February 1, 2024

Ryan Beedie | MBA 1993 (Ranked No.3) 

Reason for award

For building big and giving back 

Beedie Development 

Ryan Beedie’s name is all over the big new developments in Mount Pleasant and the AbCellera lab, as well as a controversial development permit for condos at 105 Keefer that will likely reshape Chinatown. But he and wife Cindy have been moving ground outside of the property game, too. The couple’s philanthropic work is among the most visible in the city, thanks to swishy high-profile events like their Rock ’N’ the Park, which brought Bryan Adams to Malkin Bowl and raised $2 million for the Food Bank. Elsewhere, the developer broke ground on the new YWCA Cindy Beedie Place, a sanctuary for women and children fleeing violence that will feature 56 long-term affordable units; made a $5-million donation to a long-term care facility in Delta; and gave away $6.9 million in student scholarships last year. 

Penny Ballem | MD 1978 (Ranked No.4) 

Reason for award

For taking on a broken system 

Premier’s Health Systems Specialist; Chair, Vancouver Coastal Health 

It consumes 38 percent of the provincial budget, almost $31 billion annually, and yet B.C.’s health care system is under constant threat of collapse, with long waits for lifesaving treatments, a broken paramedical system and a dearth of family doctors, among other issues. Enter Dr. Fixit: in January 2023, Premier David Eby hired Dr. Penny Ballem—a physician and UBC professor of medicine, as well as former deputy health minister (2001-6) and Vancouver city manager (2008-15)—to be his “health systems specialist.” In this role, Ballem will “advise the premier, minister of health, deputy minister to the minister of health, and chief of staff on matters related to health care in British Columbia”—for $13,750 a month, according to her offer letter. 

While her mandate is detailed in broad strokes, the premier makes clear that he expects Ballem to lean into her “expertise, community connections, innovative ideas and knowledge of how government works to ensure health care works for people.” Key priorities for Eby include primary care, developing a new cancer care strategy and strengthening ambulance services. Ballem (who’s also chair of the Vancouver Coastal Health board and was named to the Order of B.C. this past August) is widely lauded for her ability to get things done, though some critics wonder whether Eby’s habit of hiring “special advisers” (there’s also one for housing and Indigenous reconciliation) is a sign the premier is unwilling to give his cabinet ministers full control. Either way, Eby was clearly impressed with the last contract Ballem undertook, leading the rollout of B.C.’s COVID vaccination program. Now he has shown his gratitude by handing her a thankless, seemingly Sisyphean, task. 

Carol Lee | BComm 1981, LLD 2019 [Honorary] (Ranked No.5) 

Reason for award

For championing Chinatown

Co-founder and Chair, Vancouver Chinatown Foundation 

There’s a whole community of folks rallying to revitalize Chinatown—but if the neighbourhood has one champion, it’s Vancouver Chinatown Foundation’s own Carol Lee. 

In the past year, her foundation’s Chinatown Storytelling Centre not only hosted new exhibitions that dive deep into the lived history of the area, it has also produced accessible, engaging events (like an evening devoted to celebrating Bruce Lee). Last fall’s Light Up Chinatown festival—an extravaganza of live performance, art, food trucks and more—welcomed 16,000 attendees to the neighbourhood. 

Of course, operating a charity in one of the country’s most vulnerable neighbourhoods has its challenges: an isolated act of violence at Light Up Chinatown had the event making the news for all the wrong reasons. Despite the devastating incident, Lee and her team continued to rally the community in support of Chinatown. Good news followed: the Chinatown Foundation’s 2023 Autumn Gala raised $1.9 million (thanks, in part, to auction donations from local icons like Martha Sturdy) for 58 West Hastings, a housing project that’s slated to open this spring. Once launched, the property will have 231 affordable units, including 120 welfare-rate units. Lee and the Chinatown Foundation acknowledge the complex issues of the area without being paralyzed by them, and their collective action is bringing hope back to the ’hood. And her impact reaches beyond city limits: she received an Order of Canada this past December. 

Ken Sim | BCom 1993 (Ranked No.6) 

Reason for award

For swaggering into his sophomore year at city hall  

Mayor of Vancouver 

A year after his resounding victory as mayor, Ken Sim’s honeymoon appears to be over. While supporters are quick to note the mayor has made strides in hiring more police officers, bringing renewed focus to Chinatown and cleaning up civic disorder, critics accuse Sim and his team of sleight-of-hand. Yes, 100 officers were hired—but even more have retired since the election. Tents removed from Hastings Street have relocated elsewhere. And on ABC’s core commitment to bring down barriers to more housing, our panel found the mayor’s plan lacking: “weak on details,” with little discussion about “how it’s actually going to get done.” There are also questions—at least among the terminally online—about how Sim’s surprise decision to eliminate the park board will play out politically. What nobody doubts is Sim’s commitment to schmoozing: he’s a regular at cultural events, and he succeeded in convincing Hollywood execs to move production of The Last of Us to Vancouver. 

Ajay Patel | BHK 1994, MHK 2009 (Ranked No.10) 

Reason for award

For turning campus land into much-needed housing 

President, Vancouver Community College 

A core plank in B.C.’s housing strategy (see Kahlon, Eby) is to boost affordable housing options around transit nodes. Enter Vancouver Community College (VCC), which in March proposed to redevelop its Broadway campus—adding some 3,300 homes near the under-construction Broadway subway line and moving its campus northward. In return, the B.C. government committed more than a quarter of a billion dollars to help fund VCC’s new Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation. It’s a big deal for the understated community college—and, according to our panel, speaks to the strong relationship that VCC president Ajay Patel (a former CEO of Badminton BC and Gymnastics BC) has built within NDP circles. 

Bowinn Ma | BASc 2008, MM 2009 (Ranked No.11) 

Reason for award

For fighting fire with fire 

B.C. Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness 

As wildfires raged across B.C.’s Interior last summer, one face and voice stood out among the grey suits at daily news conferences: Bowinn Ma, the North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA and B.C.’s minister of emergency management and climate readiness. A trained civil engineer, Ma cut her teeth as project manager at YVR prior to her surprise election in 2017—the first New Democrat to win on the North Shore in more than 25 years. Her new post is focused on coordinating different ministries and levels of government on emergency response—and while some of Ma’s moves in response to the 2023 fires were controversial (including imposing temporary travel restrictions during the busy summer tourism season), she’s credited with being an effective team player and communicator, and a voice of compassion within government. 

Christine Boyle | BSc [Global Res Sys] 2007 (Ranked No.13) 

Reason for award

For making a commotion with her motions 

Vancouver City Councillor 

Whenever one party sweeps to power, the opposition—such as it is—is limited in what it can do. And while Christine Boyle ostensibly had more power in the divided council of 2018-22, she’s made the most of her second term in an ABC-dominated chamber. Boyle has introduced a series of meaty motions, advocating for more speed and red light cameras, fast-tracked social housing and extended leases on temporary modular housing sites—though only the motion on cameras, in diluted form, passed a full vote. One area where the former community organizer and United Church minister has undeniably succeeded: getting under Ken Sim’s skin. The mayor has filed two complaints about Boyle under the city’s code of conduct, winning one and losing the other. 

Jordan Eng | BCom 1987, Dipl. Urban Land Economics 2000 (Ranked No.14) 

Reason for award

For mobilizing their community (alongside Lorraine Lowe) 

President, Chinatown BIA 

If you’re wondering what the ABC council will do for Chinatown, the answer is simple: “Whatever Jordan and Lorraine want,” says an anonymous source. Eng, realtor and president of the Chinatown BIA, and Lowe, executive director for the Sun Yat-Sen Garden, are vocal champions of their neighbourhood: ones who mobilized Chinese voters by highlighting crime issues in the area, and who now enjoy a direct line to City Hall. Their suggestions have moved ABC to open a new city office in the area and to launch an energetic anti-graffiti team. 

Jill Atkey | MA 2004 (Ranked No.19) 

Reason for award

For making sure everyone has a place to call home (alongside Thom Armstrong) 

CEO, BC Non-Profit Housing Association 

To tackle the twin crises of housing affordability and supply requires concerted effort from all levels of government—along with actors in both the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Thom Armstrong and Jill Atkey are two of the not-for-profit players now at the heart of the action, thanks to the province’s creation of a $500-million Rental Protection Fund to help purchase older rental buildings slated for redevelopment. Atkey’s advocacy work, as CEO of the BC Non-Profit Housing Association, was pivotal to this move; according to our panel, she’s a regular presence at public consultations and council meetings, making the case for nonprofit housing. Also critical was Armstrong, through his work with the Cooperative Housing Federation of BC; the Community Land Trust, CHF’s real estate development arm, is one of the nonprofit developers standing to benefit from the new fund. 

Shannon Salter| LLB 2005, BA 2001 (Ranked No.24) 

Reason for award

For making waves by the Premier’s side 

Deputy Minister to the Premier 

When David Eby was attorney general, he brought in a young superstar as his deputy, effectively making her B.C.’s top lawyer. Shannon Salter had previously made waves by creating B.C.’s Civil Resolution Tribunal, the country’s first online tribunal where people can solve small claims or disputes with the help of facilitators (taking them out of an overwhelmed court system). Last year, Salter followed Eby to the premier’s office, where she became part of an inner circle of young people—many women—running B.C.’s 36,000-member public service. This past April, in response to an increasingly tight labour market, Salter unveiled a new workplace strategy that enshrines flexible work within the government, opening up job postings to anyone in the province. 

David Sung | BA 1992 (Ranked No.27) 

Reason for award

For shepherding the big spenders (alongside Tassan Sung) 

President, Nicola Wealth 

The Sungs are yet another power couple on this year’s list, using their influence and wealth to impact the twin worlds of finance and charity. While David runs the show at Nicola Wealth Management (over the past two decades, he’s been pivotal in growing the firm’s managed assets to $15 billion), advising the city’s big spenders on investments, wife Tassan chairs Nicola Wealth’s Women’s LEAD, a grassroots movement to amplify and celebrate the voices of women across the country through a speaker series, articles, videos and community collaboration. 

Tassan Sung | BA 2020 (Ranked No.27) 

Reason for award

For shepherding the big spenders (alongside David Sung) 

President, Nicola Wealth 

The Sungs are yet another power couple on this year’s list, using their influence and wealth to impact the twin worlds of finance and charity. While David runs the show at Nicola Wealth Management (over the past two decades, he’s been pivotal in growing the firm’s managed assets to $15 billion), advising the city’s big spenders on investments, wife Tassan chairs Nicola Wealth’s Women’s LEAD, a grassroots movement to amplify and celebrate the voices of women across the country through a speaker series, articles, videos and community collaboration. 

Wade Grant | BA 2002 (Ranked No.34) 

Reason for award

For striding towards sovereignty 

Intergovernmental Affairs Officer, Musqueam Indian Band 

As the intergovernmental affairs officer to the Musqueam Indian Band, Grant has been a driving force in championing Indigenous health, securing a monumental $8.2 billion in funding for the B.C. First Nations Health Authority. This achievement, supporting over 200 First Nations, is a monumental stride toward better systems for Indigenous wellness—and ones, importantly, that are managed by an Indigenous authority. Additionally, in his role as chair of the New Relationship Trust, Grant headed the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Program, a $30-million initiative empowering local food systems and Indigenous agriculture. These contributions to Indigenous rights and sovereignty earn him a well-deserved place on this year’s Power 50 list, and mark him as a formidable agent of change. 

Arya Eshghi | BA 1986 (Ranked No.39) 

Reason for award

For bankrolling the sectors that matter (alongside Hamid Eshghi) 

Philanthropists 

It takes more than wealth or influence to secure a spot on our Power 50 list—the true definition of power also includes the use of such tools to elevate your community. Hamid and Arya Eshghi, the dynamic forces behind the Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation, have done just that by gifting $5 million to the Vancouver Art Gallery for the creation of a cutting-edge education and exhibition centre. Under Hamid’s leadership, the foundation’s philanthropic footprint, exceeding $65 million, is invigorating a multitude of sectors, including health, the arts and education. As such, the couple has become a fixture on the city’s philanthropic scene, expanding the foundation’s footprint to well past $65 million in investments in the arts, education and children’s health. 

Jonathan Barnett | BA 1992 (Ranked No.41) 

Reason for award

For turning up the tunes (alongside David Barnett) 

President/CEO and Executive Vice President of Dayhu Group of Companies 

Health care heroes come in many forms. By day, Jonathan Barnett and his brother David of Dayhu Group of Companies busy themselves with real estate—but their superpower? Harnessing the healing power of music. Dayhu supports several worthy causes in the city, including BC Women’s Hospital, Coast Mental Health and a number of local Jewish organizations; however, David’s role as founder and board president of Music Heals makes this charity particularly dear to their hearts. Music Heals launched in 2012 and has raised more than $3 million to provide access to music therapy for patients at children’s hospitals, palliative care wards and more. With B.C.’s health care system in crisis, the Barnetts are improving quality of life for those in need—and if you’ve ever had the privilege of attending their annual Strike a Chord gala, you’ll also agree that these guys know how to party like rock stars. 

The McLean Family | David McLean – LLD 1994 Honorary, Andrea J. McLean BA 2008, Jason McLean BA 1995, LLB 1999, Melanie McLean BEd (Elem) 2001 (Ranked No.43) 

Reason for award

For taking to the skies 

Entrepreneurs 

In the scorching summer of 2023, as record-breaking wildfires raged through Kelowna and across British Columbia, the McLean family of Vancouver found themselves at a crossroads. Their decision to sell Vancouver Film Studios—a cherished asset in the family’s group of companies, which together have built an illustrious 25-year impact in the local film industry—to Hackman Capital Partners sent shockwaves through the city. But while that move may have been pure business strategy, the family continued to flex their remarkable ability to create a positive impact in this province. In the midst of the climate crisis, their company, Blackcomb Helicopters, emerged as a beacon of hope, dedicating invaluable resources to combat the fires. In 2023, the McLeans proved once again that their collective fusion of entrepreneurial foresight and civic responsibility can be a vital asset for a region grappling with the challenges of a changing world. 

Fred Lee | BA 1988 (Ranked No.44) 

Reason for award

For being the life of the party 

Host, Presenter and Auctioneer 

If you attended any top-tier charitable gala in Vancouver over the last few years, you know Fred Lee. Because the people who steer the committees that need to bring in the big bucks through said events will do whatever it takes to secure him as their auctioneer: they know that his effervescent presence could potentially add a zero or two to the end of their fundraising totals. He charms the wallets out of some of the biggest philanthropists in the city—thanking each person by name, tearing around the room with mic in hand and exuberantly encouraging those high rollers to roll just a little higher. The Man About Town is such a notable presence at Vancouver’s major charity events that it’s easy to forget he holds down a full-time job with alumni engagement at Alumni UBC—and also finds the time to co-found and fundraise for CampOUT, a free leadership and learning summer camp for queer, trans, Two Spirit, questioning and allied youth that has run since 2009. 

Christian Chia | BComm 1991 (Ranked No.45) 

Reason for award

For driving change beyond the boardroom 

CEO, OpenRoad Canada 

Christian Chia founded OpenRoad Auto Group back in 2000; in 2023, he’s the CEO of one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, with 32 dealerships in his portfolio. But as with many power players on this list, his influence doesn’t end in the boardroom. At the end of 2022, he stepped into the role of chair of the Vancouver Police Foundation—the culmination of a lifetime of charity and community work. Between his work with the Sauder School of Business advisory council, the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade and the Make-a-Wish Foundation, the car baron is driving (get it?) some serious change in our fair city. 

Award accolades are sourced directly from the awards webpage. To learn more about this award please visit: https://www.vanmag.com/city/power-50/vancouver-magazine-2024-power-50-list/