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Education
Steven Kuan has been appointed associate dean, natural resources and engineering, at the British Columbia Institute of Technology’s School of Construction and the Environment. Kuan has more than 25 years of civil engineering experience in academia, government, consulting and research.
Finance
Karen Gavan, former president and CEO of Economical Insurance, has been appointed to the HSBC Bank Canada board of directors as a non-executive director and has also been appointed to the audit, risk and conduct review committee. Gavan succeeds Nancy Hughes Anthony, who retired May 2 after serving on the board since June 2011. Gavan is also on the board of Swiss Re Ltd. and its top-level global and American boards; she is also a member of the board of Mackenzie Financial Corp. and chairs its fund oversight committee.
Legal
Caitlin Heit has joined Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP as an associate with a focus on family law. The boutique law firm specializes in construction, commercial and matrimonial dispute resolution.
Paul Bowes and Victor Harwardt have joined Harper Grey LLP as associate counsel with the business law group. Bowes and Harwardt will continue to focus their respective practices on public and private companies in the natural resources, technology, biotechnology, financial and health-care sectors.
Retail
Alex Buhler and Vanessa Pillay have been appointed chief technology officer (CTO) and vice-president of finance, respectively, at Indochino. Buhler has more than 20 years of experience in data-driven, fast-paced environments. Prior to this appointment, Buhler was CTO of Essilor, formerly Clearly, and from 2011 to 2017 he was chief information officer at Mountain Equipment Co-op. Pillay has more than 15 years of experience in the financial and technology sectors. Prior to Indochino, PIllay led the finance team at Microsoft South Africa with previous executive experience at Standard Bank PBB South Africa and Sun Microsystems South Africa.
Veeral Rathod has been appointed CEO at Vancouver-based Spence Diamonds. Rathod will lead the company from its Dallas offices. Rathod, who has been with the company since September 2018, was brought on to lead marketing and brand transformation as chief marketing officer and to learn the business while preparing to take the reins of the company. Prior to joining Spence, Rathod served as CEO at J. Hilburn, a custom men’s lifestyle brand, which he co-founded in 2007 and ran through April 2018. Spence was the first bricks-and-mortar diamond retailer in North America to focus its business on its proprietary lab-grown Artisan Created Diamonds, which are physically, chemically and optically identical to mined diamonds.
Resources
Bryant Schwengler has left his position as chief operating officer of Trevali Mining Corp.
Technology
Venetia Verdicchio has been appointed senior security manager at Rival Technologies, where she will lead security, compliance and privacy efforts for the company’s insight platform. Prior to joining Rival, Verdicchio was senior manager, IT security and compliance, at Hyperwallet, a Vancouver-based financial technology company acquired by PayPal in 2018.
Transportation
Four new members have been appointed to BC Transit’s board of directors, joining three continuing members. The composition of the board of directors is set out under the British Columbia Transit Act. The members are four elected local government officials and three other individuals appointed by order-in-council. New members are Karen Elliott, mayor, Squamish; Lyn Hall, mayor, Prince George; Lisa Helps, mayor, Victoria, and member of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission; and Blair Redlin. Continuing board members are Catherine Holt, chair; Susan Brice, councillor, Saanich, and chair of the Victoria Regional Transit Commission; and Wendal Milne.
HATS OFF
Business in Vancouver welcomes submissions from local small businesses and large corporations alike that demonstrate examples of corporate philanthropy and community involvement in the Vancouver area. High-resolution images are also welcome.
RBC Foundation donated a $15,000 grant to Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland in support of its Career Camp program.
Y.P. Heung Foundation donated $100,000 to the Western Institute for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (WIDHH) through the institute’s Making Waves, Breaking Barriers capital campaign. The funds will support WIDHH’s new facility, which is scheduled for completion this fall. Raymond Heung, trustee of the Y.P. Heung Foundation and an art aficionado, will also bestow a collection of original photographs by master photographer Fred Herzog, who will have the building’s atrium named after him. The donation from the foundation brings WIDHH’s fundraising to over $3 million towards its $8 million goal.
The Ladies Auxiliary of the Maple Ridge Eagles donated $2,500 to Children of the Street Society in support of the society’s work to prevent the sexual exploitation of young people. Since 2015, the Maple Ridge Eagles (Auxiliary and Aerie) have donated $7,000 to the society.
The Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Temple donated $1.3 million in support of a new acute-care tower at Richmond Hospital. Gurdwaras are places of worship and gathering for members of the Gursikh faith; Nanaksar Gurdwara Gursikh Temple’s congregation numbers in the thousands, and members of the public, regardless of faith, are always welcomed. “We all rely on our local hospital during our days on this earth. It’s a common need that unites us all,” said Gary S. Berar, spokesman and temple member. “A tenet of our Gursikh faith is selfless service to improve the community for the benefit and prosperity of all. It is our sincere hope that our temple’s donation towards a new acute-care tower for Richmond will inspire others to join us to improve local health care for everyone.” •
