“I schedule everything – even on the family side – to make sure I'm not missing anything with the school or social dates, so we're big list people,” she says. “I'm big on calendars because if it's not written down, I may forget it.”
Active in the community and passionate about creating strong cities and a culture of excellence, Ms. Allan sits on many boards outside of GE, most of them non-profit and policy oriented, such as hospitals or the Royal Ontario Museum.
She sees this as a learning opportunity as well as a chance to contribute to Canada, her adopted home country (she, her husband and family live in Toronto).
“The challenges that come to these organizations, as we think through solving them or pursuing opportunities, bring me ideas, techniques and processes that I can bring back to GE,” she says. “They help keep me fresh as a leader and keep me challenged. We have lots of exposure at GE to what's going on globally. I'm fortunate to be part of the leadership team there. I have the ability to bring that learning and those perspectives to the table in Canada.”
She also believes in the importance of business being at the public policy table and would like to see more leaders step out and engage in the community and with government. She's a director of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives, the C.D. Howe Institute and the Public Policy Forum and was appointed by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty to the federal Finance Advisory Committee in 2009.
“When I was at the Toronto Board of Trade, I realized that business often feels that they don't want to cross paths with government,” says Ms. Allan. “That's unfortunate, because the best public policy will come when citizenry, be they corporate or the consumer, is actually engaged. Public policy is the policy that drives our lives, our fortunes and that of our children.
“We live in a society that invites us to participate. I think we have a responsibility to respond and be a participant, have our voice heard and to contribute. I think that business, society and public policy would be richer for the dialogue than if we try to do it in isolation.”
