As Vice-president, Corporate Citizenship and Community Affairs, Patrick Barron brings TELUS’ globally recognized social purpose strategy and vision to life, overseeing corporate citizenship and community affairs, including the TELUS Friendly Future Foundation, TELUS Community Boards, Team TELUS Cares, TELUS Days of Giving, TELUS Community Ambassadors, TELUS Connecting for Good portfolios and TELUS Wise. In addition, he activates meaningful and memorable events at the helm of the Corporate Events team as well as enables best-in-class governance and program delivery excellence through his stewardship of the Corporate Citizenship & Communications Program Management Office.
With more than 20 years of telecommunications industry experience, Patrick is a dynamic and passionate people leader with a natural ability to build integrated strategies through meaningful collaboration. He excels with change and ambiguity and has quickly mastered new roles and responsibilities to help propel the TELUS business and telecommunications industry forward. Throughout his two decade tenure, he has held leadership roles in Partner Solutions, Finance, People & Culture and Corporate Communications, where he helped lead key transformational programs for the organization.
Overseeing TELUS’s commitment of $150 million to support Canadians throughout the COVID-19 global health pandemic, Patrick also enabled virtual volunteerism when it was needed most and together with team members and retirees selflessly volunteered 1.2 million acts of giving in 2020. In addition, the TELUS team contributed $85 million, equaling 5 per cent pre-tax profits, to charitable and community organizations, an increase of $30 million from 2019. At the heart of TELUS’ network of good, Patrick leads the TELUS family, composed of more than 55,000 global team members and retirees, to give where they live, and since 2000 together have donated $820 million and 1.6 million volunteer days with their hearts and hands.
To elevate TELUS’ brand reputation on an international scale, Patrick has helped launch major marketing campaigns including TELUS Gives Back, We Give Where We Live, #StayConnected, Share Love, TrueNorth and Most Giving Company, to name just a few. Under his leadership, TELUS was acknowledged as 15th in the world by the Wall Street Journal for its leadership in social capitalism, one of only three Canadian companies and the only telecommunications company in the world on the list. He also led the team to receive global accolades from the Ethical Corporation’s Responsible Business Awards for Community Impact, Business for the Arts Community Impact Award, Canada’s Top 100 Employers and Corporate Knights Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada.
Patrick earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of British Columbia and has also completed several executive leadership programs from BCIT and is a member of the Executive Forum for the Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship. He proudly serves as a board member on the TELUS Vancouver Community Board.
Patrick lives in Vancouver, BC with his husband, Dustin, and their French Bulldog, Henry.
