CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards

ABOUT NICOLE BOURQUE-BOUCIER Nicole Bourque-Bouchier is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-owner of The Bouchier Group, one of the largest Indigenous-owned and operated companies in the Athabasca Oil Sands. She is a long-time resident of Fort McMurray, Alberta, a member of the Mikisew Cree First Nation, and a trailblazing, dedicated community activist and advocate for Indigenous women’s economic empowerment. During her career, Nicole has been honoured with numerous awards and accolades including an Esquao Award for Business from the Institute of Advancement of Aboriginal Women, and recognised in the Enbridge Famous 5 Speaker Series. She was the recipient of the 2013 Fort McKay Cultural & Community Enrichment Award, and was named a Woman of Inspiration by Girls Inc. of Northern Alberta that same year. Nicole received the award for the 2015 Fort McKay Business of the Year, and has been awarded the Rotary Club of Fort McMurray Oilsands Integrity Award, as well as the Ernst & Young Oil and Gas Entrepreneur of the Year award. She was presented with the 2015 Alberta Women Entrepreneur’s Celebration of Achievement Award, and named one of Alberta’s 50 Most Influential People in Alberta Venture Magazine. Also in 2015, she was named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada by Scotiabank. In 2016 Nicole accepted the MacEwan University 2016 Allard Chair in Business and was also named as one of Your McMurray Magazine’s Top 50 Under 50. In 2018, Nicole was awarded the prestigious Indspire Award for Business and Commerce. And, most recently, Nicole has been named the 2019 Indigenous Women in Leadership recipient by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. Always a strong supporter of education, Nicole has served on the boards of many non-profit organizations including the Keyano College Foundation, Athabasca University Board of Governors and is the past-president of the Northeastern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association. She currently sits on the Alberta Apple Schools Foundation, the Indspire Board of Directors and is the co-chair for the 2022 Arctic Winter Games Since 2004, The Bouchier Group has grown from 35 employees and 20 pieces of equipment to its current size of more than 1,000 employees and more than four hundred pieces of equipment. Nicole’s success is a signal to young Indigenous women that with hard work and dedication, you can achieve anything. Over the last ten years, Nicole and her husband have contributed over $3.3 million through both The Bouchier Group and personally to local organizations, initiatives and Indigenous communities in the Fort McMurray region. Despite the recent economic downturn, Nicole has always maintained that as long as Bouchier’s doors are open, she has a social responsibility to give back. Nicole believes in leading by example. Not only does she empower other women by having the top job in a male-dominated field, she is also actively engaged in elevating other Indigenous women. In 2013, Nicole spearheaded an ad series called Paving Pathways to Success, Applauding Aboriginal Women in Business. The campaign recognised eight local women for adding value and awareness to Indigenous women’s economic security in the region. What would you say are the primary changes that The Bouchier Group has seen since you joined in 2004? The pure organic growth of the business from a small ‘mom and pop’ shop to one of the Wood Buffalo region’s largest local contractors. We’ve experienced revenue growth from less than a few million dollars and minus $250,000 year-end net positions in 2004/2005 after our first year of business to a budgeted $160 million revenue target for year-ending Dec 31/2019. We now have over 1,000 employees, of which 28 per cent are indigenous, and over 400 pieces of equipment. We see growth in all our operations, from a small Winter Drilling Civil supports company to Integrated Site Services, Contracting and Engineering Procurement and Construction. What did your recent recognition by the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business with its 2019 Indigenous Women in Leadership Award mean for you? As a young indigenous woman growing up in the Oil Sands area, identifying a path to success and recognition for other women in our small community seemed to be a very distant goal. It was a very prestigious moment to be recognized by a groundbreaking organization such as CCAB, especially on a national level. Any time I am able to raise the profile of the contributions indigenous women can make in the business community and put the Wood Buffalo region in a positive light, I am happy to do so. Q Q CANADA 23 www.ceotodaymagazine.com CEO Today Business Women of the Year Awards 2019