In our Shaping the Future With… series, we explore the perspectives of directors who are shaping governance as it’s actually practiced. In this conversation, Watson Partner Rachel O’Connor speaks with JP Gladu, an experienced director and Indigenous economic leader who quite literally walks between worlds.

JP has deep governance experience across North America’s energy and natural resource sectors, and is former President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business. He is widely recognized for advancing Indigenous economic participation in Canada and for bringing a long-term, community-rooted perspective to complex boardroom decisions.

JP and Rachel talk about what good governance really requires, what has and hasn’t changed in boardrooms, and why there’s no substitute for lived experience. Also: Sunday mornings and the pull of the outdoors.

Rachel O’Connor: We always start with the same question – how do you define good governance?

JP Gladu: At the core of it, it’s transparency at the board table. Open, honest conversations, and respect for different views, even when they’re diverging.

And look, it’s not glamorous, but also: good process, and making sure directors are getting the right information.

At the core of it, it’s transparency at the board table. Open, honest conversations, and respect for different views, even when they’re diverging.

ROC: I believe they are connected; good process is the foundation for that transparency and accountability. It’s not everything – there’s a very human side to governance – but done well, it really supports those things.

Let me ask you a follow up: have you seen governance evolve over the years you’ve been doing this work?

JPG: If you stack up my board service, it’s over 20 years. But on big boards, or reporting directly to boards, it’s about 13 years. In that time, the act of governance hasn’t changed significantly, but there’s been a real mindset shift toward considering societal expectations and impacts, whereas before, focus was shareholder return, which is still incredibly important.

Really, it’s the volume and the breadth of the issues that change – one year it’s ESG and diversity and inclusion, then it’s AI, then it’s tariffs or geopolitics or regulation. Directors must know and be aware of more than ever before – but at the core, governance hasn’t changed tremendously.

ROC: That distinction really resonates – the practice of governance versus the pace and complexity around it.

JPG: Exactly. And I’d add one more thing: board composition has changed. For example, when I started, I was the seventh Indigenous director on a public company board in Canada. Today, we’re north of 30. We’ve got a ways to go, but you can see the needle moving.

The act of governance hasn’t changed significantly, but there’s been a real mindset shift toward considering societal expectations and impacts, whereas before, focus was shareholder return, which is still incredibly important.

ROC: What experiences – work or life – have shaped you most as a director?

JPG: Both my work and life experiences have shaped me as a director.

You know, I’m in my 50s now, and I’m still the youngest on every board I sit on. For some of the bigger boards, it’s almost like if you don’t have C-Suite experience, you don’t have a shot. And when you think of Indigenous people at the corporate C-Suite level, there just aren’t many. But there are people like me, Tracy Primeau, or Sean Wiley, who have a lot to contribute, given the chance.

It’s not lost on me that being First Nations and having a strong background in the resource sector has afforded me a special space to join those boards and then mature into the role. I think I’ve become a strong director as a result.

There’s a phrase we use: walking in two worlds. I live in a community of about 30 people, on reserve. One day I’m there, and the next I’m in downtown Toronto or Calgary. That real-world knowing is valuable to bring into the boardroom, even when we’re not explicitly talking about Indigenous issues. When we’re talking about people, risk, strategy – all the things we need to address as directors – it gives me a different lens. There’s no substitute for lived experience.

And it goes both ways. What I learn in the boardroom also comes back to community in the sense of helping community growth. It’s just such a powerful complement.

There’s a phrase we use: walking in two worlds. I live in a community of about 30 people, on reserve. One day I’m there, and the next I’m in downtown Toronto or Calgary. That real-world knowing is valuable to bring into the boardroom, even when we’re not explicitly talking about Indigenous issues.

ROC: You’ve worked across both corporate boards and Indigenous governance. When you think about the value Indigenous directors bring – beyond representation or subject-specific knowledge – what stands out to you?

JPG: In Indigenous governance, the shareholder is the community, including future generations.

I chaired the board of Mikisew Creek, an Indigenous development corporation doing a couple of billion dollars a year in revenue. The development corporation is held in trust by the Chief and Council that are representative of the community. A significant portion of the shareholder unit hunts, fishes, lives on the land every day, so when you’re talking about development, you’re also talking about whether their grandchildren will be able to drink the water, harvest moose, and live well on that land. It’s generational thinking.

For example, I was hunting yesterday with my daughter. She knows how to harvest a moose because of knowledge passed down from my grandfather, my grandmother, and my father, that I’m now sharing with her.

Indigenous directors have that kind of generational thinking embedded in us, so we absolutely bring it to the board table.

Indigenous directors have that kind of generational thinking embedded in us, so we absolutely bring it to the board table.

ROC: We’re in a time where resource and infrastructure companies recognize they need to be fostering meaningful partnerships with Indigenous communities – not just consultation but genuine economic engagement. From where you sit, how are boards doing when it comes to Indigenous partnership, especially around major projects?

JPG: For the boards I’m on, such as Suncor or a past board Ontario Power Generation, there’s meaningful weight placed on Indigenous issues, and the importance of getting it right. Largely due to the significant weight of Indigenous rights and interests on land.  It speaks volumes for an organization to make room for the Indigenous mindset. The wonderful thing is I’m not always the one bringing up Indigenous issues. There are other directors who understand the importance and have no qualms about injecting that lens – we all get it.

In my mind, Enbridge is leading the way right now. They’ve made major deals with First Nations in Alberta and British Columbia in the last three years – almost $2 billion combined – and communities are significant equity owners in those projects. They put the resources in to make sure the communities are informed – resourcing their lawyers and financial advisors, covering flights and hotels so the community can come to the table.

For me, when we think about “free, prior, and informed consent,” the most important word is informed. If people don’t feel informed, decisions get driven by fear. And fear leads to communities saying no.

ROC: That’s such an important point. Do you worry about the investment required to achieve that informed consent?

JPG: It’s going to be harder for smaller companies to provide the level of resources Enbridge has, but if you think about scale, we all have a part to do. The boards and companies that don’t get that are going to struggle in their relationships, and in getting projects off the ground.

For me, when we think about “free, prior, and informed consent,” the most important word is informed. If people don’t feel informed, decisions get driven by fear. And fear leads to communities saying no.

And I’ll say this pretty plainly: Having someone on the board who’s read about treaty rights is not the same as having Indigenous directors. There aren’t a lot of us on boards yet, but I tell you, there is a cohort coming up to watch out for.

ROC: We always like to end on something personal. On an ideal Sunday morning, where do we find you?

JPG: I live up north, and if I’m home on a Sunday morning, I’m thinking about all the things I want to do on the land – I’m thinking about my woodshed, my tractor, my boat, going fishing or hunting. I’ve got my coffee in hand, and I’m  just ready to be outside.

JP Gladu is currently Principal of Mokwateh and previously served as the President and CEO of the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business for nearly eight years. Mr. Gladu has nearly 35 years of experience in the natural resource sector including working with Indigenous communities and organizations, environmental non-government organizations, industry and governments from across Canada and the globe.

Mr. Gladu serves on the boards of Suncor, the Institute of Corporate Directors, Superior Plus, BHP’s Forum for Corporate Responsibility, Domtar’s Sustainability Committee and the recently formed Indigenous Advisory Committee for the Prime Ministers Major Projects Office. He has completed a forestry technician diploma from Sault College, obtained an undergraduate degree in forestry from Northern Arizona University, holds an Executive MBA from Queens University, an ICD.D from Rotman School of Management University of Toronto, an honorary doctorate in law from Carleton University in 2024 and an honourary doctorate in business from Lakehead University in 2025.

He is a senior fellow with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and served as the Chancellor of St. Paul’s University College Waterloo from 2017 to 2020. His achievements have been recognized by the Public Policy Forum as a prestigious 2024 Honouree and the Premiers Award.