When the rules of global trade are being rewritten, Kirsten Hillman is in the room.

As Canada’s Ambassador to the United States, she managed one of the world’s most important economic relationships through volatility, political turnover, and shifting trade doctrine. Trusted across party lines, she became a steady hand in Washington at a time when stability was anything but guaranteed.

She helped shape major international agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and played a key role in delivering USMCA—one of the most closely watched trade negotiations in recent history.

On stage, she breaks down what global uncertainty actually means for leaders, offering a clear, experience-backed view of how to navigate risk, protect partnerships, and make decisions when the landscape keeps changing.

Joel Mokyr is a Nobel Prize–winning economic historian and one of the world’s leading thinkers on how innovation actually happens — why certain businesses, industries, and societies leap ahead while others stall. As the Robert H. Strotz Professor at Northwestern University, he has spent decades studying the cultural, institutional, and behavioral forces that spark technological breakthroughs and drive long-term economic growth.

For business audiences, Mokyr offers something rare: a deep, evidence-based understanding of the conditions that consistently produce progress. Drawing on centuries of economic history, he shows how ideas spread, how organizations create environments where creativity flourishes, and how cultures either accelerate or choke off innovation. His insights help leaders think more clearly about productivity, talent, risk, and the dynamics that shape competitive advantage. Engaging, surprising, and always relevant, Mokyr connects the patterns of the past to the strategic choices companies face today — illuminating what it really takes to build a future where growth is not accidental, but designed.

Jack Lew is a distinguished attorney, diplomat, and policymaker with a remarkable career spanning both public service and the private sector. As the 76th Secretary of the Treasury (2013–2017) and United States Ambassador to Israel, Lew played a pivotal role in shaping global economic policy and U.S. foreign relations. He also served as White House Chief of Staff (2012–2013) and Director of the Office of Management and Budget under both the Clinton and Obama administrations.

Lew’s extensive experience extends beyond government service. Prior to 2010, Lew served as managing director and chief operating officer for two different Citigroup business units. Lew was tapped by Citigroup for his work as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of New York​ University, where he was responsible for budget, finance, and operations, and served as a professor of public administration. From 2004 through 2008, Lew served on the Board of Directors of the Corporation for National and Community Service and chaired its Management, Administration, and Governance Committee. As Special Assistant to President Clinton from 1993 to 1994, Mr. Lew helped design Americorps, the national service program.

Lew began his career in Washington in 1973 as a legislative aide. From 1979 to 1987, he was a principal domestic policy advisor to House Speaker Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr, when he served the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee as Assistant Director and then Executive Director. He was the Speaker's liaison to the Greenspan Commission, which negotiated a bipartisan solution to extend the solvency of Social Security in 1983, and he was responsible for domestic and economic issues, including Medicare, budget, tax, trade, appropriations, and energy issues. With deep expertise in public finance, policy, and international relations, Lew offers invaluable insights into leadership, economic strategy, and governance, making him an ideal speaker for audiences seeking perspectives on global economics and public service.