News Influencing Decision Makers in BC
Bridgitte Anderson
Bridgitte Anderson, ICD.D, President and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, has been selected as the 2026 recipient of BIV News’ Influential Women in Business Award.
Dr. Ana Isabel Sarkis Fernandez from UBC Okanagan, has been named the recipient of the 2025 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women In Science supplement.
Nathan Cullen has been appointed Vice President at StrategyCorp, based in British Columbia.
Jackie Kavcak, Director of Sales, Meetings, and Conventions for Destination Vancouver in the U.S. market, has announced her retirement after a 25-year tenure.
Manalee Shounak Padhye has joined Blackbird Security Inc. as a part of the Talent Acquisition Team.
Reade Wolansky has joined the Originations team at Harbour Mortgage as Vice President of Real Estate Finance for British Columbia.
Konrad Kobielewski, TEP joins BMO Private Wealth as Director & Senior Trust Officer in Vancouver Core Skyline Market.
Jesse Campbell has been appointed as the new General Manager of Harris Auto‘s latest acquisition, Richmond Hyundai at Richmond Auto Mall.
Gary Coukell, Co-Founder and President of Agile Ag, Inc., announced the company’s launch in spring 2025, initially focusing operations in British Columbia, with plans to expand to Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba in 2026.
Amanda McCallion joins Apex Claims Solutions as the newest Loss Adjuster.
Coast Hotels Limited, a fully owned subsidiary of APA Hotel Canada, Inc. and one of North America’s fastest-growing and Canada’s largest hotel brands, is pleased to announce key leadership appointments that strengthen its executive team and position the brand for continued growth across North America. On December 1, 2025, Brigitte Diem-Guy has stepped down from her position as Vice President, Revenue Strategies and Communication, and now the Brand & Communications Consultant at Coast Hotels. Nooshi Akhavan has been promoted to Vice President, Commercial Strategy, and Glen Merx to Vice President, People & Culture.
Coast Dawson Creek Hotel has formally commenced operations in the central area of Dawson Creek, located off Highway 2 and within a short drive of the Alaska Highway.
Cohaus Collective, a boutique firm specializing in new development services and pre-construction sales and marketing for thoughtfully designed residences across British Columbia, has officially been launched, with Zane Bouvette joining as Partner alongside Megan Michaluk.
The British Columbia Hotel Association has announced the opening of nominations for the 2026 BCHA Awards of Excellence. This event highlights exceptional leadership and achievements within British Columbia’s hotel sector, covering areas such as housekeeping, guest service, sustainability, culinary excellence, accommodations, and emerging leadership.
Leading Canadian insurance brokers Navacord Corp. and Acera Insurance Services Ltd. are merging to form the nation’s largest privately held insurance brokerage, employee benefits, and wealth management organization. The Alberta corporate law-structured plan of arrangement is projected to finalize in the first quarter of 2026 after regulatory, court, and shareholder approvals.
RBC has been named one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers 2026.
Young Architects for Change have been awarded the Most Representative of BC accolade in the Brick by Brick competition — for their exceptional recreation of the Malahat SkyWalk.
Peak Performance brand store opens in downtown Vancouver at 813 Burrard St.
The merger of Integris Credit Union and Coastal Community Credit Union, which was approved by Integris members, will take effect on January 1, 2026.
Farm Credit Canada (FCC) is allocating $1.5 million from its FCC AgriSpirit Fund to support 81 community projects throughout Canada aimed at enhancing rural capital initiatives.
A new business community satisfaction survey has been introduced by the City of Prince George in an effort to learn more about the possibilities, problems, and priorities of local employees and businesses. The data will help shape the City’s new Economic Development Strategy, which aims to improve Prince George as a place to live and work by growing the local economy and generating new possibilities.
The 2026 TrueNorth Business Development Forum is set to take place on January 20, 2026, at the Coast Prince George Hotel by APA. The forum will be a full day of learning, networking, and cooperation centred on creating sustainable partnerships and shared prosperity in Northern British Columbia.
To help people with disabilities feel at ease, Tourism Prince George has created an interactive accessibility virtual tour map in partnership with Spinal Cord Injury BC, an advocacy group, and with federal funding from Pacific Economic Development Canada | Développement économique Canada pour le Pacifique.
In an effort to lessen the effects of the Aquatic Center‘s two-year hiatus, the City of Prince George has approved the acquisition of additional diving platforms for its downtown pool.
Destination BC, in collaboration with Discover Canada Tours and Entrée Destinations, provides access for fans to recently introduced travel packages on the Beautiful Seats FIFA World Cup 26TM page on SuperNaturalBC.com. These packages are intended to promote prolonged stays and exploration throughout the province prior to, during, and following the matches.
Destination Vancouver has announced that the 24th Dine Out Vancouver Festival, which will take place from January 21 to February 8, 2026.
Registration is now open for the 2026 BC Tourism Industry Conference, scheduled to be held at the Delta Hotels Grand Okanagan Resort in Kelowna from March 4 to 6, 2026.
The Canadian Hospitality Health Plan, established to enhance well-being and improve retention within the hospitality sector, marks its 2nd anniversary.
BC businesses may now apply for latest funding to help them solve real-world challenges and develop new technologies that complement Look West economic strategy industries. With $2.5 million in investment from Innovate BC‘s Integrated Marketplace platform, businesses may expand and create quality employment in British Columbia.
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