Human Capital is at the heart of a new economic age and Canada is at a pivotal nation building moment. Meeting the country’s ambitions in energy, technology, and security will depend crucially on our talent. This is a critical time to ensure we have the right talent and innovation strategy for Canada.
Over the summer of 2025, we hosted a series of nation-wide strategic roundtable events to identify priority challenges and opportunities for Canada’s talent and innovation ecosystem featuring crucial perspectives from regional industry, policy, and post-secondary institution leaders. Leveraging the roundtable findings, the BHER Members’ Meeting aimed to uncover concrete next steps to align education with economic needs.
On September 22, BHER Members and invitees acted as advisors on Canadian sovereignty, productivity, and prosperity, as they took part in tailored sessions aligned with their unique experience and expertise.
Program Highlights
- Welcome from Val Walker, CEO, BHER.
- Setting the stage with Dave McKay, CEO, RBC and BHER Board Chair.
- Canada’s Innovation Strategy by The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Canada.
- Working Roundtables:
Session introduction by Chris Hadfield, retired Canadian astronaut- Building a New Defence and Space Economy
Led by Brian Gallant, CEO of Space Canada and former Premier of New Brunswick - Engineering Tomorrow’s AI Economy
Led by Mike Serbinis, CEO of League - Powering Major Energy Projects
Led by Heather Chalmers, President & CEO, GE Vernova Canada
- Building a New Defence and Space Economy
- John Stackhouse, Senior Vice President, RBC, in conversation with Dave McKay, CEO, RBC and BHER Board Chair, and The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Canada.
Hosted by RBC Thought Leadership and the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER). This summit was the culmination of a series of nation-wide strategic roundtable events led by RBC and BHER over the summer. Leveraging the roundtable findings, the summit aimed to uncover concrete next steps to align education with economic needs.
