City of Mississauga Welcomes New Director of Economic Development

The City of Mississauga is pleased to announce the selection of Christina Kakaflikas as the new Director of the City’s Economic Development Office, effective November 28, 2022. She will be replacing former Director Bonnie Brown, who will be retiring.

“As an exceptional team builder, networker, leader and innovator, I am pleased to welcome Christina to the City of Mississauga. I am confident she will successfully lead our very high-performing team into the future and help grow the City’s Economic Development assets,” said Andrew Whittemore, Commissioner of Planning and Development.

In her role as Director, Kakaflikas brings with her significant years of experience in municipal economic development. She will report to the Commissioner of Planning and Building and oversee three key areas of focus: Business Investment and Sector Development; Business Initiatives and Planning; and Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Tailoring services to fit the needs of all businesses large and small, Mississauga’s EDO team has a primary focus of supporting and expanding Mississauga’s business community, providing research, industry analysis and marketing as well as offering guidance and support to entrepreneurs and small businesses.

“With an extensive career spanning more than 24 years in municipal economic development, I am looking forward to bringing my skills, talents and experience to the City of Mississauga,” said Christina Kakaflikas. “With Mississauga’s strong reputation as an ideal location where businesses of all sizes can start, expand, prosper and contribute to a highly-diversified economy, I am eager to continue this legacy while bringing new ideas and approaches to the team.”

Prior to joining the City of Mississauga, Kakaflikas served as the Acting Director of Economic Growth, Culture and Entrepreneurship at the City of Markham. Prior to that, she was the Manager of Economic Development and was engaged in several key projects including overseeing Markham’s Economic Development Strategic Planning process and leading the Destination Markham Strategy that worked to attract businesses, talent and visitors to the city. Kakaflikas was also a key part of the team in attracting the York University Markham campus, was instrumental in the launch of a Convergence Centre Business Hub and spearheaded the Markham Innovation District project.

Christina Kakaflikas holds a Master’s of Economic Development and Innovation from the University of Waterloo and a Bachelor of Applied Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from Ryerson University. She also holds the Designation, Certified Economic Developer (Ec.D) from the Economic Developers Association of Canada and a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD), from the International Economic Developers Council and is currently a Board Member for the Canada-India Business Council (C-IBC) and a past President of the Economic Development Council of Ontario.

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