Introducing Vanmag’s 2025 Power 50 List

To be clear: this list isn’t about highlighting only those in power. It’s about honouring those who power our city. And if you think we’re being pedantic, well, we’re editors. It’s our job. What seems like a small distinction is actually an important one—a framework that explicitly spotlights the people who are giving back to Vancouver. In 2025, the power players most worth celebrating, in our humble opinion, are the ones who energize, empower, enlighten, excite and educate others. Fewer politicians. More philanthropists and power to the people.

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2025 Hall of Fame Inductees
Ones to Watch 2025

Vancouver Magazine’s 2025 Power 50 List

1. Carol Lee
For changing life for the better in Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside

Co-founder and Chair,  Vancouver Chinatown Foundation

Previously #5, 2024

Since launching the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation in 2011, Carol Lee has become the best-known ambassador for the historic neighbourhood—bringing food and entertainment to the streets through the annual Light Up Chinatown and Taste of Chinatown events and sharing the stories of founding families at the Chinatown Storytelling Centre. She’s also a one-woman entrepreneurial force, with several ventures in Chinatown (past and present) including Chinatown BBQ, Foo Hung Curios and Linacare Cosmetherapy.

But perhaps her greatest legacy will end up being Bob and Michael’s Place, the massive social housing project at 58 West Hastings Street, which opened its doors this past June. Named after her father, the late developer Bob Lee, and his fellow developer Michael Audain, Bob and Michael’s Place (for which the foundation was a lead investor) is billed as the largest such project in the Downtown Eastside, with 231 social housing units operated by the United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society. For a city with chronic housing issues, the development couldn’t come soon enough.

As if her plate isn’t full as-is, Lee, in a full-circle moment, also became chair of the UBC Properties Trust in 2024—leading the organization her father founded in 1988 and led until 2011.

2. First Nations Leadership Council
For shaping both conversation and action  around Indigenous rights

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, President, Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs; Chief Don Tom, Vice-President, UBICC; Chief Marilyn Slett, Secretary-Treasurer, UBICC; Cheryl Casimer, Robert Phillips and Hugh Braker, Executives, First Nations Summit; Terry Teegee, Regional Chief, B.C. Assembly of First Nations

NEW

“They all carry a pretty big wake in Victoria with this government and certainly the two Greens.” That’s the word from inside the NDP governing tent when it comes to the group of people who talk directly to B.C.’s politicians and bureaucrats about how the province is going to move forward on reconciliation and Indigenous rights. They were at the forefront of the deal announced last April to recognize Haida Aboriginal title throughout Haida Gwaii, called historic by Indigenous scholars. It has produced a flurry of legal analysis about what it all means. The council has already shined a spotlight on issues like horrific cases of child abuse in the foster-care system and autism care. It also succeeded in getting the province to provide $200 million to help Indigenous groups participate fully in bringing in changes to B.C. through the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The council includes the leaders at three organizations: from the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president since 1998, vice-president Chief Don Tom and secretary-treasurer Chief Marilyn Slett; from the First Nations Summit political executive, Cheryl Casimer, Robert Phillips and Hugh Braker; and from the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, Chief Terry Teegee.

3. Ryan and Cindy Beedie
For building for good

Philanthropists

Previously #3, 2024

Being a big-name developer in Vancouver gives you some automatic cred. And Ryan Beedie—steering the eponymous business his late father Keith launched in 1954—has more credibility than most, having turned the company (also named, simply, Beedie) into one of the largest industrial developers and property managers in Canada.

From the beginning, the younger Beedie set out to do things differently from Keith, not just in the type of developments his company would pursue but also with the corporate ethos—called Built for Good—that guides all Beedie initiatives, from investments to philanthropy. Core to that socially responsible ethos has been education. In 2018, Ryan Beedie marked his 50th birthday by donating $50 million to launch Beedie Luminaries, a scholarship program that aims to remove barriers to education for hundreds of students; Luminaries has since expanded beyond high school to include scholarships for single parents, refugees and immigrants, and, as of 2024, aspiring tradespeople.

While education is a passion for Ryan and his wife, Cindy, their philanthropic interests are fairly broad, with regular big-ticket donations to hospitals, shelters and food banks around the Lower Mainland. The Beedie Foundation, for which Cindy serves as executive director, has donated over $100 million to date, to both local and global causes.

4. Armin Amrolia
For running at our housing problem head-on

Deputy City Manager, City of Vancouver

Previously #30, 2023

Armin Amrolia spent 30 years with BC Housing, strategizing about where and how to build affordable housing units, from shelter to transitional units to purpose-built rentals. By the time she left to join the City of Vancouver in 2021, her team was delivering 3,500 affordable homes annually. Now, as one of three deputy city managers, her targets are even more ambitious. In Vancouver’s new 10-year plan, approved in June, Amrolia and her team have set out to build more than 83,000 new homes between 2024 and 2033, with 75 percent designated rental housing. In a hopeful note—per our panel— Amrolia stands as an example of effective bureaucracy at city hall.

 

5. The Second-Gen Builders
For building on their parents’ legacy

Colin Bosa, CEO, Bosa Properties; Dale Bosa, Co-Owner, Bosa Properties; Byron Chard, CEO, Chard Development; Peter Edgar, CEO, Edgar Development; Tim Grant, president, PCI Developments; Mike Mackay, CEO, Strand; Nic Paolella, Executive Vice President, Marcon Development

Bosas (previously #12, 2024); Grant, Mackay (previously #35, 2023); Chard, Edgar, Paolella (NEW)

Their dads built the Vancouver (or in Peter Edgar’s case, Edmonton) of the 1980s, ’90s and early ’00s. Now the second generation of city-raised developers is taking over and doing its best to make the place better. Tim Grant at PCI Developments, Colin and Dale Bosa at their family-named company, Byron Chard at his family company, Mike Mackay at Strand, Peter Edgar at Edgar Development and Nic Paolella at Marcon Development are forging ahead steadily with building homes for city residents. Unlike what has happened in Vancouver with some offshore companies or newbie developers in the last couple of years, this group is avoiding shipwreck on the shoals of the current tough construction climate that has seen a few notable bankruptcies, takeovers and signs of distress. Instead, this hometown crew appears to be well capitalized and willing to go where others aren’t always. They’re building thousands of rental apartments aimed at providing homes for young workers across the region. Some, like Marcon and Chard and PCI, work with nonprofits in various capacities or, like Bosa Properties, are planning to use money from a family foundation in its innovative proposal for a new development at the old Army and Navy building on Hastings, to provide rentals at below-market costs. Marcon is pitching two full-service hotels for downtown Vancouver—something many developers say is too tough to take on—along with a portfolio that also includes condos, seniors housing and social housing. If Vancouver makes it through this housing trial by fire, it will be in part because of this group.

6. Amar Doman
For making BC Lions games a mane event again

CEO, Futura Corporation

Previously #9, 2024

Just a few years ago, it was hard to imagine the BC Lions being at the centre of some of the buzziest half-time shows in the country (the Jonas Brothers at the Grey Cup, 50 Cent at a sold-out home opener). But when Amar Doman—whose day job sees him steering Futura Corporation, an asset management company—purchased the team in 2021, he focused his entrepreneurial experience on bringing local enthusiasm back to the Lions, right down to both landing the Grey Cup in Vancouver and booking the right acts. “Amar has a way better playlist than I do,” Randy Ambrosie, commissioner for the CFL, lightheartedly told BCBusiness about booking 50 Cent. “He had a good idea of what he wanted—an act that would speak across generations and be a big attraction for younger fans.” He was recently celebrated for his efforts with CFL’s top honours, the Commissioner’s Award, in November 2024.

7. Mindy Wight
For bringing an  economic lens to reconciliation

CEO of Nch’kay Development Corporation

Previously #32, 2024

As head of Nch’kay Development Corporation, the development arm of the Squamish Nation, Mindy Wight (a trained CPA) has championed the cause of economic reconciliation—helping to build a $3-billion high-rise complex in Kitsilano, spread over 10 acres, that in a few years’ time will house some 10,000 people.

Senákw is one of five development projects Nch’kay has on the go, but economic reconciliation takes on less visible manifestations, too: last year, Scotiabank announced the creation of Cedar Leaf Capital—Canada’s first Indigenous-led, Indigenous-owned investment dealer—of which Nch’kay is one of three Indigenous shareholders.

8. Ajay Patel
For thinking beyond the campus

President, Vancouver Community College

Previously #10, 2024

It’s the largest and oldest community college in B.C., but under Ajay Patel’s direction, Vancouver Community College has been anything but stagnant. There are more than 100,000 electric vehicles on the road in B.C. today (up from a mere 5,000 less than 10 years ago), and VCC is positioning itself as a training hub for work in the clean economy—with construction for a massive Centre for Clean Energy and Automotive Innovation kicking off this year. Patel has also been a central figure—along with PCI, Onni and Low Tide—in working on plans to turn Great Northern Way into a fascinating “cultural ribbon” filled with creative businesses. And plans are in the works for building an additional 3,300 residential units on its Broadway campus, with at least 20 percent of those below-market housing rentals. “I don’t see other post-secondary institutions doing the amount of work he’s doing for community building and supporting affordable housing for students,” noted one of our Power 50 advisory panellists, “along with supporting the need to diversify our economy for clean energy economy infrastructure.”

9. John Nicola and David Sung
For sharing the wealth

Founder and Chair, Nicola Wealth; Executive Vice Chair and Director of Institutional, Nicola Wealth

Nicola (NEW); Sung (previously#27, 2024)

Yes, Nicola Wealth ostensibly exists to provide financial services to the affluent—but the two men at the helm of the wealth and asset management company seem to spend half their time servicing those with deeper needs. Founder and chair John Nicola has grown his organization to a team of 500-plus managing more than $16.4 billion in assets, all while deploying millions of his own dollars to supporting at-risk youth, mental health causes and underserved populations with his Nicola Family Foundation; under his leadership, a Nicola Wealth Gives Back charitable committee directs millions more into charitable causes across Canada annually. Second-in-command David Sung follows suit with a dedication to community empowerment. He’s been instrumental in expanding the firm’s presence in Canada, but he’s also a vital player on the charity circuit as chair for both the Vancouver Police Foundation and the Arts Umbrella boards. It’s a shining example of both corporate and personal responsibility—two high-powered execs investing in what really matters.

10. Gary Pooni
For knowing everyone who’s anyone

President, Pooni Group

Previously #17, 2024

If we still used Rolo- dexes, Gary Pooni’s would need its own personal assistant to lug it around. He’s a development consultant—his team was key in getting the OK for huge developments around the region, including the Columbia Square plan in New Westminster—but Pooni has everyone from the premier to the mayor to various Canucks and FIFA VPs on speed dial, making him the connector for those who need to get things done in the city, the province and beyond. He’s typically behind the scenes, but he’s the wind behind the sails of community events like Broadway Rocks (and soon, a pro-wrestling project). No surprise that his foray into podcasting this year focuses on folks in town driving positive change; the first Poonicast kicks off with Canucks team ambassador Kirk McLean.

11. Chief Wayne Sparrow, Debra Sparrow and  Johnna Sparrow-Crawford
For making power a family affair

Musqueam Chief; Textile Artist; Aboriginal Relations Advisor for Aquilini Construction

Wayne (previously #10, 2016); Johnna and Debra (NEW)

Consider the Sparrows another entry into the Talented Family Hall of Fame (see: the Sedarises). Siblings Wayne Sparrow, Debra Sparrow and Johnna Sparrow-Crawford are each masters of their individual domains—Johnna, the youngest, is a vital player on the Aquilini development team, brokering relationships between the Aquilinis’ businesses and the three host First Nations. (“The rise to power for the host Nations on the development side really stemmed from the support that the Aquilinis provided over the last couple of decades,” reports one of our advisory council members. “Johnna is at the centre, keeping it all together.”) Meanwhile, brother Wayne is the Musqueam’s longtime chief and sister Debra is an acclaimed textile and jewellery artist whose designs inspired a potential facade of the upcoming Vancouver Art Gallery. But together, they’re power brokers within the Musqueam community and ambassadors for the business, artistic and cultural aspects of their people.

12. The Biotech Block
For giving the life sciences sector, well, life 

Carl Hansen, CEO, AbCellera; Pieter Cullis, Founder, Acuitas Therapeutics; Paul Geyer, CEO, Nimbus Synergies

Hansen (previously #9, 2020); Cullis and Geyer (NEW)

Vancouver has been attracting attention for the last several years because of an explosively growing life sciences sector that took off during the pandemic. It’s the fastest growing one in Canada, bringing in $13 billion in private-sector investment in the last 10 years, as well as a billion in provincial and federal grants in the last two years. A few key people and companies are the big drivers in this ecosystem, a group that has won any number of awards, filled buildings around Metro Vancouver and made the city a major player in the biotech realm. They’ve also been mentors to many others and fostered innovation throughout the sector. Among them, Carl Hansen, at the head of AbCellera, focused on antibody medicines; Pieter Cullis, who founded Acuitas Therapeutics, with a global reputation for innovative lipid nanoparticle delivery systems for nucleic acid therapeutics; and Paul Geyer, a pioneer in Vancouver’s life sciences industry since the ’90s, who has most recently invested more than $10 million in digital health companies with his venture-capital firm Nimbus.

13. Bridgitte Anderson and Jane Talbot
For championing a revitalized downtown

President and CEO, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade (GVBT); President and CEO, Downtown Van (DVBIA)

Anderson (previously #25, 2024);  Talbot (new)

Whether you’re a big business with offices in the clouds or a small one entrenched in Vancouver’s streetscape, 2024 was a difficult year. But two women—Bridgitte Anderson and Jane Talbot—are working hard to bring prosperity back to their communities.

For Anderson—whose Greater Vancouver Board of Trade represents over 5,000 business leaders—the central challenge is finding ways to innovate and attract high-paying jobs to Vancouver; in late November, she attended the Cascadia Innovation Corridor conference in Portland, seeking cooperation among business and government leaders across the Pacific Northwest.

For Talbot—whose business association represents 7,000 business and property owners in Vancouver’s downtown core—the focus is not only improving safety on Vancouver streets, but also making them more attractive. In July, the DVBIA announced a five-year strategy to activate laneways off Granville and Hornby, between Waterfront Station and the VAG, pushing hard to revitalize a challenging area.

14. Christine Boyle
For bringing a breath  of fresh air to politics

NDP MLA and Minister for Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

Previously #13, 2024

It’s been a rocket ride for 40-year-old Christine Boyle. She was elected to Vancouver council six years ago, rapidly becoming the flag-bearer for newborn OneCity, the left-wing civic party that many hoped would morph into a new political force in the city. Then Boyle, a big voice on council for climate-change strategies, abruptly jumped to provincial politics and was elected an NDP MLA for Little Mountain last October, then was quickly named the minister for Indigenous relations and reconciliation. Married to prominent climate activist Seth Klein (brother of Naomi Klein, #38) and old friends with Premier David Eby and his wife, Cailey Lynch, and armed with a savvy ability to build networks, Boyle is expected to make an impact.

15. Sinead King, Christine Sinclair and Stephanie Labbé
For kicking off the women’s sport revolution

Co-Owner, Sporting Director and President, Vancouver Rise FC

Sinclair (previously #31, 2024); Labbé (NEW); King (NEW)

Christine Sinclair could have retired on a high note—after all, hanging up your cleats as the world’s top international goal scorer (regardless of gender) is a mic drop that doesn’t need a follow-up. But instead of stepping off the field, the Burnaby-born legend stepped into a new chapter as co-owner of Vancouver Rise FC, the city’s first professional women’s soccer team. (It’s the perfect place for her to be as she continues her push for pay equity; Sinclair was pivotal in securing 2024’s landmark equal pay deal for Canada’s men’s and women’s teams.) Slated to debut in the Northern Super League this spring, Rise FC isn’t just another sports franchise—it’s a rallying cry for women’s sports in Vancouver. Joining Sinclair is Stephanie Labbé, the Olympic gold medal-winning former goalkeeper for Canada’s women’s national team, serving as Rise FC’s general manager and sporting director and building the dream team from scratch. Off the pitch, she’s just as formidable: she’s a passionate advocate for mental health and 2SLGBTQIA+ rights, and her 2024 documentary Shut Out broke ground by addressing anxiety, depression and burnout in sports, sparking candid conversations on issues too often sidelined. Meanwhile, Sinead King, the club’s president, brings a combination of operations experience, startup hustle and a personal love for the beautiful game to her role—and, more importantly, a keen awareness of just what this new league will do for the future of girls in sport. Let the games begin.

16. Jill  Schnarr
For proving that big business can make a big difference

Chief Communications and Brand Officer, Telus

Previously #8, 2024

As Mr. Rogers said, “Look for the helpers.” In times of crisis, Jill Schnarr has been a helper of the highest order, rolling up her sleeves and stepping in where it counts. This year, as Telus’s chief communications and brand officer (a title as long as her to-do list), she helped the company hit a milestone few others can match: $100 million donated to Canadian charities through its Community Boards. That money fuels thousands of grassroots programs—from KidSafe to the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre—helping Vancouver’s most vulnerable thrive. And when wildfires tore through Jasper this summer, Schnarr and her team acted fast, deploying emergency cell towers, donating $100,000 to local charities, distributing disaster kits and even offering free counselling sessions. They also waived mobile fees for evacuees—because staying connected during a crisis shouldn’t come with a price tag. But Schnarr isn’t just about putting out fires. She’s building a better future with programs like Telus’s She Can Coach program, which breaks down barriers for women in sports, and the $100-million Pollinator Fund for Good that backs startups like Flash Forest, which uses drones to reforest wildfire-scorched areas. And with initiatives like the CHLOE Awards, which celebrate female leaders, Schnarr is proving that big business can do more than just turn a profit—it can also inspire.

17. Daniel Vigo
For taking action against an epidemic

Chief Scientific Advisor for Psychiatry, Toxic Drugs and Concurrent Disorders, province of BC

NEW

In June, Premier David Eby announced the appointment of Dr. Daniel Vigo as B.C.’s chief scientific advisor for psychiatry, toxic drugs and concurrent disorders, and since then, Eby has regularly referred to him as the guide for his institutionalization policy. Finding a solution for the thousands of people struggling with these issues is no easy task, but Vigo has collaborated with health authorities from across the province to provide evidence-based recommendations that are already changing the game (even if not all critics agree with the solution): in September, Vigo and Eby announced plans for involuntary care centres and B.C.’s first “approved home” care facility to help the few hundred complex patients (those whose substance use disorder has caused mental impairment) who are falling through the care gaps.

18. Walter Schneider
For showing us the money

CEO, New Relationship Trust

NEW

Nearly 20 years ago, the B.C. government passed the New Relationship Trust Act, which transferred $100 million to B.C.’s First Nations—money aimed at developing capacity in governance, leadership and human resources. Walter Schneider, as CEO, helps the nonprofit deliver on its promise, with top projects in 2024 focused on the clean energy transition—including the BC Indigenous Clean Energy Initiative (BCICEI) and the Community Energy Diesel Reduction (CEDR) program. (He’s a busy guy: “He’s got so much on the go and his finger in so many pies,” says one of our advisory panellists.) Schneider also sits on the board of the First Nations Market Housing Fund, which promotes homeownership for First Nations people across Canada.

19. Jen St. Denis
For covering the stories that matter

Journalist, The Tyee

NEW

Tyee reporter Jen St. Denis doesn’t just report on fire code violations that leave tenants homeless or Vancouver’s bleak rental market (where listings proudly advertise “private rooms” separated by a curtain). She shines an unflinching spotlight on these injustices, demanding accountability with every word, taking on bad landlords and the systemic neglect of the Downtown Eastside with a laser-sharp focus. This year, her reporting delved into the aftermath of devastating fires like the Winters Hotel blaze, highlighting the human toll on displaced residents and calling for urgent safety reforms. Her relentless pursuit of the truth earned her a nomination for the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s Landsberg Award, celebrating her groundbreaking reporting on missing Indigenous women and youth. And in 2024, she brought her sharp investigative lens to the B.C. provincial election, dissecting political controversies and policy moves with a clarity that many voters desperately needed.

20. Roger Hardy
For seeing a clear business  opportunity

Co-founder and CEO, Kits Eyecare

NEW

Clearly Contacts and its eventual sale (for $445 million to French eyewear giant Essilor) made Roger Hardy one of B.C.’s most successful entrepreneurs. His next venture, Shoes.com, failed and sank his reputation. But Hardy didn’t give up. In 2018, he went back to eyewear with a simple proposition: make buying good glasses easy and cheap. On Black Friday 2024, Kits Eyecare hit over $1 million in revenue on a single day, with around two-thirds of that business from repeat customers. But in an age when practically everything is made offshore, Hardy’s most mind-boggling accomplishment may be that almost all of his company’s manufacturing is done in its East Vancouver facility.

21. Melissa Lem
For caring about the health of the earth, too

Doctor, President of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

NEW

If Melissa Lem is your family doctor: good for you. How she has time to help you between all her other activism and advocacy is anyone’s guess. As the president of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and director of PaRx, B.C. Parks Foundation’s national nature prescription program, she’s a fierce advocate of nature as the fourth pillar of health. Planetary health is integral to our well-being, she argues in her policy consulting, media appearances (she’s a regular climate change panellist on CBC Radio) and across the world as an internationally recognized voice in the field of nature and health.

22. Paul Grunberg and  Craig Stanghetta
For serving up the city’s tastiest rooms

Co-Owners, Banda Volpi Restaurant Group

Grunberg (NEW); Stanghetta (previously #39, 2016)

Interior designer Craig Stanghetta (principal and creative director of famed Ste. Marie) and industry vet (and former co-owner of L’Abattoir) Paul Grunberg’s Banda Volpi Restaurant Group has redefined the culinary scene in Vancouver over the past nine years. The powerhouse duo are legends in the city thanks to their ability to open consistently buzzy restaurants with a distinctive point of view—take Pepino’s Goodfellas-esque vibe or Savio Volpe’s rustic charm—while still maintaining a cohesive overarching theme of Italian food done right. They opened their newest venture, Elio Volpe (a masterclass in coastal Italian cuisine), in March 2024 to immediate praise, proving yet again that style, culinary creativity and true hospitality are the backbone of the industry.

23. Marianne Amodio
For filling in the missing middle

Principal, MA+HG Architects

NEW

If you’ve been hearing a lot of talk about the “missing middle” in Vancouver housing over these past few years, chances are you’ve also heard architect Marianne Amodio of MA+HG Architects being sourced as a boots-on-the-ground pro on the subject. The “missing” component—medium-density housing, like townhouses and low rises, that bridges the gap between single-family homes and mid-to-high-rise apartments—happens to be a specialty of Amodio’s. Her work aptly demonstrates that density can be both a functional and beautiful way to live: the firm was recently celebrated by Urban Development Institute BC’s Awards for Excellence for their e15 townhouse project, which orients each home at a 45-degree angle—opening up more courtyard space while also creating a better streetscape from the classic solid wall of houses. And their “Our Urban Village” project (in partnership with Tomo Spaces and Happy City Labs, see #40) was one of the first successful co-housing projects with an affordable home component to be greenlit in the city. (Creating smartly designed residential buildings isn’t the only trick in her book—she’s the architect behind the thoughtful renovation that brought the Hollywood Theatre back to being a hot spot again.)

24. Jim Rutherford
For stickhandling the Canucks toward stability

President of Hockey Operations, Vancouver Canucks

NEW

Veteran NHL executive Jim Rutherford was the life preserver at the end of the shipwreck that was Jim Benning’s tenure as general manager of the Vancouver Canucks just over three years ago. The team went on a torrid playoff run last season and Rutherford, who brought in his longtime protege Patrik Allvin to serve as GM, signed a three-year extension in 2024. Even though his public appearances are rare, he’s brought professionalism and stability to an organization that badly needed it and retains the final word on all hockey-related decisions.

25. Ginger Gosnell- Myers
For helping the city find its soul

Fellow, Urban Indigenous Policy, Planning and Decolonization, SFU

Previously #40, 2024

In May, Ginger Gosnell-Myers took centre stage as a keynote speaker at a sold-out sustainable urban planning event co-hosted by the City of Vancouver and C40 Cities. Her message was as powerful as it was clear: a city that doesn’t reflect Indigenous knowledge is a city missing its soul. Attendees walked away buzzing about her vision for greener, more inclusive urban spaces—but Gosnell-Myers is doing more than just talking. As SFU’s Indigenous Fellow at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Gosnell-Myers has been busy crafting policy blueprints that embed reconciliation into the DNA of urban development. Her work is about more than consultation; it’s about transformation. This year, she also stepped into a deeply personal fight, advocating for her Mosquito Creek community in the face of evictions. For Gosnell-Myers, the journey of Indigenous rights and sustainability isn’t abstract—it’s rooted in the places she calls home.

26. Bill Tam
For charging up the tech sector

Tech Entrepreneur, Board Director

NEW

For anybody working in that intersectional world of tech, media and the arts, Bill Tam has become the go-to governance guru. Tam got his start 30 years ago helping Rogers enter the broadband internet market, and has since launched several tech startups of his own; he also co-founded the Digital Technology Supercluster, led the BC Tech Association and was vital in helping Michelle Collens (#28) land the upcoming Web Summit. But these days, the real value Tam adds is as a board member: in addition to chairing the Centre for Digital Media board, current appointments include co-chair of Creative BC and a director for CBC.

27. Martin Thibodeau
For making money matter

Regional President, RBC Royal Bank

Previously #29, 2024

Does Martin Thibodeau ever sit down? If there’s a fundraiser, gala or grassroots initiative happening in Vancouver, chances are he’s there—not just cutting ribbons but also contributing his own money. In a corporate banking world often criticized for its detachment, Thibodeau’s hyper-local philanthropy is rare and refreshing. In his day job at RBC, Thibodeau navigated through one of its most ambitious moves yet: the acquisition of HSBC Canada, bringing 780,000 new customers under the RBC wing. But his crowning achievement in 2024 went beyond mergers and acquisitions—he’s ensuring that a significant portion of RBC’s loans are set aside for local real estate developers. It’s a move that could reshape Vancouver’s housing market, with a five-year plan designed to keep key projects on track and support regional growth.

28. Michelle Collens
For working hard so we can play hard

Director, Sport Hosting Vancouver

Previously #24, 2023

If you think you’ve heard the name Michelle Collens before, it’s because she’s one of the key players who brought the Grey Cup, Invictus Games and FIFA World Cup to the city (and was on this list for doing so in 2023). Now, she’s setting her sights beyond the world of sport: starting in May 2025, she’s bringing the Web Summit to Vancouver (it’ll be hosted here until 2028). The “Olympics of the tech world” is the largest technology event in North America and is set to attract thousands from around the globe, with Destination Vancouver predicting an economic boost of $172 million in direct spending and $279 million in overall economic impact for the province over the next three years.

29. Prem Gill
For being our  Hollywood hero

CEO, Creative BC

Previously #37, 2024

From books, magazines and music to the dense output of Hollywood North, Prem Gill has championed the cultural sector of the province as CEO of Creative BC since 2015. Last year she made this list for her hard work in maintaining B.C.’s multi-billion-dollar film industry during the infamous Writer’s Guild of America and Screen Actors Guild strikes. But her work wasn’t and isn’t done—in September 2024, Gill and her team announced that 12 B.C. production companies would receive a total  of $600,000 through  Creative BC’s Slate Development Program, injecting capital and, in turn, more jobs into the still-recovering industry. 

30. Hasan Alam
For helping keep speech free

President, BC Civil Liberties Association

NEW

When Hasan Alam was named president of the BC Civil Liberties Association board last August, he became the first BCCLA president from a racialized background. Alam, a staff representative for the BC General Employees’ Union, acknowledged a special responsibility to continue the BCCLA’s ongoing work “to better reflect at a governance level the communities it serves.” For Alam, fighting for marginalized communities is his life’s work: he also serves as community liaison for the Islamophobia Legal Assistance Hotline (a service he co-founded) and is past president of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers. This year, he caught our panel’s attention for his work on cases around suppression of the right to protest and speak out—like for Amy Blanding, who was removed from her post as a director for the Northern Health Authority for expressing sentiments about human rights in Palestine. “In B.C., the way to take a principled stance legitimately is with the BCCLA,” says one Power 50 advisor. “Hasan is the spokesperson for that.”

31. Jennifer Wong
For spreading the Super Puff  gospel to the world

CEO, Aritzia

PREVIOUSLY #47, 2023

In 2024, Aritzia continued its streak of record-breaking growth, with CEO Jennifer Wong still at the helm. The homegrown fashion juggernaut opened new flagship stores in New York and Chicago, solidifying its U.S. expansion and setting the stage for even bigger ambitions. The numbers speak volumes: under Wong’s leadership, Aritzia reported a jaw-dropping $498.6 million in net revenue in Q1 of fiscal 2025. It’s a clear sign of the brand’s growing dominance in the global fashion arena, but despite her focus on scaling the company, Wong remains fiercely local, often crediting her climb from store-floor salesperson to CEO as a testament to Aritzia’s commitment to mentorship and leadership development. Of course, rapid growth comes with growing pains, and some critics have flagged concerns over quality as the brand expands. But Wong’s relentless drive to position Aritzia as the epitome of accessible luxury has kept the company more than thriving: it has cemented Vancouver’s place on the global style map.

32. David and Jonathan Barnett
For healing on a high note

Founder, Music Heals, EVP Dayhu group of companies; President/CEO Dayhu Group of Companies

Previously #41, 2024

What happens when you combine a love of music with a commitment to giving back? For David and Jonathan Barnett, commercial real estate developers with their company Dayhu, the result is Music Heals, one of Vancouver’s most dynamic charities. Since its founding, Music Heals has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to expand access to music therapy for cancer patients, seniors and others in need. From hospital wards to community clinics, their work proves that music doesn’t just entertain—it restores. Together with a team of dedicated supporters, the Barnetts have built a movement of donors, musicians and therapists who share a focused vision: making music therapy accessible to everyone. How’s that for ending on a high note?

33. Fred Lee
For electrifying the charity circuit

Host, presenter and auctioneer

Previously #44, 2024

We dare you to find a person with a busier social calendar than Fred Lee. The go-to emcee and auctioneer is in such demand to host charitable galas that charities now book their calendars—and million-dollar fundraising events—around his availability. (And for at least one such event last year, they arranged for a car to bring him to their gala after he finished with the auction at another on the same night.) And Lee’s host-with-the-most status goes beyond what happens on the floor at the gala: when he agrees to work with a new charity, he’ll meet and coach them on how to make the most of their event, using the best practices he’s developed over the years. Now that’s charitable giving.

34. Brian McBay
For putting bureaucracy to work for artists

Founder, 221A

NEW

Why dwell on how many arts spaces have shut down in the past five years (RIP, Toast Collective) when you could instead dream with Brian McBay about a future where artists actually own their own real estate? McBay—whose nonprofit 221A is managing a new government-and-developer-funded artist studio tower that opened this year in the West End—is now on a mission to fund 221A’s Cultural Land Trust. The CLT model has been successfully implemented in certifiably cool cities all over the world (London, Austin) and basically operates as an entity that purchases and manages land with the goal of providing arts organizations and artists stable rent and pathways to ownership. It’s a lofty dream in a city where even finance bros struggle to find affordable housing, but 221A earned Vancouver City Council support this summer, resolving to form a working group to create recommendations for how they can help this grand plan move forward. Sure, no ground has been broken yet—but it’s a groundbreaking concept all the same.

35. Philip Kim (a.k.a. Phil Wizard)
For breaking it down on the world stage

Gold Medallist Breakdancer

NEW

Confession: this year’s Power 50 list took twice as long as usual to write because we kept stopping to watch Phil Wizard breakdancing videos. If you didn’t get a swell of hometown pride watching the jaw-dropping talents of Vancouver’s B-boy ambassador during the 2024 Paris Olympics, maybe get that pulse checked. Wizard (known to friends and the government as Philip Kim) brought home a gold medal from the 2024 Paris Olympics in the first-ever men’s breakdancing competition, wowing judges and winning hearts with expressive, laws-of-physics-defying moves he honed training with Vancouver’s tight-knit breaking community at Boogaloo Academy in South Van. Call him our golden boy—a representative not just for our country, but also for every dancer who ever busted a move at Robson Square and dreamed big.

36. Anthonia Ogundele
For engineering opportunities for the next gen of Black tech whizzes   

Founder and executive director, Ethós Lab Educational Society

NEW

Anthonia Ogundele is more comfortable in the world of tech—but here she is, gracing the pages of yet another magazine. (Her appearance on BCBusiness’s 2024 Women of the Year list even landed her the cover.) But while she’s in the spotlight right now, her work as founder of Ethós Lab is really about sitting back and letting tomorrow’s all-stars shine: the nonprofit STEAM academy gives teens—particularly Black youth—a chance to get involved in science, technology, engineering, applied arts and math, an industry that has traditionally been lacking in representation. More than 1,100 kids have been impacted by her programs this year (whether that’s the immersive “Blackathon” hacking workshop or VR-focused field trips); partnerships with Microsoft, Vancity, Sony and EA and a recent election to the UBC Board of Governers are bringing her mission of an inclusive tech scene into the workplace and higher education, too. 

37. Robert Quartermain
For showing that a mining magnate can see what’s more valuable than gold

Resource Entrepreneur; Advisor to ARC Foundation

NEW

Forgive us for stereotyping, but “mining magnate” and “advocate for queer youth” are not typically two identities we think of as overlapping (Billy Elliot did a number on us, it seems.) Robert Quartermain proves us wrong. He’s one of the most prolific mining executives in the city, a former executive chair of Pretium Resources and a past CEO of Silver Standard, and is still an influential voice in the mining community. But he’s also tapped into something more precious than metal with his activism work: his ARC Foundation created breakthrough collaboration models for reducing 2SLGBTQIA+ discrimination in schools. Through ARC, Quartermain championed SOGI 123, a tool for educators to make schools safer and more inclusive for students of all sexual orientations and gender identities through teaching resources, policies and procedures and guidance on creating inclusive environments. He’s the organization’s largest personal donor over the last 17 years, and at a time when SOGI is under threat from conservative detractors, he’s expanding his efforts into the post-secondary world with the new Robert Quartermain Centre for Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Inclusive Education, which will open at UBC beginning January 2025.

38. Naomi Klein
For always putting the facts first  

Author, Journalist and  Co-Director, UBC Centre for Climate Justice

Previously #23, 2023

As founding co-director for the UBC Centre for Climate Justice, Naomi Klein has worked tirelessly to advance the changes necessary to combat the ongoing and escalating climate crisis. In her journalism work, she advocates for our future through columns in The Guardian and appearances on Democracy Now (an award-winning independent news hour). And while her recent, instant bestseller Doppelganger tackles a different topic—conspiracy theories, false narratives and the rise of misinformation—ultimately, all of her work aims to expose the truth of our world, and pushes audiences to confront the realities (for better or, usually, for worse) of the vulnerabilities in our social, economic and environmental systems. Her consistent mix of humour and biting truth makes even difficult subject matter approachable.

39. Ryn Broz and  Paige Frewer
For bringing the party to Mount Pleasant

Co-owners and Operators, The Birdhouse

Previously #50, 2023  

Mount Pleasant is known for a lot of things (Michelin-starred restaurants, vintage shopping, men in plaid, et cetera) but nightlife isn’t one of them. Ryn Broz and Paige Frewer are changing that with their pulsing, sweating party space at 44 West 4th Avenue, home to some of the city’s most interesting and inventive queer programming. The Birdhouse hosts wild and wonderful drag shows (‘Break the Internet’ night features artists dressed up like specific memes), playfully niche dance parties (queers who love comfort footwear fill the floor during ‘Club Croc’) and internationally renowned DJs, but it’s also a club that’s about more than just good times for the queer community: Broz and Frewer approach their role with inclusivity and care at the forefront, enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for oppressive behaviour and a dedication to extensive, thoughtful accessibility measures (see the eight-page accessibility info document and roaming Buddy System volunteers available to every eventgoer). Party on.

40. Charles Montgomery, Mark Shieh and Leslie Shieh
For caring about happiness as much as density

Co-founder, Happy Cities; Founders, Tomo Spaces

NEW

Charles Montgomery put Vancouver on the international map a decade ago with his book Happy City, which focused on how to use urban design to create more connections among residents and visitors. Montgomery, a journalist, created the consulting company Happy Cities following that. Happy Cities has since worked with developers and city planners around Metro Vancouver on everything from tools for city planners to policies that promote social engagement in new housing (done together with Hey Neighbour Collective) to strategies for Vancouver seniors’ housing and private multi-family projects to ideas for better use of streets and laneways everywhere. (And somehow Montgomery has found time to write a soon-to-be-published book about how to build social trust.) Mark and Leslie Shieh at Tomo Spaces complement the Happy Cities approach with their work on unusual housing and public-space projects, including Our Urban Village, a co-housing project in central Vancouver (designed by architect Marianne Amodio, #23) that Happy Cities is studying to assess its impact on its residents’ sense of well-being. Happy days may be here again.

41. Malik Talib
For investing in the power of people

Lawyer, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist

Previously #37, 2018

Malik Talib is a man of many interests and widespread influence. The lawyer-cum- entrepreneur has put his mark on a bunch of businesses, finding recent success in real estate and food processing (MadeFresh Foods). Years after leading the Aga Khan Council for Canada, Talib remains a force within the famously charitable Ismaili Muslim community, serving on the National Committee of Aga Khan Foundation Canada and chairing the Ismaili Leaders International Forum. Outside the role, he’s made knowledge and time commitments to BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver Foundation and United Way, and personally championed Vancouver Foundation’s loneliness study. “He wants to protect Vancouver’s most important asset: its people,” says a source close to him. 

42. Kirsten Koppang Telford
For taking Shine Theory to its full potential

CEO, The Forum

NEW 

Kirsten Koppang Telford could’ve just taken the money from the sale of her emergency communications tech company,  ePACT and had a nice little early retirement. Instead, she’s spent the last year advocating for, coaching and hyping up the female and trans femme entrepreneurs who look to her for wisdom in her role as CEO of The Forum. This year, the organization raised more than a million dollars at the pitch finale to help provide financial capital to the community’s 2,792 members. “This is what community and leadership looks like,” said one of our advisors. “She is the voice of that organization.” From new businesses to growth-stage entrepreneurs, Telford is shaping the future for women in business from the ground up.

43. Maiko Yamamoto
For inviting us all to be theatre kids

Artistic Director and Co-Founder, Theatre Replacement

New

If you’ve ever cackled your way through the East Van Panto or been so captivated at PushOFF that you forgot to check your phone, you’ve experienced the Maiko Yamamoto effect. As the artistic director of Theatre Replacement, she’s quietly (OK, not that quietly) making Vancouver’s theatre scene cooler, weirder and way more fun. Let’s talk about the Panto for a second. While we’re laughing at the goofy jokes and over-the-top characters featured in this annual, hyper-localized fairy tale tradition, Yamamoto is creating real work for local artists behind the scenes, proving you can mix ridiculous humour with serious impact. But Yamamoto doesn’t stop there. PushOFF, Theatre Replacement’s showcase for experimental work, has become an international highlight, bringing bold, boundary-pushing theatre to Vancouver. And this year, she launched the Accelerator Lab, a program for up-and-coming theatre-makers to test new ideas and shake things up even more.

44. Sirish Rao
For giving the arts a fresh start

Senior Director of Public Engagement and Learning, Vancouver Art Gallery

NEW

For all of the problems the Vancouver Art Gallery is having getting a new home built, it maintains an important connection to the city—and Sirish Rao, in a leadership role since 2023, has made that bond even stronger, with diverse programming attracting new audiences. Rao brings deep experience to the job, having co-founded Vancouver’s popular Indian Summer Festival and led Tara Books, one of India’s top publishing houses.

45. Richard Jaffray
For refusing to stay out of the kitchen

Founder and CEO, LFG Growth Partners

Previously #43, 2016

We should’ve known that the sale of Cactus Club wasn’t the end for Richard Jaffray. Though he co-founded  the perpetually award-winning restaurant chain 36 years ago and deserved a chance to simply spend some quality time with his surfboard once he was bought out of his ownership stake in 2022, he immediately started scoping out new opportunities in Vancouver’s restaurant scene. (A restaurateur is always hungry in that way, we suppose.) Two years after breaking the chain, so to speak, he’s managed to put together a tasty portfolio of rooms under his LFG Growth Partners shingle—Oddfish, Nook, Radish and Nightingale among them, with a lease recently secured for a second Nightingale location in Yaletown—and is standing once again with the heat of several kitchens keeping his entrepreneurial passions warm.

46. Guy Felicella
For daring to advocate for compassion

Harm Reduction and Recovery Advocate

Previously #41, 2020

It’s an idea that’s almost radical in its simplicity: what if, instead of fighting about whether to implement harm reduction strategies or addiction treatment, we implemented harm reduction strategies and addiction treatment? It’s a question advocate Guy Felicella has been making waves with as a rare but refreshing calm, sane voice on social media, making the case for the province to provide support for multifaceted addiction—an argument that’s particularly vital now as the clash of extremes between both sides heats up. (His callout of B.C. Conservative leader John Rustad on X/Twitter was the stuff of activist legend.) He’s now on the team at Coastal Health as a peer advocate, sharing an important first-person perspective as a former substance user and someone who experienced houselessness: “I wouldn’t be alive today without harm reduction, and I wouldn’t have the life that I have today without recovery. We need both,” he insists.

47. Anoop Gill
For helping the queer community lay down the law

Executive Director, Qmunity

NEW

As of 2022, Anoop Gill was sharing her executive director role with co-ED Tracy London, but today she’s riding solo as the leader of the longstanding, non- profit Qmunity—and making some of the biggest changes in the organization’s 45-year history.  Under Gill’s watch, a long-delayed 154-unit Qmunity social housing project is nearing completion, and the organization launched a new in-house pro-bono legal clinic with the support of the Law Foundation of British Columbia and the office of B.C.’s attorney general. It’s the first ever 2SLGBTQIA+ legal clinic in B.C., and at a time when the rights of queer and trans folks are facing backlash on both a social and legislative level, legal support (especially in the fields of housing, employment and family law) will be life-changing.

48. Mijune Pak
For being Vancouver’s most prolific foodie ambassador

Food Personality

NEW

As an international food and travel personality—and judge of Top Chef Canada, Iron Chef Canada, our own Restaurant Awards and more—Mijune Pak has a reputation for impeccable taste, readily sharing her expertise and recommendations. An advocate for culinary tourism, Pak has also garnered our attention as she champions Vancouver’s local food scene on a grand scale; as host for the city’s third-annual Michelin Awards, she acted as the bridge between the voices of those in the culinary industry and of those of us who are always hungry to dine at the city’s most-loved restaurants.

49. Brian Grange
For floating an innovative housing solution 

President, Bridgemans Services Group

NEW

As president for Bridgemans Services Group, Brian Grange has supported the resource, infrastructure and renewable energy sectors by developing turnkey facilities to host workers in remote locations in an innovative way. Dubbed “floatels,” the accommodations are made from refurbished cruise ships that have been retrofitted in order to lower their environmental impact while still being able to house up to 1,500 people at a time. The almost-luxurious floatels include hotel services like a 24-hour reception desk and daily housekeeping, plus amenities like games rooms and fitness centres—but they stand out from land-based facilities due to how quickly they can arrive at remote sites and be ready for use, like the MV Isabelle X, which now sits in Howe Sound providing housing for a Woodfibre LNG project in Squamish. And however you feel about LNG, creative housing solutions—even temporary ones—are something to celebrate in this city.

50. The Sign on Chip Wilson’s Lawn
For getting out the vote

A Homemade Billboard

NEW

Whatever side you were on, the last provincial election was a nail-biter, thanks to a record number of voters (58.3 percent). Who do we have to credit for this impressive turnout? We’ll give kudos to the polarizing signs on the front yard of Low Tide Properties owner and Lululemon founder Chip Wilson. He’s a billionaire’s billionaire, and he’s not afraid who knows it, as pre-election op-eds calling the middle class lazy hinted, but whether you agreed with his series of front-lawn billboards (one called the NDP communist) or not, it was certainly a galvanizing message. Thanks for getting out the vote, Chip!

 

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Vancouver Magazine’s 2025 Power 50 Hall of Fame Inductees

Last year, we launched our Power 50 Hall of Fame to honour the city’s most consistent, enduring sources of influence. For 2025, we continue this new tradition, and we’re pleased to induct five more pivotal political and cultural figures into this esteemed group. These are people who have graced the list multiple times over the Power 50’s 24-year history, and who continue to inspire and impact the city with everything they do.

Penny Ballem

Her CV is staggering: not only is Ballem a highly respected physician, she’s also had impactful stints as an outspoken government advisor, clinical professor at UBC and longtime city manager. A power player, wherever she goes.

Carole Taylor

Taylor started her career as a journalist and then never stopped asking the important questions; her tenacity and commitment to service led her to a political career, where she introduced North America’s first carbon tax.

Douglas Coupland

He was one of alt-literature’s darlings in the ’90s with generation-defining novels like Gen X, and, over the ensuing decades, he has become a multidisciplinary artist exploring themes of pop culture and identity. His public artwork (both government and private commissions) are now landmarks: hello, Digital Orca.

David Suzuki

He was an early, public voice raising awareness about the climate emergency and sustainable living—there’s no doubt that Vancouver attitudes over the past decades are due at least in part to him. After 44 years, Suzuki stepped back from hosting his CBC show The Nature of Things, passing the torch to his daughter in January 2024—not a bad run.

In Memoriam: John Horgan

We were heartbroken to hear of the former B.C. premier’s passing this past fall. A fixture on this list for his political work during his time in office, he was also a generous and kind leader with a sharp sense of humour. His memory lives on.

PAST INDUCTEES

The Aquilini Family, Michael Audain, James K.M. Cheng, Darren Entwistle, Thomas Fung, the Fuller Family, Ian Gillespie, Frank Giustra, Yoshiko Karasawa, Brandt Louie, Joy MacPhail, Jim Pattison, Bob Rennie, Tamara Vrooman and Chip and Shannon Wilson

 

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Vancouver Magazine’s Ones to Watch 2025

We’re keeping a close eye on this next wave of changemakers.

Becki Chan

The jewellery designer and event producer’s inaugural Design Festival Vancouver featured more than 40 events over the course of 11 days—an ambitious, heartfelt play to elevate our city’s design scene.

Peter Xotta

The new CEO of port operations has his work cut out for him. But if he navigates the port’s
ambitious expansion plans, record-breaking cruise traffic and contentious strikes, he’ll be in ship shape.

Donnie Rosa

In their new role as CEO of Atira Women’s Resource Society, they’re putting the previous leadership’s conflict-of-interest scandal behind them and focusing on supporting women in vulnerable positions in the DTES.

Eden Fineday

With her Indiginews project, publisher Fineday is trying to transform how journalism is done, working collaboratively and respectfully with the people her team is reporting on. In just four years, it snagged a National Newspaper Award from the rabblerousers at The Narwhal… and caught the eye of legacy media in the process.