Samy Watson is an experienced chief executive, with proven management, leadership and decision-making success in large operational, and multilateral organizations, including the World Bank Group and Affiliates, where he most recently chaired the Governance Committee. Spanning a career of more than 30 years, Samy has held broad-ranging, senior-level leadership positions in a number of high-profile organizations departments within the Government of Canada, including:

Executive Director, World Bank;

Chair of the Governance Committee, World Bank;

Deputy Minister, Environment, Government of Canada;

• Deputy Minister, Agriculture, Government of Canada;
• Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Government of Canada; and,
• General Director, Tax Policy, Finance, Government of Canada.

Focused on strategic policy-making, legislation formulation and organizational transformation, Samy has molded some of the most significant policy areas in addressing Canadian and global issues.

Samy is recognized for his decisive action, his unique negotiation and consensus building abilities, as well as his skills in problem solving and conflict resolution. He is a dynamic facilitator and communicator, with specific expertise in positioning large and complex organizations to meet the challenges of 21st century global environment.

Samy holds a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, a Masters of Public Administration from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada and a Masters of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Prior to joining The Capital Hill Group in 1985, David was highly involved with key players in both the Ontario and Canadian governments. David has maintained these networks over the years, giving him a solid reputation for access to decision-makers in the civil service and in the political offices of ministers.

David has extensive expertise in procurement, defence, health and transport policy, and has consistently delivered results to clients in these areas. He has worked with many hospitals and various health organizations in Ontario. David has also been integral in connecting Information Technology (IT) clients to opportunities to participate in shaping government service delivery on an electronic basis.

David has been nominated to the North American Directory of “Who’s Who” for business and executives for several years running.

• Over 30 years experience in policy and communications roles within the federal and Ontario governments
• Executive Assistant and Senior Policy Advisor to the Minister of Government Services, Province of Ontario.
• Eastern Ontario advisor to the Premier of Ontario.
• Caucus Liaison to the Prime Minister of Canada.

Outside the office, David spends much of his time raising his large family of six children. In the community, David has been involved with the Ottawa Hospital Foundation and has been a member of the Board of Ontario Place since 2002.

Professor Philip Oxhorn is the Founding Director of McGill University’s Institute for the Study of International Development and Editor-in-Chief of the international journal Latin American Research Review. A former Associate Dean (Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies) at McGill University (Montreal, Canada), his research focuses on the comparative study of civil society and its role in supporting democratic regimes, particularly in Latin America.

Professor Oxhorn’s publications include Organizing Civil Society: The Popular Sectors and the Struggle for Democracy in Chile (Penn State University Press, 1995), as well as numerous articles and four co-edited volumes:

• What Kind of Democracy? What Kind of Market? Latin America in the Age of Neoliberalism (with Graciela Ducatenzeiler, Penn State University Press, 1998);
• The Market and Democracy In Latin America: Convergence or Divergence? (with Pamela Starr, Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1999);
• Decentralization, Civil Society, and Democratic Governance: Comparative Perspectives from Latin America, Africa, and Asia (with Joseph Tulchin and Andrew Selee Woodrow Wilson Center Press/the Johns Hopkins University Press, 2004); and,
• Beyond Neoliberalism? Patterns, Responses, and New Directions in Latin America and the Caribbean (with Kenneth Roberts and John Burdick, Palgrave Macmillan, 2009).

He is currently completing a book-length manuscript titled Sustaining Civil Society: Economic Change, Democracy and the Social Construction of Citizenship in Latin America (Penn State University Press, forthcoming).

Professor Oxhorn has lectured extensively in North and South America, Western Europe, Asia and Australia. He has also worked as a consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank, the United Nations Development Program, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada, the Ford Foundation, The Carter Center, the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars, and the Canadian Foundation for the Americas.

He has a PhD in Political Science from Harvard University.

Professor Grimard is an Associate Professor of the Department of Economics at McGill University and Acting Director, 2009-2010, of the Institute for the Study of International Development. His specialties are Development, Health and Environment Economics. His research covers developing countries where he is interested in the application of statistical analysis and data collection to applied policy issues such as aid effectiveness, health programs, sustainable development and cost-benefit analysis.

Professor Grimard has worked on the role of NGOs:

• in improving health standards of poor individuals in Pakistan
• in analyzing new tuberculosis control programs and their consequences in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Mexico
• on health and education among women in Peru
• on the effects of socio-economic conditions on health among elderly in Mexico
• on microcredit and health of women in Bangladesh
• on sustainable agricultural practices and avoiding deforestation in Panama

and,

• has done cost-benefit analyses of fiscal reforms of the government of Pakistan.

His research in developed countries examines physician remuneration methods, smoking and low-income households in Canada as well as exploring the causal links between health and education looking at the smoking behavior of Canadian and American individuals. Dr. Grimard was recently a Research Fellow with the Canadian International Development Agency to help them elaborate and enact their plans on their Africa’s Health Systems initiative projects and analyze the effectiveness in health projects in developing countries.

Tracy Clark is a business communication consultant with wide-ranging experience in both the private and public sectors. Tracy has held senior communication and management positions with a number of leading Canadian and international financial institutions over a career spanning more than 20 years.

Tracy has worked for CIBC, TD Financial Group, the Westdeutsche Landesbank and the Government of Canada, assuming diverse and progressive roles in strategic employee communications, knowledge management, customer marketing and product management.

Her areas of expertise include communication strategy, planning and execution, online knowledge management strategy and implementation, and writing and editing for all forms of media. With her diverse experience and background, Tracy applies a thoughtful, direct and results-oriented approach to help clients solve their communication challenges and convey complex information simply and persuasively.

Tracy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and German from the University of Western Ontario and Masters level courses in Information Management from the University of Toronto.