Village Gamer

DigiBC, the Digital Media and Wireless Association, announced today that its president, Michael Bidu, will leave the organization April 30, to pursue new entrepreneurial opportunities in mobile health.

“I’ve enjoyed the many challenges of running our association for almost a year and a half and appreciated being able to use my entrepreneurial skills to reshape the organization, create and stage many significant industry events, and manage the successful merger of two industry associations.

“DigiBC is now a young and dynamic organization, recognized by key stakeholders at home and abroad as BC’s leading industry association for digital media and wireless. We are focused on the convergence of digital media and wireless, and represent over 1,000 companies that employ more than 16,500 well-educated employees, and generate over $3 billion in annual revenues.”

Bidu was appointed head of WINBC in September, 2007 and worked tirelessly to create greater recognition for the wireless industry, and to create innovative industry programs and events for members. In his first year, he revived Mobile Monday Vancouver – a monthly gathering of some of the leaders, entrepreneurs and best minds in the local wireless and digital media industry.

In 2009, the boards of both WINBC and New Media BC agreed that a merger – as DigiBC – would create a stronger industry and better reflect the worldwide trend to convergence. Bidu and the two boards very quickly completed the merger – with minimal disruptions to the activities of either sector.

Bidu also created and produced two Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit Conferences, plus a number of events for Vancouver’s 2010 Winter Olympics, including the multi-million dollar public-private partnerships that led to VXperience and Showcase and the Multimedia Gallery at the BC Canada Pavilion. Both were started from scratch, only months before the Olympics. Thanks to support from more than 100 digital media and wireless companies, both events launched successfully and on time. The results were seen or experienced by more than 100,000 visitors. Bidu also architected and produced VIDWeek 2010, another first for the BC digital media and wireless industry, attracting national and international attention to our province.

“Michael accomplished a lot during his tenure, and his drive, passion and vision were instrumental in bringing about the successful merger of WINBC with New Media BC,” says DigiBC chairman Paul Lee. “We thank him for all his work and wish him all possible success in his new ventures. Wireless Health is one of the eight strategic recommendations our board made to the Government of Canada last summer to Improve Canada’s Digital Advantage. I am pleased to see that BC is leading the way.”

Bidu will continue to lead DigiBC’s activities while the association’s board seeks a suitable replacement. He will also be appointed chair of a new committee that DigiBC is setting up to focus on the convergence of wireless, digital media, and medical research and to find solutions that will reduce the cost of health care delivery while providing a better customer experience.

“My goal is to take the BC Wireless Health Initiative, which we started back in 2009, to a new level of innovation and commercialization provincially, nationally and globally,” says Bidu.

“I thank the Board of Directors of DigiBC, the members, the numerous community and industry sponsors, the supporting local, provincial and federal government organizations, the media and the many volunteers for all their past help, and for their continuing support of what we achieved together in the past three and a half years. I will seek for your support in the future and know I can count on it.”

Editor’s 2 cents’ worth: I’d like to see either Lynda Boyd or Rochelle Grayson back in the leader’s seat at DigiBC. Those two ladies know how to get things done.