Bill Chan

Bill Chan approaches his new role as a director on the Vancity Board of Directors with a focus on community, environmental sustainability and financial stability for Vancity members. Bill was elected to his first term at the 2018 Vancity Annual General Meeting in May.

For the last 24 years, he has been Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Encorp Pacific (Return-It), a not-for-profit product stewardship corporation that develops, manages and improve systems to recover used packaging and end-of-life products from consumers and ensure that they are recycled in an environmentally responsible manner.

In this role he works with a dynamic team to deliver a convenient, cost-effective recycling system for beverage containers, consumer packaging and other products at the end of their lives. He brings to the Vancity Board of Directors a commitment to marrying sustainability with financial stewardship.

“In the environmental space, we concentrate on both. I’ve been at it for 24 years, and it’s a model that is sustainable and successful.” Bill was born in Prince George, BC and his parents ran a small business in that city for many years before moving to Vancouver. In secondary school, his close friend became a Vancity member and asked him to join also. He did so – and he’s been an active member of the credit union for nearly 40 years.

Bill enjoyed a career in the hospitality industry, working in the major hotels in Vancouver. Even with his busy schedule, he managed to launch his second career, by earning his accounting designation (Chartered Professional Accountant, (CPA)), and an MBA (with honours) in International Business at the Asia Pacific International School of Management. In 1994—an era when recycling was limited to used paint and beverage containers—he took on his role at Encorp Pacific (Return-It).

As he raised his family, Bill made time to volunteer to serve on the Parents Advisory Committee for Renfrew elementary school and the District Parents Advisory Committee. Now a longtime East Vancouver community member, Bill enjoys running, golfing and spending time with his family, including his two grown sons, both of whom have degrees in the environmental sciences at UBC.