Kathy Bardswick
Kathy Bardswick | |
|---|---|
 Bardswick speaking at the Accelerate Collaborating for Sustainability Conference in Guelph, Ontario, June 2013 | |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Education | B.S., mathematics, University of Manitoba MBA, McMasters University, 1978 |
| Occupation(s) | President and CEO |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Employer | The Co-operators |
| Spouse | Bernie Mutter |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent(s) | Bill Bardswick Annastasia MacNeil Bardswick |
Kathy Bardswick is a Canadian business executive. From 2002 to 2016, she was the President and CEO of The Co-operators Group Ltd, a Canadian insurance cooperative based in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. She is one of a handful of women at the helm of the top 100 companies in Canada.
Early life and education
[edit]Bardswick is one of six children born to Bill Bardswick and his wife Annastasia (née MacNeil).[1] She earned her B.S. degree in mathematics from the University of Manitoba, and her Master of Business Administration from McMaster University.[2]
Career
[edit]Bardswick began her career with The Co-operators right out of business school in 1978. Her mother applied for the job for her and pretended she was Kathy when the company called back.[3] Bardswick appeared at her own interview and landed a position in the property and casualty division in Sault Ste. Marie as an underwriter.[3] Since then, she has also worked in sales, complex claims, and information systems management.[3] From 1998 to 2002 she served as CEO for two Co-operators Group subsidiaries in Calgary, The Sovereign General and L'Union Canadienne.[3]
In March 2002 she was named President and CEO of The Co-operators Group and its institutional investment management subsidiary, Addenda Capital Inc.[3] She is one of a handful of women at the helm of the top 100 companies in Canada;[4][5] a 2011 report named her as one of four women who are CEOs of Canada's top 100 public companies.[6] Among her achievements, she has led the company in embedding a sustainability policy for all its operations, including office construction and automotive fleets.[7]
Memberships
[edit]Bardswick is a past chair of the International Cooperative and Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF), and is a member of the ICMIF executive.[2] She is a board member of the International Co-operative Alliance and Addenda Capital.[2][8] She is the chairperson of the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction[2] and a former vice-chair of the Board of Governors of the University of Guelph.[2] She served on the executive committee of the Conference Board of Canada from 2004 to 2011.[8]
She is also a member of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives[2] and the Council for Clean Capitalism.[9]
She is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and events.[10][11][12][13] Her quotes and observations were included in the 2009 book Made in Canada Leadership: Wisdom from the Nation's Best and Brightest on the Art and Practice of Leadership.[14]
Honors and awards
[edit]In 2014 she was named one of the Top 50 Women of Influence in Canada's Life Insurance Industry by The Insurance and Investment Journal[15] and one of the Top 25 Women of Influence by the Women of Influence organization.[2]
Personal
[edit]She and her husband, Bernie Mutter, have four sons.[16][17] Bardswick credits her husband's willingness to work from home for her ability to pursue her career.[5] They reside in Burlington, Ontario.[16]
Selected articles
[edit]- "Provinces can lead in building a low-carbon economy". The Globe and Mail. 13 April 2015. (with Steward Elgie and David Miller)
References
[edit]- ^ "Annastasia MacNeil". Fédération Québécoise des Sociétés de Généalogie. 2006. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g "4th Annual Top 25 Women of Influence". Women of Influence (Canada). 2015. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Women of Influence: Kathy Bardswick". The Insurance and Investment Journal. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ McQueen, Rod; Papp, Susan M. (2012). Driven to Succeed: How Frank Hasenfratz grew Linamar from Guelph to global. Dundurn. p. 195. ISBN 978-1459707962.
- ^ a b Thompson, Lara (20 January 2007). "Women in Guelph have come into their own in the worlds of politics, business and academe". Guelph Mercury. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ Abma, Derek (13 April 2011). "Few women among Canada's top execs". The Gazette.
- ^ Cancilla, Patricia (14 May 2009). "Saving Money Has Green Appeal". National Post. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Kathy Bardswick, Director". Addenda Capital. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "Business Leaders Urge Action on Climate Change, Support a Price on Carbon (press release)". Council for Clean Capitalism. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "Globe 2014 Speakers". Globe Group. 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ Smith, Elaine (25 November 2014). "University-business partnership at School of Environment explores economics of climate change". University of Toronto. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ Mais, Tania (2012). "Torsney tells breakfast meeting: Women needed in Canadian political, & financial arenas. Guest speaker talks up the co-op sector". Burlington Gazette. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "Speaker Profiles". Economic Club of Canada. 2013. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ Henein, Amal; Morissette, Francoise (2009). Made in Canada Leadership: Wisdom from the Nation's Best and Brightest on the Art and Practice of Leadership. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0470739549.
- ^ "Top 50 Women of Influence in Canada's Life Insurance Industry". The Insurance and Investment Journal. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Leslie Mutter". Winnipeg Free Press. 2003. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ^ "Kathy Bardswick, The Co-operators Group". Business in Motion Podcasts. 2015. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
External links
[edit]- 2013 interview with Kathy Bardswick, Business in Motion Podcast