Edward Kennedy President & CEO The North West Company

Major Donor Cabinet
The Major Donor Cabinet includes those individuals who are personally solicited and asked to contribute at the Major Donor level ($5,000 +). In 2007, the Major Donor campaign raised $3,569,050.

Edward Kennedy joined The North West Company in 1989. He has served in a number of senior management positions including Chief Operating Officer of North West and Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Commercial Company, the Company’s U.S. subsidiary located in Anchorage. Edward returned to Winnipeg from Alaska in 1997 and assumed his present position. He remains Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Commercial Company. Effective December of 2007, Edward also became Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Cost-U-Less, Inc., a newly-acquired subsidiary of North West.

Edward was born and raised in the northern Manitoba community of The Pas and attended high school at St. John’s Ravenscourt in Winnipeg. He holds an Honours Degree in Business from the Ivey School at the University of Western Ontario and a Bachelor of Laws Degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. Prior to joining North West, Edward practiced law briefly in Toronto and then worked in investment banking.

Edward is a board member of The North West Company, Transport Nanuk Inc., Destination Winnipeg Inc., Red River College, the Winnipeg Poverty Reduction Council and the Advisory Board of the Richard Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario); and a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization, the Associates of the Asper School of Business (Faculty of Management, University of Manitoba), as well as a member and past officer of the Business Council of Manitoba. Edward is a past director of The Conference Board of Canada, Balmoral Hall School, Buhler Industries and the Alaska Growth Fund. In 1999, Edward was named a recipient of Canada’s “Top 40 Under 40” award, an annual program that recognizes young leaders across the country. In 2000, he was awarded an Honorary CMA designation by CMA Canada and, in 2003, he was recognized as a finalist for the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Citizenship Award. In June 2006, Edward was presented with the Retail Council of Canada’s “Distinguished Canadian Retailer of the Year” award. In October 2007, he was presented with the University of Alberta School of Retailing’s “Henry Singer Award” for exceptional leadership in the retail sector.

Edward is a competitive athlete and his other interests include public policy and economic and social development. Edward and his wife Stella make their home in Winnipeg with their four children: Grace, 18; Teresa, 17; Simone, 14; and Daniel, 11.