With a mission to inform, empower, celebrate and advocate for British Columbia's current and aspiring business leaders, BCBusiness go behind the headlines and bring readers face to face with the key issues and people driving business in B.C.
Issue link: http://digital.canadawide.com/i/1081341
10 BCBUSINESS MARCH 2019 PORTRAIT: ADAM BLASBERG A s always, it began with a lunch. Last November we sat down with mem- bers of our expert panel to draw up a list of names for the fifth annual B.C.'s Most Influential Women feature. For this year's theme, finance, we cast the net wide. Over the coming weeks, the list kept growing—proof that despite male dominance in financial leadership roles, women make a big contribution to vital B.C. industries like banking and investing. When it comes to finance, they also shine as corporate executives, entrepre- neurs, public servants and professional advisers. As you'll see starting on page 28, this wouldn't have happened without a host of trailblazers whose careers helped make room on the play- ing field for today's female leaders. On that note, the women we spoke with told us that there's still work to do, from shattering the glass ceiling to encouraging female employ- ees to balance work and family. Manica Gautam, our cover subject, said it's about creating open, honest and supportive work environ- ments where women can ask for what they need. "Looking up from the bot- tom of the ladder, you don't really see that happen unless people are talking about it more openly." We hope this impressive list inspires more women to pursue careers in finance. Thank you to our five panellists—Tamara Bonn, Jill Earthy, Bob Elton, Glenn Ives and Tracey McVicar—for their invaluable help. Technology is another key industry for the province, as the fourth BCTech Summit highlights. Against the back- drop of that March 11-13 event, "Tech Support" (p.48) weighs educational options for those who want to pursue a career in tech, sharpen their skills or learn new ones. With his usual elegance, contributor Dee Hon shows that there are many paths to enlighten- ment, from going all in with a university degree to enrolling at a boot camp. This issue also features two new col- umns. It's a Good Thing (p.70) sees my prede- cessor, Matt O'Grady, take over the back page. His solutions-oriented column focuses on people and businesses making a difference—by showing that profit needn't come at the expense of social and environmental well-being. Expect O'Grady to bring the same talent for engaging readers and interview subjects that made him an exceptional editor-in-chief of BCBusiness. In Pot Shots (p.21), Guy Saddy sizes up yet another important B.C. industry —the fast- growing legal cannabis realm. Saddy, a magazine veteran who penned long-running columns for Elle Canada and TV Guide, has a rare gift for com- bining first-rate reporting, writing and observa- tion with wry humour. Laughing while learning is a good thing. Guy, I owe you lunch. Nick Rockel, Editor-in-Chief bcb@canadawide.com / @BCBusiness ( editor's desk ) Meet some of B.C.'s brightest young businesspeople in our sixth annual 30 Under 30 lineup I N A P R I L Financial Inclusion C ON T R I B U T OR S When Juan Rivera began studying communications, he did it as a stepping stone to a law career. Three years into his degree at Capilano University, the Puerto Rico native decided that his professional future is in media. Now interning at BCBusiness, Rivera researched and wrote the "2019 MBA Primer" (p.48). "It's great to see we have internationally recognized programs right at home," he says. Smithers-raised and Toronto- based illustrator Graham Roumieu has been featured in major publications from the New York Times to the Atlantic. To show how technology is changing B.C.'s real estate industry ("Propping Up Everywhere," p.23), Roumieu settled on the concept of a For Sale sign and a robot salesperson trying to sell each other something while also selling themselves to us.