The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) has announced a national expansion and is adding government relations experts in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario.
The national council says its practice leads in those three provinces will supplement the council’s existing focus on Quebec and federal public policy regarding innovation. The three provinces will work under Dana O’Born, director of strategic initiatives, who also leads the council’s national advocacy efforts.
Tessa Seager in B.C., Bronté Valk in Alberta, and Alanna Sokic in Ontario join Pierre-Philippe Lortie, CCI’s practice lead in Quebec since 2015.
“During the economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, our members have looked to CCI as the leading voice to advocate for policies which support scaling technology companies, and we have been speaking to all levels of government about ways to help high-growth companies access the talent, capital and customers they need to fuel their growth,” said Benjamin Bergen, executive director of CCI, in an April 12 press release. “When the Council of Canadian Innovators surveyed our member companies at the end of 2020, we found that in spite of the economic challenges, scaling technology companies were planning to grow their workforce by 24 per cent in 2021. These knowledge-based companies with a proven track record of growth can be the backbone of a post-pandemic recovery.”
Founded in 2015 by successful Canadian tech CEOs, CCI represents more than 130 CEOs leading Canada’s high-growth companies in the innovation economy. It includes firms commercializing clean and health technologies, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cybersecurity and fintech.
The council says with Canadians becoming more reliant on digital technology and innovative solutions due to the ongoing pandemic, “now is the time for all Canadian governments to be working hand-in-glove with the leaders of Canada’s most innovative companies to develop a prosperity strategy for the 21st century data-driven economy.”