Catherine Osler

President
Twitter: @CatherineOsler

Lynn Tanner, Chairman of TEC Canada, describes Catherine Osler as an exemplary model for women in business, having achieved so much without losing her sense of self as a person, a mother and a woman. “She has quietly and deliberately followed her heart, having figured out the only way to succeed in life, personally and professionally, is to visualize the future through strong, clear, negotiated decisions and the continual growth of her own intellectual capital,” says Lynn. “This ideally positions her to help others, a key refrain of Catherine’s career. Over the years, she has used her influence and tenacity to help many men and women pursue their dreams. It is my pleasure to be working with her in her role as president of TEC Canada.”

Since July 2009

Catherine’s commitment to helping others led her to become president of TEC Canada in 2009. As an expert in leadership development, honed through many years as a successful entrepreneur, executive mentor, TEC member and Chair, Catherine is committed to helping Canadian business leaders exceed beyond expectations. Her goal for TEC members is to create outstanding twenty-first century leaders who champion innovation, collaboration and empowerment; her vision for TEC Canada is to accelerate the growth and global development of Canadian business.

2000 to 2009

Prior to her role as president of TEC, Catherine charted a rich and diverse professional course to pursue a multi-faceted career. Concurrent with her role as a TEC Chair, Catherine was co-founder and principal of Syncresse Partners Inc., a consultancy focused on the development of women leaders through programs and processes of self-discovery, self-knowledge and self-determination. Core to Syncresse’s practice was to help women articulate their own unique purpose to encourage full participation in their own lives and in their communities.

Along with Syncresse and her role as TEC Chair, Catherine maintained an exclusive leadership development practice, working with more than 60 CEOs and presidents of small to mid-sized corporations. During the same period, she was also a senior practitioner for Conversant, a US-based international leadership and management consulting firm.

Prior to 2000

Prior to her focus on leadership development, Catherine built two award-winning corporate and investor communications firms, Titian and Parallel Strategies. It is here she developed an understanding of excellent communications and meaningful conversations, witnessing their power to change organizations, signal new investment growth, create new perspectives.

Catherine holds an honours degree from Queen’s University and an MA from Simon Fraser University. She is a director and past president of several non-profit and community boards. Catherine lives in Vancouver BC with her husband Peter and is the proud parent of two grown children. When she is not working, she can be found on the water – rowing, kayaking, sailing – the perfect element for pursuing another of her passions, photography.

Some of Catherine’s Notable Business Accomplishments

Founder of the Alberta Chapter of the National Investor Relations Institute.
Past director of Stoneworks Inc., one of the Launchwork group of companies, providing business experience and venture capital to launch high technology firms in Western Canada.
Consultant and board member of Hyper Wallet Systems, a high technology firm.
Past board member of Trialto Wine Group.
Advisor to the MBA program, Royal Roads University’s Faculty of Management, Victoria BC.

Some of Catherine’s Notable Accomplishments in Women’s Leadership

Member of the Organizing Committee for the First Women’s Trade Mission, 1999.
Founding board member of Women Entrepreneurs of Canada, BC Chapter, now Influential Women in Business.
Winner of the 2004 Influential Women in Business Award, Vancouver, BC.
Board member and past Chairman of the Women’s Enterprise Centre, Vancouver, BC.
Keynote speaker for the 2004 Women in Business and Leadership Conference, Victoria, BC.
Keynote speaker for the 2006 Accelerating Growth for Women Entrepreneurs Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Retreat speaker for the 2006 Woman Business Owners Association Conference, Vancouver, BC.
Judge for RBC’s 2006 Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award, Toronto, Ontario.