In 2018, Canpac Marine’s Ryan Anderson bought a struggling marine services business and transformed it into a tidal-sized enterprise generating over $45 million in revenue, making him this year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year Overall Pacific winner. Anthony von Mandl—billionaire, Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and founder of the Mark Anthony Group of Companies—started just as modestly, launching his career as a wine merchant from a roughly 100-square-foot office next to Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre. And before Big Way Hot Pot became a cultural phenomenon—with 25 locations across North America and projected sales of more than $100 million next fiscal year—founders Jack Yao and Christiana Luo ran a coffee shop in Australia.
This year’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year Pacific cohort is anything but uni-dimensional. The 19 featured ventures run the gamut from a Thai spa chain and a men’s health-optimization platform to a world renowned Haida fashion designer and a neuroscience firm—reflecting both the breadth of B.C.’s emerging business landscape and the many different paths its founders and leaders take to build something lasting. If the class of 2026 proves anything, it’s that entrepreneurship in British Columbia is getting harder to define, and is far more interesting because of it.
Winners
Ryan Anderson | CEO, Canpac Marine Services
Jack Yao & Christiana Luo | Co-founders, Big Way Group
Ian Mortimer | President & CEO, Xenon Pharmaceuticals
Jared Atchison | Founder & CEO, Island Technical Installations (ITI)
Brad Liski | Co-founder & CEO, Tru Earth Environmental Products
Finalists
Morgan Browne, Arlene Chiang & Michael Uy | Co-founders, Oakwyn Realty
Aiman & Zak El-Ramly | Co-founders, ZE Power Engineering
Robert Boscacci (CEO) & Cameron Fleming (CIO) | Co-founders, HME Medical Distribution
Ryan Brinkhurst | Founder & CEO, Beautifi
Sean Merat | Co-founder & CEO, Owl.co
Mohammad Doostmohammadi | Founder & CEO, pH7 Technologies
Mat Rezaei & Ramin Behzadi | Co-founders, Upguys
Eric Xie | Founder & CEO, Acrocargo Express
Nuttha & Jacques Goutier | Co-founders & Co-CEOs, Sabai Thai Spa
David Gens | Founder & CEO, Merchant Growth
Jessica Hu | Founder & CEO, GBM Health Holding
Ryan Weymark | Co-founder & President, Fuse Advisors
Special Citations
Anthony von Mandl | Founder & Chair, The Mark Anthony Group of Companies
Pacific Lifetime Achievement Award
Dorothy Grant | Owner & Fashion Designer, Dorothy Grant Studio
Social Impact Entrepreneur
