Committees

Join a Chamber Committee

Every year, there are a few openings on our committees for new members.

We are recruiting now for members who will be available starting Jan. 1, 2025 for at least a two-year term.

To express your interest in joining a Chamber Committee, please connect with the staff liaison listed under each committee below.

Chamber committees

Ambassador Committee

This dedicated team of Chamber members from various professional backgrounds fosters meaningful participation and connection-building as a way of increasing member engagement.

Chair: Rose Arsenault, Branch Manager, Agilus Work Solutions
Vice Chair: Josue Dubon, Partner, DesignWealth
Staff Liaison: Ashley McCartie, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
Andrew Peebles, Senior Business Consultant, BAASS Business Solutions
Ann Squires Ferguson, CEO, Western Design+Build
Emara Angus, Communications Officer, DX, Royal Roads University
Danielle Mulligan, CFRE (she/her), Manager of Events & Annual Giving, Victoria Hospitals Foundation
Jack Groucott, Financial Advisor, Edward Jones
Maria Camila Valderrama, Lifetime Networks
Mary Lou Newbold, CEO, Mayfair Optometric Clinic
Paul van Koll, Partner, Dusanj & Wirk

To contact or learn more about the Ambassador Committee, please email Ashley McCartie.

Emerge Committee

With a mission to foster authentic connections and a vision to cultivate an inclusive business community full of opportunity, Emerge runs inclusive, casual and fun bimonthly networking events, as well as a mentorship program.

- Chair: Frumsa Ibrahim, Regional Director, Scandinavian Building Services
- Vice-Chair: Carolina Vik, Trademark Agent in Training, Merizzi Ramsbottom & Forster
- Staff Liaison: Ashley McCartie, Sr. Manager, Corporate Strategy, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
- Amanda Hill, Executive Director, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Victoria
- Busola Fagbebe, Senior Manager Enterprise Risk, MNP LLP
- Corinne Thiessen, Senior Advisor, External Stakeholder Engagement, BCI
- David Eso, Owner, Fine Line Edits
- Henri van Rooy, CPA Candidate, Articling Accountant at MNP LLP
- Henry Tavares de Souza Morato, Business Development Manager, True EV Charging
- Jordan Parker, Brain Injury Case Manager, The Cridge Centre for the Family
- Josue Dubon, Partner, DesignWealth
- Kelly Somogyi, Principal & Architectural Technologist, York Brooks Design
- Nancy Prevost-Maurice, Work Integrated Learning (WIL) Framework Developer, Royal Roads University
- Pedro Márquez, Professor Strategic Management & International Business, Royal Roads University
- Rose Arsenault, Branch Manager, Agilus Work Solutions
- Shane Bahmann, Founder, Surf and Stone Studios

To contact or learn more about the Emerge Committee, please email Ashley McCartie. Or click here to find out more.

Executive & Governance Committee

Acts on behalf of the board between board meetings, monitors board development, reviews The Chamber’s bylaws and acts as a nominating committee for external appointments. To contact or learn more about the Executive and Governance Committee, please email The Chamber CEO Bruce Williams.

Family Business Committee

Offers support and guidance to promote the well being and sustainability of family enterprise through idea exchange, education, experiences, peer-to-peer support and practices pertaining to the issues of family-owned businesses.

Chair: Dean Clarke, Senior Partner, Tru Value Foods
Vice Chair: Hailie Masters, Compass Mobile Massage Therapy Inc.
Staff Liaison: Julia Banks, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
Erin Boggs, Robinson’s Outdoor Store
James McKenzie, Monk Office
Jennifer Michell, Titan Boats
John Wilson, Wilson’s Group of Companies
Kris Wirk, Dusanj & Wirk Chartered Professional Accountants
Mandy Farmer, Accent Inns | Hotel Zed
Richard Larkin, Clean Air Yard Care

To contact or learn more about the Family Business Committee, please email Julia Banks. Or click here to find out more.

Finance & Audit Committee

Advises The Chamber’s Board of Directors on financial and audit issues to ensure Chamber finances are run in a professional and transparent manner.

Chair: Deborah Huelscher, Vice President Administration, CFO, Camosun College
Staff Liaison: Julia Banks, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
Cameron Reid, H2 Accelerator
James Adams, Destination Greater Victoria
Josue Dubon, Partner, DesignWealth
Judith Ethier, Chief Administrative Officer, Greater Victoria Harbour Authority
Paul van Koll, Partner, Dusanj & Wirk
Simon Miller, Commercial Account Manager, RBC
Spencer Walker, Director & Team Lead – Commercial Banking, CIBC

To contact or learn more about the Finance and Audit Committee, please email Julia Banks.

Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advancement (IDEA) Committee

Offers advice and guidance to The Chamber to create a more inclusive and welcoming business community that truly represents the diversity of the Greater Victoria business community we aspire to have.

Chair: Richard Michaels, president, MACCRIM Solutions
Vice Chair: James Gatsi, CEO, CL Web Developers Inc.
Staff Liaison: Mabel Marin, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
Ann Squires Ferguson, CEO, Western Design+Build
Carlene Thompson, Lifetime Networks
Casey Edmunds, Executive Director, La Société francophone de Victoria
Inderbir Singh, Western Canada Security
Jessica Stigant, Associate Director of Government Relations and Partnership, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC)
Jennifer Loo, Fairway Markets
Jessy Drummond, Victoria Digital Marketing
Jonathan Balogh, Neil Squire Society
Neelam Pahal, Connections Place Society
Pedro Márquez, Professor of Strategic Management & International Business, Royal Roads University
Paulina Grainger, Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria
Kabir Hosein, Sport for Life

To contact or learn more about the Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Advancement Committee, please email Mabel Marin.

Public Policy & Advocacy Committee

Identifies The Chamber’s annual advocacy priorities for business and meets with community leaders to advance those priorities on behalf of members.

Chair: Christina Clarke, CEO, Indigenous Prosperity Centre
Staff Liaison: Jim Zeeben, Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce
Jason Arruda, Government Relations (British Columbia), CSA Group
Laura Bolster, Managing Director, Client Experience | Vancouver Island, Acera Insurance
James Gatsi, Business Development Manager, Tecnet Canada Inc.
Luis Gutierrez Aguirre, Executive Director of Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre
Al Hasham, President and CEO, Maximum Express Courier & Freight
Chris Horbachewski, Vice-President External Relations, University of Victoria
Tony Joe, Broker-Owner, RE/MAX Island Properties Victoria
Julie Lawlor, Executive Director, WestShore Chamber of Commerce
Brenda Ollis, General Manager, Chateau Victoria Hotel & Suites
Jessica Stigant, Associate Director of Government Relations and Partnership, Ocean Networks Canada (ONC)
John Wilson, President and CEO, Wilson’s Group of Companies
Captain (Navy) Kevin Whiteside, Base Commander, CFB Esquimalt
Kris Wirk, Partner, Dusanj & Wirk

To contact or learn more about the Public Policy and Advocacy Committee, please email Jim Zeeben.

From the days before Confederation, the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce — through the work of its board and committees — has helped shape much of what we now take for granted. We campaigned for the Canadian Pacific Railway to build the landmark Empress Hotel, worked to attract national retailers such as Canadian Tire, advocated for the growth of the University of Victoria and much, much, more.

Comprised of experienced business and community leaders, committees advise Chamber leadership on what is needed to improve business conditions in Greater Victoria. Many of The Chamber’s current and past successes have resulted from the work of its committees, tapping into the influence and expertise within the local business community to get things done and to generate new ideas.

The Chamber’s committees have come and gone, some dissolving with their mandate complete, others spinning off from The Chamber as their mandates evolved. In fact, all of the following had their origins with The Chamber:

Downtown Victoria Business Association
Greater Victoria Harbour Authority
Destination Greater Victoria
Vancouver Island South Film and Media Commission
Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and Entrepreneurship Council (VIATEC)
South Island Prosperity Partnership

The Chamber and its committees will continue its long history as the voice of business in Greater Victoria. Our people have the expertise and influence to identify what needs to be done, and get those wheels in motion.