Speakers / Topics: Global Issues
War. Climate Change. Foreign Policy. These are just some of the issues facing our global community every day. Our speakers hail from the tops of their fields in business, politics, journalism and more – and all help to make sense of what’s moving the world forward, and what’s holding it back.
The Hon. Rona Ambrose
Former Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition in the House of Commons
The Honourable Rona Ambrose is a dynamic national leader, a champion for the rights of women and girls, the former Leader of Canada’s Official Opposition in the House of Commons, and the former leader of the Conservative Party of Canada. Rona knows politics....
Sally Armstrong
Human Rights Activist | Journalist | Author
Sally Armstrong has covered stories in zones of conflict all over the world. From Bosnia and Somalia to Congo and Afghanistan, her eyewitness reports have earned her the Amnesty International Media Award four times over, as well as acclaim all over the world. ...
The Hon. John Baird
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
As Minister of Foreign Affairs, John Baird demonstrated his leadership on the world stage by championing freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. Holding the position in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper from 2011 to 2015, Mr. Baird ha...
Chris Bashinelli
National Geographic Explorer | Executive Producer and Host, Bridge the Gap
Chris Bashinelli was 20 years old when he traveled to Tanzania to film his first documentary, asking the question: how can we change the world? When he returned, his father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. It was this moment that he realized there was nothi...
Ian Bremmer
Global Political Risk Expert
Specializing in US foreign policy, states in transition, and global political risk, Ian Bremmer is one of the world’s leading global political risk researchers and consultants. He helps business leaders, policy makers, and the general public make sense of th...
The Rt. Hon. Joe Clark
Former Canadian Prime Minister and Foreign Minister
Canada’s 16th Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Joe Clark is one of the most widely respected Canadians in history. Clark reaches across divides — from chairing the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers campaign against apartheid, to winning unanimous agre...
Anderson Cooper
Award-Winning CNN Anchor and Journalist
Anderson Cooper untangles the complex webs surrounding today’s biggest news stories and engages audiences with his world view of the latest hot spots and global issues. The anchor of Anderson Cooper 360, a provocative weekday program on CNN that goes bey...
Andrew Coyne
Nationally Syndicated Political Journalist
Andrew Coyne delivers insightful, provocative commentary on political and economic issues to Canadians across the country. The former national editor of Maclean’s, and currently a nationally syndicated columnist with Postmedia, Coyne’s topical and...
Severn Cullis-Suzuki
Environmental Activist
At just 12 years old, Severn Cullis-Suzuki gained international attention when she delivered her famous speech at the Rio Earth Summit, pleading for the delegates to preserve the planet. Since then, Cullis-Suzuki has continued to advocate for intergenerational...
Wade Davis
Anthropologist | Explorer
Wade Davis’s presentations—illustrated by his exquisite photographs—are a wild and moving celebration of the wonder of humanity and the diversity of the human spirit, as expressed through the myriad of cultures he has encountered. A former Explorer-i...
Niall Ferguson
Internationally Renowned Historian
Named by Time magazine as one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World,” Niall Ferguson’s work impacts industry, finance, government, and academia. Controversial, expansive, and eloquent, Ferguson’s talks explore themes that have urgent relevan...
Richard Florida
Renowned Economist | Bestselling Author
Richard Florida is one of the world’s most sought after speakers on global trends, economics, prosperity, competitiveness, and growth. Combining in-depth analysis, a fascinating personal story, and a touch of self-deprecating humor, it’s no wonder he was n...
Dan Gardner
Risk Management & Forecasting | Award-winning Journalist | Bestselling Author
Can we improve our ability to forecast the future and manage risks to do better in business and life? Award-winning journalist and bestselling author Dan Gardner tackles these questions and more in his eye-opening and mind-expanding talks. Based on his bestsel...
Sir Bob Geldof
Influential Global Visionary | Pop Icon
Rock musician, songwriter, and political activist, Sir Bob Geldof is the rare combination of musical talent and successful businessman. He created the Live Aid concerts, built a media empire, called urgent attention to the world’s most vulnerable people,...
Rudyard Griffiths
Co-Founder, Chair, and Moderator of the Munk Debates
Rudyard Griffiths never shies away from discussing the big issue of the day. As the co-founder, chair, and moderator of the Munk Debates, Canada’s premier international debate series, Griffiths is a highly sought-after commentator on global economics, ge...
Scott Harrison
Founder and CEO of charity: water | World Economic Forum Young Global Leader
Scott Harrison has helped to bring clean drinking water to millions of people around the world. The founder and CEO of charity: water, one of the most well-known philanthropic organizations in the world, shares how his approach to running a non-profit — from...
Ambassador Bruce Heyman
Former US Ambassador to Canada | Author, The Art of Diplomacy
Bruce Heyman served as the US Ambassador to Canada under President Barack Obama from 2014 until 2017. His leadership emphasized the importance of the Canada-US relationship and pushed for more collaboration and cross-border investments. Today, he continues to ...
Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon
Award-Winning Author | Public Intellectual
Bestselling author of The Ingenuity Gap, Dr. Thomas Homer-Dixon shows audiences how to adapt and prosper in a world of ever-increasing complexity, speed, and surprise. Called “one of the best-informed and most brilliant writers on global affairs today...
Earvin “Magic” Johnson
NBA Legend | Hall of Famer | Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Earvin “Magic” Johnson has become the most powerful African-American businessman in the world. Having left the basketball court for the boardroom, Johnson has successfully parlayed his skills and tenacity on the court into the business world as Chairman an...
Katty Kay
Lead Anchor, BBC World News America | Co-author, Womenomics and The Confidence Code
Katty Kay is the lead anchor for BBC’s World News America where she covers the full gamut of American and global affairs―reporting on US elections, the White House, Congress, Wall Street, global economies, and world trouble spots. Kay also frequently act...
Jennifer Keesmaat
Former Chief Planner, City of Toronto | Renowned Urbanist
Jennifer Keesmaat is passionate about creating places where people flourish. Named one of the “most powerful people in Canada” by Maclean’s, one of the “most influential” by Toronto Life, and one of the top Women of Influence in Canada, she spent fiv...
Martin Luther King III
Global Human Rights Activist
As the oldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King III serves as an ambassador of his parent’s legacy of nonviolent social change. Motivating audiences with his message of hope and responsibility for ...
Greg Lindsay
Expert on Cities, Mobility, Travel, Trade, and the Future of Work
Greg Lindsay is literally a man on the street, reporting from the intersection of global trends and local wisdom. Widely cited as an expert on the future of travel, technology, and transportation, on the design and resiliency of cities, and on how to create mo...
The Hon. Preston Manning
Political Activist and Commentator
Preston Manning tirelessly championed the cause of democratic and political reform throughout his impressive career as one of Canada’s great political visionaries. His presentations provide an inspirational and substantive discussion of both current issues a...
Vikram Mansharamani
Harvard Lecturer | Global Equity Investor | Bestselling Author of Boombustology
Dr. Vikram Mansharamani is a global trend-watcher who shows people how to anticipate the future, manage risk, and spot opportunities. He gained widespread attention with the release of his first book, Boombustology, which provided a framework for spotting bubb...
Chris Mathers
Crime, Terrorism, and Security Expert
Chris Mathers spent most of his life working undercover for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, US Drug Enforcement Administration, and the US Customs Service. Posing as a gangster, a drug trafficker, and even as a money launderer, Mathers has seen and done i...
Bob McDonald
Host of CBC Radio's Quirks & Quarks
Bob McDonald is one of Canada’s best-known science journalists, bringing science to the public for more than 40 years. In addition to hosting Quirks & Quarks, the award-winning science program with a national audience of nearly 500,000 people, McDona...
David McWilliams
Economist | Broadcaster | Bestselling Author
David McWilliams is ranked among most influential economists in the world. Consistently accurate in his forecasts, he was the only economist in Ireland who accurately forecast a strong UK Brexit vote, the Trump victory, and the 2008 global crash. With the o...
Dr. Samantha Nutt
Founder of War Child Canada and War Child USA
A leading authority on current affairs, war, international aid, and foreign policy, Dr. Samantha Nutt, a medical doctor and founder of the internationally renowned non-profit War Child, is one of the most recognized voices in the humanitarian arena. For more t...
Jeff Rubin
Economist | Energy Expert | Bestselling Author
Jeff Rubin was one of the first economists to predict triple digit oil prices back in 2005. One of the world’s leading energy experts, Rubin speaks to why the end of cheap oil means the end of easy answers to renewing prosperity — and the end of globalizat...
Janice Gross Stein
Founding Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
Whether it’s economics, geopolitics, or international security and terrorism, few people have a better understanding of global issues than Professor Janice Gross Stein. Her dynamic presentations provide a unique perspective into what’s really happe...
Dr. David Suzuki
Award-Winning Scientist, Environmentalist and Broadcaster
Dr. David Suzuki has made it his life’s work to help humanity understand, appreciate, respect and protect nature. A scientist, broadcaster, author, and co-founder of the David Suzuki Foundation, he is a gifted interpreter of science and nature who prov...
Tanya Talaga
Award-winning Journalist | Author of Seven Fallen Feathers
An award-winning journalist and author, and the First Ojibway woman to deliver the CBC Massey Lectures, Tanya Talaga is an acclaimed storyteller. Her book Seven Fallen Feathers, a national bestseller that introduced us to seven Indigenous high school students ...
Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci
Co-Founders of Optimist | Award-Winning Documentary Filmmakers
From living in a Syrian refugee camp to surviving on $1 a day in Guatemala and spending 10 years documenting the journey of an undocumented boy living in New York City, Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci are award-winning humanitarians, activists, and filmmakers. ...
Alexandre Trudeau
Documentary Filmmaker | Journalist
Documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist, Alexandre Trudeau shares his bold views on the political, social, and economic forces of our times. Having gained widespread recognition for his edgy and insightful humanism and for his brave iconoclasm and fierc...
Mike Walsh
Futurist and Authority on Digital Trends in Emerging Markets
As the CEO of Tomorrow, a global consultancy on designing companies for the 21st century, Mike Walsh prepares business leaders for what’s next. A leading authority on digital transformation and disruptive innovation, Walsh expertly distils his insights into ...
Sheila Watt-Cloutier
Environmental, Cultural, and Human Rights Advocate
Nobel Peace Prize nominee Sheila Watt-Cloutier is in the business of transforming public opinion into public policy. Experienced in working with global decision-makers for more than a decade, Watt-Cloutier offers a new model for 21st century leadership. She sp...
Bob Woodward
Legendary Two-Time Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist | Author | Associate Editor, The Washington Post
Former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wished he’d recruited Woodward into the CIA, “He has an extraordinary ability to get otherwise responsible adults to spill [their] guts to him…his ability to get people to talk about stuff the...
Peter Zeihan
Geopolitical Strategist
Peter Zeihan is a geopolitical strategist, which is a fancy way of saying he helps people understand how the world works. Zeihan combines an expert understanding of demography, economics, energy, politics, technology, and security to help clients best prepare ...