Student projects capture innovation awards
Two software applications to deal with isolation and improve shipping have won the South Island Prosperity Project’s Future Innovator Challenge. The competition, for high school and post-secondary students, was intended to find projects that would improve quality of life.
HMU Sports, developed by Yassin Guitouni of Mount Douglas Secondary School, is a social-networking app that reduces isolation and increases physical health by connecting young people through sport.
The winning post-secondary team, LUG (Audrey Wright, Cyrus Lee, Josh Desrochers, Magnus Kristensen and Tyler Arseneault of the University of Victoria), is a person-to-person shipping service that allows users to “crowd-source” deliveries.
The two winning teams won $1,500 each to fund the ideas.
Second place and third place in each category received $750 and $500, respectively.
“We were blown away by all the innovative student ideas and the quality of the finalist pitches. We live in a community that deeply values innovation, and it fills you with hope to see the bright ideas of the next generation of leaders,” said Emilie de Rosenroll, chief executive of SIPP.
New directors for Greater Victoria Harbour Authority
The Greater Victoria Harbour Authority has named four new members to its board of directors. Newly added for two-year terms are Susan Brice, representing the Capital Regional District, and Laurel Collins, representing the City of Victoria. Appointed for four-year terms are independent directors Doug Crowder and Margaret Lucas.
The rest of the board includes chair Dave Cowen, Destination Greater Victoria; Rob Thomas, Esquimalt Nation; Chief Ron Sam, Songhees Nation; Barbara Desjardins, Esquimalt mayor; Ryan Burles, Victoria/Esquimalt Harbour Society; Christine Willow, Greater Victoria Chamber; and independent directors Starr McMichael and Gordon Safarik.
Port of Nanaimo names CEO
Ian Marr been named chief executive of the Port of Nanaimo, while Mike Davidson has been named chief operating officer. Marr had shared the co-CEO title with Davidson for the past several months.
‘We are very pleased to announce Ian as our new CEO,” said Michelle Corfield, chair of the Port of Nanaimo board. “It is gratifying to have two dependable, long-term employees with deep local roots ready to serve and help us build on our strengths moving forward.”
Marr, a certified general and chartered professional accountant, had served the previous five years as senior vice-president of finance and administration. Originally from Scotland, Marr started working for the Nanaimo Harbour Commission, as it was then called, in 1987, in property leasing. Davidson, raised in Nanaimo, joined the port in 1985 and has been managing Port properties since 1992.
