New Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer announcements at Health Quality Alberta

CALGARY, AB, Oct. 28, 2025 /CNW/ - Angus Watt has been designated by Primary and Preventative Health Services Minister Adriana LaGrange as Chair of the Health Quality Alberta Board of Directors, effective October 1, 2025. Mr. Watt served on the executive committee since joining the Board in June 2024 and has been Acting Chair since August 2025.

Mr. Watt is a senior wealth advisor, National Bank Financial, and founding partner of the Angus Watt Advisory Group. For more than 40 years he has served Albertans as a community builder, volunteer, and philanthropist across multiple sectors, including health and social services. 

In 2023, he was inducted into the Alberta Order of Excellence and as a laureate into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame. He is a past recipient of the "Paul Harris Fellow" awarded by the Rotary Club of Canada. In 2012, Mr. Watt received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal, and in 2023, he received the Queen Elizabeth Platinum Jubilee Medal.

Mr. Watt's considerable history leading and supporting many causes, as well as his long career as a respected senior business leader, are an asset to Health Quality Alberta as the organization grows its contributions to health system improvement.

Permanent Chief Executive Officer named

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Mr. Watt is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. David Zygun as Chief Executive Officer for Health Quality Alberta, effective October 1, 2025. Dr. Zygun's appointment follows a formal executive search and selection process. He has been Acting Chief Executive Officer since May 2025.

"Dr. Zygun has extensive clinical, academic, and leadership experience in Alberta's healthcare system. In addition to his many accomplishments, he brings a passion for improving healthcare quality, listening to patients, and collaborating with healthcare partners that effectively positions him to help Health Quality Alberta deliver on its mandate," says Mr. Watt.

"During his time serving as Acting CEO, Dr. Zygun has demonstrated his expertise by leading the organization through critical conversations with key healthcare partners on the role of Health Quality Alberta in the refocused healthcare system in Alberta, the launch of the Alberta Quality Dimensions for Health to guide system improvement, as well as the introduction of the new Health Quality Alberta name," adds Mr. Watt.

Dr. Zygun is a neurocritical care physician and was also a professor and past first chair of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta. He previously served as the Zone Medical Director for the Edmonton Zone, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and held other leadership roles at AHS including Acting Associate Chief Medical Officer of Strategic Clinical Networks (SCNs), Senior Medical Director of the Critical Care SCN, and Zone Clinical Department Head of Adult Critical Care, Edmonton Zone.

Health Quality Alberta brings together patients, families, and partners from across healthcare and academia to inspire improvement in patient safety, person-centred care, and health service quality. The organization assesses and studies the healthcare system, identifies effective practices, and engages with Albertans to gather information about their experiences. Visit www.hqa.ca to learn more.

SOURCE Health Quality Alberta