Tamara Vrooman will become the new president and chief executive officer of the Vancouver Airport Authority, operators of Vancouver International Airport (YVR), following an announcement by the authority board.
Vrooman succeeds Craig Richmond, who retires at the end of June after seven years overseeing one of western Canada’s leading airports.
Vrooman joins YVR following 13 years as president and CEO of Vancity, Canada’s largest community credit union, where she helped guide the financial institution as it recovered from the 2008 global financial crisis. During much of that period, she was also a member of the airport authority board.
Prior to joining Vancity, Vrooman served as deputy minister of Finance for the Province of British Columbia where she oversaw the government’s annual $100 billion borrowing and cash requirements and its $36 billion fiscal plan.
“Tamara is a visionary executive with an exemplary track record leading large, complex institutions in both the private and public sectors, including through periods of enormous challenge, innovation and growth,” said Annalisa King, Chair of the Board of Directors. “This, combined with her comprehensive understanding of YVR gained by her nine-year tenure on its Board of Directors, will enable her to reimagine YVR as a benchmark airport of the future.”
Vrooman recused herself from airport authority board activity in 2019 in order to participate as a candidate in the executive search process. She will be the first woman to lead YVR.
“I am honored to lead the talented team that has made YVR the best airport in North America for 10 years running,” Vrooman said in a statement announcing her new role. “I look forward to working with them as we reimagine our business and how we operate in this challenging new environment as the world adapts following the COVID-19 crisis.”
