Cathy Roozen named 2027 Canadian Business Leader Award recipient

When Cathy Roozen, CM, AOE, ’77 BCom, ’09 LLD (Hon), learned she would receive the 2027 Canadian Business Leader Award, her first thoughts weren’t about her own accomplishments.

She thought about the people who had received it before her.

“Receiving the Canadian Business Leader Award is a tremendous honour and somewhat humbling,” says Roozen. “Many of the prior recipients are my friends, colleagues and peers, and all of them are people I admire.”

The award recognizes individuals who demonstrate leadership, business acumen, entrepreneurial spirit, integrity and a commitment to community. Roozen’s career exemplifies those qualities through a long career of sharp investment discipline, corporate governance and board leadership. Her contributions have earned national recognition, including the Alberta Order of Excellence in 2013 and appointment to the Order of Canada in 2015.

After earning her bachelor of commerce degree from the U of A in 1977, Roozen joined North West Trust Company as a front-line teller. Her quick grasp of finance and completion of the Canadian Securities Course saw her rapidly rise through the ranks to become vice-president of investments for North West Trust and Seaboard Life Insurance.

Through North West Trust’s parent organization, Allarco, Roozen gained rare early-career exposure to a diverse array of industries, including commercial real estate, aviation, media and financial services.

In 1981, she brought that broad market perspective to Cathton Investments Ltd., her family’s private investment firm, serving as vice-president of investments before eventually becoming chair. When her father, entrepreneur Dr. Charles Allard, ’43 MD, passed away in 1991, Roozen assumed leadership of the company, guiding a varied investment portfolio while navigating both major economic shifts and the complexities of family succession.

“I was kind of thrown into that role,” she says. “Initially, I was probably very insecure. You’re trying to do your best for your siblings.”

Over the next three decades, she focused on preserving capital, scaling the portfolio and mitigating market risks across Western Canada.

At the same time, she was navigating the complexities of family succession as her siblings gradually left the company to pursue their own ventures.

For Roozen, successfully navigating that transition required quick growth, discipline and focus. “My priority was protecting our capital, managing risk wisely and empowering our family to pursue their own ventures. Growing those businesses while keeping our relationships strong remains the achievement I am proudest of.”

That experience cemented a leadership philosophy she still carries today.

“A leader has the ability to communicate a vision and build a team that believes in it,” she says. “You empower them to accomplish mutual goals as a group.”

Roozen became one of Alberta’s most respected corporate directors, lending her strategic counsel to some of Canada’s most prominent corporate boards, including Shaw Communications, Corus Entertainment, Melcor Developments and EPCOR Utilities.

Beyond the corporate sector, her leadership in health care and civic affairs has left a lasting legacy. As chair of the Allard Foundation since 1983, vice-chair of the Alberta Health Services board and a director for STARS Air Ambulance, she has helped guide strategic health-care investments across the province — including support for the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute and cancer research at the U of A.

Roozen’s relationship with the U of A has extended far beyond her years as a commerce student. She later served on the university’s Board of Governors and received the Alumni Association Honour Award in 2005. In 2009, the U of A awarded her an honorary doctor of laws degree in recognition of her long-standing leadership and service to the university and broader community.

“I stay connected to the university because I’m a graduate,” she says. “I believe in what happens here.”

Asked what advice she would offer students beginning their own careers, Roozen looks beyond technical skills or academic performance.

“Leadership and service go beyond good marks,” she says. “It’s building relationships, communication skills and trust. I don’t think leaders are naturally born. I think they grow into leadership roles through experience.”

It’s a lesson that has guided Roozen throughout her career — one built not only on successful businesses, but on bringing people together, earning their trust and leaving a lasting impact on the community she has always called home.

Excellence in business leadership has been defined — and nationally awarded — by the University of Alberta for the last 43 years. The Canadian Business Leader Award (CBLA), established by the Alberta School of Business and presented by the U of A, is awarded to individuals who have demonstrated leadership, business acumen and success, an entrepreneurial spirit, integrity and a commitment to the community.

The award will be presented to Roozen at the annual CBLA Dinner — a U of A signature event, attended by hundreds of members of the Alberta business community — on March 3, 2027, in Edmonton. More than 100 students will be able to attend thanks to individual and company sponsorships.

If you would like to attend the event, watch for more information on the CBLA website.