This article is part of the Bright Leaders of Calgary series, which features prominent corporate leaders from our Team Calgary program and their insights on the local business community and vision for the future.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping industries at speed — and Justin Anderson is helping ensure Calgary is positioned to lead. As Chief Technology Officer at Mawer, a Calgary-headquartered global investment firm, Justin sits at the crossroads where long-term capital meets data and innovation, building enterprise platforms that are redefining how investment firms operate.
Drawing on experience that bridges technical problem-solving and capital allocation, Justin believes Calgary can carve out a niche in the global economy by bringing finance and artificial intelligence together.
His perspective reflects the priorities outlined in Uplook: An Action Plan for Our Economy, Calgary’s long-term strategy focused on strengthening the city’s brand, business environment, innovation ecosystem, talent base and livability.
We sat down with Justin to talk about AI, entrepreneurialism and why Calgary is well positioned to seize this moment.
You’ve moved from engineering and energy research into investment management and now lead technology at Mawer. How does that multidisciplinary background shape how you think about innovation and decision-making in Calgary’s business environment?
I think what’s happening right now, especially with artificial intelligence, is that it’s empowering people who have a broader talent stack. Traditionally, if you wanted to build something, like a piece of software, you were very bottlenecked. You needed specialists everywhere.
Today, you can build complicated things much faster and with far fewer constraints. The people I’m always looking for are orchestrators — people who can play a bit of a product leader role, a bit of a technical leader role and a bit of a business leader role, and wrap that all together.
Calgary has been playing that interdisciplinary game for a long time. We have energy, finance and technology expertise all in one place. With AI coming into the picture, there’s a real opportunity for Calgary and Alberta to bring those disciplines together in a niche way.
As CTO, you sit at the intersection of technology, data and long-term capital. How is technology changing the way investment firms operate, and what does that mean for Calgary’s role as a centre for financial and analytical work?
There are two places where AI is already having a massive impact on investment.
The first is research. Traditionally, you could either go deep on a small number of companies or stay shallow and cover a lot. AI starts to remove that constraint, so you can now go both deep and broad at the same time.
The second area is software development. AI is driving down the cost of building and deploying software in the same way the internet drove down the cost of information. The traditional trade-off between quality and cost in software is starting to break.
AI is brand new. Nobody has decades of cultural advantage yet. It’s sort of like a jump ball — and Calgary is in a great spot to grab it.
Mawer has a global footprint but deep roots in Calgary. From your perspective, what advantages does Calgary offer as a base for building world-class technology and research capabilities?
It all comes down to people. AI doesn’t replace people — it makes them dramatically more productive.
Calgary has a strong entrepreneurial culture. People here want to build. They’re curious. They’re not afraid to try. That mindset is actually the hardest thing to create.
It’s also a very safe city. The cost of living is lower than that of many competitors. The mountains are right there. The airport keeps improving. For people raising families, it’s a fantastic place to live.
We’ve hired people from Hong Kong, New York and Toronto, and they love it here — especially people in more of a family stage of life. Calgary really works for them.
Calgary is increasingly positioning itself as a city of innovation. Where do you see the biggest opportunities for collaboration between the tech community, financial institutions and emerging companies?
Technology crosses every industry. AI isn’t its own sector — it’s a capability that intersects with everything.
If you think of it as a matrix — AI on one axis and industry on the other — finance and AI together are where Calgary has a real opportunity. We have a dynamic cultural background on both sides, plus the entrepreneurial energy to bring it together.
It won’t just happen on its own. We have to come together, share ideas, build momentum and be deliberate about it.
What gives you optimism for Calgary’s future?
Entrepreneurialism in the age of AI is an incredibly powerful advantage. And we are uniquely entrepreneurial as a city.
If we play to that strength, I really believe we can turn this AI moment into something special for Calgary.
About Team Calgary: The Team Calgary corporate partnership program engages our community’s visionary thought leaders to influence Calgary’s economic growth and create long-term prosperity and opportunities for all Calgarians.
Together, we advance the economic strategy, Uplook: An Action Plan For Our Economy, as the path to make Calgary the place where bright minds and big ideas come together with an unmatched spirit to help solve global challenges.