Greg D'Avignon has announced that, after 12 years as president and CEO at the Business Council of British Columbia (BCBC), he plans to leave to become a partner at Canadian Strategy Group (CSG).
He will stay at BCBC until at least January 2023, and he said that he will help with the transition to a new CEO.
Cheryl Maitland Muir is stepping in as deputy CEO. Lisa Sparrow is forming an executive-search committee to begin the process of finding a new top executive.
D'Avignon told BIV that his future role at CSG will be similar to that of a consultant, and that he will advise about a handful of companies.
He said he loves working at BCBC but he wanted to get back into the private sector and focus on individual projects.
"With 250 members [at BCBC,] you become a knowledgeable person on a lot of things, but you don't get deep into many issues," he said. "I've got some expertise in certain areas that I'd like to expand on, and focus."
D'Avignon said he will be CSG's fifth partner, and he will stay based in Vancouver. The other partners work in offices in Calgary, Edmonton and Regina. The company does not have partners in Central Canada but D'Avignon said a lot of work is done in Ottawa. CSG offers a range of services that include government relations, strategic communications and public affairs. Its website does not list its clients.
"This news is bittersweet," said BCBC chairwoman Susannah Pierce. "Greg has been an extraordinary leader."
Before he joined BCBC, D'Avignon was president of the western region for Canada's National Brewers for what was also 12 years.
Given his penchant for staying at jobs for 12 years, BIV asked D'Avignon if he intended to stay at Canadian Strategy Group for that amount of time.
"Given medical science, it could be another 30 years," he said. "I'm not sure that I'll ever retire, to be honest with you. I just really enjoy working with people, and I'm curious. I'm always interested in learning. I'll be there for a period of time for sure."
