Five years ago, Bruce Williams took over as chief executive officer of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce and faced immense challenges and uncertainty just as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold.
“We stayed on top of the facts,” he recalls of leading the chamber with innovative communication strategies, launching campaigns that encouraged local shopping and vaccine confidence. “We didn’t go to the dark side, we did everything we could to keep messaging positive.”
As the chamber transitions to new leadership, it faces a new set of challenges, such as Canada-U.S. relations and their impact on the local business community. In stepping down from the helm of the 162-year-old institution, Williams recently reflected on a tenure marked by crisis leadership, inclusivity and modernization, feeling he leaves behind a chamber that is stronger, more diverse and ready for the future.
“We imposed a lot of change on the organization,” Williams says of his time as CEO. “The chamber has made tremendous progress and growth, and after five years I think it’s time for some new energy to come in and carry that forward.”
The legacy of Williams’s leadership is rooted in how the chamber weathered the storm during the pandemic.
With event revenue coming to a halt and membership dues in question — the chamber’s main financial drivers — Williams introduced the Chamber Champions, a new upper-tier membership model that allowed struggling businesses to pause dues while retaining access to vital services that membership provides.
“That was a game changer,” he says. “It meant businesses didn’t have to give up their health benefits and member services, and we could still hear their voices.” The chamber also made diversity, equity and inclusion a priority and Williams proactively engaged with underrepresented groups.
The chamber created the New to Canada Fund, which covers two years of membership for newcomers planning to start or buy a business. With support from the Victoria Foundation, Western Interior Design, Air Canada and the Victoria Airport Authority, the initiative helps new business owners overcome financial barriers while connecting to the chamber network.
Under his leadership, the chamber received the Canadian Chamber Inclusive Growth Award, and Williams himself was named Canada’s top chamber executive in 2023.
“I guess my legacy would be that we diversified and modernized the chamber,” says Williams, who will focus on new projects with Spark Strategic Group, a marketing organization he operates with his wife Amanda. “It’s been very rewarding.”
