Downtown Surrey BIA’s Madeleine Nicholls is now CEO at ‘pivotal’ moment
Published 11:00 am Monday, March 9, 2026
Madeleine Nicholls brings experience in real estate development, urban planning and city-building initiatives to her new role as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association.
BIA directors announced Nicholls’ appointment Friday (March 6), a year after she was brought in as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
As CEO she replaces Elizabeth Model, retired after 17 years on the job with the 1,400-member business group, which also welcomes Perminder S.Tung, partner at Lindsay Kenney LLP, as new chair of the DSBIA board of directors.
Graduate of UBC’s School of Business, Nicholls previously held senior leadership roles at Colliers, CB Richard Ellis and Dream Unlimited in Vancouver and Toronto. With dual Canadian-British citizenship, she’s lived on three continents and travelled to 33 countries.
Nicholls said she’s honoured to step into the CEO role at a pivotal moment for Downtown Surrey.
“Surrey is the fastest-growing city in British Columbia,” she says, “and I’m excited to contribute to the continued momentum and growth of its downtown core. I look forward to working closely with our businesses, partners and the City of Surrey to help strengthen and promote this vibrant urban centre.”
Launched in 2003 as Whalley BIA, the DSBIA represents businesses, property owners and stakeholders in Downtown Surrey while working to promote “economic development, safety and vibrancy in the city’s rapidly growing urban core.”
Model announced her retirement as CEO at the end of 2025 as part of a leadership transition.
“Serving as CEO of the Downtown Surrey BIA has been the privilege of my career,” Model said in February. “The space, face and place that we know as Downtown Surrey came together with the thoughtful work of the development community, the incredible businesses that make up the core, and the tremendous people who shared a vision to create a vibrant downtown.”
Away from her work with the BIA, Model is known for competing in Ironman triathlons around the world.
Downtown Surrey is home to one of four BIAs in Surrey, others in Cloverdale, Newton and Fleetwood.