François Poirier and his co-workers see themselves as problem-solvers. The problems are many, and familiar to anyone who follows North America’s energy industry.  The need to reduce emissions from traditional energy sources like oil and natural gas.  The need to transition to lower-carbon sources without raising prices for consumers.  The need for energy security in a world that is increasingly unpredictable. It’s a tall order, but Poirier – President and CEO of Calgary-based TC Energy – is optimistic that his company and others in the industry can meet the challenge. Not ..read more

Twenty-seven years ago, WestJet took to the air with just three aircraft and five destinations. Today, the Calgary-based airline serves more than 100 cities across four continents. Overseeing the operation is CEO Alexis von Hoensbroech. He's a newcomer to Canada but not to the industry, having spent two decades working for and running airlines in Europe.  When he arrived in Canada last year, he was struck by the country’s rugged geography and “sheer size”, which brought home to him the importance of air travel.  “In Europe, if you want to get from city A to city B, you have tons of o ..read more

Growing up in rural Saskatchewan, Tracy Robinson liked to watch the trains roll by. Little did she know then that trains would have a lasting impact on her life. She spent 27 years working at Canadian Pacific Railway before switching to the energy sector for almost a decade. Last year she returned to her roots when she was appointed President and CEO of CN, a job she calls “the best in the world.” Overseeing 30,000 km of track across Canada and the United States, Robinson understands the integral role rail plays in North America’s complex supply chain. “We need the supply chains to b ..read more

Rania Llewellyn spent 26 years working at Scotiabank before making a move she describes as a “big leap and a big change” – becoming President and CEO of Laurentian Bank. And yet she says the hardest part of that transition was joining a new institution in the middle of a pandemic. The inability to walk through the office and meet people created unique challenges, she says. “Organizations are made of people. You need to be a really good listener to be a good leader.” In a wide-ranging conversation with Goldy Hyder on the Speaking of Business podcast, Llewellyn discusses how she built a new ..read more

When Deanna Zumwalt became President and CEO of Coril Holdings in 2021, she took on responsibility for an organization with a rich Canadian legacy. The Calgary-based company, with roots in the railway industry, has evolved considerably since its beginnings nearly 125 years ago. Now Zumwalt is looking ahead to the next century. “Being a family enterprise for 125 years, we think across generations – we think in 25-year chunks,” she tells Goldy Hyder on the Speaking of Businesspodcast. Zumwalt challenges her team to be bold when charting the company’s future. “Whatever we're doing today, we ..read more

When Susannah Pierce looks to the future, she’s filled with optimism. Why? As she puts it, “the energy sector is changing, from one of being carbon-intensive to one of being more [focussed on] clean energy.”  The President and Country Chair of Shell Canada points to innovation and investments in new technology by Shell and others – including renewable fuels, biofuels and carbon sequestration – as significant steps toward helping Canada meet its net-zero commitments. She also recognizes the need for the private sector to work with all levels of government to reduce emissions.  “Standi ..read more

When Dave Filipchuk began working in the construction industry in the 1980s, digital technology was just a blip on the radar screen.  Times have changed. “We’ve got an internet-of-things evolution happening in our industry,” says the President and CEO of PCL Construction, Canada’s largest general construction company. “It goes way beyond measuring things like temperature and humidity. [It includes] air pressure, sound levels, concrete strength, vibration – all with internet-connected sensors in our buildings as we build them.” Modern building design and engineering also has to take i ..read more

If there’s one word business leaders have heard throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s “pivot.”  John Chen knows it better than many. Long before the pandemic, BlackBerry’s Executive Chairman and CEO led the storied Canadian company through what he calls “a 180-degree flip” – from a hardware-centric business to a software-focused one. In a conversation with Goldy Hyder on the Speaking of Business podcast, Chen shares his experience and advice on adapting to change. For Chen, lesson number one is the need for patience. Major transformations, he says, often take longer than expected. He als ..read more

Canada needs a strong economy to help it address significant post-COVID challenges, says the outgoing CEO of National Bank of Canada, Louis Vachon. In a conversation with Goldy Hyder in the Speaking of Business podcast, Vachon says Canada is facing four areas of transformation: technology, demographics, geopolitics and climate change. Connecting them all, he says, is “clearly the economy … you need to get it absolutely right, and fast.” Vachon retired from National Bank of Canada on October 31, following almost 15 years at the helm.  After navigating many challenges, including the 2008 fi ..read more

At the age of 24, Ben Cowan-Dewar set out to build a golf course in a remote part of Cape Breton. Construction began around the time of the 2008 financial crisis. Did he think it was a risky venture? “In hindsight,” he says, “obviously it was.” But it paid off. Now, Cowan-Dewar’s Cabot Cape Breton golf courses are ranked among the best in the world and the company is expanding, building new courses and resorts in Revelstoke, B.C. and Saint Lucia.  In a conversation with Goldy Hyder in the Speaking of Business podcast, Cowan-Dewar credits part of his success as a young entrepreneur to the ..read more