She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from St.Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia. A testament to her management ability is the fact that Annette was the first female senior executive with the Cape Breton Development Corporation. Coal mining. Prior to her appointment it was an established fact that coal mining was a man’s business. She changed that in a hurry. Prior to joining Home Depot Annette had made a series of corporate moves which included President and co-owner of Michael’s, the Canadian arts and crafts chain.

Over the years she has collected a shelf full of prestigious retail awards.

On December 13/06 Home Depot announced they were acquiring a chain of twelve stores in China, Annette was appointed to oversee their expansion into China.

I contacted her to congratulate her and ask to what she credits her success. "Dick, I credit my success primarily to my parents. They showed me the meaning of hard work and the results it can generate." Her advice to others wishing to achieve: "I suggest they work hard and take chances. You have to take risks to achieve great things. They should seek out the best leaders to work for and learn from them. Leadership is the skill that has become the most coveted by successful corporations and will continue to be in the foreseeable future."