Ken Hughes is an entrepreneur and community leader.  He is Vice Chair of the leading data centre developer in Alberta, Beacon Data Centers. 
 
He is also Chair of the Board, Providence Therapeutics, Canada’s messenger RNA company, focused on cancer and infectious disease vaccine development, and is a certified governance professional. He serves as a Board Member and Chair of the Fund Development and Engagement Committee of the Banff Canmore Foundation.
 
Elected at age 34 to the House of Commons of Canada,  he served as Chair of the Aboriginal Affairs Committee and was Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister. Hughes was the founding Chair of the Board of Alberta Health Services, creating Canada’s largest health delivery service, leading through early years of development.
 
In 2012, Hughes was elected to the Legislature of Alberta, appointed Minister of Energy, and led the creation of the Alberta Energy Regulator. Subsequently, as Minister of Municipal Affairs, he led the resolution of Disaster Recovery Assistance claims for nearly 10,000 Albertan families recovering from the floods of 2013. In September 2014, he returned to private life.
 
Hughes studied at the University of Guelph, the University of Alberta, B.Sc. (Agriculture) and has an MPA from the John F. Kennedy School at Harvard University. He was recognized as Honourary Chief of the Piikani First Nation. Ken lives in Canmore with his wife Denise Savage-Hughes and completed 11 World Loppet Nordic marathon ski races in the past decade.