On the last page of every issue of Industry West, we find a Saskatchewan business person or leader to answer our version of the Proust Questionnaire. Marcel Proust made the questionnaire famous, believing that 35 specific questions could reveal a person’s true nature. We grabbed this idea—you’ve probably seen it in Vanity Fair—and made our own version. The first five questions are ours, and then we ask our subject to pick their favourite Proust questions to answer.
Say hello to Andrew Davidson—President and CEO at Royal Helium Ltd.
- Where are you from? I was born in Winnipeg and raised in Saskatoon.
- Where did you attend school and what did you study? I attended the University of Calgary and earned a BComm in Accounting.
- What is your career history? I worked as a Public Practice Chartered Accountant from 2004 to 2010. I moved into the resource development business in late 2010 and started Royal Helium Ltd. in 2016.
- What’s the best piece of business or career advice you have or have been given? Be personable and surround yourself with people smarter than you.
- What’s your favourite thing about Saskatchewan? The opportunities it presents. It is such a vast province, filled with hardworking and resilient people.
- What or who is the greatest love of your life? My wife Karen Davidson. We met during the first week of high school and have been together since Grade 11. Each day is better than the last.
- When and where were you happiest? We are avid skiers in our family. To me, there are few places better than the top of a mountain trying to figure out a way down.
- What do you consider your greatest achievement? My three boys, without question. Each of them is successful in their own way and they are polite, hard-working kids who look out for each other.
- What is your most treasured possession? I have a one-ounce copper coin that I generally carry in my pocket. It was given to me by a good friend and business partner from Montreal. I have lost it countless times over the past 10 years, and somehow continue to find it. Most of my best days happen with that coin in my pocket.
- What is your motto? “Nobody cares, try harder.” I use it to remind myself (and my kids) that excuses are easy. Ingenuity and effort tend to lead to success.
