UFA's President and CEO, Scott Bolton, is part of an exciting task force of business leaders who will engage with Albertans over the next several months to visualize the province's next 10 years of growth and prosperity.
Fourteen CEOs of different Alberta companies will engage with individuals, community groups and business leaders across the province, and research Alberta's strengths and opportunities over the next six months to define the upcoming decade.
The "Define the Decade" initiative was launched today by the Business Council of Alberta (BCA) to create a unified vision for the future and develop a path to building shared prosperity for Albertans.
UFA's President and CEO, Scott Bolton, is one of the business leaders making up the task force. He says it's not just about increasing our province's economic competitiveness; it is also about how businesses can help contribute to a better life for all Albertans. “For 112 years, UFA Co-operative has championed the well-being of Albertans. While we provide products and services for our members and customers to get the job done, we also believe in our corporate responsibility to step up and do the right thing. As business leaders we have a role to play to ensure that our province, and the people in it, prosper.” he says. “It’s time for business and social communities to come together and evaluate the future health of our province and how we define success.”
The CEO Task Force includes:
- Susannah Pierce, President & Country Chair, Shell Canada (Co-Chair)
- Cory Janssen, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, AltaML (Co-Chair)
- Alex Pourbaix, President & CEO, Cenovus Energy
- Al Monaco, President & CEO, Enbridge
- Angela Lekatsas, President & CEO, Cervus Equipment
- Jason Pincock, CEO, DynaLIFE
- John Kousinioris, President & CEO, TransAlta
- Jordan Hokanson, President & CEO, Hokanson Capital
- Karen Brookman, President & CEO, WCD
- Kristi Cawthorn, CEO, Startec Compression & Process
- Rohit Gupta, President, Rohit Group of Companies
- Scott Bolton, President & CEO, UFA
- Sami Saad, CEO, Fort McKay Group of Companies
- Trent Fequet, CEO, Steel River Group
The work of the task force will be informed and augmented by input from provincial stakeholders, experts, and regular Albertans, and will represent the diversity of people and perspectives in the province. A prosperity advisory committee will also be formed with Indigenous leaders and racialized Albertans to offer further insight.
In addition to round tables, market research and community engagement, they're seeking input from anyone who has an idea of what the next decade should look like; their values, priorities and economic challenges.
As part of the project, BCA is encouraging Albertans to share their perspective on Alberta’s future and submit their “Big Ideas” to make life better for Albertans in 2030 and beyond. On the website, definethedecade.com, Albertans can submit ideas for how the province can be improved by 2030.
"We want to hear from Albertans." With changes to the energy sector, the effect of the pandemic and other economic challenges, Alberta is in need of an updated framework to improve the economy for all Albertans, said Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta.
"How do we work with Albertans to truly identify what is the Alberta that we want by 2030? What's an Alberta that we'll be proud of in 2030 and what is the pathway to getting there?" Legge said.
"We want to understand their hopes, dreams and aspirations for life in Alberta, and we want to be a part of helping build that."
Legge hopes the final report from the initiative, due in January 2022, will rally people to take action to build a more competitive, inclusive and sustainable economy.
"We have an opportunity to look at Alberta with fresh eyes and begin a conversation between people, business leaders and governments about what a good life looks like a decade from now," said Legge. "How do we make it so people want to live and establish roots here?"
Bolton is looking forward to hearing what Albertans have to say and to collaborating with fellow task force members on this very significant and exciting initiative, "I am honoured to be one the CEOs included in the task force and look forward to the work we will be doing over the next six months."
You can learn more about the project and submit your “Big Ideas” at DefinetheDecade.com.
Read today's full press release here.
