Two Members of the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame were recently named to the Order of Canada. Congratulations Wes Armour and Gerry Pond on this great honour! For more information please click here.
For Immediate Release
Mary-Jean Irving, Pierre-Yves Julien and Bill Whalen named to the
Junior Achievement New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame
Fredericton, NB – Three of New Brunswick’s most prominent business leaders have been named to the Junior Achievement New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame. Mary-Jean Irving, Pierre-Yves Julien and Bill Whalen will be inducted at the 20th annual gala event, which will be held at Casino New Brunswick on November 1st.
“Our 20th gala event is going to be something special – and it will see the induction of three inspiring leaders into our province’s Business Hall of Fame,” says Connie Woodside, President and CEO of Junior Achievement New Brunswick. “This year’s inductees each followed different paths in business, but all three of them have important traits in common – including leadership, vision, and focus – all things we strive to instil in the Junior Achievers we work with every day.”
Mary-Jean Irving was raised in Saint John, New Brunswick, and attended York University in Ontario. She began her entrepreneurial career in Prince Edward Island, and in 1998 expanded operations to Dieppe, New Brunswick. She is President and CEO of Master Packaging Inc., a state-of-the-art manufacturer of folding carton and corrugated boxes, and Indian River Farms Ltd., a diversified agricultural business. She is a member of the Prince Edward Island Business Hall of Fame, and past member of the Board of Governors for the University of Prince Edward Island.
Pierre-Yves Julien is a graduate of Laval University, and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA). In 2012, after more than a decade leading the Blue Cross Life Insurance Company of Canada and then Medavie Blue Cross, Pierre-Yves was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Medavie. Today, Medavie is the country’s leading Blue Cross plan and the largest provider of Emergency Medical Services in Canada and largest ambulance operator in Massachusetts. He is also the current Chair of the Healthcare Committee for the Canadian Institute of Actuaries.
Bill Whalen is a lifelong New Brunswick resident. A graduate of Concordia University, he is also a Fellow of the Canadian Public Relations Society (FCPRS). After holding senior-level positions at many of the region’s best-known companies, Bill joined Hawk Communications in 2004. In 2007 he and a business partner bought the company. Described as one of Atlantic Canada’s masters of strategic communications, Bill is also a well-known community supporter – chairing many fundraising committees and sitting on a variety of boards. He was recognized with the Order of Moncton in 2013.
“This year’s group of laureates are business leaders in three very different industries,” says Britt Dysart, Chair of the Board of Directors of Junior Achievement New Brunswick. “Together they have had an important positive impact on our province.”
For further information on Junior Achievement and the New Brunswick Business Hall of Fame please contact Connie Woodside, President & CEO of JA New Brunswick at 506.455.6552 or jafrednb@nb.aibn.
