Anne Giardini is a celebrated B.C. business leader, board director, lawyer, community advocate and internationally-published writer who had a distinguished career for two decades with the Canadian subsidiary of one of the world’s largest international forest products companies, Weyerhaeuser. Six of those years she was Canadian president after serving as Canadian General Counsel.

A thoughtful leader, Giardini provided strategic advice and direction for the Canadian operations of Weyerhaeuser, led acquisitions and divestitures across Canada, the US and Mexico, developed lasting relations with Indigenous groups, ensured safety and sustainability, and oversaw international ethics matters.

She has blazed a trail for women in business, law and board directorship, exceling in her roles, inspiring other women to follow, and — as a person of influence in so many fields — demonstrating that one not need limit one’s interests, nor be limited by one’s gender. She served on The Law Society of British Columbia’s retention of women task force, federal advisory council for promoting women on boards, and chaired the YWCA Women of Distinction Awards. She has also been the manager of a Thunderbird minor hockey team.

She serves or has served on the boards of numerous organizations including: CMHC, TransLink, World Wildlife Fund-Canada; Nevsun Resources; Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival; Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, where she is immediate past chair; BC Council of Forest Industries; SFI; Forest Products Association of Canada, where she chaired the Aboriginal relations committee; PEN Canada; Writers Trust of Canada, and BC Achievement. She is the 11th chancellor of Simon Fraser University and serves on its board of governors.

She is the author of two acclaimed novels, The Sad Truth about Happiness and Advice for Italian Boys, and a collection of her mother’s writing advice, Startle and Illuminate.