Connecting talent to opportunities is something that Michael McPhie has always been intrigued by. In fact, he feels that young people should understand the businesses that they operate in and spend actual time in their industry, rather than sitting in classrooms or staying close to home. And he lives that mantra as well, in his role at Falkirk Environmental Consultants, he anticipates where industry trends are headed and develops business practices according to that.

What is energy and its role in technology, government, and the private sector? That is a question that Dan Woynillowicz tries to answer in his job at Polaris Strategy + Insight. He knows that if companies want a change in government policy to succeed, they need to know how to get the messaging across – and that is where he thrives.

British Columbia’s businesses depend on Pamela McDonald’s job. That may sound like an exaggeration, but it is not. Leading the BC Securities Commission, it is her job to ensure that the BC business sector’s money and investments are safe. Her inspiration came from her father, who was a stock broker. So when she graduated, she went towards that field, thinking that was where she wanted to go – only to find out it wasn’t. But that experience gave her a valuable insight on where her true path lay.

When you think of a CEO, do you think of someone who is jumping into the fray and dealing with everything hands-on? This is not how Beau Jarvis does it – to him, it is not only about time management, but also about mentoring a team that can be competent without micromanaging. This is a must, as the leader of Wesgroup, which builds all kinds of housing throughout British Columbia. After all, it’s not just about building homes – it’s also about talking with government and creating more sustainable housing outcomes.

As the CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia, Michael Goehring represents the entire mining and smelting industry of the province and advocates the sector’s interests to the government.

“It’s all about people.” That is how Michele Matthews sees her job – managing people in order to move forward a vision. It all harkens back to her marketing days, which took her to all sorts of different roles in her small organization as time went along. After all, in small start-ups, sometimes you have to do a job that you weren’t hired for – this fed into her curiosity and led to her career taking off in the human resources sector, as COO of AG Care and a board member at the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) of British Columbia & Yukon.

Glyn Lewis never thought he would start a renewable development company. He thought he would be a teacher or chemist – but he found that the creative and analytical parts of him were more suited for something else. To him, working in construction but NOT coming from the construction industry helps feed into his passion for being innovative and coming up with disruptive ideas.

Thomas O’Shaughnessy’s days don’t start in the morning – they start the night before, when he takes care of himself in order to feel refreshed in the morning. After all, you can’t embark on a career path when you don’t feel well. That is the core of his role as the CEO of Onco Innovations, a company that embarks on cancer research and innovations – and bringing patients hope.

David Blackmon doesn’t see what he does as work; after all, he is doing what he loves, writing articles on energy and running a substack on the topic. It sounds like he knew what he wanted to do in life from the start – but based on what he was like as a youth, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Dr. Gifford-Jones’ job is to keep people healthy. This is easier said than done, but he believes it can be done through many factors, ranging from genetics to diet to staying active. His journey started in medical school, leading him to careers that inspired and fuelled him to continue a career in medicine and surgery.

Lenore Newman is an agricultural expert whose job consists of two parts: research in food and agricultural innovation and advising the provost of the University of the Fraser Valley on agricultural directions and projects. She also plays a mentorship role to those aspiring to enter the agricultural industry, whether it be in business or research.

What is going on in the Asia Pacific region? And how do we use that knowledge to do business and build relations? That is the mission for Vina Nadjibulla of the Asia Pacific Foundation. After all, understanding different places seems to be her calling, being born in the Soviet Union and growing up in multiple countries – and even working with the United Nations.

At Concert Properties, Kerri Jackson manages property. It sounds simple, but it is a complex mixture of making sure all rents are paid, new tenants come in, and more.

What is it like to run a city? Raul Allueva knows – he has to make sure that the city stays functional, whether it be fire departments, parks, safety, public works, permitting, and more. How did he get so far? To him, the answer is ironic – “don’t look too far ahead.” Focusing on the task at hand is the key, as well as being personable and learning to support others.

How do you measure success? For Jacquie Griffiths’ role in Invest Vancouver, it has to do with how many jobs Vancouver attracts. She had always been interested in economics, but also people – and how those two are always linked. To her, the willingness to listen to your people (and change your approach if needed) is key to success.

Klaus Kleinfeld believes in people. To him, that is how businesses succeed or fail – knowing how to trust your people to do the right thing, even when circumstances change. And if you’re good at it and find it enjoyable, then you may have a chance to aim for a higher position, without it feeling “like a drag.”

What does Maureen Palmer do? Having many roles, it was hard to answer that question, until her daughter came up with an apt description – “knowledge translation.” And as a creator of documentaries which take time to make, that knowledge translation has to anticipate what the public wants to talk about months from now. To her, this is key to being successful and a big reason to keep her eyes and ears open.

What does Maureen Palmer do? Having many roles, it was hard to answer that question, until her daughter came up with an apt description – “knowledge translation.” And as a creator of documentaries which take time to make, that knowledge translation has to anticipate what the public wants to talk about months from now. To her, this is key to being successful and a big reason to keep her eyes and ears open.

How does one become an ambassador? For US ambassador to Canada David Cohen, it depends on what kind of ambassador you are – and yes, there are different types. And there is more to being an ambassador than simply diplomacy; it is also about maintaining a high-morale team that is proud to represent the United States and facilitate trade between American and Canadian companies.

Dr. Sam Aparicio of BC Cancer, studying medicine was always the plan, but research became his passion. Unbeknownst to him, research also involves many skills that didn’t expect, such as grant-writing, which he had to learn along the way. This led him down other side pathways, such as starting a biotech company to commercialize some of the findings in the genomics field.