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 CoucheTard 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.
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.
Kevin Milligan
Professor and Director, Vancouver School of Economics, UBC
Kevin Milligan is Professor and Director of the Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia and Research Associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research. Since 2011, he has served as Co-Editor of the Canadian Tax Journal. He studied at Queen’s University and the University of Toronto, receiving his Ph.D. in 2001. His published research in over 100 articles spans the fields of public and labour economics, with a primary focus on how the Canadian tax and transfer system affects economic decisions and wellbeing. In 2020-21, he served as Special Advisor (Economic Recovery) in the Privy Council Office.