Belledune, NB – The Belledune Port Authority (BPA) Board of Directors has recently appointed a new Chair on the Board of Directors. It was announced in July 2018 that Danika Keeley will be succeeding in the role, becoming the first ever female to hold this position with the BPA.
Keeley was previously serving as a director on the BPA Board before taking on this new role. She holds a bachelor degree of arts from St. Thomas University and has also studied business and Human Resources Management at Saint Mary’s University. She brings to the table her background and experience in business planning, financial management, human resources management, and fine-tuned marketing skills. She is a franchise developer with Dixie Lee (Maritimes) Ltd., and has also contributed her skills to the Campbellton Regional Chamber of Commerce, the New Brunswick Chamber of Commerce, and Enterprise Restigouche.
BPA President & CEO, Denis Caron has said “we are very excited to have Ms. Keeley as Chair of the Board. With her knowledge and experience, we know she will be successful in the role and continue to bring great leadership to the Board.”
Keeley is now part of a movement seeing more women occupying executive roles on serving boards. According to an article published by CBC News, between 2014 and 2017, “the percentage of women on Canadian corporate boards has gone up to 14 per cent from 11 percent three years ago.” (The Canadian Press, 2017). Although that statistic is still quite low and slow to increase, it is encouraging to see it growing. A study called “Women in Business: the Value of Diversity” conducted a thorough overlook of corporations in the US, UK, and India, and in each found that having women in leadership roles often leads to better performance by companies.
The BPA has made great strides in becoming more progressive with their business operations. In May of this year, the BPA signed a historic protocol with the Mi’gmaq communities around the region for a Relationship and Engagement Consultation for projects being considered at the port, as it is located on unceded traditional land. Now, the BPA can add to the list, having its first ever female Chairperson of the Board of Directors. Even more, the Port announced this year that it is now shipping 24 different products, and in July 2018, broke the record for the most tonnage handled at the Port in one month. The Port is also in the works of expanding on opportunities and are working on possible projects for the site.
The newly appointed Chair, Danika Keeley, said about her recent appointment “I am fortunate to be part of a group of highly talented professionals representing the various regions of Northern New Brunswick who are working together to ensure the good governance of the Belledune Port Authority. I am thankful for this opportunity, proud to be one of the Women of Transport and honored to have been selected to serve as Chairperson of the Board of Directors.”
For more information contact:
Denis Caron President & CEO Belledune Port Authority 506-522-1203 caron@portofbelledune.ca
Sources used: https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/women-on-boards-1.4566959 http://time.com/4053896/women-boardroom-companies-business/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/women-boards-osc-1.4369447 New Chair Of The Board – ENG – MKTG – JLV.pdf
Comments