Michelle Cooper joined Agriculture and Agri-food Canada in February 2022 as Director General of the Market Access Secretariat. Prior to this she served at Global Affairs Canada for over 20 years including as Counsellor and Head of Section for agriculture, fisheries and environment at the mission of Canada to the European Union from 2013 to 2018 and Director of the Services Trade Policy Division 2010 to 2013, where she was a lead negotiator for Canada. She has also served in Canada’s Embassy to Chile and Canada’s permanent mission to the UN and the WTO in Geneva and covered APEC, strategic economic policy, market access and tariffs and multilateral trade policy. Prior to joining AAFC, Ms. Cooper was Executive Director in the International Business Development Branch at GAC, covering sectors including life sciences, natural resources and agriculture and agri-food.

With a career spanning over twenty years in the agri-food industry, Yanick Gervais has always been involved in meat production and processing. Grandson of Fernand Colbert, founder of La Fernandière, Trois-Rivières’ leading producer of fresh sausages, he spent every summer from an early age in the family business, learning the trade.

Co-owner and general manager of La Fernandière for over 10 years, having held every position in the plant, he played an active role in the company’s expansion, optimizing management and production processes. Mr. Gervais joined Olymel as Vice President and General Manager of this new division when it was acquired in 2016.

In 2018, he was appointed Senior Vice President, Operations also overseeing the Engineering and Logistics departments. In this capacity, he was responsible for overseeing the efficient running of operations in more than 30 plants located primarily in Quebec, but also in four other Canadian provinces.

Mr. Gervais was promoted to President and CEO of Olymel on November 11, 2021.

Trained as an Accountant and Tax Specialist, Mr. Gervais began his career with a firm of Chartered Accountants. Throughout his career, he has been very active on various committees related to the affairs of the Chartered Accountancy profession, notably on training and recognition of the next generation of Chartered Accountants. He holds a graduate diploma and a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, as well as a Master’s degree in Taxation (M. Fisc.) from the Université de Sherbrooke.

A transparent, rallying leader who listens to his teams, Mr. Gervais makes it a point of honour to always put people at the heart of his business decisions. Drawing on his expertise in the industry, he advocates a participative management style in which he encourages his teams to constantly surpass themselves, by coaching them to help them grow.

Last but not least, Mr. Gervais is deeply committed to his community, and is also involved with a number of philanthropic organizations, notably in the fight against food insecurity and health. In 2023, he agreed to be named Honorary President of the Leucan Experience and to sit on the organization’s Board of Directors.

The Honourable Scott Brison joined BMO as Vice-Chair, Investment & Corporate Banking in 2019. As an elected Member of Parliament, Mr. Brison served the constituency of Kings-Hants (Nova Scotia) who elected him to Canada’s House of Commons seven consecutive times over 21 years. During that time, he served in government for seven years holding key roles, most recently as President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government from 2015 to 2019, Minister of Public Works and Government Services from 2004 to 2006, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister with special emphasis on Canada-U.S. relations from 2003 to 2004.

In June 2020, Mr. Brison became Dalhousie University’s eighth chancellor.

Mr. Brison is a member of the Trilateral Commission and was named by the World Economic Forum of Davos, Switzerland, as one of its “Young Global Leaders.” In August 2010, he was awarded the Order of San Carlos by Colombian President Álvaro Uribe in recognition of his contributions to the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement.

Mr. Brison serves on the board of Universal Rail Systems, the Canada-China Business Council (CCBC), the Macdonald Stewart Foundation, Canadian Jewish Political Affairs Committee (CJPAC), the advisory board of the Canadian American Business Council (CABC), Power Sustainable, High Liner Foods Inc. and previously served as Chairman of SeaFort Capital Inc.

Mr. Brison earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Dalhousie University. He has completed the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century Executive Education Program at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government.

Dr. Rui FENG is a successful entrepreneur, explorer, and mine builder with over 25 years of global mining industry experience. He was integral in discovering Jinshan Gold’s CSH Gold Mine in China in 2002, which was acquired by China Gold International. Dr. Feng founded Silvercorp in 2003 by acquiring early-stage properties in China. Through discovery and development, Silvercorp has become one of the most profitable Canadian mining companies, with multiple mines in China. As founder of New Pacific Metals, Dr. Feng led the company to Bolivia in 2017 and acquired the Silver Sand project which has led to a significant discovery and Carangas project which has discovered a near-surface silver horizon stacked on top of an extended gold zone. Dr. Feng is also the founder of Tincorp Metals Inc.

Dr. Feng obtained his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Geology in China, his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences from the University of Saskatchewan in Canada in 1992, and received a Post-Doctorial fellowship from the National Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada in 1992. Dr. Feng supports many community and social causes through contributions made personally and through the actions of the companies he leads.

Grand Chief Edward John is a Hereditary Chief of Tl’azt’en Nation located on the banks of the Nak’al Bun (Stuart Lake) in Northern B.C. He is an Indigenous leader who has dedicated his life to the pursuit of social and economic justice for Canada’s Indigenous people, having worked as a leader in Indigenous politics, business and community development. Grand Chief John has been a lawyer for over 30 years. He holds a B.A. from the University of Victoria (UVIC), an LL.B from the University of British Columbia and Honorary Degrees from UVIC and the University of Northern BC.

Grand Chief John has served in many leadership roles at the local, provincial, national and international levels. He is a long serving elected member of the First Nations Summit political executive, which is mandated to carry out specific tasks related to Aboriginal Title and Rights negotiations with the governments of BC and Canada and other issues of common concern to First Nations in BC. He participated in the development of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in September 2007. He served a three-year term as the North American Representative to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (January 2011 – December 2013) with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.

He has 10 years of progressive international career experience in the public, private and non-profit sectors and in multiple sectors including government, manufacturing, education and life sciences. He also was the Director of Marketing and Business Development for a manufacturer of medical devices, overseeing all marketing, sales, and communications activities, driving international strategy for emerging markets with a specific focus on Greater China.

Noah holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences in International Development and Globalization (Honours) with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, partially completed at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and has a certificate in Mandarin Chinese from Nanjing Normal University. Additionally, he has completed the Ivey Business School Certificate in Sales Management.

Jacob Cooke is the Co-Founder and CEO of WPIC Marketing + Technologies, a leading growth partner for global brands in China and APAC.

 As CEO, Mr. Cooke is the driving force behind WPIC’s world-class data tools, e-commerce services, and artificial intelligence technology. 

 Under his leadership, WPIC has built out an expansive solution set covering e-commerce activations and store management, data analytics, brand strategy, livestreaming, merchandising, warehousing, 3PL integrations, and more. 

 Mr. Cooke has lived in Beijing since 2003 and is a regular contributor to international media on e-commerce, retail, and technology trends in China

Stuart Mercier is a Managing Partner, Asia Pacific, responsible for expanding Brookfield’s Real Estate activities and partnerships across Asia Pacific and the Middle East and is the Country Head for Singapore. He has held several roles across the organization including as the inaugural Head of Asia where he lead the establishment of Brookfield’s Chinese, Korean and Japanese real estate businesses.

Prior to joining Brookfield in 2012, Mr. Mercier held various investment roles within a boutique Asia real estate investment and advisory firm. He also held several positions at Oxford Properties, the global real estate platform of the OMERS pension fund.

Mr. Mercier holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Hong Kong and London Business School, where he was the recipient of the Haitong Securities “New Generation of Leaders” scholarship, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bishop’s University. Mr. Mercier serves on the board of the Canada China Business Council and is a Global Governing Trustee and APAC Executive Committee member of the Urban Land Institute.