Erin Brockovich will speak at a Surrey Board of Trade event next spring.
Her story of dogged persistence was told in a 2000 biographical film that starred Julia Roberts.
Brockovich has been announced as keynote speaker for the 2020 Surrey Women in Business Awards on March 12.
The 11th annual luncheon event, held at Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, recognizes the work of Surrey’s businesswomen and their contributions to Surrey.
“The Surrey Board of Trade is very honored and pleased to host yet another leadership icon, Erin Brockovich,” Anita Huberman, board of trade CEO, said in a release Tuesday.
“Hear about her leadership, tenacity, creative thinking – all of the qualities needed for business leadership.”
Brockovich was a file clerk at a law firm when she found medical records that led to a direct-action lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric, which had been poisoning the water of Hinkley, California, for more than 30 years.
“It was because of Erin’s unwavering tenacity that PG&E had now been exposed for leaking toxic Chromium 6 into the ground water,” says a Surrey Board of Trade release. “This poison affected the health of the population of Hinkley. In 1996, as a result of the largest direct-action lawsuit of its kind, spearheaded by Erin and Ed Masry, the utility giant was forced to pay out the largest toxic tort injury settlement in US history: $333 million in damages to more than 600 Hinkley residents.”
Erin Brockovich, the Steven Soderbergh-directed movie, won several awards for Roberts, and included a cameo by Brockovich as a waitress named Julia.
In Surrey, seats for the Women in Business Awards event “are extremely limited,” the board notes. “Tickets will be released later this fall to Surrey Board of Trade members. If you would like to obtain priority access, please ensure you have a current Surrey Board of Trade membership.”
At the 2019 event, held on March 13, Betsy Myers, a former advisor to U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, spoke at the Surrey Women in Business Awards. Close to 400 people attended the event.
• READ MORE: Surrey Women in Business award winners revealed.
tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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