Chuck Davidson

President and CEO   
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce  

Since 2013, Chuck Davidson has been the President & CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce (MCC), the largest business advocacy organization in the province, representing 64 local Chamber of Commerce and nearly 10,000 organizations throughout Manitoba. Under his leadership, MCC has seen a renewed focus on policy and advocacy as the Voice of Business in Manitoba and has been recognized as an accredited Chamber of Commerce with distinction.

Chuck is a tireless community booster and a passionate champion of economic development in Manitoba. He was appointed as co-chair of the Rural Manitoba Economic Development Corporation. In addition, he chairs the 20 million-dollar Manitoba Mineral Development Fund; is a Board member of the Community Economic Development Fund and serves as co-chair of Travel Manitoba’s Provincial Tourism strategy. He is currently President of the Chamber of Commerce Group Insurance Plan and past chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Accreditation Council as well as a former president of the South Winnipeg Community Centre.

Drew Zieglgansberger

Executive Vice-President & Chief Commercial Officer
Cenovus

As Executive Vice-President & Chief Commercial Officer, Drew oversees strategy, planning, marketing and commercial development for Cenovus. He is responsible for optimizing the price the company receives for its products through commercial activities associated with products either produced or acquired by the company, as well as stewarding Cenovus’s long-term strategy, acquisitions & divestitures, reserves governance and corporate planning functions.

Drew has more than 25 years of oil and natural gas experience in drilling and completions, stakeholder relations, and managing capital projects and operations. He began his career as a drilling rig roughneck, progressing through the field to become an oilfield consultant prior to joining one of Cenovus’s predecessor companies in Calgary as a drilling coordinator in the oil sands. During his career at Cenovus, Drew has held increasingly senior leadership roles in operations and has served as Executive Vice-President, Strategy & Corporate Development, Executive Vice-President, Upstream – Conventional & Integration and Executive Vice-President, Natural Gas & Technical Services.

Drew has a Global Energy Executive MBA from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. He also has an Advanced Executive Certificate from Queen’s University and is a member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Gillian McCormack

National Director, Clients & Industries
Bennett Jones

Gillian McCormack leverages her strategic thinking, sophisticated business acumen, and insights into industry trends to ensure Bennett Jones remains a market leader. By effectively inspiring her team to focus on what matters most, Gillian has been instrumental in advancing the firm's clients and industries strategy. In her role as National Director, Clients & Industries, Gillian oversees a team working with Bennett Jones' leadership team, lawyers, external industry leaders, and key clients to identify, understand, and advance strategies to anticipate and capitalize upon opportunities and trends impacting business. Gillian directs the clients and industry strategy for the Business Development and Marketing Department and leads initiatives such as Bennett Jones' ESG strategy, industry strategies, and Key Client Program. Capitalizing on her experience as Vice President, Investment and Trade at Calgary Economic Development, Gillian brings her international business development experience and insights to bear supporting both Bennett Jones and firm clients in advancing business strategies, objectives, and key metrics. Her professional experience spans over 20 years including progressively more senior roles with American Express Canada, culminating in her role as Vice President, Western Canada with the corporate travel division. With her high-performance focus, Gillian brings practical business knowledge and a collaborative approach to her team and the firm more broadly. Gillian lives in Calgary with her family and is an avid golfer, hiker, and downhill skier. While she enjoys the proximity to the Rocky Mountain playground in her backyard, Gillian also loves to travel internationally to experience other cultures whenever possible.

Diane Gray

President, Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)

Diane Gray was appointed President of PrairiesCan on October 31, 2022. Ms. Gray is a recognized leader with extensive experience in business development and trade. Prior to her appointment, Diane was the founding President and CEO of CentrePort Canada Inc., the largest inland port in North America.

From 1995 to 2009, Ms. Gray held three portfolios for the Province of Manitoba, serving as Deputy Minister of Finance; Federal-Provincial and International Relations; and Trade.

Ms. Gray holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Manitoba.

Jacquie Griffiths

President
Invest Vancouver

As President of Invest Vancouver, Jacquie leads the regional economic development leadership service for Metro Vancouver. Her focus is on attracting strategic investment to Metro Vancouver, fostering region-wide collaboration, and propelling the economic growth needed for regional prosperity.

Before accepting the rol​​e of President, Jacquie was Executive Vice President and a founding member of Invest Vancouver and took Invest Vancouver from a concept to reality. Since then, she has made significant strides in expanding Invest Vancouver and promoting the Metro Vancouver region globally as well as establishing regional partnerships in key sectors such as tech, life sciences, and clean transportation. Under her leadership, Invest Vancouver has been a key player in landing multi-national enterprise investment into the region. 

Jacquie holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia as well as a Master of Arts. She holds a designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD.D) and the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR). She brings over two decades of leadership experience in a wide-range of sectors including mining, banking, education, and local government and has been recognized as one of Business in Vancouver's "40 Under Forty." Jacquie is currently a director and chairs the governance committee for the Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (CPHR) BC and Yukon. On the national stage, she was elected vice-chair of the Consider Canada City Alliance and in 2023, invited to join the World Trade Center Advisory Committee through the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade.

Rick Christiaanse

CEO
Invest Alberta Corporation

Rick Christiaanse is a seasoned senior executive in the corporate, public, and not-for-profit sectors, bringing decades of senior business leadership experience driving growth and negotiating major investments globally.

He’s worked with startups to billion-dollar enterprises, leading teams in foreign direct investment and the international tech ecosystem, serving as an experienced connector between business, governments, stakeholders, and not-for-profit organizations. Rick joined Invest Alberta in October 2021, building an engaging local and international team that has attracted nearly $20 billion in diverse, high-impact investments to Alberta to date.

Rick has served as Chief Operating Officer of Skidmore Group, General Manager of Glentel Inc., Vice President of Channel Marketing for Shift Networks, Senior Director- Sales and Marketing for TELUS/TELUS International and Executive Vice President of Sport BC.  At the board level, he served as Chairman of the Broadway Benevolent Association, Chair of the Translink Governance Committee, and Vice-Chairman of Vancity’s Nominations and Election Committee.

Scott Crockatt

Vice President, Communications and External Relations
Business Council of Alberta

As Vice President, Communications and External Relations at the Business Council of Alberta (BCA) Scott leads the Council’s public affairs to bring BCA’s policy solutions to the world, and to steward the many external relationships and strategic collaborations required to create real-world positive change. 

Scott has been part of BCA since its creation as one of the founding employees, and is dedicated to its purpose of making life better. To advance this mission, Scott works extensively with the chief executives of Alberta’s most significant companies, government officials, Indigenous partners, media, policy, and community organizations.

Before joining BCA Scott spent the previous 15 years leading in communications and advertising agencies, and for-purpose organizations.

Scott is an award-winning communicator whose work has received international recognition, and he has been named a Top 40 Under 40. He is a regular contributor in media, and writes on economic, business, and policy topics.

Highly active in the community, Scott is a member of the national disaster response team Canada Task Force Two, and the City of Calgary’s Business Advisory Committee. He is a volunteer with Bow Valley College and Immigrant Services Calgary. He is also a director and investor in several private Alberta companies.

Scott has obtained degrees in business and political science from the University of Calgary and holds a professional designation in communications.

An ambassador of optimism, Scott prides himself on seeing the possible in every challenge and helping others see it, too.

Marie-France Paquet

Chief Economist and Director General, Trade Analysis Bureau
Global Affairs Canada

Marie-France Paquet is Chief Economist and Director General, Trade Analysis Bureau, at Global Affairs Canada since September 2017. As Chief Economist, she leads a team of analysts in reporting and advising on international trade, investment and economic issues. Current economic research and analysis projects include the impact of trade agreements on labor and gender, the determinants of export for SMEs, the impact of the Trade Commissioner Services on Canadian exporters’ performance, or the impact of foreign direct investment on the economy.

Mme Paquet has previously worked in other government departments and in academia. In academia, she taught economics at the School of Management at the University of Ottawa. She worked in the Economic and Fiscal Policy Branch, and in the International Trade and Finance Branch, at Finance Canada. Mme Paquet was the Director of Operations, Economic and Regional Development Policy Secretariat at the Privy Council Office, providing policy advice to the Clerk of the Privy Council and the Prime Minister on a wide range of economic and regional development issues. She also worked at Transport Canada on the coordination of the policy response to the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. Mme Paquet received her PhD in Econometrics from Université Laval jointly with Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne.