Building Canada’s Economy, Place by Place
Simon Kennedy and John Knubley each served as Canada’s Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development – Kennedy from 2019 to 2024, and Knubley from 2012 to 2019. Together, they shaped more than a decade of Canada’s innovation and industrial strategy. They bring rare perspective on what it takes to build a national economy that serves the full range of Canadian communities and places – and where the greatest opportunities lie ahead.
Join Simon Kennedy, John Knubley, and Zita Cobb, Founder and CEO of the Shorefast Institute for Place-Based Economies, on Wednesday, September 23 at 2:30 pm (NL) / 1:00 pm (ET) / 10:00 am (PT) for a conversation about how industrial strategy reaches communities, what joined-up policy looks like across federal, provincial, and local levels, and what Canada’s economic future holds for the places where Canadians actually live and work.
Simon Kennedy
Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (2019-2024)
Simon Kennedy is a former senior federal public servant who spent decades at the highest levels of the Government of Canada. He held six deputy minister-level positions and played a central role in shaping national policy, legislation and regulation. As Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development from 2019 to 2024, Simon led Canada's pandemic industrial response, advanced the country's EV battery and critical minerals strategy, and directed major legislative reforms to the Investment Canada Act, Competition Act, and Telecommunications Act. As Deputy Minister of Health, he oversaw the Government’s decision to legalize and regulate cannabis, pharmaceutical pricing reform, and the federal response to the opioid crisis. Earlier in his career, Simon served as the Prime Minister's G20 Sherpa and lead negotiator on the Canada-U.S. Action Plan on Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness. He now serves as Senior Advisor at Teneo and Bennett Jones, and serves on the Boards of Finchley Pharmaceuticals, Quantum Valley Ideas Lab, and the Ottawa Community Foundation.
John Knubley
Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (2012-2019)
John Knubley is a corporate director, strategic advisor, and former senior federal public servant whose career spans over four decades in Canadian economic policy. As Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) from 2012 to 2019, he led and implemented Canada's Innovation and Skills Plan and steered the design, launch and implementation of the Global Innovation Clusters program. Prior to ISED, John served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Privy Council Office, and in senior roles at Natural Resources Canada, Transport Canada, the Economic Council of Canada, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. In 2022, John founded InnovAction Advisory Services. He also serves as a Senior Advisor to FGS Longview, is a Senior Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute, and a Director of the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, and Genome Atlantic.
Zita Cobb
Founder | Shorefast Institute for Place-Based Economies
Growing up on Fogo Island, Zita developed a deep belief in the inherent value of place and profound respect for the human ways of knowing that emerge from respectful relationships with nature, culture, and community. She held senior financial roles in the high-tech industry, notably with JDS Fitel, subsequently JDS Uniphase, where she contributed to building the company into one of the most successful high-tech innovators in history. Zita returned home to Fogo Island in the early 2000’s and, along with her brothers Anthony and Alan, founded Shorefast. In 2016, Zita was awarded the Order of Canada. She volunteers her time and energies to the active direction and management of Shorefast and our projects on Fogo Island.
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