Terry Brown
Terry Brown B. Comm (Hons) is the CEO of Okimaw Community and HR Solutions, a member of the EDIP Sovereign Wealth Solutions Group of Companies focused on providing indigenous communities with the tools to grow their sovereign wealth through economic reconciliation. In addition to being the CEO of Okimaw, Terry is also on the Board of Okimaw and the EDIP Foundation and is on the EDIP SWS Executive Committee.
Terry is a proud Indigenous businessperson with extensive experience working with the First Nation, Metis, Inuit and Native American communities. He has been sought out by numerous organizations for his strong command of corporate and Indigenous issues, particularly in capacity building and connecting mainstream and Indigenous businesses. Terry’s background has given him a dynamic understanding of the issues and opportunities facing both companies doing business in traditional indigenous territory as well as indigenous communities expanding into mainstream markets.
Terry is a confident, award-winning business leader who takes pride in being a strategic problem-solver, envisioning smart solutions and executing with expediency across all areas of an organization. He has had experience with Federal, Provincial, Municipal and American Indian and First Nations governments, Fortune 100 and 500 corporations, including consumer goods, manufacturing, banking, transportation, hospitality, marketing, wholesale, energy, procurement, and healthcare. Terry advises business entities, Indigenous communities and entities on policy initiatives, corporate setups, joint ventures, mergers, and acquisitions.
An experienced negotiator, Terry has successfully closed hundreds of business deals on behalf of both Indigenous and Fortune 100 companies. As a business leader and VP of a First Nation owned franchise for one of the world’s largest beverage companies, Terry focused on corporate growth by helping others start and grow their own business ventures throughout the regions of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Alberta, and Nunavut.
Terry is a Board member at Building Urban Industries for Local Development (BUILD); Champion for Little Stars Playhouse; and has sat on numerous boards over his career. In 2019, he was appointed to the role of Commissioner with the Province of Manitoba Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education.
Husband of 19 years and father of a beautiful 8-year-old girl, Terry’s traditional name is “Who-Zu Ski Geezhig Ininini”, which translated to English means “Blue Sky Man” which means he always sees the bright side when it is darkest. He was honored with the name of “Red Star Turtle Man” and has been told by elders that he’s obligated to share his knowledge throughout Turtle Island (North America).