Terry Brown – B. Comm (Hons), a proud member of Peguis First Nation, is the Cofounder & CEO of Okimaw Community and HR Solutions, a member of the EDIP Sovereign Wealth Solutions Group of Companies. His focus is on providing Indigenous communities with the tools to foster economic reconciliation and grow their sovereign wealth.

With extensive experience working with First Nation, Métis, Inuit, and Native American communities, Terry is a respected Indigenous businessperson. His expertise lies in capacity building and facilitating connections between mainstream and Indigenous businesses. Terry’s dynamic understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing companies operating in traditional Indigenous territories and Indigenous communities entering mainstream markets drives his passion for business development.

Terry is a confident, award-winning business leader who takes pride in being a strategic problem-solver, An award-winning business leader, Terry excels in strategic problem-solving, envisioning innovative solutions, and executing with efficiency 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 has successfully closed hundreds of business deals on behalf of both Indigenous and Fortune 100 companies, contributing to over half a billion dollars in sales throughout his career.

Terry is a dedicated volunteer and serves as the co-chair of the Economic Reconciliation Committee at the Business Council of Manitoba, actively contributing to the advancement of economic reconciliation initiatives. He also holds a position as a board member at Building Urban Industries for Local Development (BUILD) and serves on the Peguis Governance Committee.  Over the course of his career, Terry has served on numerous boards and committees including as a Commissioner with the Province of Manitoba Commission on Kindergarten to Grade 12 Education in 2019.

Outside of his professional achievements, Terry finds fulfillment in his role as a partner of 19 years and a proud father to a wonderful 10-year-old daughter. His traditional name, “Who-Zu Ski Geezhig Ininini,” meaning “Blue Sky Man,” reflects his unwavering optimism even in the darkest times. Bestowed with the name of “Red Star Turtle Man” by elders, Terry carries the responsibility of sharing this knowledge throughout North America, a duty he embraces wholeheartedly.

Okimaw Community & HR Solutions

Okimaw Community and HR Solutions is a service-based business that works exclusively with First Nations and related Indigenous entities to assess, train and support their teams as part of a broader effort to build capacity in indigenous communities.  

Okimaw specializes in community well-being through helping clients be more effective with their planning, governance and management, especially their management of people and how they collectively make organizations more effective.

Okimaw strives to combine traditional nation values with a modern approach to community planning and HR challenges. Using experience combined with best practices for learning, and customized solutions, the company appreciates and understands the various challenges that are faced running the affairs of the nation. They have experienced these challenges firsthand.