SIPP team (l to r): Elysia Glover, Manager, Strategic Partnerships; Emilie de Rosenroll, CEO; Kieran Buggy, Director, Operations; Kerry Slavens, Director, Public Relations; Dallas Gislason, Director, Economic Development; Graeme Wheeler, Specialist, Digital Communications.
VICTORIA – At its annual general meeting on September 28, South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) released its Region on the Rise: Impact Report 2020-2021 and announced its new board of directors.
“SIPP’s 2020/21 fiscal year is inextricable from the pandemic,” says Emilie de Rosenroll, CEO of Greater Victoria’s economic development alliance. “We pivoted fast and put recovery first, marshalling a multi-sector, region-wide response with the Rising Economy Taskforce. Despite the challenges of COVID-19, we also collaborated to launch several initiatives that will help our region emerge from the pandemic as a RISE economy — resilient, inclusive, sustainable and equitable.”
These initiatives include:
- Convening the multi-sector Rising Economy Taskforce, the largest, coordinated industry-led COVID-19 economic recovery effort in Canada and hosting the first Rising Economy Week Conference for 1,100 participants.
- Publishing Reboot: Greater Victoria’s Economic Development Recovery Plan (2020-2022). To date, 75 per cent of the report’s recommendations are complete or in process.
- Incubating the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technologies (COAST), a hub and cluster for the sustainable blue economy for Pacific Canada.
- Co-developing the Indigenous Prosperity Centre in collaboration with South Island First Nations, the Victoria Native Friendship Centre and the Métis Nation of Greater Victoria.
- Championing Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), the new regional development agency focused on British Columbia’s evolving economy.
At the AGM, SIPP also announced its board of directors for 2021-2022.
“As part of SIPP’s commitment to inclusion, we have committed to the federal government’s 50 – 30 Challenge,” says de Rosenroll. “The goal is to increase the representation and inclusion of diverse groups within Canadian workplaces, including at the senior management and board levels. Our own board of directors and team increasingly reflects this commitment.”
Returning Board Members
- Frank Bourree, Chair — Principal & Owner, Bourree + Associates
- Craig Norris, Past Chair — CEO, Community Marine Concepts Ltd.
- Jennifer Vornbrock, Director — Executive Director, Community & Government Relations, University of Victoria
- Kear Porttris, Director — Director, Indigenous Relations, QM Environmental
- Tina Ryan, Director — President, Visa Seminars International
- Geoff Wilmshurst, Director — Vice-President Partnerships, Camosun College
New Board Members and Advisor
- Susanne Thiessen, Director — Assistant Professor, Indigenous Community Development, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria
- Peter Cowan, Director — Co-founder, Innovation Asset Collective; Founder & Principal Consultant, Northworks IP
- Sonterra Ross, Director — Director, Finance & Administration, Beacon Community Services
- Lindalee Brougham, Director — Principal, Grant Thornton LLP
- Tony Payne, Board Advisor — Senior Vice President, Technology and Innovation, British Columbia Investment Management Corporation.
SIPP is grateful to the following outgoing board members for their service: Deirdre Campbell, Managing Director Canada, Beattie Tartan; Anna MacMillan, Retired Partner & Counsel, DLA Piper (Canada) LLP; and Sean Midwood, Retired, former NATO & RCN.
“As we move into SIPP’s sixth year,” says SIPP Chair Frank Bourree, “I see the tremendous difference this organization has made in strengthening our region’s economic potential by championing collaboration. I’m excited about working with this new board to continue that collaboration and build a stronger community.”
Download the PDF of SIPP’s 2020-2021 Impact Report at https://bit.ly/Rising-Impact
