About Canada 2020

About Braeden

Braeden Caley is Executive Director of Canada 2020, Canada's leading independent progressive think tank. For over seventeen years, Braeden has advised a variety of progressive political leaders in government and served in leading roles on their campaigns – including serving as Director of Policy and Communications for former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, as Senior Director, Communications for the Liberal Party of Canada and in key roles on Justin Trudeau’s federal election campaigns in 2015, 2019, and 2021, and advising a number of senior federal Parliamentarians.

Braeden was born and raised in Richmond, British Columbia. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at the University of British Columbia, and an Executive Certificate in Public Policy from Harvard' s John F. Kennedy School of Government. In 2016, he was named one of B.C. Business Magazine’s “Top 30 under 30.”

About Mark

Born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, and raised in Edmonton, Mark Carney is a globally-recognized Canadian economist, public policy leader, sustainability advocate, and author. He serves as the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Change and Finance, Chair of Brookfield Asset Management and Head of Transition Investing, and previously served as Governor of the Bank of Canada (2008-13) and Governor of the Bank of England (2013-2020).

About Tom

Thomas (Tom) Pitfield is Co-Founder of Canada 2020, Canada’s leading, independent, progressive think-tank. Prior to his appointment, Tom served as the Chief Digital Strategist for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s federal election campaign, as well as his campaign for leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Previously, Tom served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Leader of the Government in the Senate, the Honourable Jack Austin. He also worked in China for the Canada Chinese Business Council and as a business strategy consultant, specializing in Corporate Governance, for IBM Canada. After co-founding IBM’s Toronto Innovation Center, he worked as a Policy Advisor to the Director of IBM’s Business Partner Channel.

Tom holds an honours degree in business from Queen’s University and a Master's Degree with Merit in Political Philosophy from the London School of Economics.

About Andy

Andy is Managing Partner and CEO of S32, a venture capital fund investing at the frontiers of technology.

Prior to S32, Andy held leadership roles at Alphabet, including at X (previously GoogleX) and Verily (previously Google Life Sciences). At GoogleX, Andy worked on a variety of projects spanning artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, quantum computing and other technology disciplines. He played a role in the spin out of the quantum computing and robotics teams and he continues to serve as an advisor to X.

At Verily, Andy was the Global Head of Business and Corporate Development and a member of the executive leadership team. He executed go-to-market campaigns for a wide range of software- and AI-based healthcare technologies, building creative and pioneering partnerships, collaborations and joint ventures with some of the world’s top companies. Andy’s efforts directly contributed to Verily’s rapid scale and multi-billion dollar financing rounds, as well as its efforts to address the opioid and Covid-19 epidemics. Andy also co-founded the Verily Ventures program to make early-stage venture investments. Under his leadership, the program generated top-tier venture returns.

Prior to Google, Andy helped build and scale two businesses. One of these companies was seeded by Stanford University’s Endowment and was successfully acquired, while the other — a health-care oriented private equity firm based in San Francisco — continues to grow. He started his career at RBC Ventures at a fund which was a part of the DFJ Global Network.

Recognized for his expertise in the field of artificial intelligence, he is a sought-after speaker at leading industry conferences and prestigious universities, and a frequent contributor to publications such as the WSJ, Bloomberg, and Crunchbase. Andy is a patented inventor, and he earned an Undergraduate Degree in Biochemical Engineering from McGill University and a Master in Biomedical Engineering from Cornell University. He also holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation.

About Reva

Reva, a global storyteller, best-selling author, and communications strategist, builds campaigns and content platforms that transform, disrupt, connect, and persuade. She works with leaders and teams to increase their impact and influence, and her specialty is building timely and purpose-driven narratives to leverage public and industry moments.
Reva is a former international trade and competition lawyer (Dentons), the best-selling author of two non-fiction books, and the co-founder and former C.E.O. of a leading cannabis media company. Her ideas on the future of work and leadership have been in Fast Company, The Atlantic, Rotmans Management Magazine, The Huffington Post, and The Globe and Mail, among others.

She holds an L.L.M. in international trade & competition law from Osgoode Law School, an L.L.B. from The University of Western Ontario, and studied International Relations at the University of British Columbia. She lives in San Francisco with her three boys and partner, Rana Sarkar, Canada’s Consul General, Northern California & Silicon Valley, San Francisco & Hawaii.

About Matt

Matt Browne is a Visiting Fellow at American Progress, working on building trans-Atlantic and international progressive networks and studying trans-Atlantic policy issues. Previously, Matt was director of public affairs in APCO Worldwide’s London office, where he ran the company’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa government relations practice. Matt is also the former director of Policy Network—the international network founded by Tony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder, Goran Persson, and Giuliano Amato—and remains a member of the organization’s governing board and advisory council. During his time at Policy Network, Matt worked closely with a host of progressive leaders, prime ministers’ and presidents’ offices across the globe, and international organizations such as the U.N. and WTO. Matt also ran the international press operation for New Labour’s general election campaigns in 2001 and 2005.

About Gurveen

Gurveen Chadha is a strategic advisor with a long record of leadership in public policy and business, currently at Shopify providing strategic and operational guidance for company’s top clients. Based in Montreal, QC, Gurveen has previously served as Director of Policy to Canada's Minister of Transportation (Marc Garneau), as Senior Strategic Advisor to the President and CEO of VIA Rail Canada, on Justin Trudeau's policy team, and on the Board of Equal Voice, dedicated to increasing women's representation in Canadian democracy. Gurveen has a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University, and a BA in Government from Dartmouth College.

About Aisha

Aisha Jarrah works on content strategy and production for Canada 2020. A skilled strategist with expertise in producing written, broadcast, and live content, Aisha manages the development, launch, and delivery of original podcasts, events, and more. Before working with the Canada 2020 team, Aisha spent over five years as the producer of 6 Degrees, the Institute for Canadian Citizenship’s global forum for inclusion. Aisha has a B.A.&Sc. in Cognitive Science from McGill University, as well as a B.Ed. from OISE at the University of Toronto.

About Carolyn

Carolyn Smith is the Director of Operations and Events at Canada 2020. Carolyn is an accomplished event planner and producer, with experience spanning a number of industries including entertainment, sports, and business. Prior to joining the Canada 2020 team, Carolyn worked for the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group in sales and marketing. Carolyn has a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, with a major in Leadership and Management, from St. Francis Xavier University.

About Kate

Kate Graham researches, writes, speaks, and teaches about politics in Canada. She holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario. Her areas of focus include Canadian politics, local government, urban politics and public policy.

Her Ph.D. dissertation, Leading Canada’s Cities: A Study of Urban Mayors, examined the role and power of big city mayors in Canada. The research process involved travelling across Canada to conduct 70 interviews with political and community leaders across Canada. She blogged throughout the experience and developed an online following for what became affectionately known as the Mayors Project.

Kate is a regular media commentator and speaker on local politics in Canada. Kate teaches in the Political Science departments at Western University (Local Government Program), King’s University College and Brescia University College. She currently teaches two courses on women and politics. She is an associate producer of the 25% documentary about the underrepresentation of women in Canadian politics.

Before entering academia, Kate spent a decade working as a public servant. Most recently she served as the Director, Community & Economic Innovation at the City of London where she was responsible for the City’s government relations, strategic initiatives, culture and economic partnerships portfolios.

Kate is an active community member and volunteer. She served as the Chair of the Pillar Nonprofit Network Board of Directors, on the Executive of the ReForest London Board of Directors, and as a volunteer for numerous community organizations. She was named one of London’s Top 20 Under 40 in 2015. Kate has also dabbled in politics herself, including running in the 2018 Provincial Election in Ontario.

About Mark

Mark Michener is the Director of Finance for Canada 2020. Mark has led a regional Credit Union in Eastern Ontario as CEO for a number of years. Recently Mark has been working in the United Kingdom for a larger Charity leading their finance team. He has demonstrated accounting expertise working with a number of accounting systems and reporting requirements. Mark has a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Queens University in Kingston Ontario. He trained with an Ottawa Chartered Accountant firm and has his Chartered Professional Accountant designation.

About Mark

Born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, and raised in Edmonton, Mark Carney is a globally-recognized Canadian economist, public policy leader, sustainability advocate, and author. He serves as the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Change and Finance, Chair of Brookfield Asset Management and Head of Transition Investing, and previously served as Governor of the Bank of Canada (2008-13) and Governor of the Bank of England (2013-2020).

About Jennifer

Jennifer M. Welsh is Professor and Chair in International Relations at the European University Institute and a Senior Research Fellow at Somerville College, University of Oxford.

She was previously a Professor in International Relations at the University of Oxford, and co-director of the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict. In 2013, she was appointed by the UN Secretary-General to serve as his Special Adviser on the Responsibility to Protect.

Professor Welsh is a former Jean Monnet Fellow of the European University Institute and was a Cadieux Research Fellow in the Policy Planning Staff of the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. She has taught international relations at the University of Toronto, McGill University, and the Central European University (Prague).

Prof. Welsh is the author, co-author, and editor of several books and articles on international relations,  the evolution of the notion of the ‘responsibility to protect’ in international society, the UN Security Council, and Canadian foreign policy. She was the Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Massey College (University of Toronto) in 2005, and a 2006 recipient of a Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship and a Trudeau Fellowship. In 2014, she will begin directing a new five-year ERC-funded project on the 'Individualization of War'.

Prof. Welsh sits on the editorial boards of the journals Global Responsibility to Protect and Ethics and International Affairs, as well as the editorial board for the Cambridge University Press BISA series in International Relations. She has also served as a consultant to the Government of Canada on international policy and acts as a frequent commentator in Canadian media on foreign policy and international relations. She has a BA from the University of Saskatchewan (Canada), and a Master's and Doctorate from the University of Oxford (where she studied as a Rhodes Scholar).

About Michael

Michael Wernick’s distinguished 38 year career as one of the key leaders of Canada’s world class federal public service culminated in serving from 2016 to 2019 as the 23rd clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to Cabinet. Wernick worked closely with three Prime ministers and seven ministers. He is a senior strategic advisor to MNP Inc. From 2019 to 2022, he was a fellow and adjunct professor of the Carleton University School of Public Policy and Administration. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Canada 2020.

About Sarah

Sarah Goodman is recognized as one of Canada's top climate policy experts, having played a leadership role in developing and implementing Canada's climate plans, policies, and programs. Before joining Boston Consulting Group, Goodman served as the prime minister's senior advisor on climate action and sustainable economy. Goodman also served as the prime minister’s director of policy, advancing solutions related to the environment, energy, natural resources, infrastructure, transportation, economic competitiveness, and reconciliation. Prior to government, Goodman founded a climate and sustainability advisory firm, serving as Senior Vice President at a leading environmental and social change organisation, and held executive positions at Teck Resources and Weyerhaeuser.

About Jean

Jean Boivin, PhD, managing director, is the head of the BlackRock Investment Institute (BII). Prior to joining BlackRock in 2014, Boivin served as deputy governor of the bank of canada and associate deputy finance minister, serving as Canada's representative at the G7, G20 and Financial Stability Board. Boivin has also taught at Columbia Business School and HEC Montréal, and has published widely on macroeconomics, monetary policy, and finance.

About Mark

Mark Podlasly, a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation, is the chief sustainability officer at the First Nations Major Project Coalition, a 140 Nation organisation dedicated to ensuring Indigenous environmental and economic values are incorporated into projects in traditional territories. Podlasly is also a director at Hydro One and a managing trustee of his First Nation’s mining revenue trust fund. He has designed and delivered corporate strategy, leadership and globalisation programs for a client list that includes GE, Unilever, General Mills, Clorox, Goldman Sachs, and Praxair. He is a frequent commentator about industry-Indigenous economic reconciliation, with writings covering ESG, climate change, economic wellbeing and governance. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Canada 2020.

About Eme

Eme Onuoha oversees CPP Investments’ transnational public affairs strategy and government stakeholder relationship management program. Onuoha held senior roles in various divisions at Xerox and held executive and advisory positions within several Government of Canada organisations including: the Privy Council Office; the Canadian Commercial Corporation; the Office of the Minister of National Defence; and the Office of the Minister of International Trade. He is an honorary governor at McMaster University and serves on the Smith School of Business Advisory Board at Queen’s University and the Canadian Climate Institute’s Board of Directors. Onuoha was also selected as a member of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference under the Right Honourable David Johnston.

About Mike

Dr. Mike Moffatt is the Senior director of policy and innovation at the Smart Prosperity Institute and an assistant professor in the Business, Economics and Public Policy group at Ivey Business School, Western University. In 2017, Dr. Moffat was the Chief innovation fellow for the government of Canada, advising deputy ministers on innovation policy and emerging trends. He has also previously held the titles of director (Interim) of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and management, director of policy at Canada 2020, and chief economist for the Mowat Centre at the University of Toronto. From 2013 to 2015, Moffat served as an economic advisor to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Canada 2020.

About Delia

Delia Cristea joined Power Sustainable at its inception in 2019. She oversees the firm’s legal, compliance and culture functions. She is also responsible for deepening the firm’s community impact and ecosystem building activities in the sustainable finance space. Prior to Power Sustainable, Delia worked as counsel for Power Corporation of Canada, where she most recently served as Assistant General Counsel and Assistant Secretary. Prior to that, she was Associate at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in the Montreal and Toronto offices and served as in-house counsel with BCE Inc. Delia graduated with a gold medal from McGill Faculty of Law and holds a license in law and a Masters in European law from Sorbonne University in Paris. She also chairs the board and the governance committee of Lawyers without Borders Canada. She is passionate about supporting the growth of the sustainability ecosystem both in Canada and abroad. As such acts as board member or advisor to a number of organizations in this space, including Cycle Momentum, the McGill Sustainable Growth Initiative and the Green Finance Committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce