Team

Mr. Toby Chu is the founder, President and Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Global Education Communities Corp. (“GEC Corp.”), headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Mr. Chu founded GEC Corp. in 1994 and has since developed the company into an international corporation with 45 business locations in Canada and abroad.

In 1994, Mr. Chu implemented GEC Corp.’s expansion plan by establishing the CIBT School of Business & Technology Corp. GEC Corp. operates a chain of campuses, teaching centres, joint program locations and recruitment offices globally, offering business management, e-commerce, technology, health care, vocational trade, and travel tourism programs.

To realize his vision of global education, Mr. Chu acquired Sprott Shaw College in 2007, one of the largest private career colleges in Canada established in 1903.  Sprott Shaw operates 16 campuses in British Columbia. Sprott Shaw became the core infrastructure, academic resource and content provider for GEC Corp.’s future expansions. By 2020, Sprott Shaw College transformed from a predominantly domestic college into a diversified student-mix.

In 2010, Mr. Chu structured the acquisition of King George International College (“KGIC”) for 4.3 million dollars. KGIC is one of the largest English language training schools in Canada. KGIC became the Group’s rudimentary English training provider, global recruitment channel and international pipeline for GEC Corp.’s network of career and degree-granting colleges. After three years of reorganization, Mr. Chu sold KGIC for 13.5 million dollars. In 2017, Mr. Chu re-acquired all the assets of KGIC for the second time in 5 years for 3.1 million dollars and transformed its brand to Sprott Shaw Language College. By 2021, GEC Corp.’s education platform services over 10,000 students per year from 50 countries.

In 2014, Mr. Chu initiated the student-housing division of the company called Global Education City (“GEC”)  by acquiring a hotel, several serviced apartments and development properties to construct North America’s first Education Super Center and Education Mega Center. Utilizing the pipeline of domestic and international students owned by GEC Corp.’s education platform and a network of seventy-two school partners in Metro Vancouver, GEC’s student housing business grew exponentially in a few short years. Total real estate portfolio, including development budget, grew to $1.5 billion with 10 projects, 15 properties in Metro Vancouver.  In 2021, GEC expanded to corporate-housing catering to corporate clients from the technology and health-care sectors.

Mr. Chu is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. In 1993, Mr. Chu was named the “Top 40 Business People under the Age of 40.” In 1994, Mr. Chu became the top 30 finalists among 300 nominees across Canada for the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2015, Mr. Chu earned the Entrepreneur of the Year Award by the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs. Under Mr. Chu’s management, GEC Corp. earned the following recognition during the past twenty-seven years:

• Top 400 Fastest-Growing Companies in Canada in 2020, by Globe and Mail’s Report on Business Magazine
• Top 500 America’s Fastest-Growing Companies 2020, ranked by the Financial Times, London
• Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in Canada in 1993, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, ranked by the Profit Magazine
• Top 100 Fastest-Growing Companies in BC from 2015 to 2020, by Business in Vancouver newspaper
• Top 100 Public Companies in British Columbia from 2008 to 2020, by Business in Vancouver newspaper
• Succeeding Profiles of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs by the Asia Pacific Foundation
• Top 2 Best International Prep College in China by sohu.com in 2009
• Top 5 Sino-Foreign Colleges in China by edu.qq.com in 2009
• Top 10 Most Influential Sino-Foreign MBA Programs in China by China’s Executive Weekly Magazine in 2004 and 2007
• Top 5 TSX-Venture Listed Companies by the TSX-Venture Exchange in 2008
• Top 500 Largest Publicly Traded Companies across Canada by Report on Business magazine
• Ranked in 8th position on the OCTQX 2018 Best 50 Top Performing companies

Mr. Rice has been an executive and/or founder of over 20 start-ups or early-stage ventures, in addition, has been an investor in over 20 more.  These ventures span the spectrum of technology verticals. Beyond early-stage companies, Troy has been an executive of several mid-cap companies including Petsmart, Comfort Systems USA, TransUnion, Universal Technical Institute, Trammell Crow, and GEC Corp..  Currently Troy leads peer groups for Tiger 21 and is a Master Chair for Vistage International working with and coaching over 90 Executives.  Troy serves on the Boards of Global Education Communities Corp. (Symbol: MBAIF), Statistics and Data Corporation, Strategic Solar Energy, HR Pivot, Fusebox, and Cooper Companies.  Academic background includes a BS in Accounting from the University of Iowa and an MBA from Arizona State University.  Troy is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Shane F. Weir is a commercial-oriented Solicitor and Registered Investment Advisor. He is a co-founder of Weir & Associates, a successful law firm with offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai. He is serving and has served as a Director of Listed Public Companies and also has taken up advisory and directorship roles for numerous business, finance and professional services firms, both local and international.

After establishing Weir & Associates, Mr. Weir was engaged as a legal advisor to Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg (formerly Phillips & Vineberg), an original international Canadian-based law firm. As the second in command of the firm’s Hong Kong office, Shane led the establishment of operations in Hong Kong and China for many of Canada’s largest corporations in diverse areas, including aircraft, high speed rail, liquor and beverages, minerals and petroleum.

In addition to his legal career, Shane is accomplished in the business and finance sector. Some of his notable achievements include Director/Advisor to one of the largest decorative solar lighting supplier to North America – the GX Group, Advisor to Hexagon Group Limited –Hong Kong, a premiere corporate services provider; Advisor to Hong Kong Visa Services Limited, a corporation specializing in worldwide migration in and out of Hong Kong. Moreover, Shane is the Director of FIDCO, an international firm specializing in insurance, fiduciary, trust services and consulting. He is a Director and Responsible Officer to Asia Pacific Group (Asia Pacific Investment Advisors Limited), regulated by both the SFC and Insurance Authority (Speed Insurance Group).

Shane started his career in Canada as Senior Associate with Rees, Newsham & Weir, Barristers & Solicitors – Canada in 1977 where he was recruited by two Canadian Q.C.s, David Newsham Q.C. and Hal Rees Q.C., to establish a leading law firm in Western Canada. He graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with two degrees, holding a Bachelor of Arts in the dual majors of Political Science and Philosophy, and also a Bachelor of Law. He moved to Hong Kong in 1985 and in 1989, he was certified by the Securities of Future Commission Hong Kong as an Investment Advisor – Responsible Officer. He was also deemed a Fit and Proper Person by the SFC in 1993. He has held various post including the Disciplinary Committee of The Law Society of Hong Kong, and Chairman of the Land Appeals Tribunal (Buildings).

Mr. Feng is currently an investor in and advisor to several technology and education companies.  Previously, he was the chief executive officer of Bright Scholar, a NYSE listed education company headquartered in China with over 10,000 employees worldwide, from 2019 to 2020; co-founder and chief executive officer of Kidsmile Dental, a chain of premium children orthodontics clinics in China, from 2017 to 2018; chief executive officer of Global Education & Technology Group, a leading education company in China, from 2014 to 2016;  and the chairman/interim chief executive officer responsible for the restructuring of ChinaCast Education Corporation from 2011 to 2013.  From 2006 to 2011, he was executive vice president of strategy, planning and operations at Knowledge Universe, one of the largest education holding company in the US. Prior to joining Knowledge Universe, Mr. Feng spent 8 years at the General Electric Company in the US.  Mr. Feng graduated from Tsinghua University in China in 1989 with a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Automation and earned a Master of Business Administration degree from University of California, Los Angeles in 1992.

Ms. Hsu was the Acting Secretary of State for California in 1990, and Senior Consultant to Zhuhai New Hi-Tech Industries Development Zone in China in 1997. She was the President of China E-Commerce Association North American Chapter, and also served as Advisor to Suzhou Machinery Holding (Group) Co. Ltd. in China in 1999.

Ms. Hsu has over 20 years of experience in market research, business development, management consulting and marketing for international businesses. Her experience includes identifying and securing high-profile clients and conducting market research for firms such as Multi-Fineline Electronix Inc., a high-tech manufacturing company with nearly 4,000 employees in the United States and China. Ms. Hsu also assists North American firms to expand their presence to Asia and helps Chinese companies to set up businesses in the United States.

Ms. Hsu is an affiliate of many charitable organizations in California, including the Young Generation Asian Professionals, Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center, Bowers Museum and Pan Pacific Performing Arts.

Mr. David has been a director of Global Education Communities Corp. since 1998. From 1979 to present Mr. David has been self employed as an oral maxillofacial surgeon.

He is a member of the Canadian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, the BC Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and the College of Dental Surgeons. Mr. David has a Master of Science degree in Physiology from the University of Oregon, and a Doctorate in Dental Medicine from the Washington University School of Dental Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.