InBC Appoints Leah Nguyen as Chief Investment Officer

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 28, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Leah Nguyen has been appointed as Chief Investment Officer of InBC Investment Corp. (InBC), a newly created Crown corporation responsible for a $500-million strategic investment fund that will help B.C.-based businesses grow and diversify the economy.

“Developing InBC is a key pillar of our StrongerBC Economic Plan to build an economy that works for everyone while tackling long-standing challenges – like inequality and climate change,” said Ravi Kahlon, Minister of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation. “Leah’s prolific investment experience will help grow and scale-up high-potential businesses that will deliver economic, social and environmental returns to the people of British Columbia.”

Nguyen joins InBC from her current position as Investment Director for the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, one of the world’s largest corporate impact funds. Nguyen will assume her new role with InBC effective April 4, 2022.

“I am incredibly honoured to join Jill Earthy, CEO, and the Board of Directors in this new role and look forward to helping realize the vision of InBC to help the province’s companies grow and prosper," said Nguyen. “I feel passionately that by supporting entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, industries, and regions of the province to pursue their business goals and ambitions, we are creating a better economic future for British Columbians.”

Nguyen is an investor and technology executive with more than 17 years of experience across various industries, including telecommunications, retail, utilities and natural resources. During her time at TELUS, she was responsible for building a portfolio of purpose driven, for-profit funds and companies.” Nguyen is a graduate of Simon Fraser University and is proud to have developed her career in British Columbia. She is an active community member serving on several private sector and community boards.

“Leah is an accomplished investment leader who brings direct experience in private equity, growth capital and impact investing,” said Jill Earthy, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), InBC. "We embrace her proven expertise in building a strong network of partnerships across the B.C. business and investment community and her ability to develop and activate funding solutions that align with our triple bottom line mandate."

“On behalf of the Board of Directors, I welcome Leah to the InBC team. She brings a passion for building inclusive financial solutions which will lead to more participation from diverse populations in shaping our future economic growth,” said Christine Bergeron, Board Chair, InBC. “Leah will be a tremendous asset in achieving our mandate to position British Columbia as a front-runner in the innovation economy.”

Reporting to the Chief Executive Officer, Nguyen’s mandate is to set the vision for and execute InBC’s investment strategy, delivering on InBC’s triple bottom line mandate, which includes:

• Financial Return - InBC’s investments will seek to provide financial returns.
• Environmental Impact - InBC will contribute to a better future by investing in the low-carbon economy to create new clean-energy jobs and opportunities.
• Economic & Social Impact - InBC’s investments will contribute to positive economic and social outcomes for people throughout British Columbia; this includes jobs creation, advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and promoting diversity and inclusion.
  

For more information on Leah Nguyen’s background and responsibilities, please visit:

https://www.inbcinvestment.ca/press-releases/

About InBC
InBC is a Crown corporation that manages and invests a $500 million strategic investment fund created by the Government of British Columbia. InBC will invest in high-growth potential businesses in B.C. to leverage investment from the private and public sectors to help businesses grow.

InBC has a triple bottom line investment mandate, aiming to consider people, the planet and profits. That means focusing on supporting start-ups that can achieve a financial return on investment; promote values that make life better for people in B.C. including job creation, advancing reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and promoting diversity and inclusion; and establish B.C. as a globally competitive low-carbon jurisdiction.

InBC’s investments will:

• be flexible and may include equity, preferred shares, convertible notes and other forms of financing.
• be a patient source of capital for B.C. companies.
• be guided by the social, economic and environmental policy objectives of the government.
• support quality economic growth in B.C.

For more information on InBC, visit: https://www.inbcinvestment.ca/

For more information on the StrongerBC Economic Plan, visit: https://strongerbc.gov.bc.ca/plan

For more information on the InBC legislation, visit: https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/21013

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