The Metis Settlement Development Corporation (MSDC) Board, formed in January 2022 by Settlement Sooniyaw Corporation (SSC), is proud to announce that it has appointed Ms. Barbara Engelbart McKenzie, as its inaugural Chief Executive Officer.
MSDC is critical for the advancement of economic interests of the Metis Settlements in Alberta. It is a welcome tool that will foster economic prosperity with and for the benefit of all the Metis Settlements who share an interest in participating in various large scale investment opportunities that are best accessed as a group, rather than individually.
Ms. McKenzie has a long career as a leader, entrepreneur and supporter of small business in Alberta.
She has previously held roles as CEO and Executive Director at Business Link and the Leduc-Nisku Economic Development Association, as well as several senior leadership positions in marketing and brand at Goodwill Industries of Alberta, ATB Financial, and Alberta Pensions Administration.
Ms. McKenzie has an Executive MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology, as well as a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta and a Diploma in Marketing from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. She holds several certifications in corporate governance, project management, economic development and more.
Ms. McKenzie recently helped support the development of the City of Edmonton’s new innovation entity, Edmonton Unlimited. In her role as Director, Strategic and Operational Growth, she led a portfolio focused on EDI, ESG, revenue generation, government relations, facility management, strategy and business planning, and partnership development.
“In hiring Ms. McKenzie, the MSDC board is confident we have the CEO that will lead us to become an innovative investment fund that will create Metis economic opportunities and be a world leader in building indigenous economic equality.” Says Marc Stachiw, the interim chair of the MSDC Board.
Ms. McKenzie has led several of her own entrepreneurial ventures, including DB McKenzie Group, which is focused on leading technology in the drone and UAV space to service industries such as construction, energy, agriculture and utilities.
Ms. McKenzie is known for her innovative thinking, with a passion for disruption and a deep knowledge of community. She has built lasting relationships across her career and her leadership will catalyze the growth of MSDC to support economic equality for Metis communities in Alberta.
Ms. McKenzie also gives back to her community and is currently the Vice-chair, and governance chair, for the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton, a board director with Events Edmonton, and sits on the Edmonton Regional Innovation Network steering committee, Red Deer Polytechnic Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing, and is the chair of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology School of Business Entrepreneurship Program Advisory Committee. She is a seasoned public speaker and has won awards for many of her initiatives and projects.
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