Ukrainian Canadian Borys Chabursky named to Canada's distinguished Top 40 Under 40 (05/25/03)

Ukrainian Canadian Borys Chabursky named to Canada's distinguished Top 40 Under 40

by Andrew Nynka

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Ukrainian Canadian Borys Chabursky became one of only 320 Canadians ever to be named a winner of Canada's Top 40 Under 40 - a prestigious award that honors Canadian leaders who have reached a significant level of success by the age of 40.

Honorees of the award, which this year were picked from among a record 1,400 candidates, are selected by a distinguished panel of 29 business and community leaders assembled by The Caldwell Partners International, considered to be the largest executive search firm in Canada.

"It is an honor to be a part of that kind of club," Mr. Chabursky said, referring to other individuals who also won the award. "You recognize the company you're with and it's incredibly humbling to be among these remarkable individuals."

The award is part of an annual national program founded and managed by The Caldwell Partners to "celebrate the leaders of today and tomorrow." The program, which began eight years ago, was designed to "promote mentorship and professional development by introducing these leaders to the established business community and by promoting them as role models for young Canadians," a website for the award says.

Mr. Chabursky, 35, received the award for his work as the president and founder of Strategic Health Innovations (SHI) and for the pro bono and community work he has done outside of his company.

Much of Mr. Chabursky's and SHI's work involves finding venture capital for biotechnology start-ups. Founded in 1999 and headquarted in Mr. Chabursky's hometown of Toronto, SHI is one of Canada's largest biotechnology consultancies.

Mr. Chabursky said his parents, family and Ukrainian community "have been incredibly supportive." He added, "They have done so much to help and support me, to provide a platform for success and the confidence needed to excel."

Since 1999 SHI has raised over $143 million with another $70 million currently in negotiations and an additional $120 million in development. With clients on three continents, SHI provides consulting, capital sourcing and company creation services to government, academic, not-for-profit and private organizations.

Finalists for the Top 40 Under 40 award were rated on five criteria: vision and leadership, impact, growth and development strategy, innovation and achievement, and community involvement and contribution. Nominations for the program were solicited through a national campaign open to Canadian citizens or those who hold immigrant status. Winners of this year's award were announced publicly on April 15, although Mr. Chabursky said he was notified in February.

Mr. Chabursky was nominated for the award by Dr. Richard Heinzl, a founder of the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize-winning Canadian chapter of Doctors Without Borders.

Prior to the May 1 award ceremony for Canada's Top 40 Under 40, which Mr. Chabursky said included some 500 guests, honorees spent several days interacting at an all-expense-paid retreat with other leaders and notable individuals, among them former Canadian ministers and diplomats.

"I was absolutely thrilled," Mr. Chabursky said when he learned he had been chosen for the award. He said people include a mention of it when he's introduced as a speaker at an event and company boards have called looking for Top 40 Under 40 award winners to sit on their boards.

Finalists are often chosen for the award not because of financial success, Mr. Chabursky said, but because they have made a significant impact in the community or internationally. "These are people who have used their success to help benefit others," he said, referring to other award winners.

But Mr. Chabursky, who graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in toxicology and earned a business certificate from Harvard University, has also done much to help others. He has in the past sat on a biotechnology task force for the Canadian Ministry of Technology, Science and Energy and has represented the Canadian government internationally. Additionally, Mr. Chabursky sits on boards in Austria and Singapore, as well as biotechnology advisory boards for various Canadian companies and non-governmental organizations.

He has also found time to continue his involvement as a member of Plast Ukrainian Scouting Organization, which he joined when he was 5. Currently Mr. Chabursky is a member of Plast's Chornomortsi fraternity and is an active member of the Ukrainian community in Toronto.

Mr. Chabursky said of his family and the Ukrainian community that they have instilled in him a mission of discipline and hard work, and the idea of going after a dream. "And it has been a dream," he said. "When you love what you do it's not work - it's fun."

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