40 BCBusiness June 2015 adam blasberg
W
hen Carol Lee looks out the
front window of her Van-
couver Chinatown of©ice,
she isn't thrilled by what she
sees: empty storefronts, a hip longboard
skateshop and a new modern restaurant
that pays no homage to the building's
heritage.
But then she closes her eyes and envi-
sions a more vibrant future for the strug-
gling neighbourhood, one of the largest
historic Chinatowns in North America.
"We would have lanterns strung across
the streets and lit up at night. It would be
†lled with tourists, local and foreign. We
could have a museum. Chinese seniors
would be coming back to live here. I
see Chinese schools, maybe a Buddhist
library. It would be a very lively, inviting,
family-oriented vibe."
Lee's own family ties are deeply
rooted inside these gated streets. Her
of©ice, headquarters to Linacare Cos-
motherapy Inc., is located in the same
building that once housed her grandfa-
ther's dry goods and furnishings store
and has been owned by her father's
family since 1921. And though Lee is still
routinely cited as the "high-achieving,
Harvard-educated daughter" of legend-
ary businessman Robert Lee (Prospero
Group founder and former
UBC chancel-
lor), she has become an in€uential force
in her own right.
Linacare—the therapeutic-oriented
skincare company she co-founded in
2003 with Dr. Henry Fung—now sells
to major hospital pharmacies, skin
care centres and cancer clinics across
Canada, as well many beauty boutiques,
becoming a global success in just over a
decade. Although several international
beauty conglomerates have expressed
interest in buying the company, Lee has
always shut down the talks before they
even begin. "The world doesn't need
another expensive beauty cream," she
explains. "This is a product for cancer
patients and people with really bad
eczema—those who really need it."
Now Lee hopes to make the same
retail,
restaurants
+ real estate
MOST
INFLUENTIAL
WOMEN IN
B.C.
Carol Lee
President and CeO,
linacare cosmetherapy inc.
