Amanda James (AJ) grew up in Richmond, B.C. and has lived in Surrey-White Rock for the nine years. She is Vice President, Legal & Corporate Affairs at Eteros Technologies, a homegrown Canadian manufacturing company headquartered in Surrey, B.C.

Over the last decade she has helped build that company from the inside, across sales and customer relationships, marketing and partnerships, legal and corporate affairs, human resources, regulatory compliance, and government relations. It is the kind of experience you only get by doing the work: winning business, managing risk, dealing with government, and keeping a manufacturer able to hire, ship, and grow from British Columbia.

Before that she held senior regional roles with the federal government, including accountability for a real-property portfolio of more than six million square feet across B.C. and Yukon and a budget exceeding $200 million. She also founded her own advisory firm, working with public- and private-sector clients on strategy, process improvement, and people decisions. She holds a B.Sc. from UBC and an M.Sc. from the University of London.

Away from work AJ is enrolled in KPU’s Technical Apparel program, a practical outlet for a long-standing interest in fashion, textiles, and making things well. She loves a tough crossword, riding her bike, and playing tennis.

AJ has spent ten years helping a Canadian manufacturer grow from this region. That work has made one thing obvious: without a change in course, there will not be a bright future for manufacturers, or for entrepreneurs more generally, in B.C. or Canada. Government’s job is not to pick winners. It is to create an environment in which private businesses can invest, hire, and compete. Capital does not return because politicians say the right words. It returns when taxes, regulation, permitting, and the rule of law make B.C. a place worth building in again. She is running in Surrey-White Rock with OneBC because she wants that environment restored: lower taxes, less red tape, and one set of rules for everyone who lives here.