BCBUSINESS.CA MARCH 2019 BCBUSINESS 43
T R A I L B L A Z E R S
Anne Giardini
CHANCELLOR, SFU; FORMER PRESIDENT,
WEYERHAEUSER CANADA
Anne Giardini's foray into the world of
economics is of another time. In 1977, as a
irst-year student at the University of
Ottawa in her hometown, she took the
subject on the advice of the woman at the
admissions desk. "She asked me a few ques-
tions about my interests and suggested that
economics would be something I'd enjoy,"
Giardini recalls.
It turned out to be a savvy choice.
Giardini would transfer to
SFU (where she
now serves as chancellor) a year later, but
she relished the chance to be taught by
another trailblazer, world-leading econo-
mist and South African expat Irene Spry,
who passed away in 1998. "Why she took on
a bunch of runny nose Šrst-year students, I
have no idea," Giardini says. "But she took
an interest in me; I guess I asked the right
kinds of questions. And she instilled in me
a deep interest in economics and money—
how it works in society, how wealth is gen-
erated and how it gets deployed."
Though she later completed two degrees
in law, Giardini has remained entrenched in
the world of Šnance. Starting in 2008, she
spent six years as president of the Canadian
arm of Seattle-based forestry giant Weyer-
haeuser. She recently Šnished an eight-year
term as chair of the Greater Vancouver
Board of Trade, and this year she became
chair of TransLink's Šnance committee.
"Anne is intellectual, curious, kind and
generous," says panellist Tracey McVicar.
"A large community of women in Šnance,
law, the non-proŠt sector and academia
have beneŠted greatly from her mentorship
and sponsorship."
Asked what she tells young women
at
SFU and elsewhere who are at the pro-
verbial admissions desk, Giardini notes
that she often recommends accounting
or another related Šeld. "I think this is an
area where women can excel, and do excel,
and do shine. They still run into the prob-
lem that many women face, that question
of hitting a ceiling, or running into their
child-bearing or family-rearing years, when
things get more challenging," the mother of
three adult children explains.
"I often say, 'Call me if you're thinking
of quitting or dropping out; I'll talk you
into keeping at it.' And I mean it. It's so easy
to step aside and go o™ your career path
almost unintentionally and think there
will be so many on-ramps back. Those on-
ramps might not be there." —N.C.
continued on p.45
B . C .' S MO S T
I N F LU E N T I A L WOM E N
