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Business Laureates Hall of Fame 2012 Gala Dinner

Business Laureates Hall of Fame 2012 Gala Dinner Fairmont Hotel Vancouver May 24, 2012 Almost 700 business leaders, aspirants and their guests gathered at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver to witness the induction of the province’s newest business laureates into the Business Hall of Fame. Junior Achievement of British Columbia (JABC) hosted the gala dinner and induction ceremonies, which were emceed by Tony Parsons, co-host of CBC News Vancouver.

By Lisa Nakamura Nguyen /

Family of the late businessman and philanthropist Milton K. Wong, who was inducted into the 2012 Business Laureates Hall of Fame. From left: daughters Andrea and Sarah; wife, Fei; daughter Elizabeth, with her husband, Joe Meyler.



Cheryl Nakamoto (l), a JABC alumna and co-founder of McNeill Nakamoto Recruitment Group, with General R.J. Hillier, former Chief of the Defence Staff for the Canadian Forces’ Highest Rank.



JABC alumna Alicia Woodside (l), with Brian A. Canfield, chair of the board at Telus. Canfield was a 2012 Hall of Fame inductee.



From left: Darren Zilinsky, CFO of PMI Labs; Casey Forrest, partner at Pinton Forrest & Madden; and Tom Longworth, board member at Port Metro Vancouver.



JABC president and CEO Jan Bell-Irving (l), with Dave Ritchie, co-founder and chair emeritus at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers and inductee of the 2012 Hall of Fame.



Robin Dhir (l), president and COO of Twin Brook Developments, with Mel Cooper, honorary director of the David Foster Foundation. They are both JABC board members.



Jim Pattison (l), with Alix Santoro, VP of development at JABC.



From left: Sasha Krasnov, commercial account manager at RBC; Michael Birch, partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; Francesca Hennigar, associate at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP; and Todd Shewfelt, VP of commercial financial services at RBC.



The Lee family (from left): Derek, president of Prospero International Realty Inc., with Carlota and Robert, founder and chairman of Prospero International Realty Inc.



From left: Chan Gunn, Order of Canada recipient and president of the Institute for the Study of Treatment of Pain (iSTOP), Peggy Gunn and Alix Santoro, VP of development at JABC.



From left: Patrick Farrell, director of operations at Boston Pizza International, Tegan Farrell and Robert Kirincic, director of finance at Boston Pizza International.



CBC communications officer Caroline Ewald (l), with radio personality Mark Forsythe, host of the B.C. Almanac on CBC Radio One.


Business Laureates Hall of Fame 2012 Gala Dinner
Fairmont Hotel Vancouver
May 24, 2012

Almost 700 business leaders, aspirants and their guests gathered at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver to witness the induction of the province’s newest business laureates into the Business Hall of Fame. Junior Achievement of British Columbia (JABC) hosted the gala dinner and induction ceremonies, which were emceed by Tony Parsons, co-host of CBC News Vancouver.

The three inductees were Brian A. Canfield, chair of the board at Telus Corporation; Dave Ritchie, co-founder and chair emeritus at Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers; and the late Milton K. Wong, chair emeritus at HSBC Global Asset Management (Canada) Limited. Hall-of-famers were recognized for their vision, leadership to motivate others to achieve their goals, integrity and the legacy they have built in the province.

The 7th-annual gala dinner and induction ceremonies raised over $600,000 for JABC. Guests were addressed by keynote speaker General R.J. Hillier, former Chief of the Defence Staff for the Canadian Forces, about the importance of leadership in building a successful economy.The laureates honoured each year act as mentors to B.C.’s enterprising youth.