WHO IS HENRY KUTARNA, THE CATHOLIC CEO?

The Catholic CEO

Henry L. Kutarna, B.A. (Hons); C.D.M.E., KHS, CEO

RESPECTED PUBLIC SECTOR GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE LEADER

He has been a Deputy Minister of Economic Development, President of the Saskatchewan Diversification Corporation, Deputy Minister of Social Services, Assistant Deputy Minister of Labour, Municipal Affairs Policy Analyst, and Treasury Board Senior Analyst.  

• As Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Kutarna and his team led an innovative Community Bonds program in Saskatchewan which combined local citizen equity with a government backstop as to principal, new capital brought by business expansion – all uniting to form new businesses in smaller communities to slow rural depopulation and utilize the savings of a population that continues to show the highest rate of savings in Canada.

• As Deputy Minister of Social Services, Kutarna and his team led a welfare reform initiative that reduced fraud, redistributed benefits to higher need categories, addressed the concept of a welfare trap, and created an employment focused welfare system that was sensitive to the needs of single parent women requiring training and child care.

• Kutarna also did a stint at Treasury Board, a committee of Cabinet that decides on financial and strategic public policy actions. He was also the Assistant Deputy Minister of Labour. Earlier he did policy analysis work at Municipal Affairs including work on urban municipality revenue sharing.

SUCCESSFUL INVESTOR

Henry Kutarna is an experienced business executive and mentor. He is Chair of a private family investment fund concentrating on manufacturing and real estate. His investments are mainly in real estate and manufacturing. He has personally capitalized twenty-two early stage technology deals.

• Kutarna Capital Corporation and its predecessor business invest mainly in real estate and manufacturing. The private family fund is over 30 years old and is now transitioning to the next generation – with family participants in Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and Texas.
• Recent investments have included 22 early stage technology deals, mainly in Canada. Henry Kutarna has played a mentor role or advisory board member role in many of these deals. He led an angel investment group for 8 years. 

AWARD WINNING BUSINESS COACH AND MENTOR/EFFECTIVE BOARD MEMBER

He is a private mentor and executive coach. He owns The Executive Advisor, a consultant group working with corporations and not-for-profit organizations in executive coaching, advisory services, board governance, deal making, and other business development. He has served on numerous private and public boards, as well as on many not for profit and charitable boards. 

• Kutarna has founded or assisted in the growth of peer advisory/mentoring groups such as those operated by The Executive Committee, the CEO Roundtable, and other private groups of his own. Groups such as this are precursors to business accelerators because they sharpen the skill set of the leader through a combination of private one-on-one meetings and a group forum set in a trusted environment where ideas are challenged, problems addressed candidly, and where trusted peers act as external advisors.

• Henry is a member of Executive Mentors Inc., a private mentoring group located in eastern Canada that provides effective solutions for business leaders.

• He is currently mentoring CEOs in Vancouver, Calgary and other western Canadian cities.

• Kutarna has won several performance awards as the leader/facilitator of CEO peer groups. 

• He has served on business boards, including two recent private oil and gas technology start-ups, a large publicly traded pipeline construction-company, and various private business boards such as Eric Technologies and Trinitel International. He has been a member of not for profit boards such as The Regina Symphony, The Calgary Philharmonic, the World Tourism Education and Research Centre, The International Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus, the Western Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus, The Frontier Centre for Public Policy, the University of Calgary Management School Advisory Council, and FSSP Charitable Holdings Inc. He has been board chair of The Holy Rosary Cathedral (Regina) Parish Council, the St. Anthony’s (Calgary) Latin Mass Committee (and chief fund raiser), Aspen Family and Community Services Network (a social services agency in NE Calgary), and the Canadian Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus, which he helped found.

• Kutarna’s reputation on these boards is as a strong leader who moves the agenda forward. He is an effective fund-raiser with a large network of capital and donors.

• He also is known for creating value added strategic partnerships – such as one between NACO (The National Angel Capital Organization) and several Canadian business incubators, or one between Innovate Calgary (an incubator) with The CSE (The Canadian Securities Exchange) -- a rising new stock market, or one among major tourism agencies across Canada.

SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS EXECUTIVE

He was an executive in residence at the Banff Centre for Leadership, has led CEO forums for The Executive Committee and was president and CEO of the Calgary Convention & Visitors Bureau. Henry most recently held the position of Vice President of Investment and Market Development at Innovate Calgary. He led an active angel investment group – Invest Tech. He is often asked to be a panelist and meeting facilitator.

• Kutarna has also worked as a contract executive – mainly CEO positions, and is the leader of several of his own private businesses.

• He is regularly asked to facilitate panels and events. Recent examples include regular facilitation of the annual Grizzly Den pitch presentation of Rocky Mountain Ventures in conjunction with the Banff Venture Forum; various University of Calgary entrepreneurship panels, community events, and discussion panels; and numerous federal and provincial government consultations, investor/entrepreneur workshops.

EDUCATION AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Henry holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Economics from the University of Saskatchewan, has completed post-graduate work in Economics at the University of Regina, earned a Certified Destination Management Executive designation [C.D.M.E.] from Purdue University/University of Calgary, was a participant in the Province of Saskatchewan Executive Development Program, and has taken the Canadian Securities Course, the Exempt Market Dealers Exam and a host of other executive seminars such as the Queen’s University Negotiations Seminar.  

• Kutarna occasionally writes for business publications. 

• He attended a Jesuit High School in Regina, Saskatchewan where he studied the classical curriculum (Latin, Greek, logic, advanced topics in math/science).

CURRENT INVESTMENT AND OTHER INVESTMENT AND PERSONAL INTERESTS

Kutarna is an acknowledged leader in the western Canadian angel finance community and is an A100 member (by invitation to top Alberta entrepreneurs). He is a member of Rocky Mountain Ventures, an accelerator. He lives in Langley, BC. His children are grown up and now developing their careers/lives. He is a charitable donor and philanthropist. He is a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, a chivalric order. He is Catholic and successful in business.

To reach Henry Kutarna:

[email protected]