TORONTO, ON – The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) today announced that Skaidra Puodžiūnas has been promoted to Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy, a newly created role designed to strengthen coordination across the organization and support CCI’s government affairs work nationwide.

In this position, Skaidra will focus on campaign alignment across CCI and ensure that government affairs leaders are backed by the full organization, including communications, events, programming, membership, operations, partnerships, finance, and executive leadership. She will also help CCI staff, members, and partners connect day-to-day activity to further bolster CCI’s larger projects, all in service of building a stronger Canada.

Skaidra is widely respected across Canada’s public policy community and has been a true connector within CCI, consistently bringing people together, building trust, and strengthening impact. She has helped connect teams and regions, supported cross-country collaboration, and led international policy exchanges that strengthened relationships and shared learning across jurisdictions. Her work has consistently reinforced CCI’s ability to operate as a coordinated national effort.

“Skaidra has an exceptional ability to spot the moment when an idea, an issue, or a relationship can be turned into real momentum,” said Dana O’Born, Chief Strategy Officer of the Council of Canadian Innovators. “She brings people together with warmth and clarity, aligning advocacy with purpose and action. This role reflects what she already does so naturally, connecting strategy to impact, and it will meaningfully strengthen our national advocacy.”

Prior to this promotion, Skaidra served as CCI’s Director of Ontario Affairs, where she helped strengthen advocacy in the province on the issues that matter most to Ontario’s innovators.

About the Council of Canadian Innovators

The Council of Canadian Innovators is a national business council representing more than 175 of Canada's fastest-growing companies. CCI's mission is to help Canadian technology companies scale globally and create the jobs of the future.