The Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award (DEYA) from the University of Victoria’s Gustavson School of Business has long celebrated leaders who push the boundaries of innovation and entrepreneurship. This year’s recipient, Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of Telus, represents a new dimension of that entrepreneurial spirit as the leader who transformed an established company into a global innovator.
Since becoming CEO in 2000, Entwistle has overseen Telus’s expansion from a regional telecom provider into a diversified international technology company. Under his leadership, the organization has invested billions in network infrastructure while branching into health-care technology and the global food system with Telus Health and Telus Agriculture. Entwistle will retire on June 30.
Mia Maki, associate dean, external and outreach associate teaching professor at the Gustavson School of Business, says this year’s award builds on last year’s focus on hyperlocal entrepreneurs — Andrew Wilkinson and Chris Sparling of Tiny — by highlighting a leader whose impact extends far beyond B.C.
“We wanted to go B.C. but global,” Maki says. “Telus itself has become a global company with a footprint all over the world. Darren literally took a regional company and made it global, and we wanted to tell that story.”
DEYA has historically celebrated founders, but organizers are equally interested in what Maki calls “entrepreneurial leaders,” executives who scale organizations beyond their original vision.
“These are people who take a company and do really innovative things that scale it beyond the original imagination of what it could be,” she says, noting that his focus on building a culture, and specifically a culture of social purpose, reinforced Entwistle as this year’s recipient.
The event itself is designed to be more than an awards ceremony. Each year, DEYA features an on-stage conversation intended to feel like a candid masterclass in leadership.
“In Darren’s case, he’s a very private person,” Maki says. “So this is a real opportunity to hear from him about what Canadian innovation looks like, what innovation looks like within a company, and how we build successful companies here in Canada and extend them beyond our borders.”
Held at the Victoria Conference Centre on Monday, June 15, the evening aims to foster a sense of community and shared inspiration.
“In many ways, the event is kind of like a love letter from the Gustavson School of Business and the University of Victoria to the business community,” Maki says. “Let’s get together, learn something, be inspired and connect because we really appreciate you.”
Guests are invited to attend in “black tie your way” attire, an approach carried over from last year’s event that gives attendees the option to blend traditional formal wear with personal style (and comfort).
