Presenters:

Mairead Lavery, President and Chief Executive Officer Export Development Canada

Since joining Export Development Canada in 2014, Mairead Lavery has put values and ethics at the center of her leadership approach. Appointed President and CEO on February 5, 2019, Mairead set out three pillars for her leadership: Champion for Trade; Environmental, Social and Governance Responsibility; and Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. These values are the centerpiece of her – and EDC’s – business agenda.
Under her direction, Canada’s export credit agency has pursued ambitious objectives, achieving strong growth, and helping more Canadian companies do business in 200 markets around the world, while generating over $100 billion in trade and investment annually.

In 2020, EDC became a major contributor to the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 economic response, helping deliver billions of dollars in liquidity to companies across Canada. EDC also stands as the single largest financier of Canadian cleantech, a proud supporter of women-owned and women-led businesses, and regularly ranks among Canada’s Top 100 Employers.

Mairead is the Board Chair for the EDC subsidiary, FinDev Canada, Canada’s international development finance institution, and a Board member of Ontario Global 100, creating opportunities for business leaders of Ontario mid-sized companies to accelerate growth. She also sits on the advisory boards of Toronto Global Forum and Project Arrow, which is creating Canada’s original full-build, zero-emissions concept vehicle. Prior to joining EDC, Mairead held executive roles at Bombardier, where she managed a range of large complex portfolios over a sixteen-year career.

She is a native of Northern Ireland, has a degree in Management and Accounting from Queen’s University Belfast, and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. She is also the first woman to occupy EDC’s chief executive role in its 75-plus year history.

In 2015, Mairead experienced another very proud milestone: becoming a Canadian citizen.

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Brad Parry, President and Chief Executive Officer, Calgary Economic Development

Brad Parry was appointed President and CEO of Calgary Economic Development (CED) in 2022, following two years as Vice-President of Marketing and Communications.

With over two decades of leadership roles across industries that span public, private, startup and not-for-profit organizations, Brad has a strong track record of driving high performing teams by leading with integrity and compassion, and creating a culture of accountability, teamwork and collaboration.

Previous to his leadership roles at CED, Brad held executive positions for companies, including CEO and Founder of Atlarge Consulting, a consultancy focused on marketing, communications, operations, strategy, commercialization, and revenue generation

for technology, media and venture capital companies; Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Intertainment Media; and Vice President of Marketing at E! Television Network.

With a strong foundation in marketing, communications, labour, investor, stakeholder and government relations, Brad has built a reputation for being a strategic and analytical leader known for building inclusive organizational cultures that are data-centric and focused on growing revenue, spearheading digital and technology transformation and driving innovation.

A passionate, strategic and analytical thinker with a penchant for getting things done, Brad has led and acted as a key advisor to small, medium and large-scale operations.

In addition to leading the team at CED and serving on the Board of Directors, Brad is also the CEO of the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund and Board member of the Calgary Film Centre Ltd.. He is also a former Board member and advisor to Data for Good, a national volunteer organization that focuses on supporting their communities through the use of data.  

In January 2023, Brad was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee medal in recognition of his track record of leadership and contributions to the province.

LinkedIn: @bradparry

Twitter: @bradparry