Profile Information

Bio/Background

A nationally and internationally recognized city builder, architect and urban strategist with over 25 years’ experience guiding organizations and leading diverse projects. Michael Heeney is the President and CEO of the Surrey City Development Corporation (SCDC). Prior to his work at SCDC, for over two decades Michael was the Managing Principal of Bing Thom Architects (BTA) where he oversaw the growth of that practice into an internationally significant design firm with offices in Vancouver, Washington DC and Hong Kong. He has a long history of leading local and international projects, often ones without precedent and in highly complex situations and jurisdictions. Some of his projects at BTA include the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, Surrey Central City, Arena Stage in Washington DC and Tarrant County College in Fort Worth Texas. With a long-term and deep commitment to Surrey, his project experience there includes Surrey Central City, the City Centre Library, the Guildford Aquatic Centre and most recently the new SFU Surrey Engineering complex. Michael is passionate about enhancing communities through innovative urban design and architecture and sees the importance of creativity and culture in contributing to the health and vitality of urban centers. Michael is committed to his community personally as well as professionally and has served or serves on the boards of Ballet BC, the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Association, the PuSh Festival, the Vancouver Economic Development Commission, Vancouver Art Gallery, the Advisory Board for the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (UBC), the Downtown Vancouver Association, the Vancouver Chapter of Lambda Alpha International and as a juror for the Canada Council for the Arts, the Architectural Institute of BC and the RAIC /Architecture Canada. All of his work demonstrates a fundamental belief in the transformative power of architecture to improve the aesthetic and physical, as well as the economic and social conditions, of a community.

Michael has been an invited speaker at many different conferences, organizations and universities throughout North America and Asia. In addition to his work at SCDC, Michael undertakes select consulting work through C+O Advisory Inc where he is a partner.