6 P o r t r ai t : A l ai n a M i c h e ll e
B C B U S I N E S S . C A
S E P T E M B E R 2 0 24
LEADING THE WAY
When we decided to make the main feature in our annual
Leadership issue about the relationships between mentors and
mentees, one of our hopes was that you, the reader, would look inward
at how you've performed in those roles. For most of us, many of the
mentors and mentees we've had in life haven't necessarily fit under
those specific terms. Often, it's more informal than that.
Starting on page 26, you'll find a mix of mentors and mentees from
across industries. All of them acknowledge, in one way or another, that
they are a mentor or a mentee, even if they don't say those words out
loud. But they fulfil these roles in very different ways. An artist and her
studio assistant forming an unbreakable bond, for instance. A student
who was told to reach further by a professor and then later recruited
that same professor to be part of her burgeoning company. And,
of course, our cover subjects, Roger Hardy and Joe Thompson, the
co-founders of a publicly listed company who have been able to help
and influence both each other and their employees.
Those stories and many more showcase the range of relationships
that can be found under the mentor/mentee banner.
There are more instances of helping others in this issue, too. Assistant editor Rushmila
Rahman put together a phenomenal package on modern-day philanthropy and what that looks
like post-
COVID and in the middle of economic uncertainty ("It's Giving," p.51). We all know
that charitable endeavours are one of the first things to get cut when there's a slowdown or
a recession, but the cases Rahman lays out give us a bit of hope for the future of giving in the
province.
And veteran BCBusiness contributor Richard Littlemore writes about the role AI and
technology are playing in helping our health-care system in "How Do You Mend a Broken Heart?"
(p.22). Littlemore profiles how cardiologist Brett Heilbron and others in the province are currently
working toward a better way to read electrocardiograms—an innovation that will almost certainly
save lives.
I'm sure there are examples of mentors saving lives, too. For me personally, I've never formally
called anyone a mentor or mentee, though I've had many of those relationships. Whether it
was managers of the past in the industry (like former Vancouver magazine editor John Burns,
former Georgia Straight editor Charlie Smith and my predecessor at this magazine, Nick Rockel),
journalism school professors or, currently, editorial director Anicka Quin and
CEO Ryan Benn,
there hasn't been any shortage of people helping guide my way.
Hopefully, even if you haven't had a true mentor in your life, you've been able to lend your
knowledge or skills to help someone early in their career. One of the major lessons from this issue
for me is that mentors get a lot out of these types of relationships as well. Savour them.
DESK
DITOR'S
e
Our Small Business issue
asks notable BCers to
name their favourite small
biz in the province
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NATHAN CADDELL Editor-in-Chief
bcb@canadawide.com | @bcbusiness | Follow BCBusiness on
