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Barbara McKenzie
Chief Executive Officer
Metis Settlements Development Corporation (MSDC) (Edmonton, AB)
Ms. McKenzie is a change maker, disruptor and passionate supporter of growing entrepreneurs and leaders. She has over 30 years experience in leadership, entrepreneurship and corporate growth, and strategic disruption.
She is currently the inaugural CEO of Indigenous investment management firm Metis Settlements Development Corporation. 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 Edmonton Unlimited, 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 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 that accessed over $10 million dollars in provincial and federal funding.
Ms. McKenzie has led several of her own successful entrepreneurial venture and is currently the Managing Director of 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. Ms. McKenzie also gives back to her community and is currently the Board Chair for the Christmas Bureau of Edmonton, a board director with Events Edmonton, and has held the role of co-chair for the Edmonton Regional Innovation Network Steering Committee, is on the Red Deer Polytechnic Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing (CIMTAC) advisory board, 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.