Carol Lee
Leading with Warmth and Wisdom
This year, to mark International Women’s Day, I can’t think of a woman I know more deserving of acknowledgement, and who does more to uplift her community than my friend Carol Lee.?
I have been a fan of Carol since the early 2000s. I first met her through her father, Robert, who was a distinguished member of The Vancouver Club, and I, its newly appointed GM. Bob was one of those guys whose presence and stature could leave you a little intimidated upon first meeting him. However, you’d quickly come to realize he not only remembered your name, but he was genuinely interested in who you were and what you might have to say. His wife Lily, Carol, her sister and two brothers, all share Bob’s similar way of acknowledging those around them, making you feel respected and at ease.
Also like her father, Carol is an accomplished business leader, avid entrepreneur and impassioned philanthropist. She is the busiest person I have ever met; always going to something, coming from something, participating in something, and somehow involved in everything. And with every project she takes on, it is clear that care for her community lies at its heart.
Whether it’s through the therapeutic skincare company she co-founded, Linacare Cosmotherapy Inc., which supplies major hospitals, skincare centres, and cancer clinics with affordable products for those suffering from radiation treatments or various skin afflictions. Carol left Linacare to focus on the Chinatown Foundation.
Or, through the Vancouver Chinatown Foundation, which she founded in 2009, with the aim of revitalizing Vancouver’s once-thriving Chinatown community. When I moved into the Strathcona neighbourhood in 2014, my daily walk to work took me through the city’s historic Chinatown district. I witnessed firsthand this wonderful transformation as a tired and forlorn streetscape regained its vibrancy with some of the city’s best modern restaurants living side-by-side with the original Chinese grocers and traditional storefronts.?
I could continue to enumerate Carol’s contributions to revitalizing this community, from the renovation of the historic May Wah Hotel built in 1913 to the opening of two restaurants; Chinatown BBQ and the iconic Ho Ho , to a recent $108 million 10-storey affordable housing complex. Or list her numerous accolades: Vancouver Magazine's Power 50, BIV’s 2024 Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award and, notably, her appointment as a member of the Order of Canada.?
Though, one project that stands out for me is the Chinatown Storytelling Centre which focuses on sharing and preserving the stories and heritage of Chinese immigrants in Canada. Carol is mapping out an exciting future for this somewhat disregarded and neglected community which is central to the city and its history. With every new venture, it's evident that money isn’t the motivating factor for Carol. It is about retaining the culture of her community, and she isn’t afraid to get involved.?
Yet, it’s Carol’s personal traits that I think make her stand out as a leader and which I appreciate most in her as a person. Like, if she is your friend, she is a great friend…and she is a great friend to many. She is one of the most successful people I know and yet the kindest and most thoughtful.?
Carol’s warmth, wisdom, and ability to lead by example will continue to make her a driving force pushing Vancouver towards the city it’s meant to be. That's the sort of friend this city needs and that's the Vancouver I want to be part of.
To you Carol
on this International Women's Day !
Your friend,
Philip