Canada’s CIO Catherine Luelo: managing the IT needs of a nation

When Catherine Luelo installed a new reservation system while an executive at WestJet Airlines Ltd., the change in technology inadvertently knocked the airline’s entire commercial website down for days.

That bumpy implementation might have been a harsh lesson, but it helped teach Luelo the skills to navigate large technical system implementations, communicate the risks involved in systems changes, and prepare an entire organization for major technological shifts.

Those skills come in handy in her new role as Canada’s chief information officer. After nine months on the job as CIO and a Deputy Minister for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Luelo joined CIO.com for a conversation on her path to becoming the government’s IT leader, her top priorities in the role, and how she plans to deal with challenges including data security, data privacy, and the transition to a more digital world.

En route to Ottawa

Luelo was born in Ontario and lived in Nova Scotia for a stint. She spent most of her adult life in Alberta, where she raised two children as a single parent. She moved to Ottawa in the spring of 2022 after spending several years in Québec.

Government IT, IT Leadership