The McKinsey veteran and Canada’s former ambassador to China previously acted as a senior adviser for the artificial intelligence-focused venture capital fund. Barton will advise portfolio companies on commercialization and their go-to-market strategy. (The Globe and Mail)

Talking point: Radical co-founder Jordan Jacobs called Barton “the most connected person on Earth.” The partner worked as global managing partner of the consulting firm from 2009 to 2018. He was appointed head of Ottawa’s economic advisory council in 2016, before becoming ambassador to China in 2019. Barton—who’s now chair of global mining corporation Rio Tinto—has come under fire recently over his role in the Liberal government’s dealings with McKinsey, Barton will testify before a Parliamentary committee on Wednesday as part of a probe into more than $100 million in consulting contracts awarded to the firm. Barton’s promotion at Radical—which is raising a new US$550-million fund—comes at an inflection point for AI. The firm has also added Aaron Rosenberg, another McKinsey alumni, to lead the team’s London and European investments. U.K.-based Rosenberg is the head of strategy and operations at DeepMind Technologies, Alphabet’s AI unit, which announced this week it’s closing its Edmonton office.