Events /
Canadian Business Leader Awards
Canadian Business Leader Awards
September 18, 2024 | Calgary | A celebration of those who have made a lasting impact on the Canadian business community.
Our Canadian Business Leader Lifetime Achievement Award and Canadian Business Leader of the Year Awards were established to celebrate and recognize Canadian business executives at the top of their fields, who have distinguished themselves through stellar corporate leadership, and meaningful contributions to their communities.
This year we are proud to host four celebratory dinners in locations all across the country.
All eight honourees’ achievements inspire a sense of optimism and pride in the Canadian business community and their commitment to creating a brighter future for Canada.
To learn more about each event, please select from the locations below.
On Wednesday, September 18, we hosted a celebratory dinner in Calgary to honor two extraordinary leaders in the Canadian business community. The event recognized the remarkable business and philanthropic achievements of Sue Riddell Rose and Alex Pourbaix. The evening was marked by heartfelt tributes, smooth jazz, and a room full of distinguished guests eager to celebrate these remarkable individuals.
Canadian Business Leader of the Year
Sue Riddell Rose has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Perpetual Energy Inc. since its inception as Paramount Energy Trust in June 2002 and through its corporate conversion to a junior oil and gas exploration and production company in 2010. Sue is also the President and CEO of Rubellite Energy Inc. when it was formed as a new growth-oriented E&P start-up in July 2021 to focus on the Clearwater formation utilizing the innovative multi-lateral drilling technology. Both are listed on the TSX.
Sue graduated from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario with a Bachelor of Science in Geological Engineering (1986) and began her career with Shell Canada then Paramount Resources. She currently serves as a director of Paramount Resources, Secure Energy and Altalink, is a Governor for the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, and is one of the founders and acting Chair of Canada Powered by Women. Sue has also been actively involved with a number of not-for-profit organizations including UNICEF Canada, Fulbright Canada, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and the Alberta Children’s Hospital. She is a past Chair of the Board of the United Way of Calgary and Area and Alberta’s Promise, and previously served as a member of the Board of Trustees of Queen’s University and Mount Royal University.
Canadian Business Leader Lifetime Achievement
Alex Pourbaix is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Cenovus Energy. He is currently Executive Chair of the Cenovus Board of Directors where he is responsible for providing leadership to the Board and ensuring ongoing strong governance while supporting management’s execution of the company’s strategy. He continues to support Cenovus’s advocacy efforts including industry initiatives, government relations, and ESG engagement and provides ongoing leadership with the Pathways Alliance.
Prior to joining Cenovus, Alex spent 27 years with TC Energy and its affiliates in a broad range of leadership roles, including as Chief Operating Officer, where he was responsible for the company’s commercial activity and overseeing major energy infrastructure projects. Alex currently serves on the boards of NRG Energy Inc., Canadian Utilities Limited, the Business Council of Alberta and the Alberta Regional Board of Nature Conservancy Canada and in 2022 was awarded the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of the contributions he has made to Alberta.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
On Thursday, June 13, we hosted a celebratory dinner in Vancouver to honour two leaders in the Canadian business community who have shown unparalleled commitment to excellence. The evening featured heartfelt speeches, amazing entertainment and a room of distinguished guests ready to celebrate Darrell Jones and Don Lindsay.
Canadian Business Leader of the Year
Darrell Jones embarked on his 48-year career in the food business in Cranbrook, British Columbia as a retail grocery clerk at the local Overwaitea store. From there, his career advanced through a series of progressively senior operating roles in 23 stores and communities with Save-On-Foods. In 2012, Darrell was promoted to president of Save-On-Foods, where his frankness, charisma and business savvy guided the strategic development of the company, and in 2021, Darrell was named president of the newly-formed Pattison Food Group.
Darrell has culled a wealth of experience over more than four decades in the grocery industry, and he enthusiastically leads an increasingly diverse team of more than 30,000 people known for innovation, customer service and industry leadership in more than 150 Western Canadian communities and the Pacific Northwest of the United States.
Canadian Business Leader Lifetime Achievement
Don Lindsay began his career as an underground labourer at a uranium mine in Northern Saskatchewan. After completing his education at Queen’s University and spending several years working in mining operations, followed by an MBA from Harvard, Don worked his way through the ranks of executive leadership with CIBC World Markets, then Canada’s largest investment bank, and ultimately was appointed President.
Don Lindsay joined Teck Resources Limited as President in January 2005 and assumed the additional responsibility of Chief Executive Officer in April 2005. He stepped down as CEO in September 2022 and remained as advisor to the Board and management until May 31, 2023 when he retired from the company. He is currently a Director of BHP Group Limited, Chair of the Board of Manulife Financial Corporation, as well as Chair of the Invictus Games Vancouver-Whistler 2025.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
On Thursday, May 30, we hosted a celebratory dinner in Toronto to honour two leaders in the Canadian business community who have shown unparalleled commitment to excellence. The evening featured heartfelt speeches, amazing entertainment and a room of distinguished guests ready to celebrate Penny Wise and John Sullivan.
Canadian Business Leader of the Year
Penny Wise was appointed President of 3M Canada in January 2020. She has held a variety of progressive senior leadership roles in business, commercialization, brand and corporate marketing including the former Executive Director of the Canadian Consumer business group. In 2021, Penny established a cadence of 3M STEMtalk workshops – bringing together a multidisciplinary cohort of Canadian industry leaders to explore barriers to equitable access to STEM education for underrepresented communities and ideate actionable solutions to remove those barriers. As a result, 3M is working with partners to look at the way STEM is taught and accessed in Canada and help influence the move from STEM role models to champions and rally partners to join them in their efforts. Penny is Co-Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Council for Women’s Advocacy, which helps bring the perspectives of women to national policies and drive meaningful action to address the identified issues and barriers facing women.
Canadian Business Leader Lifetime Achievement
John Sullivan brings more than 35 years of real estate experience in acquisitions and dispositions, asset management and development, and for the past 13 years was President and CEO at Cadillac Fairview. During his 13-year tenure as CEO, Sullivan oversaw the company’s strategic evolution, creating community hubs around retail, housing, services, office spaces and transit. Most recently, Sullivan steered CF through its most challenging period in modern history, the COVID-19 pandemic. John holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree from Concordia University, a Master of Business Administration degree from McGill University and has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School. John sits on the boards of MAF Properties (Middle East) and the Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto).
Thank You to Our Sponsors
On Thursday, May 9, we hosted a celebratory dinner in Montreal to honour two leaders in the Canadian business community who have shown unparalleled commitment to excellence. The evening featured heartfelt speeches, amazing entertainment and a room of distinguished guests ready to celebrate Tracy Robinson and George Cope.
Canadian Business Leader of the Year
Tracy Robinson was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of CN in February of 2022 and is responsible for CN’s strategic direction and leadership. Ms. Robinson is a seasoned executive with a proven track record in the transportation industry.
She is known for her ability to drive innovation and foster collaboration among diverse teams and stakeholders. Her passion for mentoring the next generation of leaders and her advocacy for inclusive leadership have further solidified her reputation as a forward-thinking leader.
She is Vice-Chair of the Board of the Business Council of Canada and is also a member of the Campaign Committee and the Dean’s Advisory Council at the Edward’s School of Business of the University of Saskatchewan.
Canadian Business Leader Lifetime Achievement
George Cope served as President and Chief Executive Officer for BCE Inc. and Bell Canada, the country’s largest communications company, from 2008 to 2020. During his more than 25 years in public company chief executive roles within the Canadian communications industry, Mr. Cope earned a reputation as an innovative, operational, and financial strategist, known for leading high-performance teams.
His remarkable leadership at BCE Inc. and Bell Canada established him as one of the country’s top executive leaders, evident from his induction into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2018 and appointment to the Order of Canada in 2014. Mr. Cope led the launch of the Bell Let’s Talk initiative, the largest-ever corporate commitment to Canadian mental health and now one of the country’s most prominent community investment campaigns.
He currently serves as Chair of the Board of the Bank of Montreal and Lead Independent Director at CGI Inc. His long list of achievements speaks to the profound impact he had on the Canadian business community during his tenure as one of the country’s top executive leaders.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Our 2023 Recipients
Montreal
Vancouver
Toronto
Calgary
Other Events
2024 Inclusive Growth Dialogues
International Business Leader of the Year Award
