Nov 11 – 17: Awarding Mark Burnett; JustWork; Through Her Eyes . . .

Roma Downey and Mark Burnett

Mark Burnett is a creative man who also knows how to market what he has created. Best known for producing the hit reality show Survivor, he is also behind several other television franchises including The Apprentice and Shark Tank. He was named by Time Magazine in 2004 as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in the World.’ 

His wife, Roma Downey, is best known as the kind-hearted angel Monica on the TV series Touched by an Angel. Together they are co-creators of The Bible TV series, watched by almost 200 million people worldwide. 

This week, in Vancouver, Burnett and Downey will be joint recipients of the Entrepreneurial Leader Award. The award will be presented at the eighth annual Entrepreneurial Leaders Conference by the Entrepreneurial Leaders Organization (ELO), in partnership with the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA).

Rick Goossen

The conference, which takes place this week (November 14 – 15) at the Sheraton Vancouver Wall Hotel, is designed to equip and network business leaders and entrepreneurs. Mark Burnett will speak in person, while Roma Downey will appear via videocast.

Rick Goossen, president of the ELO, said this year’s honorees reflect the intent of the award, which is to recognize the application of entrepreneurial creativity and talent, not just for commercial success, but for positive social impact. They will both speak about how their faith has shaped their lives.

Geoff Tunnicliffe

Geoff Tunnicliffe, secretary-general of the World Evangelical Alliance, described them as worthy joint recipients of the award, citing particularly their work with charities and their initiation of the production of The Bible documentary for the History Channel. (Though the WEA is based in New York City, Geoff still spends some of his time in Vancouver – his home town.)

The conference will also feature several other Christian business leaders:

* Hugo S.K. Chan, chairman of A.R. Evans Technology Partners in Hong Kong, will speak on Making a Difference in Greater China: Practicing Christianity in the New Frontier.

Paolo Aquilini

* Paolo Aquilini, managing director of Aquilini Investments in Vancouver, will speak on Weighing the Scales of Making a Profit and Making a Difference.

* Karl Moore of McGill University in Montreal is ranked among the top 20 management thinkers in the world and is the author of 20 books. He will speak on From Billionaires to Corporate Titans: Perspectives on Meaning @ Work.

* John Priddy is CEO of The Priddy Group in Eagle, Idaho. He will speak about Full Circle: A Christian Approach to Difference Making Through Social Ventures.

* Bob Shank is founder/CEO of The Master’s Program out of Newport Beach, California. He will talk about Life Mastery: How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life.

* Denis St-Amour is a global strategic advisor living in Montreal who will talk about Entrepreneurial Leadership: Lessons on Innovation, Change and Growth.

Don Murray

Dale Lutz

* Dale Lutz and Don Murray are co-CEOs at Safe Software in Surrey. They will speak on Bumblebees Can Fly: Lessons from 20 Years as Entrepreneurial Partners.

* Rick Goossen will talk about Entrepreneurial Leadership: Finding Your Calling, Making a Difference. He has co-authored a book by that title.

* Geoff Tunnicliffe will talk about a 100-Country Perspective on Entrepreneurial Difference-Making.

Rick Goossen’s vision is for the ELO to be the world’s leading network to equip and inspire Christian entrepreneurial leaders. The conferences are video-taped and will be shown at conference venues in Toronto and Hong Kong later in the month.