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Biographies of Jim Chu and Leanne Heppell

Jim Chu

Jim Chu is senior vice-president with the Aquilini Group. He joined Aquilini after he retired from the Vancouver Police Department in May 2015 where he served 36 years, including eight years as chief constable. He holds a bachelor of business administration from Simon Fraser University and a master of business administration from the University of British Columbia.

He was elected president of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and served from 2012 to 2014. He has received an honorary doctorate from the Justice Institute of BC, an Outstanding Alumni award from Simon Fraser University, a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee medal and was invested into the Order of Merit of Police Services by the Governor General. He has previously served on the boards of the Streetohome Foundation, the Justice Institute of BC, the Richmond Public Library, and TransLink.  

Leanne Heppell

Leanne Heppell was appointed as chief operating officer, acute care and chief of professional practice and nursing at Providence Health Care in April 2015. Prior to this role, she was Providence’s vice-president, patient safety and innovation, and chief of professional practice and nursing, having been appointed in May 2013. Heppell brings to her role over 20 years of senior leadership experience, including with Vancouver Coastal Health, Fraser Health and the BC Ambulance Service.

Heppell is a registered nurse with a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Victoria. She graduated from UBC as a clinical nurse specialist in the masters in nursing program, and completed a masters in leadership from Royal Roads University in 2003. She is also an academic supervisor of leadership studies at Royal Roads University. She completed a doctorate of business administration in 2016.