Guest: Thomas Codrington (UK consul-general)
Thomas Codrington represents the United Kingdom in British Columbia – and that is no small job. He helps create economic growth between the province and the UK, trying to make business easier for both sides. And this is just the start, as he also connects with universities and the provincial government, while running the mission in Vancouver.
How are policies around mining determined in British Columbia? As the President of the Association for Mineral Exploration in BC, that is Todd Stone’s job. He helps shape the policies and regulations through advocacy and meetings with stakeholders and decision makers in government. His mission is to provide informed solutions, and not just complaints.
For Kerry-Lynne Findlay, her career is all about problem-solving. As a candidate for the leadership of the British Columbia Conservative Party, she sees this as a key part of running an organization or political party. She learned the values of a hard work ethic came from her legal career, where results depended on it, both in terms of quality of work and the survival of the law firm. But because law was a very solitary journey, it didn’t fit her extroverted personality and she wanted a different challenge – which led her to politics.
When you are running for party leadership, there is one crucial task – making sure your supporters are party members. That is Caroline Elliott’s mission, during her run for the helm of the Conservative Party of British Columbia. This is a far cry from where she expected to be when she attended high school. But she could not escape the fascination from her first few jobs, including at the Victoria legislature, which taught her how something goes from politics to policy.
When you are a political leadership candidate, it is a “leap of faith” job, according to Iain Black. He is attempting to become the head of the British Columbia Conservative Party, which means building a team he can trust. Because of how money works in such situations, his team is almost completely volunteer-run, from all different personal and business backgrounds. And it requires more than a full-time job – working every day of the week, in all parts of the province.
