Katherine Henderson

Katherine Henderson is a Canadian sports executive and businesswoman. She became president and CEO of Hockey Canada in September 2023, assuming control in the wake of the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal, and is the first female president in the organization's history.

Henderson previously served as senior vice-president of marketing and revenue for the Toronto Organizing Committee for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games, and was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Curling Canada from 2016 to 2023. She led efforts to reverse the gender pay gap in sports for the Canadian men's and women's national curling teams, and received a diploma from the International Olympic Committee for her work in gender equality in sport.

Early life and education Henderson originates from Thunder Bay, Ontario. She learned how to skate at Carrick Park in Thunder Bay, but did not play hockey despite her father and brother doing so. She attended Brescia University College from 1981 to 1986.

In business, Henderson worked seven years for Whirlpool Corporation, in marketing and management for its Canadian and American divisions.

Sports career Henderson served for 10 years on the board of directors for Rugby Canada. As of 2023, she is a co-chair of the Winter Caucus of Sport, which collaborates with Canadian Winter Olympic and Paralympic programs. The Hockey News cited Henderson in its list of 100 People of Power & Influence in 2024.

2015 Pan and Parapan American Games

Henderson served as senior vice-president of marketing and revenue for the Toronto Organizing Committee for the 2015 Pan and Parapan American Games.

When SapientNitro was contracted to oversee social marketing on behalf of the games, Henderson stated that aims was to "focus on capturing the human element of the games". She also stated that Thunder Bay was chosen as the beginning of the Pan American Torch relay for the games, since "uniting the north and the south is a very symbolic thing of the way our games are".

Curling Canada Henderson was named chief executive officer (CEO) of Curling Canada as of April 1, 2016. She sought to grow the game at the grassroots level, and expand marketing opportunities for championship events. She also led efforts to reverse the gender pay gap in sports for the Canadian men's and women's national curling teams. In 2022, she received a diploma from the International Olympic Committee for her work in gender equality in sport. According to Henderson, Curling Canada held bi-weekly video calls to discuss strategy during the pandemic, which included marketing, government lobbying, and a return-to-play policy. During the pandemic, she oversaw implementation of education on concussions in sport and the use of helmets; and a universal code of conduct for players and coaches. Thunder Bay instead hosted the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Curling Canada cancelled multiple events due to the pandemic, including the Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship and the Continental Cup. Henderson stated that Curling Canada would continue to evaluate its events "from the perspectives of fan enjoyment, value to stakeholders, including broadcasters, and value to Curling Canada's high-performance program". The symposium aimed to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in international curling.

Henderson left her position with Curling Canada in August 2023. The summit occurred within Henderson's first week with Hockey Canada. She reflected on the summit by stating, "It was very eye-opening to see how many people were willing to put their mistakes on the table, to be vulnerable about things that maybe they're not proud of in the past". Concerns raised at the summit included toxic masculinity in hockey,

Changes made by Hockey Canada since the summit included consent training for athletes and staff, and a "minimum attire rule" for dressing rooms in minor ice hockey to respect privacy and be inclusive of all minors. In future, Henderson wanted to female player registration which is 80 percent male as of 2023, and to get new immigrants to Canada involved in playing.

Personal life Henderson's husband died when their son was young. As a hockey mom, her son played for a Scarborough team in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. She is a recreational runner, and participates in a mixed curling league in Toronto.

Henderson is member of the board of trustees for Brescia University College as of 2023, and seeks to foster female leaders. She previously served on the board of directors for the Michael Garron Hospital.