There is certainly a magnetic energy in the air when a group of unbounded business leaders have the chance to connect face-to-face. Please enjoy the recap of our gathering in Ottawa and save the date for 2023 in Niagara-on-the-Lake!
“The person who will live to be 1000 has already been born”
Salim Ismail, OpenExO | Singularity University, pushed members to reconsider conventional beliefs and impressed upon us the real-world examples that have results from dismantling our collective “immune response” to the new and novel. Salim charted the exponential growth of markets once they bridge the years of disappointment until they hit scale, and scarcity shifts to abundance. At this point, the power of 10X growth takes hold. In his words, “you have exponential potential”.
David L. Cohen, U.S. Ambassador to Canada, opened with comments on the enduring relationship between Canada and the US and its importance. He’s an open supporter of the business agenda on both sides of the border and pushed aside concerns raised about US-centric policies which may appear to threaten the open flow of goods and services across our border. He wants to “grow the pie” so everyone can have a big piece!
Seizing Canada’s Advantage: Deputy Ministers in Conversation Featuring:
- Simon Kennedy, Deputy Minister, ISED
- Iain Stewart, President, NRC
- David Morrison, Deputy Minister, International Trade
- Paul Wells, Author & Journalist (Moderator)
A candid assessment of the business-government interface and the state of global affairs offered insight on current government programming and a nod toward new agencies and funding that will flow from the Federal 2022 budget.
In an armchair discussion between Lieutenant-General Meinzinger, Commander, RCAF, and Tom Jenkins, Board Chair, OpenText, LGen Meinzinger offered a glimpse into the RCAF as an organization facing challenges like those of our members: supply chain, labour, capital investments and innovation. Al models the Dragon’s Den approach, inviting anyone from the RCAF to present ideas once per quarter. The best ideas are implemented immediately and have generated measurable returns to the RCAF.
Our CEO panel featuring Mairead Lavery (EDC); Heather Chalmers (GE Canada) and Gina Cody (Concordia) dove into the issues keeping CEOs up at night. While COVID is still a concern and one being managed, our CEOs spoke to labour shortages, infrastructure limitations in Canada, energy transition, cyber security threats as being real and present and need to get on top of ESG where Social and Governance are likely to overtake Environment in the next year or two.
The New Formula for the Long-term Success of Family Enterprises with John A Davis, Faculty Director, Family Enterprise Programs, MIT Sloan School of Management. John encouraged members to “build value according to their values”. The family enterprise is rooted in a united, industrious, contributing family layered with solid ownership, good management but also an adaptive portfolio of assets and activities.
The weekend also featured an armchair conversation with Nik Nanos and Tom Jenkins. You may know Nik as the Chief Data Scientist and Founder of Nanos Research group of Companies. Nik covered an array of topics on Canadians’ minds, including: the major disruptions in the eyes of Canadians today (is COVID behind us as a major issue in the world of public opinion?), the federal Conservative leadership race, the Ukrainian conflict and the influence on Canada’s place in the world economy, and the level of optimism of our next generation.
We capped off an amazing weekend with by going off the record with Peter Mansbridge at the Canadian War Museum. Peter took us behind-the-scenes of 30 years of journalistic excellence around the world. Peter inspired us with stories of everyday Canadians having impacts on a global scale.
For more information, including presentations and photos of the 2022 CEO Summit, contact the OG100 office.
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