May 23, 2014, Vancouver – The chairman and owner of Boston Pizza International, George Melville, has been appointed
chancellor of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a position he will assume the
position in October.
May 23, 2014, Vancouver – The chairman and owner of Boston Pizza International, George Melville, has been appointed
chancellor of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, a position he will assume the
position in October.
The
long-time Lower Mainland resident and inductee into the B.C. Business
Hall of Fame was nominated by the university's alumni association and appointed by
the university’s board of governors for his professional and
philanthropic achievements, commitment to community and valuable service
to Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU).
“My connection to Kwantlen Polytechnic
University goes back over 25 years and includes roles as a KPU parent, a
KPU board member and, most recently, an honorary KPU degree recipient,”
said Melville, in a news release. “I am very pleased to take on this new opportunity
as chancellor and look forward to representing the students, the
faculty, the staff and the community supporters of KPU in the years
ahead.”
Well known for his professional successes
with the T&M Group of Companies – which brings in sales of over $1
billion per year – Melville has continuously been committed to
giving back to KPU’s communities, region and country through his
considerable philanthropic efforts. Alongside business partner and
fellow restaurateur Jim Treliving, Melville founded the Boston Pizza
Foundation Future Prospects (originally the Boston Pizza Foundation) in
1990, which has since raised and donated over $18 million to Canadian
charities.
Boston Pizza and Melville’s
charitable efforts have benefited local chapters of Canadian
organizations such as Boys & Girls Club of Canada, as well as the BC
Cancer and Rick Hansen foundations. He has also taken a hands-on role
in his initiatives, personally participating in events that include the
Walk to Cure Diabetes, and the annual Boston Pizza Foundation
Invitational Charity Golf Tournament.
“We are
delighted and honoured that George has agreed to be KPU’s next
chancellor,” said Shane King, chair of KPU’s board of governors, in the release.
“George’s sterling reputation will make him a fabulous ambassador for
KPU. He has strong ties to our communities and to KPU, and I know he
will make a tremendous contribution to the university during what
promises to be a very exciting time.”
In
2012 he and his wife Sylvia donated $500,000 – the largest donation to
KPU’s Richmond campus at the time – to create the Melville Centre for
Dialogue. The facility, fitted with the latest technology, has provided
student, research and community groups the space to discuss, debate and
collaborate in Richmond.
For over 30 years, Melville has worked, lived and raised his family in KPU’s communities.
Both of his now-grown children attended KPU, where he himself was
awarded an honorary degree in 2013.
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