Anita Huberman

Anita Huberman is the CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade. She has been with the Surrey Board of Trade for 24 years, and CEO for 11 years. She guides a 16-member diverse industry Board of Directors to support a growing list of businesses, initiatives and government policies from an economic lens. Anita was a nominee of the 2013 YWCA Women of Distinction Award and a recipient of the 2011 Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 Under 40 award. She has also been appointed to:
1. SFU India Advisory Council
2. Co-Chair, City of Surrey Local Immigration Partnership Committee
3. The First Indo-Canadian woman appointed as an Honorary Captain in Royal Canadian Navy.
4. Trustee, National Film Board
Since Anita Huberman became the Surrey Board of Trade’s CEO 11 years ago, she has worked tirelessly to deliver on the following promise: The Surrey Board of Trade exists to make the community a better place in which to live, work and do business. She guides a 19-member diverse industry Board of Directors to support a growing list of community groups, initiatives and government policies from an economic lens. She has developed the following unique award programs, which celebrate community, volunteerism, leadership, family and health, which are inextricably linked to a successful business community:

1. Top 25 under 25 Awards
2. Leadership Surrey Business Series focusing on policy issues of families/childcare, transportation, homelessness to name a few.
3. International Trade Initiatives and Awards
4. Workplace Development and Education issues/programs
5. Youth Leaders of Today – entrepreneurial program where over 200 Grade 10-12 Students have learned how to run a business, sold product, liquidated a business and taught to give back to a local charity.
6. Police Officer of the Year Awards
7. Surrey Industry Tour
8. Surrey Innovation Awards

Under her direction, the Board has produced and presented some very high profile policy papers to the different levels of government:
1. Business & Families: advocating for more and stronger services and childcare support for Surrey families to lower absenteeism, create less stressed employees and employers both and ultimately more productive workplaces.

2. Education Today Productivity Tomorrow: seeking government support of both k-12 and post secondary education in Surrey to ensure a properly educated cadre can meet the growing demand for employees and entrepreneurs.

3. Surrey Business Action Plan on Homelessness: both federal and local initiatives that homelessness is harmful for community and business.

4. Supported increases in the B.C. minimum wage: much of the board’s work was noted in the government’s minimum wage increase.