Tabatha Bull is the new president-CEO of the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business

Tabatha Bull has been named the new president and CEO of the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business (CCAB).

Bull is a member of the Nipissing First Nation near North Bay, and has served as CCAB’s chief operating officer for the last two years.

She succeeds J.P. Gladu, who announced his resignation in December after taking the role of CEO at Bouchier, one of the largest Indigenous-owned contracting firms in the Athabasca Oil Sands region.

The CCAB announced Bull’s appointment on March 20 in the context of the current global COVID-19 pandemic.

“I am honoured to be the next president and CEO of CCAB and to continue our efforts to help move the Indigenous economy forward,” Bull said in a news release.

“Clearly the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting everyone, including Aboriginal business, and the way we work with one another.

“CCAB remains committed to supporting Aboriginal business and we are reaching out to our members and Indigenous communities to understand the acute impacts of the pandemic on their businesses and to help through providing, developing, and advocating for support programs.”

Trained as an electrical engineer with credentials from the University of Waterloo, Bull previously led the First Nations and Métis Relations team at the IESO, Ontario’s electricity system operator.

She’s additionally a member of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and serves as a director on the board of Wigwamen Housing Inc., the oldest and largest urban Indigenous housing provider in Ontario.

Bull is an active member on the board of Young Peoples Theatre in Toronto and the Canadian advisory group to UN Women.

Based in Toronto, the CCAB is a national, non-partisan association, offering knowledge, resources and programs to both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal-owned companies that foster economic opportunities for Indigenous peoples and businesses across Canada.