It may have surprised the community when Karen Riddell unexpectedly revealed that she was the first woman and nurse to be chosen as CEO of Windsor Regional Hospital.
The change, which will see Riddell take over Windsor’s position and current CEO David Musyj be moved to London, was just conceived a week prior to its announcement. In Windsor, the transition started last week. Although Riddell will continue to serve as the hospital’s chief nursing executive, Nicole Krywionek has been temporarily appointed vice president. It is unknown how long Musyj’s secondment will last. However, Musyj is anticipated to return to Windsor, where Riddell stated she will resume her prior responsibilities.
Riddell joins a larger province-wide group while being the first woman to hold the position of CEO at Windsor Regional Hospital. In Ontario, women make up about 52% of hospital CEO positions. In her perspective, perhaps even more significant, Riddell is the first nurse to occupy the role at Windsor Regional Hospital.
“I’m very excited about that,” she said. “I think that’s good from a nursing perspective to have a nurse who moves up through the ranks to a president/CEO position. I think it’s important for the profession. Also, for our patients. It’s great to have somebody with a clinical background that’s in that role.”
Born in Scotland, Riddell moved to Canada when she was five years old. In 1989, she earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Windsor. Her work started at Henry Ford Hospital, after which she briefly relocated to Huntsville and spent nine years in British Columbia. In 1999, Riddell joined WRH. In 2021, she was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Chief Nursing Executive. According to Riddell, she has no major plans to alter anything while serving as CEO.
