Keynote speakers

Thursday, May 19 at 9:40 am: The Honourable Naomi Yamamoto, Minister of Advanced Education

Naomi Yamamoto was elected as MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale in the 2009 general provincial election and was appointed Minister of Advanced Education on March 14, 2011.  Prior to this, Minister Yamamoto was appointed Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations in June 2009. On October 25, 2010, she was appointed as Minister of State for Building Code Renewal.

Minister Yamamoto had been the president and owner of Tora Design Group in North Vancouver for 21 years. She also enjoyed working with the business community as the president and general manager of the North Vancouver Chamber of Commerce.

She also served on the board of the North Shore Credit Union and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority and was president of the Gordon and Marion Smith Foundation. As well, she represented the North Vancouver Chamber on the North Shore 2010 Spirit Committee and Vancouver’s North Shore Tourism Association Board.

In 1997, Minister Yamamoto served as chair of the BC Chamber of Commerce. She completed a six-year term on the board of Capilano College, with the last three years as chair. She also enjoyed six years as a director of the North Shore Neighbourhood House. In 2005, Naomi was appointed as an inaugural member of the Premier’s Small Business Roundtable. In her role as Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations, Naomi Yamamoto was also the Premier’s representative to the Pacific North West Economic Region.

Friday, May 20 at 8 am: Rob Dyke

Every speaker is different and each brings their own unique perspective to the podium. Rob Dyke is exceptional in that he has lived a life like no other. Rob’s distinctive message sends his audience away confident that no dream is impossible, no task too difficult and no barrier too challenging to overcome. Rob is the big engine that could — he is an ordinary man that consistently does extraordinary things. He is unique.

Rob spent eight years studying economics and kinesiology at the University of Victoria where he was a successful scholar/athlete. He was a competitive swimmer, a cyclist and then a triathlete, moving from Olympic-distance triathlons to Ironman. The real Rob Dyke emerged when a fellow distance-swimmer was unable to attempt a first-ever swim on the ferry route from Vancouver to Victoria. The swim was a fund-raiser for a local children’s hospital and with almost no training, Rob just said ‘yes’, stepped in and gave it his best. He was pulled from the water semi-conscious, arms still flailing away trying to complete the swim. He treated this as a learning experience and the following year, became the first person to complete the 52 km swim.

In 2003, Rob and his friend Ian walked and cycled across India and Nepal (1400 km), where Ian climbed within 300 meters of the summit of Everest and then returned in time for Rob to attempt the 1000-mile swim around Vancouver Island. (See ‘Do You Believe in Magic’ Autumn Well 2003). In 2005, Rob returned to Everest to cook for the British team (look for the book Mt. Everest cookbook in the future). That summer he made his second attempt at the almost impossible swim around Vancouver Island and completed it successfully in three months of almost daily immersion.