Seen & Heard at CCI's 10th Anniversary Celebration

More than 200 CEOs, investors and national innovation leaders celebrated 10 years of growth and success for the Council of Canadian Innovators. The dinner celebration at The Design Exchange in Toronto capped off a busy week as part of Canada’s CEO Summit in Toronto.

The evening began with a cocktail networking session that brought CEOs and executives together in a relaxed setting to connect with peers, exchange ideas, and build new relationships before sitting down for dinner.
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In a State of the Council presentation, CCI President Benjamin Bergen talked about how CCI has built a national network of Canadian business leaders and policy experts, united around a shared desire to drive growth and prosperity for Canada.

While CCI’s roots were born out of collective public policy advocacy, Benjamin spoke on how the organization has grown into an important institution for the innovation economy that provides education, exposure, and networking for Canada’s fastest-growing companies. 

“CCI’s strength has always come from its clarity of purpose. We serve Canadian companies — not subsidiaries, not branch plants — but the firms that are building intellectual property, exporting globally, and anchoring talent and economic value here in Canada. And we know what’s at stake.”

— Benjamin Bergen, President of the Council of Canadian Innovators
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The centrepiece of the evening was a fireside chat between Dayforce CEO and Chairman David Ossip and David Rozin of Scotiabank. Ossip reflected on the journey of scaling a global company out of Toronto, navigating capital markets, and remaining sovereign while building at scale.
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To close the evening, CCI Co-Chair John Ruffolo and David Lametti, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, joined Benjamin Bergen for a conversation. The moment was a chance to take stock, and to talk about how CCI has been collaborating with the government for a decade, and how we can meet the challenges that lie ahead.
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“There’s no other organization like this in Canada, with a proven track record of advocacy for the policies and strategies that support high-growth technology companies. I’m proud of what we’ve built at CCI, and the CEO Summit is the culmination of all that work. The conversations we’re having here are helping to build out the next 10 years of advocacy, and steer Canada towards a more productive and innovative economy.”

— John Ruffolo, Co-Chair and Co-Founder of the Council of Canadian Innovators
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Special thanks to our partners: Roynat Capital Scotiabank, Deloitte, Gowling WLG, Export Development Canada, National Bank of Canada, PwC,
‍RBCx, TD Innovation Partners, TMX Group, Maverix Private Equity, CPA Ontario and Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.‍