34. Carol Lee

CEO and Co-Founder, Linacare Cosmetherapy

2014: #21“I like to do things that are important to me,” explains Carol Lee, the daughter of real-estate billionaire and noted philanthropist Robert H. Lee, whose name graces UBC’s new alumni centre. “It’s a combination of interest and curiosity in different projects.”Lee is plainly having an impact as chair of both the Vancouver Chinatown Revitalization Committee and the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation; and on the board of the Rideau Hall Foundation, a position that requires her to visit Ottawa two or three times a year. To say nothing of her main business endeavour: Linacare is a skin-care line that’s both cosmetic and therapeutic, specializing in aiding cancer patients and burn victims.Lee’s focus is the changing role of the Chinese community in this city. The three restaurants she just bought in Chinatown are, in that sense, less about food than about the neighbourhood they occupy. She’s not talking about gentrification; she’s nurturing inclusiveness by walking the fine line between respecting tradition and encouraging growth. “I can’t do it on my own,” she says. “It’s all about teamwork. The secret to success is always finding the right people.”

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