Welcome Karen Ramchuk to Trico Charitable Foundation Board of Directors

Trico Charitable Foundation is honoured and pleased to add another prestigious member to our Board of Directors, Karen Ramchuk! Our Founder and Board Chairman Wayne Chiu says:

“I would like to welcome Karen Ramchuk, President & CEO at Women in Need Society (WINS), to the Trico Charitable Foundation Board of Directors.

Karen brings a wealth of experience and a fresh look at Social Enterprise in using a business model to help society. She is committed to making a positive impact and driving meaningful change. The Trico Charitable Foundation’s Vision is to leverage social entrepreneurship to close gaps in society. Welcome Karen!”

Karen’s Bio:

Karen is a dedicated executive with a proven track record of achieving results and leading teams to success. Her effectiveness as a persuasive communicator and her unsurpassed interpersonal skills make her an expert in change leadership. Karen is a catalyst for strategy creation and implementation, and her passion and energy shine through her leadership. Above all, she is known for her kind and compassionate nature.

Currently serving as the President and CEO of WINS, Karen also holds the esteemed role of Official Delegate for WAGE Canada at the United Nations 66th Commission on the Status of Women. In addition to her work at WINS, she lends her expertise as an Advisor to the Dean at the Chiu School of Business, Bow Valley College. Karen’s career is defined by her commitment to making a positive impact and driving meaningful change.

Board of Directors Bios:

Wayne Chiu – CM, ICD.D:

Wayne Chiu is the founder and Executive Chair of the Trico Group. Mr. Chiu, a Mechanical Engineering graduate, immigrated from Hong Kong with his wife Eleanor, in 1982. Under Mr. Chiu’s leadership, Trico Homes has grown and developed into one of Calgary’s Top Builders and has achieved Platinum status as a Best Managed company.

Wayne’s corporate and entrepreneurial acumen have reinforced his desire to support the communities that have contributed to his success and to promote and practice the concept of doing well by doing good. In 2008, Wayne and his wife and business partner, Eleanor, founded the Trico Charitable Foundation as a way to combine their passion for entrepreneurship and a keen awareness of the need for creative solutions to ensure sustainability in the non-profit sector.

In addition to his passion for engendering social change, Wayne Chiu is ardent about supporting lifelong, accessible learning. He served as a member of the board of directors of Calgary’s Bow Valley College for eight years. In 2014 Bow Valley College unveiled the Chiu School of Business to recognize the Chiu family for their contributions and support of the school of business.

Throughout his career, Mr. Chiu has been recognized with numerous awards. He is a Member of the Order of Canada, a Canadian national order within Canada’s honours system, and one of our country’s highest civilian honours. Wayne is an appointee of the Alberta Order of Excellence and has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. He has also been graced with the Alberta Centennial Award. Other awards of note are the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of Year Award, the CASE Community College Benefactor Award, the Immigrant of Distinction Award, the Generosity of Spirit Award, and the Calgary Citizenship Award. Most recently, Mr. Chiu received the award for Canada’s Most Admired CEO, the Alberta Business Hall of Fame Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Distinguished Business Leader Award from the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary. Most recently, Mr. Chiu has been awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Manitoba.

Eleanor Chiu – OAE, FCPA FCA, ICD.D:

Eleanor Chiu is a prominent leader in the business and philanthropic community in Calgary. She is genuinely passionate about ensuring her contributions make a significant difference. Her long list of volunteer roles have included sitting on the Mount Royal University Board of Governors, Alberta Children’s Hospital Board, YWCA, International Women’s Forum Calgary, and Windmill Microlending. She and her husband, Wayne, founded the Trico Charitable Foundation – a registered charity with the vision of provoking innovation and building capacity in social entrepreneurship to close social gap. In her role as Trico Group’s Chief Financial Officer, she helped build the Company from a small business in Calgary to one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies – a testament to her business acumen, and professional and personal strengths. She also held directorship of various public and private for-profit companies. Eleanor holds an FCPA, FCA designation, a prestigious honorary designation awarded to CPAs who, through their outstanding achievements including community leadership, bring distinction to the accounting profession and serve as role models to others. She is also holds the designation ICD.D.

Eleanor’s passion for entrepreneurship and keen awareness of the need for creative solutions to ensure sustainability in the non-profit sector has played a key role in setting the direction of the Trico Group and the Trico Charitable Foundation. The Bow Valley College’s Chiu School of Business was named after their family. Through the Foundation, the Chiu family has also contributed to the Calgary Stampede Youth programs and, the entrepreneurship hub at Mount Royal University and the social entrepreneurship centre at the University of Calgary.

Through all of these endeavours, Eleanor Chiu has driven innovation and industry change in her profession and has demonstrated remarkable and outstanding achievement in her field and in the Community. In 2021, Eleanor was awarded the Management Alumni Excellence Award, the highest alumni honor at the Haskayne School of Business. In 2022, she was recognized as one of Calgary Influence Women in Business, and together with her husband Wayne, she was inducted into the JA Alberta Business Hall of Fame, Southern Alberta. In 2022, Eleanor was invested in the Alberta Order of Excellence, highest honour the Province of Alberta can bestow on a citizen.

Tim Draimin:

Tim Draimin is senior fellow at Community Foundations of Canada and board member of Social Innovation Canada. His career has focused on philanthropy, social innovation, and social and environmental causes. He convened the Canadian Task Force on Social Finance and wrote the first study of Canada’s social entrepreneurship ecosystem. His writing has appeared in Stanford Social Innovation Review, The Globe & Mail, Cooperation South, The New Internationalist, and The Hill Times. He is a frequent advisor to non-profits, government and business.

Chris Hopfner – BA, MA, ICD.D:

An active member of the community, Mr. Hopfner enjoyed a career in the banking sector, having joined the Bank in 1969 after graduating from the University of Manitoba. He worked with the Bank of Montreal in various roles throughout Manitoba and Saskatchewan and held Executive positions with the Bank in Alberta and Ontario. Since retiring, in January 2005, as Vice President of the Bank of Montreal Calgary, Chris has remained active in serving on various corporate and non-profit sector Boards. During his time in Calgary, he has been involved with a variety of organizations including volunteering with the Calgary Exhibition and Stampede and is a past Director of the Calgary Convention Centre Authority, the Board of Governors of Bow Valley College, and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. He is a past Director of Peace Hills Trust and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Trico Homes as Chair of its Board.