We lost a couple of greats this week

No, I'm not talking about movie stars or politicians

Over a 30 year career I have engaged with dozens of Chamber of Commerce CEOs across Canada. Two of the best announced they were moving out of their roles in the past few days: John Wishart in Moncton and Krista Ross in Fredericton.

I have written in the past that these smaller industry/advocacy groups - Chambers, industry associations, professional associations, etc. tend to only be as good as what in the Miramichi is called the ‘head lad’ (it’s a gender neutral term). I have seen it so many times it is now for me a rule (think Mylène Lapierre at the NB CPA for a good example of a professional association).

There are many examples. John was ubiquitous. Some Chamber CEOs focus on the networking, golf tournament, an awards show or two. Real feel good stuff. John did that, of course, but was also at just about every table you can imagine leading initiatives around homelessness, workforce development, collaboration. He was not just the Chamber’s CEO, he was Greater Moncton’s CEO.

Mealy-mouthism is an occupational hazard for Chamber CEOs - and that makes some sense given they are representing a wide range of views among their members. But occasionally, just occasionally, the community is looking for leadership. Krista took importance public stances on issues like natural resources development. She was an important voice for development in the Fredericton region.

RIP - actually they didn’t pass on - just moving on - but they leave hard shoes to fill.