CCI Elevates Abu Kamat to Chief of Staff

The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) is proud to announce that Abu Kamat is taking on an expanded leadership role as Chief of Staff.

As CCI continues to grow and take on new national leadership challenges, the Chief of Staff role will be pivotal in driving strategic initiatives forward, strengthening cross-departmental collaboration, and enhancing the organization’s ability to deliver on its mission for Canadian innovators. Abu’s transition into this role marks an exciting next step as CCI evolves to meet the growing needs of a more competitive and rapidly changing Canadian innovation economy.

Since joining CCI in 2019, Abu has contributed to nearly every area of the organization’s work. As Director of Strategic Initiatives, he worked closely with field leads and policy teams on major projects, led regional advocacy efforts, and strengthened internal collaboration. His strategic mindset, collaborative approach, and commitment to excellence have been central to CCI’s growth over the past several years. Abu has also been a key contributor to CCI’s thought leadership, helping author leading research reports such as the 2022 Talent & Skills Report, CCI’s Buying Ideas: Procuring Public Sector Innovation in Canada, numerous articles in CCI’s policy digest Mooseworks, and submissions to government consultations.

In his new role, Abu will serve as a key strategic partner to the President—helping shape corporate strategy, leading cross-team initiatives, advancing external engagement, and ensuring that CCI’s work remains focused on the highest-impact priorities for Canadian scale-ups.

“Abu brings the kind of strategic leadership and operational focus that CCI needs to succeed as we take on even bigger challenges,” said Benjamin Bergen, President of CCI. “He knows how to connect long-term vision with practical action, and I’m excited to have him step into this expanded leadership role at such a critical time for the organization.”

Abu holds a Master of Global Affairs degree with a specialization in Innovation Policy from the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. His academic background, combined with his deep practical experience at CCI, uniquely positions him to help lead the next chapter of the organization’s impact.

CCI remains committed to strengthening Canada’s innovation economy by supporting the growth, success, and global competitiveness of homegrown technology companies.

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ABOUT THE COUNCIL

Founded in 2015 by Canada’s most successful technology CEOs, CCI aims to amplify their voices in the public policy development process around innovation, countering the dominance of foreign multinationals and other entities not focused on Canadian economic growth. CCI’s CEOs lead Canadian-based innovation firms in sectors such as Healthtech, Cleantech, Fintech, Cyber, and ICT, driving commercialization of intellectual property, generating jobs and wealth, making investments, and engaging in philanthropy. We advocate on their behalf for government strategies that increase their access to skilled talent, strategic capital, and new customers, as well as expanded freedom to operate for their global pursuits of scale.