Kim Walker, Incoming President, MAPLE Business Council
We have the pleasure of interviewing Kim Walker, the incoming President of MAPLE Business Council who will be leading our organization effective January 1, 2025.
Thank you very much Kim for your time today and for the opportunity to get better acquainted for the benefit of our members and readers.
Can you tell us a little bit about where you grew up and studied in Canada?
I was born in Kingston, Ontario, which is where my mother was raised and, at the time, was attending nursing school. When I was two years old, my parents bought a house in Pickering that backs onto a small bay off Lake Ontario, so my siblings and I grew up sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking in the summer and playing endless games of pick-up hockey with the neighbourhood kids in the winter.
I earned an undergraduate degree in Economics, in Toronto, at York University’s Glendon College, which is a bilingual campus. I spent my third year abroad at the University Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg, France, where I became proficient in French and made lifelong friends. Upon graduating, I was granted both my Diploma and a Certificate of Bilingual Competence.
A few years later, I was admitted to the Master of Business Administration program at the University of British Columbia, another wonderful, life-changing experience with the added bonus of a bunch of wonderful friends, who are still into all things outdoors, especially cycling and skiing. I loved Vancouver so much that I ended up living there for another four years, during which time I worked as an Economist at the Central Credit Union of BC and then at an environmental consulting firm that had me happily travelling frequently to the Northwest Territories on a special project for nearly two years.
While in Vancouver, I started competing in Triathlons, where we did open-water practices in English Bay (the ocean!) and in the saltwater pool at Kitsilano. I also picked up long-distance running and was proud to complete multiple half-marathons in Vancouver and Toronto, as well as a full one in Chicago.
At what point did you leave Canada and what led you to live and work in other countries?
I met my husband in Vancouver and when his job at Labatt took us to Toronto, we packed up and built a wonderful life in the Beaches, raising our two kids and enjoying a regular BBQ rotation every weekend with various friends in our neighbourhood.
I was lucky to find an incredible job with Ipsos (then Angus Reid Group), where I worked my way up from a Research Associate to Vice President of the Financial Services Research division. My husband’s job took us on additional adventures: a three-year run in Brussels, Belgium and then five years in St. Louis, Missouri; each time, we packed up, saying sad goodbyes to our friends and neighbours but rebuilding with new lifelong circles of friends in each new city.
When did you move to Southern California and what brought you here?
The same is true of our eventual move to Los Angeles, where we still live. Following his retirement after 29 years at Labatt (ABInBev), my husband, James Villeneuve, accepted the honour of being appointed by the Prime Minister of Canada to serve as our country’s Consul General in Los Angeles, a post he held for five years from the beginning of 2014 until the end of 2018.
We lived in the Official Residence of Canada, where the main floor is used for meetings and Canadian events. In addition to some of the more “glamorous” events, we were proud to make the Residence a place where business deals are done; one of our most successful pairings was matching a local VC investor with a Canadian inventor whose business continues to soar.
Are there any special moments from your time representing Canada in Los Angeles together with your husband James Villeneuve, who was Consul General of Canada from 2014-2018, that you’d like to share that speak to the closeness of Canada and the United States?
It's hard to pick any one single event as being THE moment that I remember above, all others – there is just such a rich collection of memories! The one thing I will say is that we (that is, James, me and … yes, the kids too!) rose to this incredible call to duty and were delighted to be of service to our country. Unless there was too much homework, our two children would often come downstairs and “work the room”, as they say, at our events for the sole, altruistic purpose of trying to help us speak to everyone in attendance and make the guests feel welcome. I was so proud of how readily they slipped into this role with us.
In terms of events, I will say that the honour of hosting the Prime Minister on an official visit was one of the top ones, although there was some typical LA traffic issues that night, which meant that I was alone hosting 300 people at the Residence because James and the PM were really late (traffic!) returning after a day of official business, so I had to keep announcing, “They’re almost here.” to the impatient crowd in both official languages!
Another amazing event involved our Governor General, the Right Honourable David Johnston, who could not have been more delightful when visiting. He was an important role model for me early on in terms of his selflessness, dignity and gracious behaviour; he literally remembered every single person’s name and some small fact about them or someone in their family. Our ambassador and all officials who visited the Residence demonstrated the same selflessness and unquestioning duty to country, which was truly inspiring.
Do you have any special memories connecting with distinguished Canadians in the arts?
Here’s a good one: one of the people who worked at the Canadian Consulate knew Leonard Cohen very well, which is how we ended up hosting his last two album releases at the Official Residence of Canada. He was very, very proud of his Canadian roots. Journalists came from all over the world to hear him do a Q&A and talk about the album and then listen to it while reading the lyrics.
Note that I had read my first Cohen poem 30+ years earlier and was a HUGE fan, so I was really excited about meeting him. When he showed up at the door a little earlier than expected and well before any of the official event team, I was the only person home, so I was the one who opened the front door for him. He put his hands together, bowed slightly, and said, “Hello. I’m Leonard Cohen.” (*faint*) He was – remains – one of the most humble and gracious people I have ever met. Quaking slightly (hands, knees … you get it, right?) I showed him to the room we had prepared for him, where we had herbal teas and snacks for him. When James got home from the Consulate, Leonard Cohen asked that we come to his room, where we ended up kicking up our feet with him and having a lovely and funny, long conversation about growing up and people we knew in common (sooooo Canadian!!).
Later, after the audience had listened to the album, I opened the doors to the backyard so our guests could spill outside. There, at a little table, was my daughter playing Yahtzee with Leonard Cohen and his grandson! When I asked her about it later, she said the poor child was restless, so she ran upstairs and grabbed one of our family games; she had NO idea she was playing a game with THE great Leonard Cohen!
Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention hosting Canada’s Special Olympics team and entourage at the house in July 2015. I personally attended several of the competitions, faithfully following our athletes around golf links, the track, and at various other venues, proudly waving my Canadian flag. We hosted an official welcoming BBQ in the yard with 350+ attendees, including the athletes (who had not seen their families for several days), the families, trainers, and supporters. The pure joy experienced and expressed by the athletes lives on in my heart – they were truly inspiring and memorable!!
You have been on a mission to help Canadians locate the cemeteries of Canada’s fallen soldiers from World Wars I and II in Europe through the launch of the Canada Remembers Guide. What led you to pursue this work and what resources have you created to help Canadians honour the contributions of our veterans?
Lately, in addition to my newfound love for the game of tennis, I have been keeping busy with a couple of personal “pet” projects. One that is currently quite consuming, as it’s the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings and eventual European liberation, is a website I created called, “Canada Remembers Guide” which offers free, downloadable, self-guided itineraries for Canadians to find our remembrance sites in Europe from Paris, Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam (and, eventually: (coming soon!) Rome).
Remembering our war dead is extremely important to me and I have been fortunate to have lived in France and Belgium where I became familiar with these important First and Second World War cemeteries and memorials. My goal is to share what I know – I simply want to make Canadians aware of these places and for them to see how accessible the sites are from major cities in Europe (#LestWeForget).
Would you tell us a bit about the work you are planning in support of coaching women to be successful on boards?
The other non-profit I am working on is launching Board Hatch, which is dedicated to teaching women how to serve on Boards. The primary target is young women, who are about to launch their careers and mature women who are ready to be of service in the non-profit world, but might lack the confidence to jump into these important roles. I have been serving on and chairing non-profit boards for nearly 20 years and I have firsthand experience with the initial insecurities (usually unwarranted!) that we sometimes experience, so I want to coach women so that they get over this hurdle and actively seek leadership roles where they can contribute in a significant way.
What is it about MAPLE Business Council that attracted you to want to lead our community?
MAPLE is a great organization. It unites Canadian businesses operating in Southern California – and Californian-based business operating in (or interested in operating in) Canada. This is a perfect dovetail of my interests and experience: I love connecting people and I love Canada being successful! In addition, the five years we served the country at the Consulate gave me the experience with binational businesses that will be critical for running MAPLE and ensuring that connections with our most important trading partners and beloved neighbours are secure and fruitful.
What are you most looking forward to most as President of MAPLE Business Council?
I am looking forward to continuing the work that Stephen Armstrong and Rob Kelle started nine years ago, when the concept of MAPLE as a binational business council was born. I would like to work with all members of MAPLE to make sure that we are helping in any way we can, and I look forward to reconnecting with the Consulate’s trade team as a strong partner in this endeavour. (#MAPLEBusinessCouncil)
Thank you for your time today, Kim and congratulations on your appointment. We look forward to your contributions!
Stephen Armstrong