Who we are
The Economic Club of Canada (ECC) is this country’s highest profile and most respected platform for non-partisan dialogue, insight, exchange, and opinion amongst Canada’s and the world’s most notable influencers and thought leaders.
Providing access to pre-eminent world leaders and renowned visionaries, with the advantage of posing direct, topical questions, Economic Club of Canada events also serve as powerful networking opportunities—our audiences draw from the most senior and influential levels of business, industry, and government.
The Economic Club of Canada team is nimble and flexible, allowing us to stage finely tuned events that address breaking news and emerging business issues at a moment’s notice. Powerful, respected, influential, and leading—these attributes form the bedrock of The Economic Club of Canada, its speakers and its audiences.
Notable Speakers
Justin Trudeau
Former Prime Minister of Canada
Wab Kinew
Premier of Manitoba
Vassy Kapelos
Chief Political Correspondent, CTV News
Bill Blair
Minister of National Defence
Michelle Obama
Former First Lady of the United States
Danielle Smith
Premier of Alberta
John Manley
Former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada
Mélanie Joly
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Barack Obama
Former President of the United States
Stephen Poloz
Former Governor of the Bank of Canada
André Picard
Health Reporter and Columnist, The Globe and Mail
Peter Routledge
Superintendent of Financial Institutions, Government of Canada
Kyriakos Mitsotakis
Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic
Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Public Services and Procurement
Nik Nanos
Chief Data Scientist & Founder, Nanos Research
Photo Gallery
Meet the Team
Executive Vice President
Stephanie Gadbois
Stephanie Gadbois brings over 20 years of experience in event management, trade shows, and corporate governance. Over the course of her career, she has led the planning and execution of some of Canada’s most prominent B2B trade shows and events, working across both the association and corporate sectors. She holds the Certified in Exposition Management (CEM) designation and is an active member of the Canadian Association of Exposition Management. In her current role, Stephanie sets the strategic direction for the Economic Club of Canada, Big Picture Conferences, and STAY Magazine. She oversees all aspects of each organization’s development and operations, leads content and speaker programming for existing events, and continuously identifies and pursues new opportunities for growth and acquisition.
President & CEO
Bill Stone
Bill Stone is the Owner, President, and CEO of the Economic Club of Canada, the country’s premier platform for national dialogue. He also co-founded Big Picture Conferences, which produces major hospitality industry events, offers full-service conference, event and association planning and execution, and publishes STAY Magazine, a leading digital voice for Canada’s hotel sector. Bill began his hotel advisory career at Laventhol & Horwath, later spending over 30 years in national hotel brokerage with Colliers International and CBRE. In 2020, he co-founded Beechwood Real Estate Advisors, a boutique hotel brokerage firm, and Knightstone Hotel Group, which acquired five properties under his leadership. He has served on the boards of The York School, where he chaired the Premises Committee, and the Hotel Association of Canada.
