Welcome to this week’s Sunday Briefing. In this issue, read about a change of leadership at the South Island Prosperity Partnership, nominations for the BC Cleantech Awards, Peloton Technologies’ year-in-review, and the 2023 State of the Island Report.

Now onto today’s briefing. It’s 831 words: a three-minute read.

-Emily, [email protected]

By the way, if you're not already subscribed, you can fix that here.

SIPP bids farewell to eight-year CEO

Since 2016, Emilie de Rosenroll has led South Island Prosperity Partnership (SIPP) as its founding CEO, growing the organization into economic development alliance made up of nine municipalities, nine First Nations, five chambers of commerce, three post-secondaries, and many of the region’s leading businesses and nonprofits.

Last week, SIPP announced that de Rosenroll would be stepping down from her role on March 15, and that the organization would begin the search for a new CEO.

“I have had the privilege of working with an incredible team and witnessing remarkable growth and transformation within SIPP and the region as a whole,” said de Rosenroll. “I am immensely proud of the work we have accomplished together, from expanding our region’s profile to achieving significant funding milestones. I leave the organization knowing that it is in great shape, poised for even greater success, and supported by an outstanding team of dedicated professionals.”

With de Rosenroll at the helm, SIPP:

• Grew from a one-year project to a robust public-private partnership.

• Convened the Rising Economy Taskforce, Canada’s largest non-governmental coalition, to steer Greater Victoria through the pandemic and develop the region’s economic recovery plan.

• Launched the Centre for Ocean Applied Sustainable Technology (COAST), Pacific Canada’s innovation hub for the sustainable blue economy, and the Indigenous Prosperity Centre, a non-profit supporting Indigenous-led economic development.

“On behalf of the SIPP Board of Directors, I am very grateful for the tremendous contribution Emile has made to the organization and region,” said Frank Bourree, chair of SIPP’s board of directors. “It has been a pleasure and an honour to work with Emilie. Because of Emilie’s leadership, SIPP is well-poised to help our region meet its enormous potential.”

De Rosenroll is saying farewell to SIPP and joining Victoria’s community of entrepreneurs to pursue her long-time dream of building a Victoria-based company.

🏙️ Community catchup, powered by VIATEC

What: Women Leaders in STEM Panel and Networking
When: Thursday, January 25
Where: Swans Pub, Victoria

Need plans for next week? Look no further. Join these inspiring women leaders in science, engineering and technology for an in-depth conversation and social evening:

• Christina Jones, vice president of operations at RaceRocks

• Humaira Ahmed, founder and CEO of BestHuman

• Dr. Kate Moran, president of Ocean Networks Canada

• Dr. Katherina Tarnai-Lokhorst, president and co-founder of the Lokhorst Group Ventures and adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia

📰 More Victoria innovation news

☎️ I hear you calling: Foresight Canada opened nominations for the fifth annual BC Cleantech Awards, which recognize innovators from across the province who are helping lead the charge to a net-zero economy. The nomination deadline is February 20.

☁️ Get on your bikes and ride: Victoria’s Peloton Technologies, developer of a cloud-based enterprise payment platform, released its 2023 year-in-review. Among the highlights was the acquisition of KIS payments.

🏝 Let me show you the world in my eyes: It was a week for 2023 reports – the Vancouver Island Economic Alliance highlighted their 2023 State of the Island Report, accessible through a digital dashboard.

🕴️ Tech jobs of the week

Find your next career:

• Database Analyst at BC Public Service

• IT Major Incident and Change Manager at BC Pension Corporation

• Senior Web Developer at Redbrick

Hiring in Victoria? Reply to this email and let us know!

📅 Upcoming events

Jan 31 | Introduction to VIATEC 101

Join the VIATEC team for lunch: meet the VIATEC crew and hear the who, what, why and how of VIATEC and the local technology community.

⭐ Feb 1 | Victoria Tech Journal & Club Kwench Happy Hour

Kick off the new year in style and join us at Victoria Tech Journal for happy hour at Kwench’s stylish downtown coworking space. Check out a new work space, meet the community, and unwind after a long day.

Feb 22-23 | 5th Western Angel Investment Summit in Victoria

Join days of fun, networking, socializing, company pitches, speakers and panelists. Not sure what to expect? Check out highlights from the 2023 Summit.

Have an upcoming event? Reply to let us know.

🙋 I need a…

We at Victoria Tech Journal know you, our community, pretty well. Are you searching for someone in your field to have coffee with, a hiring hookup, a lead on local investors, or suggestion for a great Victoria tech tool? Whatever you’re hunting for, let us know. We’ll post it in this section and make it happen.

Email your requests to [email protected].

Have something or someone we should know about? Reply or email [email protected] so we can work together to spotlight the lesser-known stories of Victoria's tech ecosystem.