After four years at the helm of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce, CEO Christie Ray is stepping down.
Ray shared the news with more than 50 members of the business community in attendance at Tuesday night’s annual general meeting.
One of the first tasks of the newly-elected board of directors will be selecting a replacement. Ray has given the board three months notice.
“I wanted to give the board ample time to find a replacement, and make the transition as seamless as possible,” she said Ray.
Newly-elected president Corey Naphtali believes this is an important moment in time for the Chamber. Last year saw a dip in membership numbers; he wants to change that.
“The Chamber hosts over 40 events a year which provide the perfect venue for professionals to get to know each other, face-to-face, and to do business,” said Naphtali.
As president, Naphtali intends to make innovation his focus.
“We want to make sure businesses in Prince George stay on the cutting edge,” no matter their industry or size.
Naphtali is joined by many returning members on the Board, as well as the addition of new members Kyle Sampson of Pacific Western Brewing and Kallie Smith of the Prince George Aboriginal Business and Community Development Centre. The 2017-18 Board of Directors consists of the following:
Executive:
• President: Corey Naphtali, Partner, KPMG
• Vice-President of Finance: Lorna Wendling, Senior Manager, Deloitte
• Vice-President: Bill Quinn, President, NuStride Executive Coaching
• Vice-President: Frankie Albano, Senior Manager, TBJ LLP
• Past President: Cindi Pohl, Account Manager, Waste Management
Directors (new – two year term):
• Kallie Smith, Executive Director, Prince George Aboriginal Business and Community Development Centre
• Kiel Giddens, Community Relations Liaison, and Prince George Regional Office Lead, TransCanada Pipelines
• Kyle Sampson, Manager of Northern BC, Pacific Western Brewing Company
• Kara Biles, Manager of Talent Acquisition & Workforce Planning (Human Resources), Canfor
• Roberta Stewart, Lawyer/Partner, Heather Sadler Jenkins LLP
• Ray Noonan, Senior Manager, Northern BC, Scotiabank (1 year term)
Directors (continuing):
• Laurie Dillman, Owner, Go Team Business & People Development
• Derek Dougherty, Assistant Vice President & Branch Manager, Canadian Western Bank
• Daniel Weeks, President & Vice-Chancellor, UNBC
• Paul Mercer, Commercial Account Manager, RBC