Larry Bell, vice-chair of food services company Shato Holdings Ltd. and chair of its subsidiary White Spot Ltd., has been appointed chair of UBC's Board of Governors.
"I look forward to continuing my involvement with Dr. Piper and the rest of the board in implementing Trek 2000, the university's vision statement," says Bell. "We are well-positioned to reach our goal of being the best public university in the country."
Bell was first appointed to the 15-member board in 1997. "We're very fortunate to have Larry continue to provide strength to the board through his experience in business and government," says UBC President Martha Piper. "And of course we're delighted to have an alumnus join us as chair."
A graduate of UBC (BA '61), Bell completed a master's degree in California and then served the province as secretary to the B.C. Treasury Board, and deputy minister of: Housing and Transit; Lands, Parks and Housing; and Finance. He has acted as chair and CEO of B.C. Hydro, CEO of VanCity Savings Credit Union and has served on many boards including the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Vancouver Board of Trade and the Conference Board of Canada.
In 1991, Bell's management innovations were recognized with the Award of Excellence from the Institute of Public Administration. Bell is a director of the Vancouver Hospital Foundation.
Bell takes over from real estate developer Harold Kalke who had served as chair since September 1998. His term runs until Aug. 31, 2001.