Dale Parker joins PlaceSpeak’s Board of Directors

Accomplished executive and corporate director Dale Parker has been named to the Board of Directors of PlaceSpeak, the Vancouver-based online public consultation and engagement platform.

Board Chair Mike Harcourt says Mr. Parker’s appointment adds considerable, broad-based executive and community service experience to help guide PlaceSpeak’s expansion.

Dale’s outstanding credentials in both the private and public sectors, particularly in finance and with key public authorities, will be invaluable as we leverage PlaceSpeak’s innovative approach to public engagement and realize the growth potential that observers around the world have recognized.

—Mike Harcourt

Dale G. Parker

Mr. Parker served as Executive Vice President at the Bank of Montreal; he is the former President and CEO of the Bank of British Columbia and prior to 1992 was Chairman and CEO of the British Columbia Financial Institutions Commission.  Prior to 1998, he was President and CEO of the Worker’s Compensation Board of British Columbia (WorkSafe BC) and from 1998 to 2011, Board Chair of the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink).

Parker says his experience at TransLink underscored the imperative for governments, business and industry to earn public confidence and demonstrate that they are acting in the public interest.

Whether it’s a new rapid transit line or an oil pipeline, or you want develop a piece of property, the public expects to be heard before it gives you the ‘social license’ to proceed. At the same time, the proponents of these projects need some confidence that they’re getting genuine input to their decision-making process.

Because PlaceSpeak ‘geo-locates’ the public’s input, proponents can better identify and give appropriate attention to purely local issues, which can be quite different from the broad-based ones.  It has been interesting to see major consultancies add PlaceSpeak to their tool boxes as they guide their government and private sector clients through the public engagement process.

—Dale Parker

PlaceSpeak allows individuals to confidentially confirm their location and then to engage in conversations about developments in their neighbourhood or elsewhere in the region. The platform enables open dialogue between individuals and with project proponents, and acts as a channel to distribute information and conduct surveys.  From its beginnings in Metro Vancouver, PlaceSpeak is now being used from the Yukon to Orange County Florida, with over 10,000 registered participants.

The PlaceSpeak system has drawn world-wide attention as an innovative start-up and a ‘disruptive game-changer’ in the often chaotic realm of online public consultation.

Dale Parker is a Corporate Director who resides in metro Vancouver. His business experience spans the private and public sector:

• Prior to January 1998, President & CEO of Workers’ Compensation Board of British Columbia;
• Prior to November 1994, President of White Spot Limited and Executive Vice-president of Shato Holdings Ltd.;
• Prior to November 1992, Chairman and CEO of British Columbia Financial Institutions Commission.
• Mr. Parker is a former President & CEO, Bank of British Columbia and Executive Vice-president, Bank of Montreal.
• He serves as Board Chair, UBC Foundation and as a director on the boards of PlaceSpeak Inc., Encorp Pacific [Canada] and Transit Police Services.
• Past directorships include: TransLink (Chair), Talisman Energy Inc, Industrial-Alliance Pacific Life Insurance Co and CPP Investment Board.
• He also serves as Code of Conduct Advisor to BC Hydro.

Mr. Parker is active with a number of charitable and non-profit organizations, including; Chair, Pacific Parkinson’s Research Institute and a director Fraser Basin Council.

Recent past community work includes: Chair, BC Cancer Agency, Vice-Chair, BC Cancer Foundation, Chair, Four Corners Community Savings, Vice-President Kidney Foundation of Canada, Vice-President, BC Lions Society for Children with Disabilities, Vice-Chair, Vancouver Police Department, Vice-Chair, Vancouver Board of Trade and Chair, Industry Training and Apprenticeship Commission of British Columbia. He is a former member of the UBC Faculty of Commerce & Business, Advisory Board.

Mr. Parker is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University