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THE MCDOUGALL EFFECT: APEGA HONORARY LIFE MEMBER AND PAST-PRESIDENT EARNS AWARD FOR SUCCESSFUL SENIORS The McDougall name is a significant one in the development of Edmonton, and that noteworthiness has continued in the life and accomplishments of John McDougall, P.Eng., FEC, FGC (Hon.) . The great-grandson of Edmonton pioneer and past mayor John A. McDougall, he has marshalled his own career and service across 50 years, notching a long list of illustrious achievements along the way. Among them was his election as APEGA’s President in 1980. He was a young man then, but it is his accom- plishments after the age of 60 that have earned him accolades from the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton (Sage) . In May, Mr. McDougall received the 2017 Science & Technology Sage Award, one of 10 awards Sage presented this year to seniors in Greater Edmonton to recognize their outstanding community and business contributions. Mr. McDougall served as President and CEO of the Alberta Research Council (now Alberta Innovates — Technology Futures) from 1997 to 2009, where he over- saw growth in applied research and innovation activities. In 2010, by now in his mid-60s, Mr. McDougall became President of the National Research Council of Canada, the federal government’s largest research institution. For more than six years, he led its transformation into a mission-oriented research and technology organization. Of the more than two dozen awards, honorary titles, and other accolades earned by Mr. McDougall over his career, more than a third were bestowed after he turned 60. Mr. McDougall graduated from the University of Alberta with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He spent the first 10 years of his career as a petroleum engineer for Imperial Oil, then in 1969 joined McDougall & Secord Limited, the family business founded by his great grandfather. Over the years, he’s served as director, vice-president, and president of the company — Edmonton’s oldest, privately owned business in real estate, investment, development, and merchant banking.
AN EDMONTON AND PROFESSIONAL SAGE The career of John McDougall, P.Eng., has touched on many things — business, research, academia, self-regulation, and, of course, Edmonton’s rich history. Here, Mr. McDougall accepts his 2017 Science & Technology Sage Award for exemplar contributions as a senior. -photo courtesy Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton In 1975, Mr. McDougall began building another company, starting the consulting firm Dalcor Innoventures. He served as the managing partner and president of the firm for 35 years. At the University of Alberta, he was an important bridge to business, teaching there and serving, from 1991 to 1977, as the first Poole Chair in Management for Engineers. He was the founding chairman of Innoventures Canada, a not- for-profit that commercializes research innovations. Mr. McDougall is always quick to share the credit. “My ability to get things done is dependent on others. I see my role as showing people possibilities and exciting them about making those ideas real,” he once said.
22 | PEG FALL 2017
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