At the VPF’s annual general meeting last week, Christian Chia’s two year term as Chair expired and we officially welcome David Sung, President and Chief Development Officer of Nicola Wealth as our new Board Chair.
Christian, who is the founder and CEO of the OpenRoad Group, has been on the VPF board since 2019 and will remain on the board as past Chair for at least the next year.
We have so many things to thank Christian for – and he leaves a big legacy behind. Christian’s focus has been on engaging our community and raising awareness of the VPF and what we do to support the VPD’s community engagement and charity programs, as well as making Vancouver safer for all.
Christian has been instrumental in inspiring many new donors to join our VPF family and to support the 150+ programs and initiatives we are now committed to in 2024. Christian also bravely stepped up to the plate to push for our first Gala fundraising event since 2015 – and our Above & Beyond Gala on May 9th this year significantly surpassed all of our expectations.
Christian – thank you so much, not only for your service to the VPF, but to our community as a whole. So many organizations are lucky to benefit from your time, expertise and generosity and we are so glad you are staying on the board of the VPF.
Succeeding Christian is David Sung – another incredible business, community and philanthropic leader who is committed to continuing the great work of his immediate predecessors – Christian, Dr. Sherri Magee and John Montalbano. All of these VPF Chairs have invested time and effort in expanding our support within the community and ensuring that people are aware of the incredible efforts of the VPD officers and civilian professionals who are working hard, often on their own time, to address needs in every corner of our community.
David is well-suited to the role of Chair of the VPF, having been engaged with many charities and associations in our community for several years, including Arts Umbrella, the Museum of Vancouver and YPO (BC). David is a frequent guest speaker for many professional associations, industry groups and regularly contributes to local and national media publications.
Joining the VPF Board in 2020, David has served on the Finance, Audit & Investment Committee of the VPF Board, including as the Chair for the past year.
We warmly welcome David as our new Chair!
During the AGM, we also said goodbye to five VPF Board members, including long-serving Trustees Darcy Wray and Geoff Bertram. Dr. Amin Shivji, Michelle Malpass and Dale Boniface also completed their terms, though they indicated they would still remain staunch supporters and ambassadors for the VPF. We couldn’t be more grateful for their service or this commitment.
The VPF Board is one of the VPF’s greatest strengths and we are deeply appreciative of all of our Trustees who volunteer their time and expertise to the effective governance of the Foundation.
Thank you to you all.
The Vancouver Police Foundation supports programs and initiatives that fall under one of four pillars: Youth Programs, Mental Health & Addictions, Community Outreach & Engagement, and Technology & Special Equipment. You can help build a safer Vancouver by donating to the Vancouver Police Foundation.
