2024 Economic Outlook

Keynote speaker Stephen Poloz, Special Advisor at Osler and former Governor of the Bank of Canada, will draw from his book, The Next Age of Uncertainty to share how slow-moving tectonic forces are distorting the economy today, challenging economic forecasters and financial markets, and reframing our future.

BIO:
Stephen is a widely recognized economist with nearly 40 years of experience in financial markets, forecasting, and economic policy, including 35 years in the public sector. Prior to joining Osler, Stephen was the 9th Governor of the Bank of Canada, Canada’s central bank. Stephen was Governor of the Bank for seven years after having previously spent 14 years there during 1981-95 occupying a range of increasingly senior positions.

Stephen is also the author of the book titled The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future that maps out the powerful economic forces that are shaping our future and the ideas that will allow us to master them. Prior to joining the Bank of Canada, Stephen spent 14 years at Export Development Canada, as Chief Economist (1999-2008), Head of Lending (2008-2011) and finally as President and CEO (2011-2013).

He also spent four years at BCA Research, where he was Managing Editor of the International Bank Credit Analyst, one of their flagship publications. Stephen is an Honorary Certified International Trade Professional and a graduate of Columbia University’s Senior Executive Program. He has been a visiting scholar at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., and at the Economic Planning Agency in Tokyo, Japan. He is a frequent speaker and writer and has taught economics at the University of Western Ontario, Concordia University and Queen’s School of Business.

At Osler, Stephen provides clients with his significant expertise and strategic guidance regarding the financial system, trade, and economic policy both domestically and on a global scale.

At 2024 Economic Outlook, powered by ATB, VP and Chief Economist Mark Parsons will deliver a keynote address reflecting on economic highlights of 2023, a forecast of what is expected for the remainder of the year and the key impacts to the Alberta economy and its businesses.

BIO:
Mark is Vice President and Chief Economist at ATB. Over his 20-year career, Mark has served in key senior economic roles, including as Chief Economist and Assistant Deputy Minister of Economics and Fiscal Policy at Alberta Treasury Board and Finance. He has provided leadership in a range of areas, including economic analysis and forecasting, fiscal analysis and data analytics. Mark previously worked as a senior economist at PwC and as an economist at the Department of Finance Canada. Mark holds a Masters degree in economics from the University of Alberta.

Jyoti Gondek was sworn in as Calgary's 37th mayor and the first woman to be elected to this role on October 25, 2021. Prior to being elected as mayor, she served as city councillor for Ward 3 from 2017 to 2021. She holds a Ph.D. in urban sociology, and an M.A. in organizational sociology.

Throughout her career, Mayor Gondek has taken a big picture approach to pressing challenges. Often, she has found processes and policies exist simply because they have never been questioned. She has come to understand that by probing and chipping away at issues, we move forward with improvements that have meaning in our everyday lives.

Mayor Gondek’s professional background includes leading the Westman Centre for Real Estate Studies at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business where she examined the challenges facing Calgary’s commercial sector as property values in the core plummeted. She knew then that this issue would be a big one for Calgary. She also ran a successful consulting practice for 12 years helping clients in the energy and city-building sectors evolve their business models to fit a changing regulatory and economic environment.

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. 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.

Joe Lougheed is a Partner in the Calgary office of the international law firm Dentons, where he has practiced since 1991. His focus is corporate law, private equity and corporate governance.

Joe is an active community volunteer and is dedicated to serving his City. Among his numerous volunteer roles, he is a past Chair & Director of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), a past Chair & Director of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and a former Director of United Way of Calgary & Area.

In addition to his role as CED Board Chair, Joe also serves as the Hon. Consul for Sweden in Calgary & Southern Alberta.

Janet Annesley is the Chief Sustainability Officer at Kiwetinohk Energy Corp., (TSX: KEC) an energy transition company focused on the development of low- and no-carbon energy. 

A former senior executive at one of Canada’s largest energy companies, and a former chief of staff to Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Janet has led ESG, investor relations, policy and communications on some of the most complex energy business matters in the last decade.

Janet holds an MBA from Queen’s University. She was named to The Hill Times Top 100 in Power and Influence List in 2017 and is a Public Policy Forum Fellow. An award-winning, accredited business communicator, she sits on the advisory board for Clean Prosperity and on the boards of the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the Nature Conservancy of Canada – Alberta Chapter, and the City of Calgary Green Line LRT Project. 

Matthew Foss is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta with over 20 years of research and public policy experience. He currently serves as the Vice President of Research & Public Policy for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business, is an Executive Fellow at the University of Calgary School of Public Policy bio and is a member of the board of directors for the newly formed Alberta Metis Investment Corporation. Matthew’s focus at the CCAB is on advancing Indigenous business through procurement, international trade, celebrating Indigenous entrepreneurs and natural resource development. Prior to joining CCAB, he ran his own energy economics and public policy consulting business for several years and served as the Chief Energy Economist for the Alberta Government.

Neeraj is a serial entrepreneur, angel investor and board member to several startups and Non Profit organizations. He is Cofounder at Lawcubator, FormulateIP, Type5VC and Kfx Labs. Neeraj has invested in more than 37 global startups. He is the board advisor at Alberta IoT, Collins Capital, Sweden India Business Council, and Board Director at Canadian Blockchain Consortium, Calgary Chambers and Immigrant Services Calgary. Neeraj is an expert on AI/ML/IOT, Product Management, Innovation Management, Strategy, International Business Expansion, Patent Consulting, Legal-Tech and ESG. He has written a book called “ Creating and Safeguarding a strong Intellectual Property Portfolio”.

Curtis Stange was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of ATB on June 30, 2018. With courage, disciplined thought and precise action, he leads a team of more than 5,000 team members who are dedicated to ATB’s purpose—to make it possible for nearly 800,000 clients and business owners.

With more than 35 years of experience in financial services in Canada, Curtis has led teams across diverse geographic markets and through various economic cycles—always with an inquisitive nature and a desire to get to know the people and places around him. Under his tenure, ATB has grown to become the eighth largest financial institution in the country by assets, providing expert advice and capital to businesses to grow and prosper, with strong expertise and market share in energy, agriculture and real estate. Curtis has helped to shape ATB’s client-focused culture—to become a financial partner that’s proactive, collaborative and excited to share expertise and explore new ways to bring possibilities to life. Through this dedication, ATB is consistently named as one of the best workplaces in Canada and one of the top financial institutions in the country when it comes to differentiating on client experience through our people.

Before becoming CEO, Curtis held a number of senior leadership roles at ATB, as well as at one of Canada’s big five banks. He successfully led large-scale retail, wealth management and commercial banking throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario; headed up a complex and massive conversion of a core banking system; created a new line of business focused on entrepreneurs and served as a Chief Client Officer. If there's one thing that his career has taught him, it's that people are at the heart of everything. Curtis is highly respected for his banking expertise, but more importantly, he is known as a great listener, communicator and committed advocate for team members and clients.

Curtis is a Stanford alumnus and member of the Alberta Business Council and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce Western Executive Council. He also chairs ATB Capital Markets and ATB Investor Services boards, serves on advisory boards for the Edmonton International Airport, Visa Canada and Advancing Women Executives in Western Canada and co-chairs the STARS Air Ambulance board. As a strong advocate for mental health, Curtis is a driving force behind reducing stigma, building peer support and creating psychologically safe and healthy workplaces. He believes deeply in raising the collective well-being of society, both to strengthen our social fabric as well as improve our economic future.

Born on the Tsuu Tina Nation to Marjory ManyWounds, Linda is now registered on the Siksika Nation. She has two children and five grandchildren who mostly live close by or within a few hours in BC. She has four degrees, a BA in Sociology, and MA in Criminology a Doctorate of Juris Law and a PhD in Indigenous Philosophy. Having taught ten years in university she has come home to Calgary to pursue new interests and engage in meaningful community initiatives that will assist in building bridges between Indigenous people and their cultures with the wider populations. To this end she is very honored to be accepted onto the Board of Fort Calgary and sees this as an exciting opportunity.

Economic Outlook will be hosted by Tara Weber, Western Bureau Chief, BNN Bloomberg.

BIO:
Tara Weber joined the BNN Bloomberg team in August of 2015. As our Calgary-based western bureau chief, she covers the energy industry and any issues of interest from Western Canada.

After reporting and anchoring in newsrooms across the country for more than a decade, Tara is glad to be closer to home. She recently completed an MBA in Global Energy Management and Sustainable Development at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business. She also holds degrees in journalism from Ryerson University and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Anthropology from the University of British Columbia.

Tara sits on the boards of the Kerby Centre and Accessible Housing and two not-for-profit organizations that assist vulnerable populations in Calgary. She’s a recipient of Calgary’s Top 40 under 40 class of 2018 and the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference of 2020.​