In this Speaking of Business summer special, Catherine Clark turns the tables on our usual host Goldy Hyder, and puts him in the hot seat.
Goldy Hyder is President and CEO of the Business Council of Canada. Before taking on his current role, Goldy was CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies Canada. Earlier in his career he served as Chief of Staff to Catherine’s father, The Right Honourable Joe Clark.
In this episode we discuss Goldy’s childhood as an Indian-born Calgarian, the experiences that have shaped his life and career, and Canada’s changing political and business landscape.
Leading through uncertainty: Laurent Ferreira, National Bank of Canada
Laurent Ferreira is blunt when he assesses the state of Canada’s economic trouble.
“The status of our economy is red,” he said in a June 9 conversation with Goldy Hyder at the Conférence de Montréal.
The president and CEO of National Bank of Canada stressed the urgency for Canada to strengthen its economy in light of geopolitical uncertainty. But he’s optimistic the country will take action, saying now is the time to “get projects built across the country, get to the bottom of what are the causes of our economic performance, and move forward.”
Ferreira sees a major role for Canadian energy in Canada’s future. The Quebec-based bank recently acquired Alberta-based Canadian Western Bank, expanding the bank’s footprint into more markets across the country. He says nation-building projects, including energy, will keep the federation strong. And to land those projects, there’s an overriding need to reduce regulations.
“I think that the biggest impediment to energy transition is regulation. It’s not Alberta. It’s regulation. That’s the real problem.”
Listen to the full conversation on the Speaking of Business podcast.
“Humbled by the opportunity”: Roy Gori of Manulife
Roy Gori started his first job – a paper route – at age eight. At ten, he was delivering medications to seniors for a local pharmacy. He got a job with Citibank straight out of high school at 17 and has been working full time ever since. So it’s perhaps not surprising that, at age 56, he’s decided to try something new.
In early May, he retired as President and CEO of Manulife after eight years leading the international financial services group. The Canadian company has a massive global footprint, employing 40 thousand people around the world.
Before leaving his post, Gori sat down with Goldy Hyder to reflect on his career and talk about what comes next.
“It has been the honour and privilege of my life to lead this great Canadian organization,” he says on the Speaking of Business podcast. “Never would I have imagined that the son of a coal miner could become the CEO … and I’ve never taken that responsibility lightly.”
In the wide-ranging conversation, Gori discusses his work ethic, lessons he’s learned through adversity, transformational changes at Manulife, and Canada’s global reputation.
Listen to the full interview, including how Gori ended up intercepting a pass from quarterback Tom Brady, on the Speaking of Business podcast.
From Assembly Line to C-Suite: Scott Balfour of Emera
Scott Balfour has some simple career advice for his three sons: stay humble, work hard and be kind. It’s what he learned from his mother and grandmother and he maintains those “fundamental skills” have been the most important throughout his career.
Born and raised in Oakville, Ontario, Balfour spent a year working on the assembly line at the local Ford plant before returning to Laurier University to complete his degree. He went on to work in commercial banking, corporate finance and infrastructure development before pivoting to the energy sector, becoming president and CEO of Emera. The Halifax-headquartered energy company serves more than 2.5 million customers across Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
At Emera, Balfour has been at the forefront of the industry’s transformation, overseeing the company’s shift towards more renewable energy sources and modernizing its energy mix. He has navigated the complexities of policy, regulation, and customer needs, all while maintaining a commitment to reliability, affordability, and environmental stewardship.
Listen to his full conversation – including his hopes for Canada’s future – on the Speaking of Business podcast with Goldy Hyder.
The energy optimist: Dean Setoguchi of Keyera
When Dean Setoguchi thinks about Canada’s energy industry, he sees a bright future, and it’s partly due to tariff threats from the United States. “I’m an optimist,” he tells Goldy Hyder on the Speaking of Business podcast. “I feel like there’s a recognition by Canadians that our national resources are our treasure, and I don’t think that recognition has been there for the past at least decade.”
The president and CEO of Keyera hopes momentum will build to get Canadian natural gas to more customers. “We have an opportunity to deliver the world’s most responsibly produced oil and natural gas in the world and we can help enrich people’s lives across the planet,” he says. “If we can get the right policy and regulatory framework, we can do great things.”
As a midstream infrastructure company, Keyera plays a vital role in processing and delivering natural gas across Canada and around the world.
Reflecting on his own career journey, Setoguchi shares how he transitioned from accounting to the oil and gas industry, embracing the entrepreneurial spirit and “enterprise-level thinking” that he learned while working with smaller companies.
He also discusses his deep ties to his hometown of Lethbridge, and the influence of his Japanese grandparents, who were interned during WWII. “I like that humble upbringing and being grounded no matter what position you are or what you do in life. At the end of the day, we’re all just people.”