Health/Medical
Chris Williamson has joined Phoenix Molecular Designs, a company focused on designing precise cancer therapeutics, as a research scientist. Williamson has more than five years of post-doctoral research experience and will spearhead the development of new breast cancer therapeutics.
Legal
Mike Nienhuis and Ilana Teicher have joined Miller Thomson LLP’s Vancouver office as associates. Nienhuis practises primarily in the area of commercial real estate law, and Teicher practises in the commercial litigation group.
Elizabeth (Betsy) Segal and Wei Kiat Sun have joined the Singleton Urquhart LLP partnership. Both were previously associates with the firm. Segal’s practice focuses on insurance coverage and defence of complex commercial disputes and professional liability claims, while Sun’s practice focuses on business litigation and insurance defence for a variety of clients, with particular focus on the transportation and infrastructure industries.
Manufacturing
Kerry McFadden and Laura Rankin have joined Vibrant Health Products, the Abbotsford-based baker of sprouted, gluten-free and organic breads under the brands of Silver Hills Bakery, One Degree Organic Foods and Little Northern Bakehouse. McFadden has been appointed director of sales, retail and club (U.S.). Prior to this appointment, McFadden was at LALA U.S., and has also worked in food sales for Campbell Soup, WhiteWave Foods and Mondelez. Rankin, who spent 18 years at Sysco Foods, the world’s largest food service distributor, has been appointed U.S. national sales director, food service/direct store distribution.
Media
Catherine Gao recently joined Yulu Public Relations Inc. as an account co-ordinator.
Non-profit
Kristy Gill was appointed executive director of Variety – the Children’s Charity of BC in January 2016, after two years of serving as executive director of the western region of Cystic Fibrosis Canada. Gill’s title was changed to chief executive officer in early December 2016.
Marlon Thompson has joined The Next Big Thing, a national charitable organization that provides youth with tools and skills to succeed as entrepreneurs, as program manager. Thompson has worked with several local startups such as Strike Movement, Kit and Ace and Indochino, and has more than a decade of experience in retail operations, e-commerce, marketing, expansion strategy and leadership.
Real Estate
Cynthia Jagger has joined the team at Goodman/HQ Commercial as a commercial real estate broker. Jagger previously worked as an appraiser and director at Altus Group, specializing in land and multi-family investments.
Ronan Pigott has joined Avison Young in Vancouver as a vice-president and will join the office leasing team. Pigott was most recently an associate vice-president with Jones Lang LaSalle in Vancouver.
Resources
Greg McCunn succeeds Mark Backens as Timmins Gold Corp.’s chief executive officer effective February 1. McCunn, a mining executive with 25 years of executive and management experience, will also serve as a director on the company’s board of directors. Most recently, he was chief financial officer of Asanko Gold.
Andrew Bowering, Bob Jacko and Rafael Ovallos have been appointed to the advisory board of AsiaBaseMetals Inc.
Rob Geisthardt, a chartered professional accountant and former partner of Quantum Advisory Partners LLP, has been appointed to Savant Explorations Ltd.’s board of directors.
Andree St-Germain and Joël Gauthier have been appointed chief financial officer (CFO) and vice-president, corporate social responsibility, respectively, at Integra Gold Corp. St-Germain was most recently at Golden Queen Mining Co. Ltd. where she served as CFO, while Gauthier joined Integra in 2015 as the company’s superintendent of human resources.
Hats Off
Blakes donated $10,000 to Arts Umbrella’s art lending program, in which 18 pieces of art created by Arts Umbrella students were selected to be on display for the year at Blakes’ Vancouver office. The program empowers students by providing an invaluable exhibition opportunity and the chance to have their work viewed by a large audience. The student artists then receive a scholarship to continue on with their work at Arts Umbrella.
Richards Buell Sutton LLP donated $25,000 to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. The law firm has been supporting the food bank since 2009, and, as of December 2016, has donated nearly $500,000 dollars in food value and 1,000 person-hours of volunteerism.
The Highbury Foundation donated $21,634 to YWCA Metro Vancouver. The funds are directed to YWCA housing that will be part of the Onni CentreView development in North Vancouver, specifically furniture and decor for the family amenity space, in support of low-income single mothers and their families who access safe, affordable housing through YWCA Metro Vancouver.
The Illahie Foundation donated a $5,000 grant to Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland. The funds will help the organization match at-risk girls with a supportive mentor through its one-to-one Study Buddy mentoring program.•
