. A year later, Hiretheworld won first prize in the B.C. New Ventures competition, and in 2012 was named as one of BC Business Magazine’s top 20 most innovative companies. The same year, the company moved into VentureLabs, an SFU business accelerator program.

Sarah Lubik, SFU’s director of entrepreunership, calls Beech a forward thinker and relentless entrepreneur. “Terry was a pioneer of entrepreneurship education at SFU’s Beedie School of Business and an early champion of our university-wide SFUInnovates strategy,” she says.

“He remains a vocal supporter and driver of ensuring Canadians have the skills they need to compete in a rapidly changing world.  We are delighted he is receiving this much deserved honour.”

The Forum of Young Global Leaders (YGLs) is a community of more than 800 men and women under the age of 40. The group is made up of socially minded people from all walks of life, from every region of the world, and from every stakeholder group in society.

Current and former YGLs head governments and Fortune 500 companies, are the recipients of Nobel Prizes and Academy Awards, and serve as UN Goodwill Ambassadors and Social Entrepreneurs.