Mayor, City of Vancouver

Plenary Speaker

Gregor was elected Mayor of Vancouver in November 2008. Gregor is committed to building a sustainable and prosperous future for Vancouver. Prior to entering politics, he co-founded Happy Planet, and grew the Vancouver-based socially responsible company up to 50 employees in 10 years. Happy Planet received the Ethics in Action Award in 2004, and was awarded the Vancouver Mayor’s Environmental Award for exemplary achievement in 2003. For his achievements as a successful entrepreneur and community leader, Gregor was named one of Canada’s “Top 40 under 40″ by The Globe and Mail in 2004. In 2005, he was elected to the provincial legislature as Member of the Legislative Assembly for Vancouver-Fairview and served as the Opposition Critic for Advanced Education and the Critic for Small Business and Revenue. As MLA, Gregor led a successful campaign to protect affordable rental housing, fought for the regulation of carcinogens and toxins throughout BC, and advocated for small businesses impacted by Canada Line construction. He has served on a number of boards, working for sustainable farming and forestry, and to protect wild salmon. Through his business, he’s helped support over a thousand community organizations and events, from the Food Bank to the Folk Festival. His current local and regional appointments include Director, Greater Vancouver Regional District (Metro Vancouver), Hastings Institute Inc. Board, City of Vancouver Public Housing Corporation, Vancouver Civic Development Corporation and Harbour Park Developments Ltd.