Financial assets
As always, it began with a lunch. Last November we sat down with members of our expert panel to draw up a list of names for the fifth annual B.C.’S Most Influential Women feature. For this year’s theme, finance, we cast the net wide.
Over the coming weeks, the list kept growing—proof that despite male dominance in financial leadership roles, women make a big contribution to vital B.C. industries like banking and investing. When it comes to finance, they also shine as corporate executives, entrepreneurs, public servants and professional advisers. As you’ll see starting on page 28, this wouldn’t have happened without a host of trailblazers whose careers helped make room on the playing field for today’s female leaders.
On that note, the women we spoke with told us that there’s still work to do, from shattering the glass ceiling to encouraging female employees to balance work and family. Manica Gautam, our cover subject, said it’s about creating open, honest and supportive work environments where women can ask for what they need. “Looking up from the bottom of the ladder, you don’t really see that happen unless people are talking about it more openly.”
We hope this impressive list inspires more women to pursue careers in finance. Thank you to our five panellists—tamara Bonn, Jill Earthy, Bob Elton, Glenn Ives and Tracey Mcvicar—for their invaluable help.
Technology is another key industry for the province, as the fourth Bctech Summit highlights. Against the backdrop of that March 11-13 event, “Tech Support” (p.48) weighs educational options for those who want to pursue a career in tech, sharpen their skills or learn new ones. With his usual elegance, contributor Dee Hon shows that there are many paths to enlightenment, from going all in with a university degree to enrolling at a boot camp.
This issue also features two new columns. It’s a Good Thing (p.70) sees my predecessor, Matt O’grady, take over the back page. His solutions-oriented column focuses on people and businesses making a difference—by showing that profit needn’t come at the expense of social and environmental well-being. Expect O’grady to bring the same talent for engaging readers and interview subjects that made him an exceptional editor-in-chief of Bcbusiness.
In Pot Shots (p.21), Guy Saddy sizes up yet another important B.C. industry—the fastgrowing legal cannabis realm. Saddy, a magazine veteran who penned long-running columns for Elle Canada and TV Guide, has a rare gift for combining first-rate reporting, writing and observation with wry humour. Laughing while learning is a good thing. Guy, I owe you lunch.