The leadership power few talk about: Building capacity without burnout

Joel Cowley was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Calgary Stampede on September 1, 2021. In his role, he oversees the efforts of approximately 335 full time employees, 1,300 part time employees, 4,000 seasonal employees, and 3,000 volunteers in conducting both the 10-day Calgary Stampede as well as numerous events on Stampede Park throughout the year. The business model includes the operation of the newly expanded BMO Centre, the newly constructed Sam Centre, a charitable casino, two working ranches totaling 31,000 acres, and the Calgary Stampede Foundation, which provides educational activities for 17,000 students each year.

Prior to taking on his current role, Cowley spent 15 years with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, including seven years as president and CEO. His experience also includes serving as the president of Angus Genetics Inc., working in the International and Foodservice Divisions at Certified Angus Beef LLC, serving as an Extension Beef Cattle Specialist at Michigan State University, and coaching the livestock judging team at Texas A&M University.

His board service includes seven years on the board of directors of the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau. He was recognized as the 2017 Executive Communicator of the Year by the Houston Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators and a 2019 Most Admired CEO by the Houston Business Journal.

Cowley holds an M.B.A. from Michigan State University, a M.Sc. in Animal Science from Texas A&M University and a B.Sc. in Animal Science from Colorado State University. 

Sarah Walters is the Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer at Nutrien.

In this role, Sarah will help further develop our people and culture to support our purpose of Feeding the Future.

Prior to joining Nutrien in 2024, Sarah worked for KCA Deutag, an international oil and gas services company based in Aberdeen, Scotland. As Senior Vice President of HR & Shared Services, she led several critical business initiatives, including developing the company’s people strategy in support of culture development.

Before returning to her roots in the UK, Sarah spent 20 years in the energy sector in North America. She served as Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services at Cenovus Energy from 2017 to 2022, where she led many corporate functions (HR, IT, Supply Chain, and more) and, notably, helped lead the successful execution and integration of the Husky Energy merger. Sarah also held senior HR leadership roles at Talisman Energy in Calgary and the UK and ConocoPhillips in the UK and US. She began her HR career at British Rail. 

Vern Yu was appointed President & CEO of AltaGas Ltd. in July, 2023.

Prior to joining AltaGas, Vern held various senior level positions throughout his tenure with Enbridge Inc. including: EVP, CFO, Corporate Development & President, New Energy Technologies, EVP and President for Liquids Pipelines and EVP and Chief Development Officer.

Over the past decade, he led the liquids pipeline, business development team in securing more than $30-billion in new growth projects, Enbridge’s entry into European offshore wind, the Spectra merger, the roll-up of Enbridge’s sponsored vehicles and the completion of Line 3.

Prior to joining Enbridge, Vern worked as an engineer at TC Energy and Bow Valley Industries. Vern is a Professional Engineer and holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree in finance from the University of Toronto, as well as a Bachelor of Science
(BSc) degree in applied science from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.

Vern serves on the Board of the Calgary Economic Development and was the Chair of the Enbridge Tour Alberta for Cancer. Vern previously served as the Vice Chair of the Alberta Cancer Foundation’s Board of Trustees as well as served on the public company Boards of DCP Midstream and Énergir Inc. (Gaz Métro inc).

Christine Dagenais is the dynamic leader and Founder/CEO of Bright Wire Leadership, a top leadership development and professional coaching firm in Canada. Christine’s commitment to excellence has attracted a team of renowned experts and created a new consultancy model that partners with organizations around the world to build the sustainable leadership skills they need for successful futures. Prior to founding Bright Wire, Christine held senior leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies across various industries, contributing to her wealth of experience she draws from as a successful entrepreneur and business leadership expert.

A sought-after speaker, expert moderator and panelist, Christine has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, a Top 20 Business Leader in Calgary, and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal. She is also an inductee to the University of Lethbridge’s Alumni Honor Society.

Christine authored The Intentional MBA, a book for high performing A Players looking to find their Plus and hold an MBA from the University of Calgary. She is pursuing her ICD designation at Rotman School of Management and has served on numerous boards and has led various international volunteer programs.  Christine has worked, studied, and traveled in over 65 countries and is a proud mother who enjoys weekend mountain adventures with her family.