The Honourable Sean Fraser
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
The Honourable Sean Fraser was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Central Nova in 2015.
Minister Fraser previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance and to the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance from 2019 to 2021, and as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change from 2018 to 2019. In 2021, he also served concurrently as Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister.
Before entering politics, Minister Fraser had a successful legal career with one of Canada’s top-ranked law firms, where he practised commercial litigation and international dispute resolution.
He is a long-time volunteer, having served as the Vice-President of a local branch of the United Nations Association in Canada, acted as a Research Fellow with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, and provided pro bono legal services to the local BGC Club and vulnerable community members.
Minister Fraser holds a law degree from Dalhousie University, a Master’s degree in Public International Law from Leiden University in the Netherlands, and a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University.
Minister Fraser grew up in Pictou County, and has family throughout the Town and County of Antigonish. He enjoys spending time in Central Nova with his wife, Sarah, and their children, Molly and Jack.
Goldy Hyder
President & CEO, Business Council of Canada
Goldy Hyder is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada. Founded in 1976, the Council is a non-profit, non-partisan organization representing the chief executives and heads of 150 leading Canadian businesses, employing 1.7 million Canadians and composed of every major industry across the country.
From July 2014 to October 2018, Mr. Hyder was President and Chief Executive Officer of Hill+Knowlton Strategies (Canada), providing strategic communications counsel to the firm’s extensive and diverse client base. Prior to joining Hill+Knowlton in 2001, he served as Director of Policy and Chief of Staff to The Right Honourable Joe Clark, former prime minister and former leader of the federal Progressive Conservative Party.
In addition to his achievements in business and public policy, Mr. Hyder has a long track record of service on behalf of several charities and non-profit organizations. He is chair of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council, a board member of the Business + Higher Education Roundtable, an executive committee member of the Century Initiative and co-chair of Canada’s World Trade Organization Business Advisory Council. In addition, he sits on the advisory boards of two leading organizations promoting advancement of women leaders: Catalyst Canada and the 30% Club (Canada). He is a past co-chair of the United Way of Ottawa’s Campaign Cabinet, former chair of the Ottawa Senators Foundation, and a former member of the Board of Governors at Carleton University.
Mr. Hyder is a regular commentator in the Canadian media on business, politics and leadership. He is the host of the “Speaking of Business” podcast, which features interviews with Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders. In 2013, he received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in recognition of his contributions to Canada. He holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the University of Calgary.
Jeanne Lam
President, Wattpad
Jeanne Lam is all about scaling and accelerating high-growth consumer tech businesses. With more than 17 years experience across different functions, Jeanne leads tech companies through strategic growth and transition.
As Chief Business Officer at Wattpad, the world’s largest storytelling platform with 90M+ readers and writers, she is responsible for the global team and strategy that drives user and revenue growth.
Prior to Wattpad, Jeanne led growth at Shapeways, the world’s largest 3D printing service. She has also worked at Yahoo! as Director of Platform Strategy, and as Head of Marketing & Business Intelligence at mobile payments startup GoPago. Before her startup career, she spent three years as a management consultant at Accenture.
Jeanne holds an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and a B.S. in economics from Cornell University. She is a board advisor for Women and Color, founding member of the Coalition of Innovation Leaders Against Racism (CILAR), the president of the board of the Cornell Club of Toronto and a member of the board of the HBS Club of Toronto. She is a mom of two and a New Yorker now based in Toronto.
Sponsored By
