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B C B U S I N E S S . C A
J U N E 2 0 2 5
T
THE DAY AFTER Trish Man-
dewo moved to Coquitlam in
2009, she met the mayor, Rich-
ard Stewart, and asked how she
could help. "My approach, no
matter where I am, is always
that it's not about what my com-
munity can give to me, but what
I can give to my community,"
she says.
Mandewo immediately got
involved with several local
organizations, from the Tri-
City Transitions Society and
the Tri-City Chamber of Com-
merce to immigrant groups and
the Union of BC Municipalities
(UBCM). In the 16 years since
Mandewo moved to B.C., she's
built four businesses and two
nonprofits, and has served on
dozens of executive boards in
various leadership positions.
But she always knew poli-
tics were in her cards. During
Mandewo's childhood in
Zimbabwe, her father encour-
aged her to become a change-
maker, especially as her
family was unhoused from time
to time. "He always said, 'Make
sure that you sit at the table
where decisions are made, and
make sure that you look out for
those people that don't have a
voice,'" she recalls.
So, in 2018, Mandewo
ran for a seat at the table on
Coquitlam city council—and
won. "I always knew that when
the time was right, I was going
TRISH
MANDEWO
P R E S I D E N T, U B C M ;
C O U N C I L L O R , C I T Y O F
C O Q U I T L A M
to raise my hand, so that I
could be at the table, so that I
can make policies or change
policies in order to look out
for the disadvantaged people,"
she says.
Mandewo did more than
just join the table. After the
George Floyd protests in 2020,
she saw the need to train those
in governance to understand
the weight of their policies on
equity-deserving groups. So,
she founded Synergy Executive
and Boards Consulting Group
to bridge the gap and support
representation of BIPOC individ-
uals in boardrooms.
"We have trained thousands
now from coast to coast to
coast," Mandewo says, adding
that, despite some pushback
on DEI narratives, her inclusion
work never means inclusion
by exclusion. "For me, success
is about having someone who
never saw themselves sitting
in a boardroom now saying
they are in a boardroom and
they're contributing to that con-
versation, and they help them
change the narrative," she says.
As Mandewo continues her
work with Synergy, serves her
second term as a Coquitlam
city councillor, and wraps up
as UBCM president, she remains
inspired by her goal to create
meaningful change.
"I see myself just continu-
ing to move the needle when
it comes to getting more peo-
ple into positions of power,
and supporting women and
other previously equity-denied
groups into stepping up so
that we can be better human
beings," Mandewo says.–S.J.
"He always said, 'Make sure
that you sit at the table
where decisions
are made, and
make sure
that you look
out for those
people that
don't have
a voice'."
DIVER SIT Y AND
INCLUSION CHA MPION
P h o t o : J e n n F o n t ai n e
