Northern Development names new CEO

Courtesy of the Northern Development Initiative Trust:

Earlier this year, Northern Development Initiative Trust (NDIT) announced that our current Chief Executive Officer (CEO) would be retiring this fall and that the Trust would commence the search for her replacement.

The Trust’s Board of Directors has selected a new Chief Executive Officer to succeed retiring CEO Janine North and ensure a smooth transition of leadership this fall. Joel McKay, the Trust’s Director of Communications, will succeed Ms. North as CEO beginning October 3rd, 2016.

McKay joined the Trust’s executive team in 2012, and since then has been responsible for leading the Trust’s communications and marketing, economic research and analysis, as well as the Fabulous Festivals and Events funding program. Prior to joining the Trust, McKay was an award-winning business journalist in Vancouver specializing in coverage of the province’s natural resources industries, notably forestry, mining, oil and gas and renewable energy.

The decision follows a rigorous three-month selection process that fielded potential succession candidates from across British Columbia.

Ms. North will remain CEO until the transition date, helping to ensure the Trust continues to deliver on its mandate to strengthen and diversify the economy in central and northern B.C. Ms. North’s decision to retire comes after more than a decade of service to the Trust, and is driven by her personal desire to spend more time with her family and other board and personal commitments.

Since 2005, the Trust has used its resources to approve more than $150 million in funding for more than 2,000 projects throughout central and northern B.C. In that time, the Trust has leveraged $1.2 billion in new investment to the region and helped diversify the economy. Today, the Trust is sustainably managed with a capital base in excess of $250 million and two dozen programs and services that foster collaboration, sustainability and diversification in the region’s communities.

Evan Saugstad, NDIT Board Chair said:

“On behalf of the Board, I congratulate Joel on being selected to lead this great organization and continue its service to the people, communities and businesses of central and northern BC. Joel’s demonstrated commitment to the Trust and his desire to help grow BC’s central and northern economies will serve the Trust well. Congratulations Joel and we, the Board, look forward to continuing the wonderful achievements the Trust has been able to accomplish under the exemplary leadership that Janine North so capably provided since the inception of the Trust.”

Joel McKay, incoming NDIT CEO further stated:

I feel honoured to have been selected to lead the Trust into its second decade. The north is my home, my family’s home, and I believe very passionately that the best economic decisions for the north should be made in the north. I look forward to continuing to serve our board of directors and collaborate with our regional advisors to ensure the Trust is responsibly responsive to the needs of communities throughout central and northern B.C.”

About NDIT:

Northern Development Initiative Trust combines funding with smart thinking to help Northern British Columbia thrive. The Trust was created for the north and is led by the north. In only a decade, Northern Development has found more than 2,000 ways to say “yes” to economic diversification in our region, attracting more than $1.2 billion in new investment to the region. The Trust is an independent regional economic development corporation focused on stimulating economic growth in central and northern British Columbia. To date, the Trust has committed more than $146 million in funding to projects in communities throughout the region, and has forged more than 3,200 partnerships with over 900 organizations. Approximately 72% of our investments are in small communities with populations of less than 5,000.