Our Leadership
Yuri Fulmer
Vice-Chair, Chair, Governance Committee Worldwide Board of Trustees
Chairman Fulmer and Company
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Yuri Fulmer has been building businesses since his early twenties. Having arrived from Australia a few years earlier, it all began when he was faced with the unexpected opportunity to buy a local franchise while working for A&W. Young, but extremely motivated, Yuri figured out how to put together enough money and made the tough decision to focus solely on running a business, rather than studying them at school.
Since then, Yuri has grown that single A&W franchise into dozens, as well as managed, developed and invested in a number of other businesses including Mr. Mike’s Steakhouse and Pizza Hut franchises across Western Canada, doggedly building a $60 million business portfolio by the time he was 30.
In 2010, Yuri founded Fulmer & Company to continue doing what he does best — helping businesses grow. Currently, Fulmer & Company owns and invests in a collection of companies in the hospitality, business-to-business, manufacturing, construction, digital technology, and consumer service industries. To date, Fulmer & Company businesses have been named among Canada’s Fastest Growing Private Companies five times. And yes, Yuri’s counting.
Right from the start, serving the local community has also been an important part Yuri’s work. Over the years, he’s been actively involved in local non-profit, educational and arts organizations, and serves as an accredited Director a number corporate and civic boards.
Currently, Yuri is the National Chair of United Way Centraide Canada which raised $560 million in 2019, Co-Chair of the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society and a Director of the BC Achievement Foundation. He is a past Chair of the Board of BC Ferries (the world’s largest coastal ferry company), and a former director of the Vancouver Foundation (Canada’s largest community foundation), Vancouver Opera, Boys and Girls Clubs and the Surrey Food Bank. Yuri served on the Board of BlueShore Financial for 7 years, including chairing the Human Resource and Compensation Committee, and serving on the Nominations & Election Committee, the Audit Committee, the Governance & Conduct Review Committee, and the Investment Committee.
In 2019, Yuri established The Fulmer Foundation to take Fulmer & Company’s community investment to the next level, continuing his long-standing commitment to helping improve social issues with more than just financial support. One of the foundation’s biggest undertakings is the management and support of Goodly Foods— a social enterprise working to repurpose surplus produce from local suppliers, while creating employment opportunities for people in need.
In 2020 Yuri was installed as Capilano University’s Fourth Chancellor, making him the youngest University Chancellor in Canada.
As much as recognition is not what drives him, Yuri feels truly honoured to have received a considerable amount for his contributions to others, including: Canada’s Top Forty Under 40 (2008), The BC Community Achievement Award (2010), The Spirit of Vancouver Award (2011), The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012) and The Order of British Columbia (2010), our Province’s highest honour, for Yuri’s “dynamic entrepreneurship and committed volunteerism”. In 2021 Business in Vancouver named him one of nine “Living Legends”. Yuri agrees that he is indeed “living”.
Away from the office, you can often find Yuri enjoying the great outdoors near and far, fishing, diving, canoeing, kayaking, climbing, and exploring. Or, you know, not find him.