Famous People You Didn’t Know Were from Surrey

With a population of 500,000, Surrey ranks as British Columbia’s second-largest city and has produced some of the local area’s most famous names in sports, business, and politics. But being located right next to Vancouver often finds our town’s notable names combined with those from the Greater Vancouver Area. Here are a few famous people you might not have known are actually from Surrey:

Nolan Watson

Canadian business magnate, philanthropist, and humanitarian, Nolan Watson, was born right in Surrey in 1979. He is perhaps most famous for being the youngest CFO of a New York Stock Exchange listed company (age 26). After graduating from UBC, he went on to have a successful career in the mining industry, and then on to founding his own major company, Sandstorm Resources Ltd (now Sandstorm Gold Ltd), a company focused on gold purchasing agreements.

His business sense is only outdone by philanthropic efforts. His charity, Nations Cry, has helped countless underprivileged children in Africa gain access to life-changing education.

Aaron Voros

A local hockey hero, Voros grew up in Surrey playing amateur hockey before going on to play in the NHL, most notably for the New York Rangers and Minnesota Wild. He wasn’t just a great hockey player—he served as the Rangers’ representative to the NHL Players Association during his years with the team. Injuries ended his career early, but his new career as a restaurateur certainly keeps him busy! The Voros name will live on in BC hockey lore for years to come.

Scott Hannan

Raised in Surrey, Scott Hannan was known as a gritty defenceman, most notably with the San Jose Sharks of the NHL. His shut-down defence got him named to the NHL All-Star Game for the 2003-2004 season and made him an integral part of the 2004 World Cup team that brought the gold home to Canada. He is one of the rare players to have ever played in 500 NHL games, and he played a full 16 seasons in the league before retiring just last year. Hannan paved the way for a new crop of Surrey-born hockey talent that is either in the league now or set to be drafted soon.

With over 500,000 people living in the city, there’s no reason for our local notable names to be lumped in with Vancouver’s. These are just a few of the famous names from Surrey. They are almost as famous around here as Diamond Clean!