BC Ferries CEO Nicolas Jimenez leaves; Brian Anderson named interim chief

Nicolas Jimenez has left his role as president and CEO of BC Ferries. Brian Anderson, the vice-president responsible for strategy and planning, becomes interim president and CEO effective immediately.

Board chair Cathy McLay announced the change in a statement. The board initiated both the leadership change and a review it calls the "Revitalization Review," which will be led by chief financial officer Dallyn Willis.

Why it matters

The change at the top comes while the independent BC Ferries Commissioner is reviewing the company's latest financial and operating plans. That work will set the maximum average annual fare increases for April 2028 through March 2032.

In late 2024, Jimenez warned that a fare increase equivalent to a one-time rise of about 30 per cent would be needed in 2028, based on a 2023 forecast. That was a projection, not a decision. The commissioner will set the actual limits.

The announcement also came just after the provincial general election, in which the Conservative Party of British Columbia won a majority government led by premier-elect Lorne Doerkson. BC Ferries and the provincial government work out minimum services and government funding, and those arrangements are reviewed every four years. The board said it will work with the incoming government, the BC Ferry Authority and the commissioner on next strategies.

What we know

• Anderson was vice-president responsible for strategy and planning. He is now interim president and CEO.
• Willis takes on strategy and planning duties and will lead the review. The board will oversee the work.
• According to the announcement, the review will look for ways to make better use of the ferry system and improve services.
• Jimenez became head of BC Ferries in March 2023. Before that he spent 16 years at ICBC, where he was president and CEO from December 2017 to March 2023.
• McLay was previously the board's vice-chair and is a former chief financial officer of TransLink.
• In July 2026, three board members did not have their terms renewed: chair Joy MacPhail, Eric Denhoff and Dennis Blatchford.
• The Vancouver Sun described the move as the company having ousted its top executive as the board launches a "leadership transition and revitalization review".

What happens next

The commissioner's process is on a set schedule. A preliminary decision is expected by the end of March 2027, with final fare limits due by September 2027.

BC Ferries and the provincial government will also work out minimum services and government funding under the four-year review cycle.

What remains unclear

McLay's statement did not explain the circumstances of Jimenez's departure or give a timeline for appointing a permanent CEO. No specific operational changes or completion date for the Revitalization Review have been provided.