CCBC 5 AT 50 INITIATIVE

Jennifer came to Canada in 1994 and became a permanent resident after completing her MBA at UBC. She is described as a “pioneer from Mainland China, facilitating business and people-to-people exchange when her fellow graduates from Peking University joined State-Owned-Enterprises in early 1990s.”

Jennifer has helped Canadian businesses benefit from China’s economic reform over the last three decades. At GM Canada, Jennifer was a member of the founding team establishing a Shanghai GM joint venture,and at BMO, Jennifer was instrumental in building the bank’s business platform in China across capital markets, investment banking and wealth/asset management. She established the BMO Capital Markets Representative Office in Beijing in 2006, and led BMO’s local incorporation in China between 2008 and 2010; to date BMO is the only Canadian bank incorporated in China with a local banking license.

Dr. Ren-Ke Li is described by his nominator as an “outstanding immigrant, accomplished scientist, and excellent contributor to Canada-China friendship”. Dr. Li came to Canada in 1987 as a graduate student and has been on the faculty of the department of surgery at the UofT medical school since 1993. Dr. Li has devoted his career to developing a novel cell therapy for repairing and regenerating the injured heart. He has contributed to the bilateral relationship by creating platforms for scientific exchanges and relationships between Canada and China. His many awards and recognitions include the Governor General’s Diamond Jubilee medal. Dr. Li has raised $33 million in grants for clinical research, has six patents, and has supervised over 85 masters, PhD, and post-doctorate students, 65 of whom have gone to receive national and international awards.

As a builder of strategic international partnerships and international education, Cyndi has contributed at all levels of education, from public and private universities, to colleges, to entrepreneurial efforts in early childhood education. Throughout her career, Cyndi has immersed herself in Chinese culture and language, and colleagues and associates have noted her unique ability to traverse the gap between cultures and develop meaningful and long-lasting relationships.

Cyndi’s contributions to Canada-China relations include recruiting thousands of Chinese students to study in British Columbia and Ontario, which has contributed close to a half a billion dollars to the Canadian education industry and communities. She has also been involved in supporting Chinese graduates to make tremendous contributions to both China and Canada.

Spencer first came to Canada as an international student in 2005 and graduated from Acadia University in Nova Scotia. He launched his career in Canada, first working for a leading Canadian bank as a Financial Advisor to cultivate his passion for assisting immigrant communities with much-needed financial planning, and later working with a boutique wealth management company. Through his experience in wealth management, Spencer foresaw the vast potential of the global payments market and realized it was ripe for disruption, particularly in North America. This led to Spencer to establish SnapPay Inc., a payments start-up that enables fast and secure cross-border solutions for online, mobile and in-store transactions. Spencer is recognized as an entrepreneur, young business leader and mentor, and his activities focus on promoting cultural diversity and individualism.

Ron founded Escalator Handrail Company (EHC Global) in 1977 in Oshawa with only one employee. He began exporting in the early 1990s, and explored expanding manufacturing to Asia after his first trip to China in 1994. By 1996 EHC was selling $3 million a year to China, and Ron started manufacturing there. During the 1997 Asian financial crisis Ron moved to China to manage the China business EHC’s Canadian and global operations had grown to depend on. Ron has demonstrated staying power as a Canadian entrepreneur in China, and an incredible ability to protect his intellectual property. In 2017, EHC celebrated its 20th anniversary and Ron received the Governor General’s Visit Medallion. In 2018 he became one of the few Canadians to receive the Shanghai Municipal Government Magnolia Silver Award. Ron’s nomination highlights his commitment to sustained employment in Canada, and exports from Canada to China.

Joe came to Canada in 1968 to study engineering at the University of New Brunswick. He founded JNE Group on his own in 1980 in Hamilton and the company has since grown to 400 employees. JNE entered the China market in the 1980s selling used equipment and moving two oil refineries and a fertilizer manufacturing plant to China. Later JNE worked with the Canadian government, providing monetary and technical aid to support China’s economic reform. JNE assisted with the privatization of Chinese national steel and gas industries providing engineering design and rebuilding services and contributing to the Chinese economy by offering low interest Canadian funding from Canada. In recent years JNE has worked with large-scale Chinese national industries breaking into international markets. Joe has received the Ontario Award for Immigrant Employment is an example of the changing character of Canada’s Chinese community.

Over the course of his career, Barry has actively engaged in China’s financial sector. In his current role, Barry has spearheaded the firm’s investment in 13.9% of China AMC, which also led to the 2017 launch of the Mackenzie All China Equity Fund, which offers Canadian investors more ways to invest in China. Barry has contributed to Canada-China relations by embracing both cultures during challenging times, representing Canadian business leadership in a sector increasingly open to foreign investment.

Growing up in Beijing, Ching’s dream of attending university was shattered during the Chinese Cultural Revolution, she was sent to rural Gansu Province where she worked in a factory for eight years. Ching immigrated to Canada in the 1980s, and in 2005 founded Educating Girls of Rural China, a charity with the philosophy that educating women is the fundamental way to alleviate poverty and make better societies. For 15 years, EGRC has worked at the grassroots level in rural Western China, and has provided financial sponsorship and moral support to nearly 1300 young women to help them complete their high school and university education. EGRC boasts a graduation rate of over 99% and 100% of EGRC graduates are lifted out of poverty. Ching’s work is emblematic of people-to-people diplomacy as EGRC promotes cross-cultural dialogue between Canada and China who both include gender equality in their policy goals.

Jolene immigrated to Prince Edward Island from Hong Kong in June of 1996. Jolene is responsible for Holland College’s Educational Joint Ventures (EJVs) in China, a significant project that enables the College to jointly deliver programs with twelve post-secondary institutions in China and recruits overseas students to enroll in Holland College and UPEI programs. Jolene began leading the program with a modest three EJV partners and fewer than 100 students. The program now has more than 2,000 full-time students enrolled in twelve partner Colleges and Universities throughout China. As Sandy McDonald, President of Holland College, said in the nomination, “The legacy that Jolene has made for Holland College’s international education training through our EJV program will be celebrated and recognized as an extraordinary example of an innovative program of excellence.”

Howard’s diverse interactions with government and business uniquely position him a bridge between our two countries. He lived in China for 20 years, first as the longest‐ever serving Canadian ambassador from 1996‐2001, and then founding The Balloch Group, a boutique investment bank, and running it from 2002‐2015. He served as CCBC President from 2001‐2006 and then as a Vice Chair until 2014. Harold’s relationships have been built though negotiating the expansion of relations and air service with Taiwan, chairing the crisis group managing Canada’s response to the Tiananmen crisis, and overseeing three PM visits to China and inbound visits to Canada by ZHU Rongji and JIANG Zemin. His investment banking experience has included mining and oil sands investment deals in Canada. Harold has sat on the boards of Maple Leaf Education and Sinopec Canada, and now runs a private equity group investing in Canadian startups.

A Canadian citizen born in HK and educated in both HK and Canada, Francis proposed the first Sino-Canadian joint-cooperative college in China in 1994. It became the first approved program for Chinese students to receive both Canadian and Chinese senior high school diplomas. The school started in Beijing in 1997 with 300 students and now has 1200. More importantly, Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada now has 27 sister schools all over China, in Beijing, Guangdong, Anhui, Guizhou, Harbin, Hebei, Chongqing, Yunnan, Shandong, Shaanxi, Gansu, Liaoning, Fujian, and Jiangsu. This expansion allows thousands of students from across China to experience Canadian education. Dr. Pang’s list of accolades includes many awards, honorary doctorates from British Columbia to New Brunswick, and he was named to the Order of Canada in 2019.

Likely the longest‐serving person building the modern Canada-China relationship in public and private life, Honourable Jack Austin served on the Interdepartmental Committee of Deputy Ministers in 1970 supporting negotiations for an exchange of diplomatic relations. He later formed part of the first Canadian delegation to open up a working bilateral relationship. Between 1993 and 2003, Jack served as President and then Deputy Chairman of the CCBC, and in 1994 he organized the first Team Canada mission to China. Jack led the visits of Chinese leadership ZHANG Zemin, ZHU Rongji, and LI Peng to Canada and helped secure the visit of President Hu Jintao, along with the agreement in principle to negotiate a new “strategic relationship.” Senator Austin served in the senate from 1975 until 2007. At age 88 he continues his service, seeking opportunities from cooperation, while supporting Canadian values and interests.