Presented By
Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management, University of Ottawa and former Clerk of the Privy Council
Secretary of the Treasury Board
President, EKOS Research Associates, Inc.
Vice President and Chief Privacy & Trust Officer, IBM
President, Mira Institute for Housing Policy
Editor in Chief, Vanguard
Professor, Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University
National Business Development Manager, Amazon Web Services Canada
Senior Director, Proof Strategies
President and CEO, Institute
on Governance
National Marketplace Growth Lead, Earnscliffe Strategies
Director of Sales, Fortinet
Vice President, Business Development – Public Sector, Environics Analytics
Copyright ©2023 Vanguard Canada Media
Christina Montgomery
Vice President and Chief Privacy & Trust Officer, IBM
Christina Montgomery is Vice President and Chief Privacy & Trust Officer for IBM, overseeing the company’s privacy program, compliance and strategy on a global basis, and directing all aspects of IBM’s privacy policies. She also chairs IBM’s AI Ethics Board, a multi-disciplinary team responsible for the governance and decision-making process for AI ethics policies and practices.
During her tenure at IBM, Christina has served in a variety of positions including Managing Attorney, cybersecurity counsel and, most recently, Corporate Secretary to the company’s Board of Directors.
A global leader in AI Ethics and governance, Christina is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce AI Commission, and a member of the United States’ National AI Advisory Committee (NAIAC). The NAIAC was established in 2022 to advise the President and the National AI Initiative office on a range of topics related to AI. Christina is also an Advisory Board Member of the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), Advisory Council Member of the Center for Information Policy Leadership (CIPL) , and a member of the AI Governance Advisory Board for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
She received a B.A. from Binghamton University and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.
Brad Graham
President, Mira Institute for Housing Policy
Brad Graham is the President of the newly established Mira Institute for Housing Policy. Brad is an Economist and spent 25 years in the Ontario Public Service in a variety of senior leadership roles.
In his position as Assistant Deputy Minister with the Ministry Public Infrastructure, he lead the development of the Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe which fundamentally changed urban development in North America’s 3rd largest urban region. The Plan received a number of national and international awards including the American Planning Association’s Daniel Burnham Award, an Award for Planning Excellence from the Canadian Institute of Planners, the first ever Leonard Gertler Award of Distinction from the Ontario Professional Planners Institute, and the Canadian Urban Institute’s 2008 Urban Leadership Award.
Brad Graham was also Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Research and Innovation, the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, and the Ministry of Health. For the past 12 years Brad Graham has been a Senior Policy Fellow at the Munk School at the University of Toronto, teaching a graduate course in Policy Development. Brad has also been awarded Ontario’s Amethyst Award for excellence in public service.
Terri Pavelic
Editor in Chief, Vanguard
Graham Flack
Secretary of the Treasury Board
Graham Flack became Secretary of the Treasury Board in January 2022. He previously held the position of Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development Canada since October 2018.
He began his career in the Privy Council Office and worked on the Quebec referendum campaign, the Quebec Secession Reference and Clarity Act. Following 9/11 he became Director of Operations and led work on the Canada-US Smart Borders Declaration as well as Canada’s first National Security Policy.
He held senior executive roles at Natural Resources Canada and the Department of Finance where he was Assistant Deputy Minister, International Trade and Finance and worked on the G7 and G20 response to the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
From 2010 to 2013 he was Associate Deputy Minister then Acting Deputy Minister at Public Safety Canada. From 2013 to 2014 he was Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet at the Privy Council Office. From 2014 to 2018 he was Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage.
Graham is the founding chair of the Deputy Minister Committee on Innovation and Deputy Minister Champion for Dalhousie University.
He received degrees in political science and economics from Dalhousie and Oxford University where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He is a former law clerk of the Supreme Court of Canada and graduated with an LL.B. from Dalhousie University and an LL.M from Harvard University.
Dr. Lori Turnbull
Professor, Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University
Dr. Lori Turnbull is the Professor, Faculty of Management at Dalhousie University and Deputy Editor of Canadian Government Executive.
David Lurie
National Business Development Manager,
Amazon Web Services Canada
For over 25 years, David Lurie has helped public sector organizations across Canada accelerate their digital transformation through the adoption of relevant technologies. At Amazon Web Services, David leads a team focused on helping governments, education, healthcare and non-/not-for-profit organizations work through their cloud procurement/acquisition journey. David works directly with a broad range of public sector information professionals, from seasoned CIOs and CISOs to first-time cloud users, as well as leaders in business lines and core functions such as finance, human resources and procurement.
Katherine Freenan
Senior Director, Proof Strategies
Katherine (Katie) Feenan has spent close to 20 years in roles that blend communications, politics, public policy and research. Starting her career in Canadian federal politics, Katie cut her teeth in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition, the Members of Parliament for Labrador and Vancouver Centre. Following her start in Ottawa, Katie moved to Toronto to work for a large public opinion firm as a research manager before heading west to Vancouver where she advocated for small business, got involved in municipal politics and worked in communications for a management consultancy firm. She has spent time overseas as a consultant with the National Democratic Institute in Algeria and Georgia. Prior to joining Proof Strategies as a senior director this past summer, Katie was director of policy at the Public Policy Forum. As a policy generalist, Katie led research projects and convenings on a wide range of important topics from the energy transition to threats to democracy, always with a focus on driving policy action from insight.,
David McLaughlin
President and CEO, Institute on Governance
David McLaughlin has over thirty years of governance experience at senior levels in both federal and provincial levels of government including most recently as Clerk of the Executive Council, Cabinet Secretary, and Head of the Public Service in the Government of Manitoba.
In the past, David has served as President and CEO of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy and as a Deputy Minister within the governments of New Brunswick and Manitoba. This includes Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in both provinces, Deputy Minister of Policy and Planning and Secretary to the Cabinet Committee on Policy and Priorities in New Brunswick, Deputy Minister to the N.B.Commission on Legislative Democracy, and Deputy Minister for the Climate and Green Plan Implementation Office in Manitoba. He also served as Executive Director, Council of the Federation’s Panel on Fiscal Imbalance.
He has served as Chief of Staff to both the federal Minister of Finance and the Prime Minister of Canada.
David has a BA (Honours) from Mount Allison University, an MA in International Affairs from Carleton University, and an MBA from the University of Bath, UK.
Velma McColl
National Marketplace Growth Lead, Earnscliffe Strategies
Velma McColl blends her deep understanding of business, government and policy to create opportunities for her clients. Velma works on a range of economic and social issues including M&A, innovation, energy, environment and emerging technologies. She has been a driving force in the growth and diversification of Earnscliffe’s business.
Prior to joining Earnscliffe in 2004, Velma advised Federal Cabinet Ministers on political strategy, policy and communications. She has also worked provincially in British Columbia and Alberta. She has worked to find creative solutions across federal/provincial/territorial, North American and international boundaries. Her career includes success as an entrepreneur and experience working collaboratively with business, academia, think tanks, not-for-profit organizations and the public sector.
A proud mother and Westerner with twenty years’ experience in Ottawa, Velma studied at the University of British Columbia and the Banff School of Management. She is a co-founder of the Canadian Clean Technology Coalition and Women in GR. She has taken leadership roles with several organizations including Smart Prosperity, the Ryan’s Well Foundation and EcoTrust Canada.
Michael Wernick
Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management, University of Ottawa and former Clerk of the Privy Council
Michael retired in 2019 after a 38-year career as one of the key leaders of Canada’s world-class Federal public service, culminating in his appointment in 2016 as the 23rd Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to Cabinet. He is currently working with MNP as a Strategic Advisor Associate on their Ottawa Federal Government Consulting team and began his role at the University of Ottawa in 2022.
Frank Graves
President, EKOS Research Associates, Inc.
Frank Graves is the founder and CEO of EKOS Research. He has been at the forefront of polling and survey research in Canada for decades. He was a founding board member of CRIC and is a lifetime fellow of CRIC. Mr. Graves is also a fellow of the CGAI, the University of Calgary School of Public Policy, and several other organizations. He is an adjunct professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and teaches a graduate course on the past and future of survey methodology.
Kevin Farias
Director of Sales, Fortinet
Kevin Farias is a dynamic business executive with 20 years of experience in the network security industry. Throughout his career, Kevin has held strategic and executive level positions in both the private and public sectors where he oversaw many multi-year technical solution strategies, and is well known for his technical acumen and strategic planning expertise. As Regional Director of Sales at Fortinet, he is accountable for the Government of Canada and the Defence and Intelligence Portfolio and has extensive experience in business development and government relations. Prior to his Director role, Kevin was as a national Pre-sales Security Engineer reporting directly to the VP of Engineering for Canada at Fortinet. He supported Fortinet’s system integration partners for two years, enabling technology solutions with a focus on cyber and cloud security, and threat intelligence.
Nader Shureih
Vice President, Business Development –
Public Sector, Environics Analytics
For almost 20 years, Nader Shureih has worked across the public and private sectors in marketing and market research. He now serves as Vice President of Business Development in EA’s public sector practice. In his current role, Nader works with clients across government to address key business questions and helps them leverage data to get at insights that can be used towards real, effective outcomes. Prior to joining EA, he taught market research at the post-secondary level and managed the market research function at Service Canada.