Regional Board of Directors

Wyle Baoween

Wyle Baoween is a civil engineer-turned founder and CEO of HRx, one of Canada’s leading firms for equity, diversity and inclusion. He has been recognized as a thought leader in social equity, and he specializes in change management, leadership development and data analytics. Prior to HRx, he worked in the marine, transportation and construction industries. Wyle is passionate about community. He volunteers as president of the Yemeni Canadian Society and is vice-chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Diversity and Inclusion Council. When not at work, you will find Wyle adventuring with his family.

Kai Chan

Kai Chan is a professor at the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at the University of British Columbia. He led the pathways and solutions chapter of the recent UN biodiversity report (the IPBES Global Assessment) and has published over 100 articles in peer-reviewed journals. As an interdisciplinary sustainability scientist, Kai leads CHANS lab (Connecting Human and Natural Systems) and is a lead editor of the new British Ecological Society journal People and Nature. He is also an agent of change toward sustainability.

Kai co-founded CoSphere, a Community of Small-Planet Heroes, which seeks to make it easy, enjoyable and inexpensive for individuals and organizations to have net-positive effects on nature and their many crucial contributions to people. Kai has a bunch of honours, but he didn’t want to burden you with reading them!

Eric Denhoff

Eric Denhoff is a senior executive with more than 30 years of experience in Canada and abroad. He has served as a deputy minister and a chief negotiator in Alberta’s and BC’s public sectors in the areas of environment, climate change and aboriginal affairs. He has extensive experience in business in Asia, North America and Europe. He has served on a wide variety of boards, including the Energy Council of Canada, National Capital Commission, Fair Trade Canada, BC Women’s Hospital Foundation, Hospice Victoria, Greater Victoria Hospital Board, GNS School Board, Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters among others.

Karen Hamberg
Chair

Karen Hamberg is a partner of Deloitte Canada’s financial advisory practice, advising on the commercialization of climate technology at industrial scale. As a clean technology leader with nearly 20 years of global experience, she has been named as Canada’s Clean 50^TM (2017) and Canada’s Clean 16^TM (2019). In 2020, Karen was named to the Government of Canada’s Industry Strategy Council as chair of the Clean Technology Economic Strategy Table. She advises on strategies to ensure Canada’s global competitiveness in a decarbonized economy.

An active volunteer, Karen currently serves as chair of the Nature Conservancy of Canada's British Columbia Regional Advisory Board. Her past non-profit involvement includes the United Way of the Lower Mainland Campaign Cabinet, which she chaired in 2019. From 2017 to 2021, she also served as the chair of CALSTART in California, as the first female, non-U.S. resident, and youngest person to hold the post.

Steve Hilts
Vice Chair

Steve Hilts is a longtime supporter of the Nature Conservancy of Canada and an outdoor recreation and photography enthusiast. He lives in the West Kootenay, following a 30-year career in environmental management in industry, government and consulting. His work included water, air and land stewardship and restoration spanning North America, with a focus on BC. Most recently, Steve was director of environmental legacies with Teck Resources Limited, where he was responsible for leading Teck’s management of over 40 properties that were mined historically by Teck or its predecessor companies, plus developing and leading Teck's Net Positive Impact strategy for biodiversity.  

Melissa Polak

Melissa Polak is a tenured professional with 15+ years of experience in Canada in the field of risk management, performance measurement, governance and internal control. Melissa is currently the senior director of enterprise risk and assurance at Aurora Cannabis. Prior to her current role, she worked in management consulting with global firm Ernst & Young LLP. Outside of work, you can find Melissa actively involved in the communities she is passionate about; she recently chaired the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade’s Diversity and Inclusion Council and oversaw its transition from the Women’s Leadership Council into the program it is today. When not at a desk, you can find Melissa running in Stanley Park, hiking the North Shore mountains or kayaking in the Salish Sea.

Bruce Wright
Past Chair

Bruce Wright is a significant philanthropist in Vancouver, a partner at the law firm MLT Aikins and a former managing director at Goodmans LLC. He is a past-chair of the Vancouver Opera Foundation and the Vancouver Art Gallery. In addition to a deep love of the arts, Bruce is passionate about nature and animals.