Bouchier Group CEO one of top 100 most powerful women in country

December 11, 2015

From the modest beginnings of simply working in her husband’s company to now being CEO of Bouchier Group, Nicole Bourque-Bouchier remains humble. Even her newest title as one of Canada’s top 100 most powerful women hasn’t swayed her.

“I’m just me and one of everybody else on the team,” she said.

But she has to admit, it has been an incredible 2015. In April, the long-time resident of Fort McMurray and member of the Mikisew Cree Nation won the Alberta Women’s Entrepreneur Celebration of Achievement Award, chosen from 82 women. Arlene Dickenson and Ruth Kelly are past recipients of that award.

And now she has a Women's Executive Network 2015 Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winners to her credit.

It’s amazing to consider how much Bourque-Bouchier has accomplished in less than a dozen years.

She began working with Bouchier Group in 2004, a part-time gig she and her husband fit in between their regular jobs. But when the oilfield started to boom, both husband and wife left their fulltime jobs to grow the company. Over the years, particularly in the last four or five years, Bourque-Bouchier stepped in more as a CEO to manage the company on a day to day basis.

“One of the biggest barriers obviously being, at the time because I would have been 29 when I started … a young, female Aboriginal in a very non-traditional role in the oilsands. Often in a room of hardhats, (I was) the only female in the room. It was a huge learning curve for me,” she said.

But learn Bourque-Bouchier did, taking advantage of the expertise of both her husband and her father, who joined the company a few years after it started.

It’s this incredible will to succeed that prompted Dr. Marie Delorme, CEO of The Imagination Group of Companies, to nominate Bourque-Bouchier as one of the Top 100 most powerful women in the country.

“Nicole embodies the very best attributes of entrepreneurship. She has risen to the top of her field through a wonderful combination of tenacity, business saavy, grace, and dignity,” said Delorme.

Delorme herself is a recipient, having been recognized two years ago.

“When I … noted only one other Indigenous woman in the Top 100, I made a commitment to submit nominations of other women each year. Nicole is a true role model for all women!” said Delorme.

Bourque-Bouchier took 20 women with her from the Bouchier Group, along with friends and family, to the awards ceremony in Toronto on Nov. 26. A follow-up event in Calgary in March, in which the Top 100 women selected in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan will be recognized, has Bourque-Bouchier slated as one of the keynote speakers.

There is no denying, Bourque-Bouchier says, that she has the confidence that comes along with years of experience and involvement in every facet of the company, which will hit 1,000 employees this year after starting with 10.

Bourque-Bouchier’s philosophy is simple: everybody is as equally important and is treated as such. From the beginning, she has rolled up her sleeves, working side-by-side with her employees in a variety of areas.

“I felt we were the little company that could and it was always about giving that little encouragement to everybody that whatever we set our sights on we could achieve as long as we pulled together as a team,” she said. “Definitely a family-based company message.”

Bourque-Bouchier says she has learned to embrace change and that is something her employees see about her and value in her.

Delorme believes Bourque-Bouchier’s leadership skills were a big part of Bouchier Group’s ability to succeed.

“Great leaders see possibilities and have the courage to go through, over, or around the inevitable obstacles on the challenging road which only entrepreneurs understand. Not only has Nicole headed up a large, highly successful organization; she contributes time and resources to the community. Nicole is fearless, courageous, and stands by her principles and beliefs,” said Delorme.

It’s a mutual admiration society with Bourque-Bouchier describing Delorme as “another phenomenal female Aboriginal entrepreneur herself.”

Launched in 2003, the WXN Top 100 Awards celebrate the incredible accomplishments of Canada's top female executive talent as well as their organizations and networks. The awards serve to recognize talented leaders and to inspire the current and next generations to push the boundaries of what's possible.