Barb Steele

Barb Steele is a Founding Partner of Momentum Business Growth, a business consultancy firm based in Vancouver. Built on decades of hard-won entrepreneurial experience, Barb works with small and medium businesses to grow sales, build teams and systems, and provide practical relevant advice.

Debbie Smollett

Debbie Smollett is currently the Executive Director, Small Business Branch, B.C. Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation. Debbie sits on the Board as the appointed provincial government representative.  Debbie’s career with the public service spans over 15 years, with more than 10 years in senior management roles, leading a diverse range of projects and multi-disciplinary teams.

Emily Kerr

[Vice Chair] Emily is Vice President, Business Banking at Bank of Montreal where she leads a team of Relationship Managers dedicated to serving the small business sector across the Greater Vancouver area. Emily is an entrepreneurial, visionary leader known for consistently delivering an exceptional client experience and business results through a team of highly motivated professionals.

Prior to joining BMO, Emily held both client-facing and leadership roles with RBC’s Commercial Financial Services team. Her experience spans pharmaceuticals, consumer packaged goods, and financial services.

Outside of her work in the financial services industry, Emily has gained first-hand entrepreneurial experience as co-owner of two large-scale residential heritage home re-development projects in the City of Vancouver. On both of these “side hustles”, Emily was responsible for managing the financial aspects of the projects, sourcing construction materials, and managing sub-trades. Both projects were completed successfully under development permits and were later sold at a capital gain.

Concurrent with her volunteer board position at Small Business BC, Emily also volunteers as Director, Major Events role with Association of Women in Finance. She holds a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University and Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University. Outside of work, Emily enjoys golf, yoga, and music.

Fiona Forbes

Fiona Forbes is a TV powerhouse with over 20 years experience both in front of the camera as a host and behind the scenes as a producer. Over the course of her career, she has interviewed A-listers to Prime Ministers, rock stars to astrophysicists and everything in between while earning many awards and nominations for her work in the film and television industry along the way.

Fiona is currently living in her hometown of Vancouver with her smiling dog Chewbacca working as a Producer and Contributor for ‘The Morning Show’ on Global and a Media Consultant for Coldwater Communications.

Hannah McDonald

[Treasurer] Hannah McDonald is an experienced lawyer who provides legal advice to First Nations in B.C. and the Yukon on various interrelated and complex matters.

Iva Jankovic

Iva Jankovic (she/they) is a first generation immigrant who came to Canada from the former Yugoslavia as a child in 2002. Iva was raised on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, where she became involved in entrepreneurship and community organizing from a young age.

Joyce Yip

[Chair] Joyce Yip is a technology strategist, strategic partnership and supply leader, project manager and governance adviser who uses a business coach approach to advance innovative technology companies, and passionate in fighting climate change.

Mark C. Smith

Mark Smith is the President and CEO of Query Fusion, a multidimensional company working in the areas of technology, customer experience and distribution. Fusion is the Query sandbox where ideas are generated, innovation happens, and new products, services and companies emerge.

Richard Sehmer

Richard Sehmer is a co-owner and partner at Murphy & Company LLP where he practices mainly in the area of business law.

Tammy Schulz

As Director General, Economic Development and Investment Strategies at PacifiCan, Tammy Schulz is a Public Service Executive with a unique combination of experience in program delivery, communications, strategic planning and change management.

Theodora Jean

Theodora Jean has over 15 years of public relations and communications experience in private industry, government, and non-profit sectors. Through her public relations agency, Coldwater Communications, Theodora provides earned media strategies, corporate communications services, and thought-leadership for clients in various industries, such as academia, film, retail and tech.

Vince Prince

Vince is currently the Executive Director for the Aboriginal Business and Community Development Centre.