There’s a new title but a familiar face now leading the Ridge Meadows Chamber of Commerce.
At a March 18 meeting of the chamber’s board of directors, the executive director Kristi Maier was unanimously promoted to the role of CEO, explained chamber president Jerry Kok.
“Kristi Maier is exactly the leader that the chamber needs,” said Kok.
“She has taken Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows by storm. Kristi is constantly out in the community, engaging and advocating for members, liaising with municipal and provincial government leaders and solidifying the chamber’s position as the voice of business. We are so lucky to have her and are confident that she will continue to thrive in her new position.”
This promotion comes less than 18 months after Maier first took over as the chamber’s executive director back in late 2022.
Since then, she has spearheaded the relocation and rebranding of the chamber, the negotiation of new fee-for-service agreements with Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows, the introduction of the Food for Thought training sessions, and the return of the Business After Hours networking socials and other chamber events.
READ MORE: Chamber gets new agreement with City of Maple Ridge
Maier said she was surprised by the sudden promotion and felt incredibly grateful to the board for recognizing her in such a way only a short time into her tenure as the chamber’s leader.
“I truly think that the support that I’ve gotten from them has been such a key part of how and why I’m here,” said Maier.
She also credited her chamber staff as a big reason why she has been able to accomplish so much in her role in the past year and a half.
“It means the world to me that I not only represent Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows but that I also work with such an amazing group of individuals.”
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With this new title, Maier won’t be experiencing much of a shift in her role. Instead, it’s more about recognition and achieving the title of CEO was something she’d had on her wish list for quite some time.
“When I was at Langley, I had a CEO and I always wanted to be one,” said Maier. “Having the board recognize my hard work and turn me into one is pretty awesome.”
She also said she’s thrilled to see that in addition to her promotion, many other CEO positions in the chamber world are also being filled by females.
Continuing her chamber leadership, but now under the title of CEO, Maier will oversee the relaunch of several chamber events this summer, including a Celebrating Women in Business event on June 13 and a golf tournament on Sept. 13.