Nancy Southern was appointed Deputy Chairman, ATCO Ltd. and Canadian Utilities Limited in May, 2008. She has been President & Chief Executive Officer of ATCO Ltd. and Canadian Utilities Limited since January 1, 2003. Previously, she was Co-Chairman & Chief Executive Officer from 2000 until 2003, Deputy Chief Executive Officer from 1998 until 2000, and Deputy Chairman from 1996 until 1998. She has been a Director of the Corporation since 1989.
Ms. Southern serves on the Boards of all the ATCO Group subsidiary companies. She is also a Director of AKITA Drilling Ltd. and Sentgraf Enterprises Limited, and is a member of The U.S. Business Council and a Canadian Member of the Trilateral Commission. Ms. Southern is a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the Canadian Economic Advisory Council, the Joint Public Advisory Committee of the Commission on Environmental Cooperation and the C.D. Howe Institute. She also serves as Executive Vice President of Spruce Meadows, renowned as one of the world’s finest show jumping facilities. In 2011, Ms. Southern was named Business Person of the Year by Alberta Venture Magazine.
Ms. Southern was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, where she studied Economics and Commerce at the University of Calgary. Business acumen has been developed and honed throughout the growth of the ATCO Group of Companies, originally founded as Alberta Trailer Hire by her grandfather S.D. Southern and father R.D. Southern in 1947.
A strong advocate of shared learning, transparent communication and simply explained well-executed business plans, Ms. Southern brings to the Corporation the visionary leadership and attention to detail that is a respected ATCO hallmark. In 2005, Ms. Southern was selected Business Woman of the Year by the Consumer’s Choice Awards.