phot

o: U

vic

phot

o se

rvic

es

s p o t l i g h t

At the annual Distinguished Entrepreneur Gala, award recipients are treated to an evening of celebrating their achievements. Drawing inspiration from the honourees, the venue was decorated to reflect the interests and successes of the recipients. (Above) Gala decor for Thrifty Foods co-founder Alex Campbell Sr.; (below) Mitel chair and Wesley Clover chair and founder, Sir Terence Matthews’ Gala decor and DEYA award.

The Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year (DEYA) award was established in 2004 to honour inspirational entrepreneurs who have made a significant impact on the global community through their business leadership.

In 2003, Ali Dastmalchian, then dean of the School of Business, was looking for a way to increase the profile of the school in the community.

He teamed up with faculty board members David Schneider and Peter Gustavson to organize the first DEYA. They selected Jeff Mallett, former president and COO of Yahoo!, as the inaugural recipient for his inspirational leadership with the company.

Mallett was one of the founding management team members and helped lead the fledging company to become an international sensation. Yahoo’s search engine fundamentally changed the way people use the Internet.

Since its inception, DEYA has come to be recognized as the leading business event on Vancouver Island. The DEYA gala celebrates entrepreneurial achievement and motivates and inspires business leaders of today and tomorrow.

DEYA is held annually at the Victoria Conference Centre. The event has now grown to include approximately 600 guests. 2013 marks the tenth anniversary of the DEYA event.

This year’s recipient is Brandt Louie, chairman and CEO of HY Louie Ltd. Previous recipients include Jeff Mallett (2004), David Ritchie of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (2005), Gwyn Morgan of EnCana Corp. (2006), David Black of Black Press Group Ltd. (2007), Clive Beddoe of WestJet Airlines Ltd. (2008), Terence Matthews of Wesley Clover (2009), Alex Campbell Sr. of Thrifty Foods (2010), JR Shaw of Shaw Communications (2011) and Chip Wilson of lululemon athletica (2012). BC

Thought LeadersDeya recognizes those making a difference in the business communityB y A n g e l i c a P a s s