After a decade at the helm of the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), Benjamin Bergen will be moving into a different tech advocacy role.
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After a decade at the helm of the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI), Benjamin Bergen will be moving into a different tech advocacy role.
Bergen has been the president and CEO of CCI, which currently represents 175 of Canada’s fastest-growing companies, since its launch in 2015. On Monday, he announced that he will be moving to the Canadian Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (CVCA), where he will step into the role of CEO starting Jan. 5.
In a LinkedIn post, Bergen said his priority at CVCA will be access to capital.
“One of the biggest challenges I’ve heard again and again from innovators is access to capital. The right kind of patient, domestic capital that backs Canadian-owned firms at scale. If we want prosperity and sovereignty, we have to recapitalize Canada: we need to align our capital, policies, and ownership structures so they serve all Canadians.
“As I move from the world of growth companies to the world of growth capital, the mission stays the same: strong Canadian firms create strong returns; strong returns create prosperity. And prosperity, rooted in Canadian ownership, is the foundation of sovereignty.”
CVCA — an advocacy and research group that champions Canadian investors in the tech space — said in a release Monday that Bergen’s experience pushing for innovation policy and regulatory reform at the provincial and federal levels will be an asset.
“Benjamin brings a clear grasp of the policy environment, a sharp understanding of investor priorities, and a national view of what it will take to strengthen Canada’s investment environment, reflecting the realities facing both venture and private equity investors,” said Jeannette Wiltse, chair of the CVCA board of directors, in the release. “His ability to work with governments and industry will help carry our momentum forward and strengthen the conditions our members depend on to succeed.”
In a separate press release, CCI said Bergen’s departure “marks the end of a decade,” adding that he was the first employee and has been instrumental in shaping the organization’s vision and growth.
Bergen will remain on the board of CCI.
“CCI has grown from a small group of passionate entrepreneurs into a network of more than 175 Canadian technology companies,” Bergen wrote in CCI’s December newsletter on Monday. “With the leadership team we’ve built, CCI will continue to drive the agenda on talent, capital, competition, and digital sovereignty for the next decade and beyond.”
Chair Jim Balsillie, the former BlackBerry co-CEO who co-founded CCI, said Bergen will be missed.
“Over the past 10 years CCI has become the leading national voice in forward-looking policy for the 21st century economy. Benjamin’s dedication, strategic vision, and tireless advocacy have been fundamental to everything CCI has achieved,” said Balsillie in the release. “While we'll miss his day-to-day leadership, we're fortunate that he'll continue contributing to our mission as a board member."
CCI said details about the leadership transition will be released in the coming weeks.
