Age: 34
Vincent Fung is a self-described dancing geek. The poised 34-year-old computer engineer has waltzed, cha-cha’d and jived his way across Canada. In 2005, he even bought Alberta Dancesport, parlaying the use of an executive MBA into his passion.
Fung wasn’t always a showman, but as a shy, uncoordinated man in his early 20s, he decided to alter his personal future. The native Calgarian took a cue from an uncle who had been ballroom dancing for 25 years, and fell for the camaraderie and fun he found in dance class. “I was by far the youngest person there, but had such a blast, I just kept going back,” Fung says. The eldest of three children, Fung’s immigrant parents held to the traditional, conservative Asian culture of not being demonstrative or physically affectionate. Dance freed him to express himself in different ways.
Fung has worked hard to raise Calgary’s profile in the national dance community, and was involved in launching the city’s first annual International Salsa Congress. He’d like to see dance brought into local schools as an activity, too.
An entrepreneur at heart, taking after his parents who own the popular Lido Cafe restaurant in Kensington, Fung founded Debian Information Technologies while in university, and now manages the computer networks for about 400 small to mid-sized companies across Western Canada. As CEO, Fung also takes charge of the company’s enterprise support and programming teams, as well as co-ordinating groups in branches across Canada and in Houston, Texas. “I like taking on risks and identifying opportunities,” he says. “I also like helping people achieve their best.”
Dance has certainly helped Fung’s moves, both on and off the dance floor. His next goal? To represent Canada at the world dance championships.
COMMUNITY WORK
President, Foothills
Toastmasters
Volunteer: various
local events including
the Wildrose Ball,
Alberta Open Salsa
Championships and
the Alberta Winter
DanceSport Classic
PAST
Treasurer, DanceSport
Alberta
Vice-president
education, Foothills
Toastmasters