Kelly J. Lendsay

Kelly J. Lendsay, President and Chief Executive Officer
Aboriginal Human Resource Council

Follow Kelly
Read Kelly’s President’s Message

Kelly J. Lendsay is a social entrepreneur who is internationally recognized as one of Canada’s foremost innovators of Aboriginal diversity. His career has been a series of catalytic flashpoints demonstrating that with effective networks, corporate and community goals can translate smoothly into advancing educational, employment, and economic opportunities for Aboriginal people. As president and CEO of this unique social enterprise, the council designs partnerships, programs and knowledge networks that transform leaders and employers into high performance organizations of inclusion. In 2007, in recognition of their 100th anniversary, the University of Saskatchewan honoured Kelly as one of the University’s 100 Alumni of Influence – a designation given to 100 exceptional graduates whose accomplishments have influenced the growth and development of the University, the province, and the world during the last century.

A proud Canadian of Cree, Métis, and European ancestry, Lendsay earned his Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Physiology Minor in 1981 and attained his M.B.A. in 1993 from the University of Saskatchewan. In the eighties he worked in aquatic and recreation management, international swift-water rescue and was the youngest person to serve as the national chairman of the National Lifeguard Service. In 1991 he entered the MBA Program and focused his research on strategies to increase Aboriginal business education and economic development. He was the co-recipient of the All-Around Outstanding MBA Graduate Award presented by the Canadian Institute of Management. In 1995 he was one of 225 Canadians to participate in the Governor Generals’ Canadian Leadership Tour.

Lendsay became the first director of the new Aboriginal Business Education program at the College of Commerce in 1995. There he helped initiate and nurture several Aboriginal business education programs, including Canada’s first M.B.A. with a specialization in Indigenous management. As a professor and program director, he helped mentor students and redefine the future role Canadian universities may play in developing an Indigenous economy. In 1998 he became the first President of the Aboriginal Human Resource Council and has helped grow the enterprise into Canada’s most recognized leading innovators in organizational inclusion performance.

Lendsay’s consulting study, The Impact of the Changing Aboriginal Population on the Saskatchewan Economy: 1995-2045, is one of the most widely cited sources on the implications of Aboriginal demographics and the economy. In 2009 he was appointed a CIM Distinguished Lecturer by the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum.

His vigorous speaking, writing and workshops are widely acclaimed as powerful announcements of the challenges and prospects of full Aboriginal participation in the Canadian economy.

Currently Lendsay is a director on CORCAN, the Correctional Service of Canada’s National Advisory Board and HIPPY Canada: Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters, - and in the past, he has served on the following boards:

Mining HR Council
SaskWater Corporation
The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum
Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority
Royal Life Saving Society
National Task Force on International Trade
Canada West Foundation Urban Aboriginal Strategy
Council for the Advancement of Native Development Officers

« back to team listing