BIV is proud to recognize eight exceptional corporate executives with 2023 C-Suite Awards.
Six CEOs and two CFOs were recently featured in BIV's print edition, including BC Cancer Foundation president and CEO Sarah Roth, who will be recognized with a BC CEO Award at an in-person event Nov. 15
Roth has spent more than 25 years at the helm of large-scale, transformational health campaigns for Boston Children’s Hospital, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, the University of British Columbia’s faculty of medicine and the BC Cancer Foundation. As CEO and president of the province’s largest philanthropic funder of world-class cancer research and care, Roth helps to advance cancer innovation and care for British Columbians. During the past eight years, she has achieved record-breaking revenues, including an unprecedented $150 million grant from the province.
The following Q&A with Roth has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
What has been your greatest business or career success to date?
My guiding belief is that philanthropy can be a catalyst for transformative system change. In 2019, I led our team in launching the BC Cancer Foundation’s $500 million Beyond Belief campaign – the most ambitious health campaign in B.C.’s history. Through this campaign, I am particularly proud of the foundation’s role in creating the Hereditary Cancer Centre – a first-in-Canada initiative that will identify, screen and care for thousands more women and their families at higher risk of cancer.
To make this happen, we partnered a philanthropic family – who had a strong sense of what they wanted to accomplish – with experts in a variety of fields at BC Cancer, many of whom hadn’t worked together before. As a united team, we developed a unified and compelling vision, and have made a significant and immediate impact in hereditary cancer care for all British Columbians. This reinforces the role of philanthropy in helping solve complex problems and empowering our community to make a difference.
What was your toughest professional or career decision?
When UBC Medicine recruited me in 2008, it took a big leap of faith to move to Canada from the U.S. I had only visited Vancouver once as a tourist and didn’t have any family or friends in Canada. My husband and I immigrated with two young children under five, leaving behind supportive grandparents who had lived just two miles from us. Fortunately, trusting my gut paid off – this city and my role at the foundation have filled my soul. I also quickly realized I had underestimated the subtle, yet significant, differences between Canadian and U.S. culture and mindset – especially in regards to how different the health care systems are.
Best piece of advice you’ve received?
Don’t settle. Eight years into my role at UBC Medicine, I received a call about the CEO role at BC Cancer Foundation. I had built my 18-person team, recently completed a large-scale campaign and was enjoying a great work-life balance. I was professionally confident and comfortable, so I declined an interview. Upon learning that I wasn’t pursuing the role, my former boss sternly advised I should reconsider. “You still have a long runway in your career,” she told me. I will never forget those words. Being a CEO is the highlight of my career to date and I can’t believe I almost passed on this opportunity. Now, when young professional mothers ask how I “do it all,” my advice is to stay focused on their whole self, and don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone.
How do you lead?
I lead with purpose, drive and a solutions mindset. Early in my career, I had the privilege of serving as the lead fundraiser for a capital campaign to build a new children’s hospital at New York-Presbyterian. I had heard the CEO for this project was “tough, aggressive and scary.” She impressed me with how skilled she was at bringing people together to share her unwavering vision. And, I loved her can-do attitude, even in the more difficult moments. We made a great team, and I learned that if you lead with purpose, others will follow.
Biggest personal and professional areas of growth over the past year?
I am naturally a high-energy person, so I have to be mindful to pace myself. This year, I have set a goal to not accept every professional event or meeting, and to give myself permission to be quiet and have more downtime in which to reflect. I still, of course, cycled a two-week Tour de France segment in the Alps on my most recent “vacation” – but it was a great opportunity for deeper contemplation!
Tickets are available to BIV's 2023 C-Suite Awards on Nov. 15 in Vancouver. More information on the event and this year's award winners is available here.
