Thread

Ian Bird’s work has always centred on collective effort and shared purpose. This is reflected in his time as CEO of Community Foundations Australia and Community Foundations of Canada, along with his involvement in the sport community.

As he begins his tenure as Victoria Foundation CEO, Ian returns to Vancouver Island with a wealth of experience and a strong connection to place. In this interview, he reflects on what has shaped his leadership and where he sees opportunity for Greater Victoria communities.

Q: You have deep roots in the capital region. What does it mean to be coming back to Victoria after working abroad

It really feels like coming full circle. For ages, my family has had a place on Salt Spring Island, and Victoria was home for me earlier in life when I was playing field hockey at a high level and going to school.

I moved here when I was 25, worked in Oak Bay and lived near Government House. Being back on the island, closer to family, just feels right.

At the same time, this region has changed. There’s enormous opportunity, but also real challenges that weren’t as visible when I was younger. Taking up the baton from Sandra Richardson and helping shape how the community responds to these realities feels deeply meaningful.

Q: What personal or professional experiences have most shaped how you see leadership today

Looking back, I think I’ve really only done one thing: teamwork. My years with the national field hockey team were always about what we could accomplish together.

That same mindset carried into athlete advocacy, the Olympic movement and later my work with Community Foundations of Canada and Community Foundations Australia. The question was always the same: how can people and organizations, working together, create impact beyond what any of us could achieve alone? That’s the leadership I try to practice.

Q: Why was this the right moment to join the Victoria Foundation

The Foundation is in a position of real strength. It’s trusted, deeply embedded in the community and stewarding significant resources responsibly, thanks to the care and leadership Sandra Richardson has built for many years.

We’re also living through social and economic disruption. Some parts of the community are thriving while others are struggling. The question now is how to use our strength to respond to those realities and support a shared prosperity grounded in island values.

Coming back to the island, I want to spend time seeing things fresh, hearing different perspectives and understanding what the community is telling us about what needs to come next.

Q: What might surprise people about you

Left to my own devices, my ideal day is a quiet one: a stack of books, a fire at the cabin, a walk in the woods. People often see me as outgoing through my work, but I recharge in quieter, more reflective ways.

Q: Looking ahead, where do you seeopportunity for the Greater Victoria communities the Foundation serves

Despite global uncertainty, I’m deeply hopeful. Vancouver Island is a place where coherence is very possible. Relationships are close, ideas move quickly and collaboration is happening. There are extraordinary thinkers and leaders here, exploring everything from reconciliation and Indigenous law to new ways of thinking about social and economic systems.

The Victoria Foundation is well-positioned to stretch, experiment and take on more complex challenges — convening, innovating and pushing at the edges of what’s possible, while staying grounded in the stability Sandra and the community have built.

I’m confident we’ll do precisely that.