28 Mar People of Leede: Judith Romanchuk
Notable Achievements
o Honorary consul of Finland for over four decades
o Awarded Finland’s Commander of the Lion in 2022, the highest order for a foreigner
o Recognized with Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2023
o Recipient of the Order of the University of Calgary
o Community volunteer, political organiser, and fundraiser
o Active in institutional sales, capital markets and private equity since 1970
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One of Leede Jones Gable’s most distinguished individuals, Judith Romanchuk takes an international approach to her relationships both in and out of the office.
For example, last September Judith co-chaired a forum at the University of Calgary with the five Baltic ambassadors to discuss the enlargement of NATO.
The next night, Finland’s ambassador to Canada hosted a dinner in her honor and awarded her the Commander of the Lion, the highest Finnish decoration given to a foreigner, in recognition of her service spanning more than four decades. In 1988, the prime minister of Finland presented her with the Knight’s Cross, First Class, Order of the White Rose.
It was on a Concorde flight from Europe that she met the co-chair of Finland’s state oil company, who recommended her to the Finnish foreign ministry. She became the first woman and the youngest consul Finland had appointed.
Take Neste, Neste, Finland’s state oil company. Judith was instrumental in a major project for Neste, a greenfield plant in Fort Saskatchewan to manufacture a replacement for lead in gasoline. She vetted partners for Neste, eventually teaming up with Chevron. In time, the plant became the largest producer of iso-octane in the world.
Over the years she has organized events, venture capital tours, and looked for commercial opportunities in Canada for Finns and opportunities in Finland for Canadians.
Born in Edmonton, Judith started in the investment business as a retail stockbroker with Midland Doherty, gradually shifting into 22 years of institutional sales with clients in England, Germany and Switzerland leading to raising private equity capital for a number of successful energy companies.
“It was tough being a woman in a macho industry. It meant a lot to prove I could do it on my own, not by working for the men, but with the men,” said Judith. She persevered and went on to become managing director in Alberta for two prominent Institutional boutiques, Loewen Ondaatje McCutcheon (LOM) and BBN James Capel.
“We had a great team at LOM. We’d go into a company with our analyst, with corporate finance, someone from head office, and me in sales. We had distribution in Europe, and the companies liked that. Our institutions in Zurich and Geneva loved to buy black gold.”
Judith joined Leede Financial in 2002, just before the arrival of new management and the beginning of Leede’s rapid growth.
Looking ahead, Judith says, “Leede has a wonderful opportunity in Alberta. A variety of sectors are involved in this mammoth energy transition and the technology toolbox is expanding. We must look at the big picture to spot trends in the energy transition, find companies with decent balance sheets, good management, learn about them, follow them, and finance them as they grow.”
In conclusion, Judith believes Leede has a wonderful platform to grow from.
“We’ve got the people, the skills, and we’ve got the technology. We can build something very special on this platform, but we must be focused, we have got to be committed, and we must develop our relationships both inside and outside the firm, because it takes teamwork to raise money.”