BC Tech has announced the 2026 inductees into the BC Innovators Hall of Fame, recognizing two leaders who have helped shape British Columbia’s technology and knowledge economy.
Darren Entwistle, President and CEO of TELUS, and Joy Johnson, President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University, will be celebrated at the 2026 Technology Impact Awards on October 29, 2026.
“The BC Innovators Hall of Fame exists to tell the story of what is possible when extraordinary leaders commit to something larger than themselves,” said Jill Tipping, President and CEO of BC Tech. “Darren and Joy have each, in their own remarkable ways, helped build the knowledge economy that is now BC’s greatest competitive asset.”
Entwistle is the longest-serving CEO in the global telecommunications industry. Since 2000, he has led TELUS through its transformation from a Western Canadian telephone company into a major communications and information technology company.
TELUS has invested $70 billion in British Columbia over the past 25 years, supporting broadband networks, preventative healthcare, precision agriculture and the province’s digital economy. TELUS has also built a $1 billion TELUS Ventures portfolio supporting technology entrepreneurs in the province.
“Darren Entwistle didn’t just build a company — he built a philosophy,” said Tipping. “His conviction that technology must serve people and communities, not just shareholders, helped define what responsible leadership in the knowledge economy looks like.”
Johnson, meanwhile, is being recognized for her leadership in research, innovation and post-secondary education. She is President and Vice-Chancellor of Simon Fraser University and a professor in SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences.
Before becoming president, Johnson served as SFU’s Vice-President, Research and International, where she helped advance research, innovation and international engagement with a focus on knowledge mobilization.
“Joy Johnson understands that a knowledge economy is only as strong as the institutions that generate knowledge,” said Tipping. “Her career — as researcher, as the leader of research and innovation at SFU, and now as its President — has been a sustained argument for the idea that universities and the technology sector are not separate worlds. They are the same world.”
Johnson is an elected Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She has co-authored more than 180 peer-reviewed articles and currently chairs both the Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia and the Universities Canada board.
The BC Innovators Hall of Fame was established in 2023 in partnership with the Government of British Columbia to honour individuals who have made lasting contributions to the province’s technology and innovation ecosystem.
Inductees are celebrated annually at the Technology Impact Awards, BC Tech’s flagship event recognizing excellence across British Columbia’s technology sector.
The post BC Tech Names Darren Entwistle And Joy Johnson To Innovators Hall Of Fame appeared first on Techcouver.com.
BC Tech Names Darren Entwistle And Joy Johnson To Innovators Hall Of Fame was first posted on May 28, 2026 at 5:50 pm.
©2022 “Techcouver.com“. Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at rob@kitsilano.ca
