Women of the Year Awards
As a strong supporter of B.C. women in business, we figured we had a handle on the key players and up-and-coming talents. Then we put out the call for the first Women of the Year Awards—and learned that this province...
CEO, BioLytical Laboratories As a teenager in Quesnel, where she was born to Indian immigrants, Livleen Veslemes used to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show with her dad, a shift worker at the plywood plant. “I remember watching her, hearing her story and thinking...
Founder and CEO, Kids Physio Group A love of babysitting turned into a career in pediatric physiotherapy for Laura Patrick, who worked for Vancouver Coastal Health after earning a master’s in physical therapy at McMaster University in Hamilton. But as one of...
President and CEO, Astra Smart Systems and i4C Innovation Pilar Portela has founded nine companies, three of which have been acquired. Though she didn’t begin her formal post-secondary education until her late 30s, she’s been employed in the tech industry for most of her...
Co-founder and CEO, Open Ocean Robotics Julie Angus has long been interested in the ocean and how small boats perform in it. That makes sense, given that the Victoria resident says she has spent more than 10,000 hours in such vessels, becoming...
Founder and president, Excel Career College When Pauline Stevenson hears employers say they can’t find skilled labour, she sees an opportunity: “How can we find them the people who could be their next employees?” Since 1989, Stevenson has run Excel Career College, an...
Co-founder and CEO, Gillespie’s Fine Spirits; founder and CEO, Boozewitch Brands; founder and CEO, State B Cannabis Beverage Co.; founder, Squamish Craft Beverage Association Ancestry research confirmed that Kelly Ann Woods’s pioneering spirit and love of formulating was literally in her DNA: some of...
Everyone knows that B.C. is home to some exceptional female business talent. Our new Women of the Year Awards aim to recognize the very best. The finalists for the inaugural competition, who hail from organizations large and small across the province...
Are you an outstanding female entrepreneur or executive of an organization who is a leader, innovator, community builder or rising star? Do you know a B.C. woman executive or business owner who deserves to be recognized? If so, we want to hear from you