William Ma immigrated to Vancouver in 1993 with a long career in the import and export business. In the early 1970’s, William founded a factory specializing in the export of outerwear garments to North America. In 1981, he became one of the first groups of Hong Kong investors to establish factories in Guangzhou while establishing close relationships with the Guangdong Board of Trade. After immigrating to Vancouver, he founded two trading companies investing in garment imports from China and commercial properties. William is an active member in the community, serving on the boards of numerous community organizations. He was involved in the successful effort to designate Vancouver Chinatown as a National Heritage Site, as part of the bid for Chinatown to receive its World Heritage Site designation.