Ontario Chamber of Commerce award catches Guelph chamber CEO by surprise

It was quite a surprise for the president and CEO of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce.

Shakiba Shayani was awarded the 2023 Burnie Gillespie Memorial Award from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce as the top chamber executive who best exemplifies leadership and community service.

“I had no idea until the evening of the event,” Shayani told CJOY and Global News. “The team (at the Guelph Chamber of Commerce) kept it from me, and the Ontario chamber obviously knew who the finalist was but no one told me.”

Shayani received the award at the OCC annual general meeting this past weekend in Niagara Falls.

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“Shakiba’s proactive and trusting relationships with all levels of government is helping raise Guelph’s profile and create impact for local businesses,” Daniel Safayeni, vice-president, policy with the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement.

Shayani has been with the Guelph chamber since September 2019 and feels her hard work over a short period of time has paid off.

“I appreciated the recognition so much and it’s an honour and privilege to be the recipient.”

The Burnie Gillespie Memorial Award is named after the long-serving OCC board member, and is the highest honour given to a chamber executive in the province.

“(The award) perfectly exemplifies the position chambers of commerce across the province hold,” Shayani said. “Community and business are not mutually exclusive and that social issues are business issues.”

Other winners at the OCC AGM include:

• Chair’s Award for Innovative Program or Service: Greater Oshawa Chamber of Commerce
• Richard Dolphin Community Service Award: Nathan Lawrence, Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce
• James Gordon Carnegie Memorial Award: Greg Durocher, Cambridge Chamber of Commerce
• Outstanding Advocacy Campaign Award: Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce