Induction of Ivana Faltysova and Bill Brown

Bill Brown's Bio

Bill comes to Harbourside via the Canmore Rotary Club where he was a member from December 1999 (the last member inducted into the Canmore Club in the last century) to August 2004. Bill served in a variety of positions in the club including club president from July 1, 2003 to June 30, 2004. Bill moved to Whistler in August 2004 to become Whistler's Manager of Community Planning. Due to logistical problems including a daily 2 hour - 110 km commute from Squamish, Bill was unable to continue his Rotary service. He also had to end his 7 year service to the RCMP as an Auxiliary Constable. Bill left Whistler in February 2012 to become Esquimalt's Director of Development Services.

Bill's career in Community Planning and Development has allowed him to work in some of the most beautiful places on Earth including Canmore, Banff, Whistler and now Esquimalt. As Esquimalt's new Director of Development Services, Bill is responsible for overseeing community planning and development including economic development and tourism. He reports directly to his sponsor Laurie Hurst in her capacity as Esquimalt's Chief Administrative Officer. Out of respect for this reporting relationship, all Sergeant at Arms fines related to Esquimalt shoule be directed to Laurie.

Bill is happily married to Hui. Hui grew up in Tianjin, China. Tianjin is China's fourth largest city with a population of 12 million. Bill and Hui have embraced life in Esquimalt and greater Victoria since arriving in February and look forward to becoming more engaged in various community activities including Rotary activities.

Bill has a BSc. in biology, a MA degree in planning and a certificate in Urban Design. Bill would like to thank his sponsor Laurie and the members of Harbourside Rotary for the privilege of serving through Rotary.

Bill's classification is Community Planning.

Ivana Faltysova's bio

Ivana moved to Canada from the Cayman Islands, where she was a member of the local Rotaract Club since December 2009. She was born and raised in Slovakia, in a mid-sized town called Trnava, 50 km from the capital city of Bratislava. She went to university in Bratislava and working in Slovakia afterwards for about 4 years. She learned about Rotary and Rotaract while in Slovakia shortly prior to her departure to the Cayman Islands. She was very impressed by the impact Rotary has around the world and therefore Rotaract was the first social contact she pursued after her big move across the globe. She was the only non-Caribbean member of the club and she loved being an active part of a community of young leaders striving for a better future for their country. She wanted to follow the same route after moving to Canada and she is grateful that Kevin Watt invited her to a Harbourside meeting and supported her in becoming a member of this wonderful club.

Ivana studied law and acquired her Master's Degree in 2005. She was on a well paved path to becoming an attorney back home but she always had a strong desire to experience more of the world and to connect with people in other countries before deciding where she would like to call home. Ivana worked for the legislative committee of the Slovak government and worked at a local law firm before she accepted an offer to work for an investment management company which was in the process of opening a branch in Bratislava. She was intrigued by all the niche market business concepts of this company and it was this company which opened the door to the rest of the world for her. She grew professionally and personally in the company and after 3 years of working as in-house legal counsel she became director on the board of the investment companies and hedge funds managed by her company in Cayman Islands. She headed the local Cayman Island branch and was responsible for all legal negotiations.

Ivana lived in the tropical tax-free paradise of Cayman Islands for 3 years before she "hopped" to another island far up north - to Vancouver Island. She followed her heart to live with her fiance Cory Martinson, who she met in the Cayman Islands. Cory worked in Cayman Islands for a year to train the local government workers on information and privacy policies after the country had introduced the Freedom of Information laws in 2009. Their relationship lasted despite his departure and eventually brought Ivana to the most beautiful corner of BC. She believes she has found her home here and is very grateful and happy to be able to serve, an contribute to the community through the Harbourside Rotary Club.

Ivana started a new job on October 29th as a Trust Officer at Royal Trust of Canada here in Victoria.

Ivana's classification is Financial Services