The CEO of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce is leaving after four years to take on a new role leading intergovernmental relations at the City of Maple Ridge.
Katerina Anastasiadis has been in the Abbotsford position since being hired Dec. 3, 2018.
Anastasiadis begin her new opportunity in January and been preparing for the transition throughout December with the chamber board and staff as well as playing a supportive role until a new CEO is hired, targeted for February.
President Craig Toews is set to oversee chamber operations more closely in the interim until a successor is found.
Toews said he and the board “are sad to lose Katerina but wish her every success in her next chapter with Maple Ridge.”
“Katerina is an extraordinary community leader and has accomplished much for our business community in her four years,” he said.
“She led the chamber and its members through difficult and uncertain conditions during the pandemic and has built a strong reputation for Abbotsford throughout the BC and Canadian Chamber network, tirelessly advocating for businesses and working with all levels of government to help our business community prosper.”
Anastasiadis said her time with the chamber “has been very valuable and created a cherished and memorable time in my career.”
“The leaders and businesses in Abbotsford are truly amazing and I love this community. Although I must embark on a new chapter in my professional career, it has not been an easy decision or move to make,” she said.
“The chamber has much to be proud of and I trust that the momentum that we have coming out of the pandemic and floods that has made us stronger than ever will continue. I know that under the strong leadership of the board and the chamber team that the future of the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce is very bright and there are a lot of achievements yet to come.”
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Toews said Anastasiadis made a significant impact on the chamber, advocating for Abbotsford businesses to all levels of government – in particular, focusing on the agriculture sector and a broad range of business supports and competitiveness issues.
He said she also created new and deeper business and community stakeholder partnerships through the Chamber’s Pillar Sponsorship model, creating the memorandum of understanding with the Downtown Abbotsford Business Association and establishing the first Abbotsford Food Awards with Tourism Abbotsford in fall of 2022.
A key initiative of Anastasiadis’s was establishing the chamber’s Company of Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs Program, created to attract and support the next generation of leaders.
Also notable is the completion of two major economic impact studies for Abbotsford in the agriculture sector with “Canada’s Agricultural Hub” 2022 report and “The Business of Doing Good” 2021 report for the not-for profit sector.
Anastasiadis initiated the Abbotsford Business Community Coalition (ABCC) during the pandemic to support local businesses and not-for-profits, bringing together key business partners and stakeholders to provide local funding and resources.
Anastasiadis’s leadership of the Abbotsford Chamber during the November 2021 flooding events was recognized through a BC Economic Development Award in April 2022 under the category of “recovery and resiliency” for work with the Abbotsford Disaster Relief Fund Coalition and the chamber’s grants of over $2 million administered to farmers and businesses impacted by the flood.
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