Cathy Peters is an advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. But she would describe her role as being in prevention education, cultivating her passion for the vulnerable. Her work in preventing child trafficking taps into that passion. This is a path that is almost custom-made for her, as an avid storyteller and absorbing others’ stories by learning and listening. “If I sound a little bit passionate,” she says, “I am.”

Being an expert on China is a difficult job in today’s political climate – Paul Evans has to constantly explain that he is “not defending China, [but rather] how to live with China.” As a primary expert on Canada-China relations at the University of British Columbia, there is a demand for his insights nowadays, from the media and beyond. This is a career that he has aimed for right from the start. What makes his journey unique from other professors is that his entire education was in Canada, during a time when this was a difficult path to an academic career.

No matter how much Mike Rowlands checks off his to-do list, the list keeps growing. That’s just the nature of being the founder and CEO of Junxion Strategy, an international social impact consultancy. This is a long way from his younger days, when he didn’t know what he wanted to do. He studied business in university and surprisingly didn’t like it. Over time, he experimented in various other businesses, including a bike shop, which gave him a first career where he learned about customer service, business, logistics, and everything in between – a valuable insight on what makes people tick

As far as Dara Parker is concerned, she has her dream job. As the vice-president of grants and community initiatives at the Vancouver Foundation, her mission is to distribute the funding to make communities better. Throughout her career, she has worked with people and found that understanding people is fundamental to growing as a person and her current role.

What is an international humanitarian? To Paul Sitnam, it is the idea of giving yourself to others and learning from the people that you are giving to. And because his work takes him all over the world, there is much to learn – how to work with people, respect their cultures, understand their procedures, and understand each other.

Robert Barnard is the co-founder of Youthful Cities, which seeks to make our cities more youthful and dynamic. His path started as a human geography student, which fascinated him. As a self-described “serial entrepreneur,” his studies kept combining with his passion. Every step of the way, people kept asking, “What’s with all these young people?” Seeing a demand for governments and companies to market to young people led him to pivot his focus towards creating communities focused around youth and young adults.

As the former CEO of Covenant House, Krista Thompson’s driving vision for helping at-risk youth is very simple – will they have a better outcome because of her work?

Dr. James Smith started Aegis Trust in a mission to prevent genocide. That is easier said than done.

Tony Pantages is a self-described “serial impact entrepreneur” who loves finding sustainable and renewable solutions. His solutions focus mainly on how to handle waste and energy in a way that protects the environment.

Jennifer Reynolds is chief executive officer of the Women Corporate Directors Foundation (WCD).

John Bromley is a prominent figure in the realm of charitable giving, recognized for his unwavering commitment to philanthropy and his extraordinary contributions to numerous causes.

Leslie is an author who, in her book Feminist City: A Field Guid, provides a detailed guide to feminist city-building. She points out that cities were designed with men in mind; women were an afterthought. As such, urban environments frequently put women’s well-being and safety at risk.

Ellis Ross is shaking things up these days. He’s focused on attracting opportunity to the riding he represents in the BC Legislature. That is work that compounds and adds to the same focus he brought to his role of Chief Councillor of the Haisla First Nation.

Bob Rich knows all too well the challenges police officers face. One of them is the exceptional volume of PTSD inducing events police officers face during their careers. Trauma as an occupational stress injury became a focus for him when, as police chief in Abbotsford, two of his officers took their lives.

Curing hate is a tall order, one with little or no precedent. The job involves interactions with people who openly wear their hatred for someone else on their sleeve, who voice their hatred for others and call for the destruction of other people’s lives and communities.

Dialogue is a tricky thing. It’s not just the exchanging of words: it is the sharing of ideas. On the surface, that sounds straightforward – until you realize it is a complex interplay of thoughts, agendas, emotions and competing interests, to name but a few.

The author of “Claws of the Panda” has been reporting to Canadians since 1965. His career has taken him around the world, interviewing and telling stories that affect Canadians. He is widely respected as a thoughtful and insightful reporter.

While that isn’t an official job title, that is what Jody Wilson-Raybould is: “a change maker.” Her career as a lawyer, as a leader within her community and with First Nations across Canada positioned her to become an elected member of the 2015 Liberal government.

In this edition of Careers That Matter, we sit down with The Honourable Wally Oppal, Q.C., a man who has made an indelible mark on the law on in British Columbia. Not only was he a lawyer, judge, politician, Attorney General, Cabinet Minister and a Special Prosecutor, but his work has changed the law and the role of police officers.