Nestor Balce

Working closely with the Board of Directors, I lead the organization’s revenue generation, partnership development, and long‑term sustainability efforts. This includes securing and stewarding financial resources, diversifying funding streams, and strengthening relationships with government, industry, academic, and community stakeholders. As the leader of the executive board, I provide strategic leadership across organizational development, donation strategy, stakeholder engagement, financial responsibility, and long term growth. I bring senior experience in community and strategic partnerships with digital innovation, along with a strong commitment to delivering VanLUG’s social mission of member’s advancement via open source technology.

e-Retail Bookstore focused on STEM titles, both fiction and nonfiction. Built an e-store using Big Commerce, Square POS, Mailchimp for CRM, and Canada Post for fulfillment. Store front was open to Australia NZ, South East Asia, Europe, and North America. Internet archive: web.archive.org/web/…

As VP of Marketing and Communications at VanLUG, I spearhead strategic initiatives to boost developer growth and engagement in line with Community goals. Delivers industry events, meetups, and technical presentations, while championing developer and member interests. Actively organize tech events and meetups, fostering Linux adoption and open-source contributions.

Drove connections with reskilling: towards full-stack/web development, data science and cybersecurity, for a diverse global community of graduates and alumni. Delivered value to alums by advocating for life-long learning of technology and digital skills. Tech Stacks Used: Google Workspace; Google Analytics, Google Studio, Asana, Discord, Monday.com, Pipedrive, Trello, Slack, Mailchimp, Airtable, Hopin and Eventbrite Platform, Loom, and mostly MacOS environment.

Represented the interests of Lighthouse Labs and National / Global Partners, to develop category-breaking marketing campaigns. This led to the development of world-class full-stack developers, data scientists, and Cybersecurity specialists for our external partners. Working with multiple higher education institutions from all across Canada, the US, and Australia, I ensured that their marketing efforts yielded profitable rates of return from traditional and digital campaigns. I also helped B2B / B2G teams with creating and executing strategic marketing plans to promote their reskilling projects.

At Lighthouse Labs, you embark on an immersive journey of learning and growth. People come here to eat, breathe, and sleep code. We develop people into Full-stack developers and Data Scientists. My tech stacks include: Slack; Google Workspace; Canva; Asana; Mondays.com, Pipedrive, and Discord.

Reported to the Vice-President of the Vancouver Retail Group. Achieved number 1 status in the luxury automobile market by December 2015 in GVA, the first time in the history of MB Canada. Maintained status until my exit in 2018. Annual revenues were Ca$800 Mil with healthy margins. Launched new generation models (B, CLA, and GLA,); a new racing vehicle - the GT (R and S); and, maximized the SUV line-up. Established mainstream awareness on the AMG brand and its models, developed omni-channel media exposure for all dealerships, and created special experiences like Formula 1 live, “Mercedes-Benz at the Park,” and AMG Nights. Optimized sales funnel with disciplined measurement and forecasts, with the best ROI on showroom traffic.

Developed and managed products under the Sportsfunder brand, and the Instant Scratch games division. Accountable for advertising campaigns for the holiday season. Provided consultation for Retail stores on Scratch Products and merchandising.

Led Innovation and CPG | New Product Development for 14 countries including USA, China, Russia, Canada, and Germany. United the global Brand Positioning across cultures and geographic borders. Led consumer insights, concept research and led R&D innovation through Wrigley’s stage gate process to deliver Juicy Fruit’s innovation portfolio for countries to launch. Led a global cross-functional team of R&D, Legal, and Supply Chain teams to commercialize new products.

socialServices · Creating unique BC-experiences for travelers and locals coming to Vancouver International Airport (YVR). In June 2026, YVR processed over 91,000 travelers daily (average), a testament to the successes of the tourism industry.

socialServices

Education

health

ScienceAndTechnology