Aftab Erfan (she/her) is executive director of SFU Centre for Dialogue and associate member at SFU School of Public Policy.
Previously, she served as the City of Vancouver’s inaugural chief equity officer, and director of dialogue and conflict engagement at UBC. She holds a PhD in planning from UBC, a master’s in planning from McGill University, and a BSc in environmental sciences from UBC.
Aftab has extensive experience as a process designer and facilitator, specializing in hosting dialogues on contentious issues with warmth and creativity. Her experience spans 15 years and five continents. She holds numerous honours, including BC500 most influential business leaders in BC (Business in Vancouver), Research for a Better Life: The Storytellers Challenge (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council), and Best Published Paper Award Shortlist (Association of European Schools of Planning).
She also played a key role in shaping SFU’s Executive Leadership Certificate as an inaugural instructor in the program.