2023 Mark Walden Award Winners
2023 Mark Walden Award Winners
The Mark Walden Award is to recognize a deserving member of 3V who has gone above and beyond in contribution and living the 3V values and principles. Happily, this year it was again impossible to give it to just one member. We are delighted to announce that the award winners for 2023 are Joel Watson and Rupert Whiting.
Part of the reason why it was so hard to decide between them was the marked difference in how they went above and beyond. Both inputs are incredibly valuable to the group and we hope that by showcasing these two members that others are inspired to bring what they can to the Group. The message is that there is no “best way” to be a member.
For instance, since 2011, Joel has been the driving force behind several initiatives and events in Toronto and Ottawa. As the current Ottawa Chapter Lead, Joel passionately uses his networks in Corporate Canada to raise the profile of 3V and create connections with large corporations. He brought many new faces to the mess dinners that funded our early expansion and encouraged/cajoled and voluntold others to follow his lead. Joel knows what it takes to run a group professionally and sets a marvellous example for others to follow. More recently he has helped 3V to navigate the legal requirements that have recently been placed on us, giving freely of his time and expertise to put us in a great place legally. He has willingly accepted the role of Group Secretary and steers the less well-versed members through the required procedures with good humour, grace and skill. Simply put, Joel has been a rock upon which we build!
Rupert, on the other hand, as an immigrant has none of the corporate or local military connections that have helped to make Joel so effective. Nor did he have the chapter scale to lean into. So Rupert became a good servant of the Group in other ways. In his case it has been leading the BC Chapter through its recent growth, built on a dogged approach to keeping the Chapter alive even when the meetings were just him and one other. He noticed that even within his small chapter, the infrequent meetings and huge geographical challenges meant that members were not really familiar with one another. For that reason he leant into the National Virtual Series during covid, leading a few and attending most. More recently he has put his writing skills to good use. It is Rupert who now creates the member profiles and some of the success stories that you will have seen pop up during 2022 (available on the website and our social media channels). Watch out for his new podcast series of member interviews that are coming up soon. In summary, Rupert has found ways to create the glue that our group thrives on.
The takeaway from the award this year is that the Group isn’t looking for a particular type of member, contributor or input. Simply offer what you can, don’t wait to be asked. It will be greatly appreciated, like we greatly appreciate Joel and Rupert.