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98 BCBUSINESS OCTOBER 2014 ILLUSTRATION BY GARY CLEMENT lunchwithlucy JANET AUSTIN'S FAVOURITES 1. "I have lunch a lot at the Hotel Vancouver (900 W. Georgia St., Vancouver; fairmont.com). They've been great to the Y." 2. "It's interesting to see people developing culi- nary skills, so I like having a meal at the Paci c Institute of Culinary Arts (101-1505 W. 2nd Ave., Van- couver; picachef.com)." 3. "I'll often order a salad and latte–I only drink decaf–at Terra Breads (1605 Manitoba St., Van- couver; terrabreads.com) at the Olympic Village near where I live." J anet Austin bounces into the café pumped from a mid-morning work- out—one of the perks of being CEO of the tness-centric YWCA Metro Vancouver. "It's part of the culture," she says, laughing, as we settle down at Finch's Market in Strath- cona. "If you can't do that when you're at the Y, then there's something wrong. It's also—this is my excuse, anyway—good role-modelling." Heading to the ym during o -peak hours may be a minor example, but it epitomizes the 58-year-old's preternatural desire to spend time wisely. After "a period of introspection" when she realized the time she was most proud of was that spent volunteering, Aus- tin was determined to be in roles where she could make a di erence. For more than a decade, she's been at the helm of the YWCA, which now boasts 375 employees and a yearly operating budget of $22.5 million. Previously, she was ex- ecutive director of Big Sisters of BC Lower Mainland for four years as well as working for the province's social housing unit. (Austin, who is the new chair of the Vancouver Board of Trade, helped set up BC Housing's policy that puts women from violent homes at the top of its waiting lists.) "I've always been motivated by public service," she says as we pick at walnut salads. "It's important to me to do work that is socially meaningful and at the Y you have that immedi- ate enforcement that you're actually improving conditions for individuals and broadly." As testament, our meeting spot is bookended by the Y's Downtown Eastside projects: the 30- year-old YWCA Crabtree Corner Community Resource Centre for marginalized women and families, and the upcoming YWCA Cause We Care House—the latter of which is slated to open in 2015, with the Y having raised more than 80 per cent of its $10-million contribution. Despite the current philanthropic climate (competing with the province's hospitals and galleries), Austin believes the campaign has worked be- cause of its inclusion of other services such as a library along with supportive homes for single mothers and children. "We have been successful at framing new, creative opportunities and what's interesting is that it is more appealing to donors because of the mix of uses," she says, adding that the Y needs to cover the capital cost upfront so it can operate on rent revenue and additional fundraising. Another of Austin's drivers includes the YWCA's yearly Women of Distinction awards, part of the organization's push for equality for women and to see more females in the C-suite ranks. While she acknowledges that there are more examples of women oc- cupying high-pro le positions, she says it's not evidence of broad-based social change, referring to Grant Thorn- ton research from 2012 that showed an actual decline in women in senior management. One way to reverse this, she o ers, is access to good childcare, as well as shifting expecta- tions within families on which partner inter- rupts their career when they have children. "One of the challenges is the issue around work-life balance and domestic responsibili- ties. Women have moved into the professional world, but men haven't moved into the domes- tic sphere in the same way," says Austin, allow- ing that her own retiree husband Ashley Ches- ter is a "great cook" (they met at BC Housing). Being a woman in a senior leadership role, Austin—a graduate of English and classics from the University of Calgary—certainly touts the ability to e ect change. "It's just liberating," Austin concludes, "to nd my own voice." ■ Agent of Change Janet Austin, YWCA CEO and Vancouver Board of Trade chair, on how she found work with higher meaning Y by Lucy Hyslop