Anne Giardini, , , , is a Canadian business executive, journalist, lawyer and writer. She is the oldest daughter of late Canadian novelist

Carol Shields Carol Ann Shields (née Warner; June 2, 1935 – July 16, 2003) was an American-born Canadian novelist and short story writer. She is best known for her 1993 novel ''The Stone Diaries'', which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as t ...

. Giardini is licensed to practice law in British Columbia (and formerly in Ontario and Washington State). As a journalist, Giardini has contributed to the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'' as a columnist. She lives in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

with her husband of more than 30 years. They have three grown children. She has written two novels, ''The Sad Truth about Happiness'' (2005) and ''Advice for Italian Boys'' (2009), both published by HarperCollins. Giardini and her son, Nicholas Giardini, edited ''Startle and Illuminate'' (Random House Canada, 2016), a book of Carol Shields' thoughts and advice on writing. Giardini served as the 11th chancellor of

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

from 2014 to 2020. From 2008 to 2014, Giardini was president of Weyerhaeuser Company Limited, a subsidiary of Weyerhaeuser Company, in the forestry industry. She joined Weyerhaeuser in 1994 and became Canadian vice-president and general counsel in 2006. Giardini is an active volunteer and on the board of a number of Vancouver organizations, including having served as Chair of the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Vancouver International Writers Festival (chair), UniverCity at SFU, and

(deputy chair). She is also a supporter of Plan Canada and volunteer for Vancouver YWCA's Women of Distinction Awards and Young Women in Business. She has been on the boards of Hydro One, CMHC and TransLink, among others. Giardini was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in January 2013 for her fundraising efforts for Plan Canada's Because I'm a Girl campaign, which supports females in Tanzania. In 2016, Giardini was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. She was appointed an Officer of British Columbia in 2018.

Education

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, Trinity Hall — LLM, Law (1987 – 1988) * The University of British Columbia — LLB, Law (1981 – 1984) *

— BA, Economics (1978 – 1980) *

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

/ Université d'Ottawa — Economics (1977 – 1978)

Bibliography

* ''The Sad Truth about Happiness'' (HarperCollins, 2005) * ''Advice for Italian Boys'' (HarperCollins, 2009) * ''Startle and Illuminate'' (Random House, 2016) (edited with Nicholas Giardini)

Awards

* Shortlisted for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award, 2005 * Winner of the Audie Awards, 2007 * Appointed

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

, 2010

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giardini, Anne 1959 births Living people 20th-century Canadian businesswomen 20th-century Canadian businesspeople 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian businesswomen 21st-century Canadian businesspeople 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian women writers Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge Businesspeople from Vancouver Canadian business executives Canadian newspaper journalists Canadian King's Counsel Canadian women chief executives Canadian women lawyers Canadian women journalists Canadian women non-fiction writers Canadian women novelists Lawyers in British Columbia Lawyers in Ontario National Post people Officers of the Order of Canada Peter A. Allard School of Law alumni Simon Fraser University alumni University of British Columbia alumni Weyerhaeuser Women business executives Novelists from Vancouver Members of the Order of British Columbia