Guest: Robert Barnard (president of a youth-focused social enterprise)
Jess Ketchum sees himself as an advisor to corporations, which sounds easier than it actually is. His top quality is confidentiality – CEOs invest a certain level of trust in him and expect quality feedback in return. His consistent work and quick turnaround have led to word-of-mouth clients through building relationships and trust.
What does a vice-president of research do? This is Steven Zicherman’s role with Odlum Brown – he studies businesses by looking at their financial filings and trying to understand how a company “ticks.” This could be from internal factors within the company but can be affected by its ecosystem and competitors, which need to be taken into account; this requires skills geared towards recognizing patterns and seeing everything with a fresh set of eyes.
How does the Kettle Society, a mental health and housing nonprofit, get its funding? That is the challenge that Michelle Vanderzon tackles, in her role as the director of philanthropy. This is often in the form of grant writing and applications, which relies on a variety of strategies, such as storytelling and building relationships with companies, family foundations, and those who care about the mission.
As mayor of Vancouver entering a municipal election, Ken Sim has to transition into an additional role as mayoral candidate. This means this is a double-duty role, having to run the city and run a campaign at the same time. But he sees himself as just one member of the council chamber and campaign team – he follows the advice of the team that he has assembled, connecting to the city’s residents and businesses as much as he can.
What does it take to be a principled and strong opposition city council member? Pete Fry learned how to do that when he was placed in that situation after the rise of Ken Sim as Vancouver mayor. After all, his journey as an entrepreneur and longtime resident of the city gives him an insight on what it takes to build a life in Vancouver, and his personal struggles allows for an understanding of what families in crisis may go through.
