Seen & Heard: 2026 Innovation Governance Summit

More than 100 business leaders and corporate directors gathered at Deloitte Canada’s Toronto office this week for the Council of Canadian Innovators’ 2026 Innovation Governance Summit.

Through panel discussions, sector updates and interactive exercises, the summit examined how boards can help Canadian companies navigate technological change, economic uncertainty and increasingly complex business risks.

Council of Canadian Innovators Chief Executive Officer Patrick Searle opened the summit before an armchair discussion featuring Carol Wilding, President and Chief Executive Officer of CPA Ontario, investor and board member Carol Leaman, and CCI Chair Jim Balsillie.

Their conversation explored what it takes to govern Canadian innovation companies in an uncertain world, including the responsibility boards have to understand intangible assets, changing markets and the strategic conditions affecting a company’s ability to grow.

“Directors cannot provide effective oversight if they do not understand the assets that drive value in today’s economy. For innovation companies, that means building capacity to know how intellectual property, data and technology shape competitive advantage and ensuring those assets are governed with the same discipline as physical and financial assets.” said CCI Chair Jim Balsillie.

Carol Wilding spoke about how boards can help companies remain resilient while continuing to pursue growth.

“Governance of data and AI are now part of a Board’s fiduciary duties, so they need to get good at it, and get good at it fast. Directors need to be willing to challenge the status quo and ask themselves: 'how do we create tangible value in an intangible world?”

The morning continued with perspectives from three areas of Canada’s innovation economy. Ali Abou Daya, Chief Executive Officer of Transactix, discussed developments in financial technology and blockchain. Brad Lynch, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Peraso Inc., shared insights from the semiconductor and advanced manufacturing sector. Dr. Farnoud Kazemzadeh, Chief Operating Officer of PharmAla Biotech, examined the opportunities and governance considerations facing life sciences companies.

The presentations demonstrated why effective governance must reflect the specific market, regulatory and operational realities facing each company.

A panel moderated by CCI Chief Strategy Officer Dana O’Born examined what boards must do differently in 2026 and beyond. Amanda Maltby, Chief Privacy Officer at Environics Analytics, Ken Chan, Partner at Optimus SBR, and Kristina McDougall, Founder and Managing Partner of Artemis Canada, discussed how developments involving data, talent and emerging business trends are reshaping boardroom decisions.

The panel also considered how boards can ensure that a company’s leadership needs remain aligned with its stage of growth.

“The right leadership profile changes as a company grows,” McDougall said. “Boards need to look beyond impressive credentials and ask whether a candidate has the experience, judgment and adaptability required for the company’s next stage. Hiring for the company of today can leave it unprepared for the challenges of tomorrow.”

Artificial intelligence was another central part of the program. In a panel moderated by Benoit Hardy-Vallée, Robert Nardi, Chief Operating Officer of Nakisa, Harry Zarek, President of Compugen Inc., and Philip Liew, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tactable, explored how companies are moving from artificial intelligence governance to practical adoption and growth.

“Boards should be asking how artificial intelligence will create measurable value for the business,” Liew said. “That means understanding the problem the company is trying to solve, the data required and whether the organization has the capabilities to turn an investment into a practical result.”

The discussion considered the board’s role in overseeing adoption, assessing risks and ensuring that investments in artificial intelligence support clear business objectives.

The afternoon moved from discussion to practice through three interactive tabletop exercises.

Ken Chan led a session on strategic risk oversight and when boards must intervene as companies navigate growth, reputation, capital, cybersecurity and regulatory risks.

Iain Paterson and Gila Pyke facilitated a cybersecurity crisis simulation that placed participants in the middle of a breach response. Attendees worked through board-level decisions involving disclosure, stakeholder communications and organizational response.

Kristina McDougall led an exercise on stage-relevant talent and hiring, examining how a company’s leadership needs change as it grows and where boards commonly make mistakes when overseeing senior hiring decisions.

The summit reinforced a central message: effective governance requires directors to remain informed, engaged and prepared to act. By combining expert perspectives with practical exercises, the event gave attendees tools and ideas they can bring back to their own organizations and boardrooms.

The event also reflected the community built through CCI’s Innovation Governance Program, which prepares current and aspiring directors to govern companies operating in an economy increasingly shaped by intellectual property, data and other intangible assets.

The 2026 Innovation Governance Summit was made possible with the support of Deloitte, CPA Ontario and Artemis Canada.

For more information about the Innovation Governance Program and CCI’s other educational programs, contact Gabriella Boulos, Vice-President of Programming at the Council of Canadian Innovators.

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About the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI)

The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) is Canada’s business council for the 21st century economy. We are a collective of over 175 of Canada’s fastest-growing and most ambitious companies, and the founders, CEOs, and executives behind them, working together to improve the business conditions that help more homegrown companies scale, compete globally, and drive long-term prosperity.