BCBusiness

BCB MayJune 2022_LR

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.

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I N P A R T N E R S H I P W I T H 28 BCBUSINESS MAY/JUNE 2022 LAUREL DOUGLAS Douglas is CEO of ETSI-BC, the Economic Trust of the Southern Interior. From 2004 to 2020, she was CEO of Women's Enterprise Centre (now WeBC), a nonprofit that provides busi- ness loans, advisory services, training, mentoring and export support to women entrepre- neurs throughout the province. Prior to that, Douglas spent 16 years in the tech sector. She was founding executive director of the tech accelera- tor now known as Accelerate Okanagan and worked with NRC-IRAP, the National Re- search Council's flagship R&D funding program, as a senior business adviser, helping tech companies develop marketing strategies and access capital. Before Douglas made the shift to economic develop- ment, her corporate career included business develop- ment, strategic planning and underwriting roles in Canada, France, Germany and the U.K. with major telecom equipment manufacturers and financial services firms. She has been a co-founder or angel investor in several tech ventures. THE JUDGES JESSIE WILLIAMS Williams is a member of the Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation). Leaning on wisdom gained from her lived experience, educational attain- ment, professional journey and elder teachings, she has devel- oped a passion for empowering Indigenous presence, voice and capacity. This has inspired her meaningful career, which has been focused on collaboration, strategic planning, business development, innovation, inclusivity, engagement, lead- ership, partnerships, programs and services, and diverse aspects of nation building. She currently serves as director of business development and communications for New Re- lationship Trust, an Indigenous not-for-profit committed to empowering First Nations in B.C. Williams passionately promotes whole human well- being and fulfilment, including creating opportunities for oth- ers to step into their personal power for themselves and for each other. n TINA STREHLKE Strehlke is CEO of Minerva BC, a Vancouver-based charity dedicated to advancing the leadership of girls and women. She has more than 15 years' expertise in leadership, career development, training and human resources. Strehlke, who holds master's degrees in international relations and communications, has had the opportunity to live in Germany, Costa Rica, Guyana and Taiwan. She currently resides in Burnaby with her husband, two kids and a rescue dog named Lulu. TRISH MANDEWO Mandewo is a multi-award- winning serial entrepreneur, diversity and inclusion strategist, author, sought- after speaker and Coquitlam city councillor. She is founder and CEO of Synergy Executive & Boards Consulting Group, which supports the advance- ment of Black, Indigenous and visible-minority subject matter experts and senior executives seeking to take their voices and expertise to the boardroom, C-suite and other decision- making tables. Mandewo also co-founded Women's Collab- orative Hub, a nonprofit whose mandate is to empower women and girls. A former microbiol- ogy and embryology profes- sional, she has built and sold three businesses and served on more than 20 public, private and nonprofit boards. Man- dewo shares her knowledge through public speaking and as a mentor-in-residence with SFU's Charles Chang Institute for Entrepreneurship. WOMEN YEAR OF THE 2 0 2 2

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