Nancy C. Southern is one of the heavy hitters tasked with helping us find our way forward from the economic downturn in the energy industry and the devastating impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Southern is Chair & Chief Executive Officer of ATCO Ltd., as well as Chair of Canadian Utilities Limited (an ATCO company). Reporting to the Board of Directors, she has full responsibility for executing the strategic direction and ongoing operations.

She joined the ATCO Board of Directors in 1989, was named President & Chief Executive Officer of ATCO in 2003 and was appointed Chair in December 2012. She also serves on the boards of the majority of ATCO subsidiary companies. Ms. Southern is a founding director of AKITA Drilling Ltd., a director of Sentgraf Enterprises Ltd., and Executive Vice President of Spruce Meadows.

Born and raised in Calgary, Southern studied Economics and Commerce at the University of Calgary.

During her career, she has served many roles with some of the world’s most prestigious organizations. Southern is a member on the, Canadian Advisory Council for Promoting Women on Boards, C.D. Howe Institute, American Society of Corporate Executives, Canadian Member Trilateral Commission, Business Council of Canada, also on Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Economic Strategy Table, University of Calgary School of Public Policy Advisory Council and the U.S. Business Council.

In addition to her business leadership, Southern has long played a leading role in advocating on social issues of global importance – most notably, the rights of Indigenous peoples and the role of women in business.

Honorary Chief of the Kainai (Blood Tribe of Alberta)

In 2012, she was made an Honorary Chief of the Kainai (Blood Tribe of Alberta), was given the name Aksistoowa’paakii, or Brave Woman. Southern is also a board member at the Pension Fund Society of Bank of Montreal, Rideau Hall Foundation and was indicted in the Canadian Business Hall of Fame 2017, received the Canadian Business Leader Award from the University of Alberta in 2018, was honoured as Distinguished Policy Fellow by the University of Calgary’s School of Public Policy, named to the Fortune’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women” outside of the U.S., 50 Most Important People in Canada in Maclean’s Magazine, Financial Post Magazine’s “The Power List” and to Alberta Venture’s Alberta’s Business Person of the Year for 2011.

Here are the members of the committee.

• Jack Mintz, chair
• Clive Beddoe – former chair, president and CEO, WestJet
• Robert Blakely
• Brent Belzberg – founder and senior managing partner, TorQuest Partners
• Bob Dhillon – founder, president and CEO, Mainstreet Equity Corporation
• Chris Fowler – president and CEO, Canadian Western Bank
• Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper – Canada’s 22nd prime minister
• Peter Kiss – owner and president, Morgan Construction and Environmental
• Zainul Mawji – president, Telus Home Solutions
• Nancy Southern – chair and CEO, ATCO Ltd.
• Kevin Uebelein – CEO, AIMCo
• Mac Van Wielingen – founder, ARC Financia

Dr. Jack M. Mintz heads up Alberta Economic Recovery Council