Featured Speaker:
The Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper
P.C., C.C., A.O.E
For nearly a decade The Right Honourable Stephen J. Harper led Canada through the world’s most complex geopolitical, economic and security challenges as the
country’s 22nd Prime Minister. He created the modern Conservative Party of Canada, won three successive national elections, and was the longest serving Conservative Prime Minister since Canada’s founding Prime Minister in 1891.
Since leaving office in 2016, Mr. Harper founded and is Chairman and CEO of
Harper & Associates, a global consulting and strategic advisory business, and is Chairman and a founding partner of Vision One, a fundamental value-oriented investment firm based in Miami, Florida.
He serves as Board Chair of the Alberta Investment Management Corporation
(AIMCo), Director of Colliers International Group Inc. and Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc., and is President of the Advisory Committee of Awz Ventures, a technology focused Canadian-Israeli venture capital firm. Mr. Harper is also the author of “Right Here, Right Now: Politics and Leadership in the Age of Disruption” and a frequent speaker on geopolitical trends, populism, and business. His latest book “Flags of Canada” was published in February 2025 in association with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society commemorating the 60th anniversary of Canada’s national flag.
Mr. Harper serves as Chairman of the International Democracy Union and is a member of the Global Advisory Board of India’s Observer Research Foundation. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Calgary, was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy from Tel Aviv University and received an honorary degree from the Jerusalem College of Technology. He is a Companion of the Order of Canada, a member of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, as is the recipient of the Alberta Order of Excellence plus numerous international recognitions, including the Order of Liberty, Ukraine’s highes civilian honour.
Mr. Harper resides in Alberta, Canada with his wife Laureen; they have two adult children, Benjamin and Rachel.
David Wiens
President, Dairy Farmers of Canada
David Wiens is a third-generation dairy farmer from Manitoba, where he farms with his brother Charles near Grunthal. They milk 240 cows and have 1500 acres of cropland. David has long followed his interest in dairy policy on a provincial and national level while running the family farm, culminating in his election as President of Dairy Farmers of Canada in 2023. He was first elected to the Dairy Farmers of Manitoba board in 1995 and was subsequently elected as their Chair in 2006. David has been a Director with Dairy Farmers of Canada board since 2009 and in 2011 was elected to the position of Vice-President. During his time on the board, David has been the Chair of the Promotion Committee, the proAction Committee, and the Canadian Dairy Research Council. He has been re-elected as President of DFC in July 2025.
David also chaired the committee that reviewed and updated the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle. David also currently sits on the board of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. David has a Bachelor of Theology from the Canadian Mennonite University. He is married to Denise, and they have two grown children: Jasmine, who is married to Nick, and Elizabeth.
Carman Allison
VP Industry Insights, NielsenIQ
Carman Allison is NielsenIQ’s vice president of industry insights for NIQ Canada. Carman constantly has his finger on the pulse of the CPG marketplace, and manufacturers and retailers rely on him to provide insights and solutions they need to make strategic business decisions. He has over 35 years of experience consulting on consumer and retail trends and is a key-note speaker at industry conferences as well as being featured in numerous trade and news media such as his monthly ‘It Figures’ column in Grocery Business.
Chris Church
Owner, Central Dairy Solutions
Chris is a three-time graduate of the University of Guelph (OAC96, OVC00, and Lang23). He practiced as a veterinarian in Ontario for 15 years with a focus on dairy herd management and embryo transfer, followed by 6 years with Elanco Animal Health Canada, where he focused on improving farm businesses. He recently finished his Master’s in Business, where he led a national research study investigating the relationship between milk production under supply management and farm profits. He is the owner of Central Dairy Solutions, which offers training and benchmarking to help dairy producers gain clarity in operating their farms like a business.
Bryan Yu
Chief Economist, Central 1 Credit Union
Bryan Yu is Chief Economist at Central 1 Credit Union where he leads the organization’s economic thought leadership, subscriber research service, and IFRS9 credit loss modelling businesses. His teams provide actionable economic research and advisory services to support credit union executive teams and their boards across the country.
Bryan regularly provides his economic outlooks at industry events spanning sectors like financial services, forestry, housing, and resources and is frequently interviewed by national and local media to provide economic commentary. He previously held economist positions at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and the BC Real Estate Association and holds BA and MA degrees from the University of Manitoba and Simon Fraser University. Bryan serves on the appointed management board of Invest Vancouver, and serves on the board of directors S.U.C.C.E.S.S. and the Canadian Association for Business Economics.
Central 1 is a treasury and payments organization owned by B.C. and Ontario credit unions that serves financial institutions across the country.
Dan Wong
President, Western Dairy Council
Dan Wong is President of the Western Dairy Council, the association for dairy processors in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Prior to the formation of the Western Council in June 2017, he was Executive Director of the British Columbia and Alberta Dairy Councils. As head of Right Hook Business Strategies Ltd., a public affairs consulting firm, Mr. Wong has provided business strategy, public policy and communications services to major national and international corporations and to state governments in the US. Earlier, he led the Corporate Relations practice at Dairyworld Foods and was Vice President of Corporate Development at BC Ferries Inc. Outside the dairy industry, Mr. Wong is Chairman of Encorp Pacific (Canada), operator of beverage container and electronics recycling services in British Columbia, and former President of the Canadian Product Stewardship Council. He has also served as a Director of the Recycling Council of British Columbia and Director of the Canadian Manufacturers’ Association, among others. Mr. Wong holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Political Science from the University of British Columbia as well as the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors/Rotman School of Management.