What do you see out your office window?
I see Victory Square. People are looking pretty happy out there, having their lunches under the cherry trees. We’re right on the corner of Cambie and Hastings, in the Flack building. It’s a great office, great vibe.
What is Tides Canada exactly?
Tides provides philanthropic, financial and project management services to “change-makers.” Change-makers are individual philanthropists, foundations, activists, social entrepreneurs, etc. We’re looking at innovative ways to help these folks create opportunity for people in Canada and around the world to escape poverty, strengthen their communities and live on a healthy planet.
Why go to work for them?
Tides has a reputation for being entrepreneurial, so that was a big part of the draw for me. Tides is a big tent: they absolutely understand that solutions come from bringing uncommon bedfellows together. I’m in my 30s, and I feel that the future is increasingly going to be marked by people moving between sectors; that’s what’s required to spur new ideas and real change.
There’s the traditional business model that seeks to go out and maximize profit, and there’s the traditional charity model. To me there’s a big space in the middle of that continuum that’s yet to be defined. How do we blend the strengths of the private and not-for-profit sectors and create new models? For me the question is, How do we create public value, real profit and social good? That, to me, is what’s got me excited about coming to Tides.
How long at Teck?
Not long: about eight months. But before that, I was at Weyerhaeuser for eight years.
You must have been a young VP.
Yeah, I was 29 when I was named a VP at Weyerhaeuser. It’s interesting. Sometimes you walk into the room and people think you’re someone that you’re not, so there was a bit of surprise there.
How was that for you?
I always felt a little shy about it. For me there was added pressure to prove myself, to demonstrate that I was adding value. If anything, it added more pressure. I was hugely fortunate to have people at Weyerhaeuser who mentored and believed in me. They gave me something a little beyond my reach to see if I could do it, and I’m grateful for that.
What’s your strength as an executive?
My ability to cut through the complexity and look at the big picture to see where we can put our focus in order to have the most impact. It’s about not getting dragged down.
It sounds like what people in basketball describe as “court vision.” Would you make that comparison?
Yes, but I’d use a hockey analogy!
What, of your professional life, do you regret?
I’m a recovering “crackberry” addict. It’s made me less than popular with loved ones and friends. It comes at a personal cost, you know? When you’re going to bed and you have to check your BlackBerry just before you turn off the light, it’s not a good thing.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
I’m a lactose-intolerant celiac, so it’s hard to have guilty pleasures. Hmm, probably chocolate soy ice cream.
What was the highlight of your time in school?
I have a bachelor of journalism from Carleton and an MBA from Warwick in the U.K. Doing my MBA overseas and travelling back and forth, that was really cool for me. I had the opportunity to take a week’s course at Harvard and a week’s course at Georgetown. That was the highlight.
What nourishes you in this work?
The chance to build something. The last five years at Weyerhaeuser was a tough road. I was really fortunate to be included on the negotiating team for some big deals. But between softwood lumber and housing collapses, we were spending a lot of our time closing mills and selling things, and that’s a difficult thing to do.
What’s the best perk of your job?
Free organic fruit – they have a delivery every week. So, you know, there’s no business class, but the organic fruit is pretty good.
