Searle says forward-thinking companies must shape Canada's sovereign strategy.
Patrick Searle takes over as CEO of the Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) ahead of what looks set to be a “turbulent” year for Canadian tech.
Searle, vice president of corporate affairs at CCI, has been with the technology scale advocacy group since 2017. He will take the top position when CEO Benjamin Bergen is leaving the company will lead the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA) in January, the organization announced today. Vice President of Strategy and Advocacy Dana O'Born will become Chief Strategy Officer.
Searle says aggressive U.S. protectionism should spur a response from the Canadian government, which is “informed by the companies on the front lines.”
CCI was founded in 2015 and is co-chaired by former Research in Motion co-CEO Jim Balsillie and Maverix Private Equity founder and managing partner John Ruffolo. The group helped launch a policy think tank last year. Canadian SHIELD and commercial lobbying group Signa Strategieswhich also represents technology companies and is run by O'Born.
In an interview with BetaKit on Sunday, Balsillie praised Searle and his work in building CCI's communications infrastructure. “He's the best person for the job, and he and Dana are a true buddy,” Balsillie said.
“I still work with many of the best people I met decades ago,” Balsillie continued, as did Searle and Ruffolo. “My world is the Hotel California. You can check out any time, but you can never leave.”
Balsillie said Bergen's move to CVCA is a “key step forward” for broader efforts to promote the tech ecosystem.
“CCI will continue to grow, but it also creates opportunity,” Balsillie said. “Specifically, I discussed this with Ben and saw an opportunity…to expand one of CCI’s key pillars—access to capital.”
The leadership change at CCI comes after a year in which Canadian economic sovereignty dominated headlines. Since Bergen announced his career move, the United States has published National Security Strategywhich, as Balsillie argued, has made CCI's priorities even clearer.
The strategy lays out a plan to “restore American primacy in the Western Hemisphere” and makes support for its technology companies a cornerstone. According to Balsillie, the document requires a “colossal reorientation” of Canada's priorities.
Searle agreed that aggressive U.S. protectionism should spur a Canadian government response that is “informed by companies on the front lines.”
“We want the government to respond with a strategy based on realism about the world we operate in,” Searle told BetaKit on Monday. “We need to know what the government believes is in Canada's national interest.”
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Amid ongoing economic threats from the US, Searle is focused on preparing CCI's 175 member companies for a “turbulent” 2026. huge federal government spending on defenseor getting ready for renegotiations Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).
“How do we get our members and the ecosystem to join hands to talk to the government and say, 'This is what a real sovereign economic strategy for Canada looks like'?” asked Searle.
Prior to CCI, Searle served as press secretary and director of communications for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Education. He said he would head the corporate side of the organization, while O'Bourne would handle outreach activities carried out by CCI members. “I see it as a perfect harmony of both of our goals,” he said.
Outgoing CEO Bergen told BetaKit by phone Monday that Searle led CCI's Innovation Management Program, which has helped train nearly 1,200 people to become effective board members, and organized the annual CEO Summit. Searle “has a deep understanding of what CEOs and growing companies need to succeed,” Bergen said.
CCI has been advocating for the unique needs of Canadian-headquartered companies for years, even when it has turned the organization into “garden party trash,” Searle said. A new national emphasis on sovereignty may have changed that: just this month CCI long-standing concerns that the federal government funds foreign multinational corporations were leaders supported in Canadian technology.
Balsillie said CCI is still filling a gap in advocacy for Canadian technology companies headquartered domestically. Other industry groups that include Canadian subsidiaries of foreign firms must “balance the interests of their members between their foreign affiliates and domestic companies,” Balsillie said, citing examples such as Technation and the Business Council of Canada.
In addition to protecting access to capital and clients for its members, Searle said the advocacy group plans to broaden its appeal and pursue more support programs similar to its Defense Acquisition Readiness program.
“You will see growth in CCI,” Balsillie said. “We see larger companies wanting to join, more diversity, because every business is a technology business.”
With files from Douglas Soltis.
Image courtesy of CCI.
