About

Brock Dickinson one of North America's leading economic development thinkers, with his work focused on understanding opportunities in the next economy. In this role, Brock oversees cutting edge research projects exploring opportunities in a changing world, and delivers a range of economic development training programs globally. He sits on the Board of Directors of Invest Ontario, serves as an Executive-in-Residence with tech incubator Innovate Niagara, and advises a number of universities and colleges on economic development.

Brock began his career with the United Nations, working on development projects in more than 30 countries. In 1995, he became the youngest Secretary-General in UN history, leading an international development summit as part of the UN’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

He returned to Canada to head public economic development agencies in Nova Scotia and Ontario, ultimately landing more than a billion dollars in new investment and helping to create thousands of new jobs. In 2007, he launched MDB Insight, which was named to Profit Magazine’s Hot 50 list of Canada’s fastest growing startups, and ultimately became Canada’s largest specialist economic development consultancy, with projects around the world.

In 2017, he sold his stake in the company and joined the University of Waterloo as their Entrepreneur-in-Residence, coaching and mentoring students and faculty as they launched new ventures. He has also served in a variety of volunteer roles with groups including the Canadian Food & Wine Institute Innovation Centre, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada, the Economic Developers Association of Canada, and the Economic Developers Council of Ontario.

A widely published writer and popular public speaker, Brock holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina, and a Master of Arts in International Relations from Brock University. He has also studied at the National Outdoor Leadership School, Queen’s University, the University of Waterloo and the French-language Université Sainte-Anne.