A propos de
Le Conseil des innovateurs canadiens a été créé en 2015 par les chefs d'entreprise technologiques les plus prospères du Canada afin de s'assurer que leur voix soit entendue dans le processus d'élaboration des politiques publiques. Les experts en innovation affirment qu'un élément essentiel de la croissance régionale soutenue est la présence de concentrations significatives d'entreprises locales à forte croissance. Les entreprises qui passent de millions à des milliards d'euros sont celles qui rapportent le plus aux économies nationales. Depuis bien trop longtemps, la politique publique du Canada en matière d'innovation est dominée par des multinationales étrangères et d'autres acteurs dont l'objectif premier n'est pas de créer de la croissance économique au Canada.
Actuellement, le Conseil est composé de plus de 150 chefs d'entreprise qui dirigent des sociétés à forte croissance ayant leur siège au Canada. Le Conseil est présidé par Jim Balsillie, ancien co-PDG de Blackberry, et John Ruffolo, fondateur et associé directeur de Maverix Private Equity, et fondateur d'OMERS Ventures.
Notre histoire
2015
En septembre 2015, l'ancien codirecteur général de Blackberry, Jim Balsillie, s'adresse à un groupe de PDG d'entreprises technologiques canadiennes lors d'un événement organisé par OMERS Ventures, fondé et dirigé par John Ruffolo. Le message de M. Balsillie au groupe était que le gouvernement fédéral définissait des politiques qui auraient un impact sur les entreprises technologiques, mais qu'Ottawa n'écoutait pas les entreprises technologiques canadiennes. C'est à l'issue de cette réunion que les graines de l'ICC ont été plantées.
In October, the Liberal Party of Canada wins the 2015 federal election on a platform which includes a promise to hike taxes on employee stock options, a policy which would severely harm scale-up technology companies’ ability to recruit skilled talent. This served to underscore Balsillie’s message about policy being created without consulting with domestic tech companies and acted as a galvanizing force.
CEOs begin a public and government relations campaign, penning opinion pieces and writing letters to the Minister of Finance.
2016
In response to pressure from the tech sector, the Liberal government revised the policy to exempt most scaling technology companies from tax hikes on employee stock options. Bill Morneau, who was finance minister at the time, remarked, “I heard from many small firms and innovators that they use stock options as a legitimate form of compensation, so we decided not to put that in our budget.”
This proved to many CEOs on the sidelines of the CCI movement that linking arms and advocating with one voice can spur meaningful policy changes and was essential for updating Canada’s economic playbook for the 21st century innovation economy.
In March, Benjamin Bergen was hired as executive director and the first employee of the Council of Canadian Innovators.
Summer
CCI begins working with then-Immigration Minister John McCallum, consulting with scaling technology companies. The result of this work would be the Global Talent Stream, which greatly reduced visa processing times for skilled workers coming to Canada — one of CCI’s first clear policy wins for members.
Around 50 CEOs travel to Ottawa to participate in CCI's first CEO Summit, which includes meetings with key federal ministers and civil servants and exposes CEOs to in-person advocacy firsthand.
CCI begins advocating on behalf of innovators at the provincial level, working first in Ontario to reorient provincial strategies towards supporting homegrown firms.
2017
The federal government announces the Global Skills Strategy, which includes the Global Talent Stream pilot part of theTemporary Foreign Workers Program. CCI is selected as the only non-governmental referral partner to the program. Following the 2017 federal budget, CCI hosts its first pan-Canadian budget debrief for innovators.
Summer
CCI begins to expand its sectoral advocacy efforts into clean technology, health technology, cybersecurity, fintech, and digital services. CCI hosts various advocacy days in Ottawa for innovators.
2018
L'ICC continue de s'imposer comme une voix de premier plan pour donner la priorité aux entreprises technologiques canadiennes par le biais de politiques publiques stratégiques, notamment les négociations de l'accord de libre-échange nord-américain, les propositions budgétaires actuelles du gouvernement fédéral et le projet Sidewalk Labs proposé pour Toronto.
Printemps
CCI hosts CyberCanada Senior Leadership Summit in Toronto, convening innovators, federal and provincial government leaders, and officials from our national security and defence agencies. In Ottawa, CCI appears before parliament calling for a national data strategy.
Automne
CCI hosts second CEO Summit in Ottawa, bringing together over 100 scale-up leaders from across Canada for over 40 meetings focused on increasing access to talent, capital and customers, and new marketplace frameworks for the 21st century economy.
2019
CCI opens a bureau in Québec with a dedicated provincial affairs lead, a new brand – Conseil canadien des innovateurs – and the addition of Louis Têtu to the Board of Directors of CCI. When the Quèbec government tables their 2019 budget, CCI is on site in Quèbec City analyzing each measure through an innovation lens.
Printemps
CCI hosts Spring Intellectual Property Symposium in Toronto, coalescing CCI's calls for a national IP strategy that helps innovators expand their freedom-to-operate to scale globally.
Automne
CCI hosts meetings in Winnipeg with the Manitoba Government, laying the seeds for CCI's future expansion into the Prairies.
2020
At the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic, CCI acted swiftly to ensure innovators and business leaders across Canada had access to essential information to keep their businesses running. In March, CCI launched the COVID-19 Slack Channel, which rapidly grew to over 2,500 members nationwide. CCI also began hosting webinar briefings with federal and provincial leaders, providing a platform for business leaders across Canada to engage in critical Q&A sessions during a time of significant economic uncertainty. These forums also allowed business leaders to share best practices and strategies with their peers.
As governments rolled out relief measures, CCI emerged as a vital voice for Canadian tech, advocating for improvements to the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, which proved inadequate for high-growth technology companies. This advocacy ultimately contributed to the creation of the $250 million Innovation Assistance Program, providing much-needed capital to innovative tech companies that did not qualify for other programs. CCI also urged faster release of funds from Regional Development Agencies to help companies manage the growing operational pressures they were facing.
2021
CCI lance le programme de gouvernance de l'innovation afin de former les futurs membres des conseils d'administration aux compétences et aux connaissances nécessaires pour assurer efficacement la surveillance de la gouvernance d'entreprise dans les entreprises technologiques canadiennes en pleine expansion.
2022
L'ICC renforce la défense des intérêts régionaux - en mobilisant les entreprises technologiques de l'Alberta pour tirer la sonnette d'alarme sur la réglementation excessive des ingénieurs en logiciel, et en rassemblant les entreprises technologiques du Québec pour s'opposer à une législation trop onéreuse en matière de langue française. L'ICC est également une voix active de l'innovation locale dans les élections générales de l'Ontario.
2023
L'ICC organise son premier Capital Summit à Toronto, réunissant des investisseurs institutionnels canadiens de premier plan et des PDG d'entreprises technologiques à forte croissance.
Le gouvernement du Canada annonce d'importants changements dans les flux d'immigration économique du Canada, y compris une stratégie pour les nomades numériques et un flux de talents technologiques à haut potentiel, en réponse au plaidoyer continu de l'ICC. Bon nombre des changements politiques ont été directement reflétés dans la Stratégie 2022 pour les talents et les compétences de l'ICC.
2024
L'ICC joue un rôle de premier plan dans l'examen par le gouvernement fédéral du crédit d'impôt pour la recherche scientifique et le développement expérimental, en insistant sur les changements de politique qui profitent au maximum aux entreprises en expansion.
L'ICC fait des marchés publics une priorité nationale en tant qu'outil essentiel permettant aux gouvernements de soutenir les entreprises technologiques innovantes.
2025
Following the federal election, CCI publishes A Mandate To Innovate, which lays out a comprehensive plan for economic growth with mandate letters for 10 key federal government ministries.
At the 2025 CEO Summit, CCI celebrates a decade of advocacy on behalf of high-growth Canadian companies.
Notre conseil d'administration
Notre équipe
Carrières
Rejoignez une équipe de professionnels travaillant à l'intersection des politiques publiques et des technologies de pointe, pour le compte des entreprises technologiques les plus dynamiques et à forte croissance du Canada.
Director of Partnerships (13-Month Parental Leave Coverage Contract)
About the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI)
Le Conseil des innovateurs canadiens (CCI) est une association nationale d'entreprises qui représente plus de 150 entreprises canadiennes à forte composante technologique dont la croissance est la plus rapide. Les entreprises du portefeuille du CCI sont des leaders du marché dans leurs secteurs verticaux et commercialisent leurs technologies dans plus de 190 pays, générant entre 10 et 750 millions de dollars de revenus annuels récurrents. Les entreprises membres de l'ICC ont toutes leur siège au Canada et emploient collectivement plus de 52 000 Canadiens d'un océan à l'autre.
CCI was created in 2015 by the leaders of Canada’s most innovative companies to reorient Canada’s economic strategies towards supporting domestic scale-up companies to aid in their pursuit of becoming engines of Canada’s future economic prosperity. CCI works closely with our members and leaders within federal and provincial governments to develop economic strategies that increase access to talent, capital, and customers for homegrown firms, all while updating Canada’s economic playbook for the 21st-century economy. Since 2015, CCI’s advocacy has led to the government improving the way businesses access international talent, patent their inventions, and navigate the global data-driven economy.
L'ICC est un réseau de pairs composé de chefs d'entreprise et d'innovateurs canadiens qui se tournent vers la direction et les membres de l'ICC pour obtenir des conseils stratégiques et une vision prospective, une navigation experte au sein des gouvernements fédéral et provinciaux, et des connexions avec d'autres innovateurs et institutions qui peuvent les aider à développer leurs entreprises à l'échelle mondiale.
Today, CCI is headquartered in Toronto and has staff located in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Montreal. CCI is established as a not-for-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors, with Jim Balsillie, retired chairman and co-CEO of BlackBerry, serving as Chair, and John Ruffolo, founder of OMERS Ventures and Managing Partner of Maverix Private Equity, serving as Vice-Chair. Both are also co-founders of CCI.
Job Title: Director of Partnerships
Location: Remote
Reports To: Vice President of Corporate Affairs
About This Role
This is a 13-month temporary, full-time parental leave coverage role, with the possibility to convert into a permanent role.
The Director of Partnerships is responsible for leading the organization’s partnership strategy, building and maintaining strong relationships with corporate sponsors, community partners, and other strategic allies. This role is focused on identifying, developing, and executing partnerships that drive revenue, expand reach, and enhance organizational impact.
As a senior leader, you will manage a team responsible for partnership development, sponsorship programs, and partner engagement, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and long-term growth. A core focus of this role is building and securing sponsorship opportunities for CCI’s major events (including the CEO Summit), policy products, and educational programming.
Key Responsibilities
1. Partnership Strategy & Development (35%)
- Identify potential partners and sponsorship opportunities that advance the organization's mission and revenue goals.
- Negotiate and structure agreements with corporate and community partners.
- Evaluate partnership performance and adjust strategy to maximize value and impact.
2. Relationship Management & Engagement (30%)
- Serve as the primary point of contact for all strategic partners.
- Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with corporate sponsors, community partners, and key stakeholders.
- Ensure partners are receiving measurable value and a high-quality engagement experience.
- Address partner concerns, feedback, and opportunities for growth in collaboration with internal teams.
3. Partnership Operations and Team Leadership (20%)
- Oversee partnership operations, including pipeline management, CRM data, and reporting on partnership performance.
- Collaborate with internal teams (marketing, events, programming) to ensure seamless execution of partnership initiatives.
4. Revenue & Impact Measurement (15%)
- Monitor and report on KPIs related to partnership growth, sponsorship revenue, and partner satisfaction.
- Identify and implement opportunities to expand partnerships into new areas or programs.
- Drive initiatives that increase overall organizational visibility, reach, and revenue partnerships.
Success Metrics for the Role
- Revenue Growth: Measurable increase in sponsorship and partnership revenue.
- Partnership Expansion: Successful acquisition of new high-value partnerships.
- Partner Satisfaction: Strong partner retention and positive feedback.
- Operational Excellence: Efficient management of partnership pipeline, CRM and internal processes.
Qualifications & Skills
- 5+ years of experience in partnerships, sponsorships, business development, or related roles; prior leadership experience strongly preferred.
- Proven ability to build and manage high-value partnerships.
- Strong negotiation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
- Experience managing CRM systems and tracking partnership performance metrics.
- Strategic thinker with the ability to balance long-term relationship building with immediate revenue goals.
Compensation & Benefits
- Salary range: $100,000-$120,000 CAD
- Contract Term: This is a 13-month, temporary, full-time position to cover a parental leave, beginning November 2025 and concluding in December 2026. There is a possibility for the role to convert into a permanent position based on organizational needs.
- Flexible schedule and remote-first workplace (with some in-person retreats and events required throughout the year).
- Comprehensive health and dental benefits.
- Generous vacation: 3 weeks plus two discretionary office closures: 1 week in July and 2 weeks in December, cumulating in a total of 6 weeks off per year.
Nos fourchettes sont basées sur une rémunération supérieure à celle du marché dans notre secteur et sur une rémunération comparable à celle du marché pour des fonctions parallèles dans le secteur technologique, afin de tenir compte de la diversité des compétences dont nous avons besoin pour notre travail.
We believe in equal pay for equal value of work. For this reason, although we hire all over Canada, we don't adjust our pay based on where you live. We've used a rate that is competitive across the various locations where we hire.