Notable Alumni

Niels Veldhuis

President of the Fraser Institute

MA Economics, 2001
BBA Economics and Business, 1999

Veldhuis developed his passion for Economics after taking an Introduction to Economics course, where he was first exposed to the economic lens. “I never thought about looking at the world though an economic perspective. I think it is really powerful to look at the world, and try and think through why people think the way they do.” says Veldhuis. He was intrigued by the economic skills that help him critically and systematically analyze data. Mr. Veldhuis completed his undergraduate degree at SFU (joint Business and Economics major) in 1999, he began his MA in economics at SFU immediately afterwards.

His career includes speaking events with powerful individuals, including past Presidents of the United States.  In 2011, Veldhuis was selected to lead a discussion between Bill Clinton and George Bush in the Surrey Economics Forum. Niels asked the former Presidents a broad range of topics ranging from US influences to domestic US policies.  He described this experience as “one the most unique and powerful experiences in my career.”

Niels Veldhuis is at the top of his career and continues the cycle of inspiring and mentoring the next generation of economists. He is passionate about teaching economics and did so at Kwantlen Polytechnic University for over 12 years.  Veldhuis hopes that students and new graduates use their economics skills to better understand what is going on in the world and make the most of their opportunities to influence positive change.