Longtime Burnaby Board of Trade CEO Paul Holden to retire

Longtime Burnaby Board of Trade president and CEO Paul Holden has announced his retirement.

When Holden retires May 9, 2024, he will have served as leader of BBOT for 13 years.

Holden is retiring for personal reasons, but he said he would have been delighted to "carry it on for many years to come."

"It's been the most rewarding and enjoyable time of my career," Holden told the NOW.

Holden said a highlight of his time at BBOT was launching the pledge for a sustainable community program, which he noted has won awards throughout North America and was recognized globally by the World Chambers Federation.

Another accomplishment was beginning the recent program BurnabyWorks, which Holden said will "transform how workforce development in Burnaby happens."

He praised the "tremendous" volunteers of BBOT who serve on the board, as well as the organization's staff and member businesses.

Board chair Raj Sharma said the board has "reluctantly accepted" Holden's notice and thanked Holden for his work in an email to members.

"Under his leadership, the Burnaby Board of Trade has become firmly established as one of Canada’s largest, most dynamic and progressive Boards of Trade/Chambers of Commerce."

The board will begin an "extensive search process" to find the organization’s next leader.

BBOT represents more than 1,110 member businesses.