P. Kim Sturgess


P. Kim Sturgess, C.M., P.Eng., FCAE, ICD.D is a Canadian engineer. In 2011, she served as president of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. A technology start-up entrepreneur and manager, she is involved with improving the management of, and education about, Alberta’s water resources.

Education

Kim Sturgess graduated from the Queen’s University with a degree in engineering physics in 1977. As an undergraduate, she served as treasurer of Queen’s Engineering Society Services. Later, she served on the University’s Council, its Board of Trustees, and its Board of Directors. In 1984, she received a master's degree from the University of Western Ontario. In 2006 she completed her ICD.D designation of the Institute of Corporate Directors.

Career

Prior to attending to the University of Western Ontario, Sturgess served in Alberta as an engineer with the National Energy Board and Esso Resources Canada Ltd. Subsequently, she served as an energy and transportation consultant with McKinsey & Company before becoming involved in developing a series of startup engineering companies, including serving as chief executive officer of Revolve Technologies, Revolve Magnetic Bearings, Pan Terra Industries, and Guigne Advanced Materials.
Sturgess is the founder and CEO of WaterSMART Solutions Ltd., a service organization committed to the improvement of water management through better engineering, and was executive director of the Alberta WaterPortal Society, which provides water education internationally.
Sturgess has served on the boards of the Calgary Airport Authority, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the National Research Council, the Pressure Pipeline Inspection Company, the Alberta Economic Development Authority, the Alberta Water Council, the Calgary Science Centre, the Chairman’s Circle of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and the Queen’s Centre for Enterprise Development.
She was inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2004 and has served on its Board since 2006. She has served on the Council of Canadian Academies, has been a reviewer for the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, and has participated in national and regional Innovation Forums.

Awards and recognition

In 2016, Kim Sturgess became a Member of the Order of Canada in recognition of her achievements and community service and received an Honorary Doctor of Science degree from her alma mater, Queen’s. In 2018, the University of Calgary awarded her an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree. Earlier, in 1999, she received the Queen’s Distinguished Service Award and, in 2004, its Alumni Achievement Award
Sturgess has been awarded the YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Science and Technology, the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Alberta Centennial Medal. She has been named to Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and Women of Vision. In 2012 she was named the outstanding Businesswoman in Calgary by the Consumers Choice Awards. She is a member of the World Presidents’ Organization and the International Women’s Forum.