The Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) and the Centre for Agri-Food Benchmarking have confirmed three new speakers this week for the Canadian Agri-Food in a Sustainable World conference to be held October 2 and 3, 2024 at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.  

These include Scott Ross, Executive Director of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, Ben Gibbons, Founder & Managing Partner of Waterpoint Lane, and Michelle Leslie, Senior Manager at Deloitte.  

Prior to assuming the role of Executive Director in 2022, Scott Ross served in various roles at the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, first as the Director of BRM and Farm Policy for six years and most recently as Assistant Executive Director. Mr. Ross has extensive experience in ag policy and economic development, having previously worked with the Economic Developers Council of Ontario and the University of Waterloo helping to shed light on agriculture as an economic development priority. Mr. Ross will be featured on Panel #4: Effective Public Policy and Sustainable Agriculture on day 1 (Oct. 2) of the conference. This panel will focus on the effectiveness of public policy to improve sustainability outcomes and will consider the role that governments should play in improving sustainability in Canadian agriculture.  

Ben Gibbons is the Founder and Managing Partner of Waterpoint Lane and has over 18 years of experience as an investor with extensive capital raising and transaction expertise for growth stage companies. He has developed a background in sustainability working directly with ag tech and food tech companies, advising clients on strategic planning, financing strategy and impact. Mr. Gibbons will participate in the ag-policy exchange which will see participants consider the question Should we make Sustainability Canada’s #1 Competitive Advantage? Participants of this lively debate will deliberate on this complex question which will allow unique perspectives to be generated.  

Michelle Leslie will be featured as a panelist on day 2 (Oct. 3) as part of the agri-food panel titled What ESG means for Canada’s Agri-Food Sector. Ms. Leslie, a senior manager at Deloitte, is an atmospheric physicist (climate scientist) and journalist. She has 15+ years of experience supporting industries, clients, and communities on climate-related initiatives, has a deep understanding of the various risks of climate change, and is a policy leader and strategist. As part of the agri-food panel, Ms. Leslie and others will discuss how evolving ESG standards will impact competitiveness and transparency in the agri-food sector.  

In addition to these speakers, CAPI and the Centre welcome MNP as an event sponsor.  

Canadian Agri-Food in a Sustainable World will consist of two days of sessions to address the definition of sustainability in the context of agri-food, how the sector should balance economic productivity with environmental sustainability, and how agri-food policy should be revamped to address sustainability. Day 1 will consider tensions, challenges, and opportunities for sustainability in the context of the agri-food sector whereas Day 2 (Oct. 3) will be hosted by the Centre for Agri-food Benchmarking and will focus on the rapidly changing ESG (environmental, social, and governance) requirements.  

To see the full list of speakers, session descriptions, and schedule visit the event website. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more information on conference speakers and sponsors. Register today.