The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) has appointed Patrick Searle as CEO, replacing longtime president Benjamin Bergen who is leaving the business advocacy group next month.

Searle joined the CCI in 2017 and most recently served as vice-president of corporate affairs, overseeing the organization’s communications and membership engagement. 

CCI co-chair Jim Balsillie said Searle’s appointment was a straightforward choice. “He’s the best person for the job,” Balsillie told The Logic. “He built the whole communications and outreach infrastructure. He has great relationships with everybody in the organization and ecosystem, so the transition will be seamless.”

Balsillie and Maverix Private Equity founder John Ruffolo started the CCI in 2015 to advocate for Canadian innovation companies, with the belief that providing the right conditions for these firms to thrive is necessary to boost the economy and Canada’s prosperity. The organization has positioned itself as a unifying voice for the country’s tech CEOs, pushing for policy reforms on issues ranging from intellectual property ownership to access to talent and capital and government procurement. 

Searle takes the helm as the organization moves away from its roots as a tech lobby group to become “a 21st-century business council for Canada,” as Balsillie described it. Balsillie said membership interest is growing among companies that aren’t strictly software and hardware firms, reflecting the extent to which “every business is a tech business.” 

Searle said the CCI’s growing range of members reflects a broader recognition among business leaders that “intangible” assets like digital infrastructure and patents are driving the global economy, he said—a core view underpinning CCI’s advocacy. He said Canada’s government policies, however, don’t reflect that shift. 

One of Searle’s priorities as CEO will be to press the Canadian government for a response to the United States’ new national security strategy, which frames IP, data ownership and cloud infrastructure as critical assets. “We don’t see that in Canada,” Searle said. Another focus, he said, is making sure the government listens to the interests of innovation companies in the CUSMA free trade negotiations next year. 

Searle also plans to keep expanding the council’s works beyond advocacy by adding more programs and events for entrepreneurs across Canada, building on initiatives like the CEO Summit and its board-training program for tech-focused companies. 

Along with Searle’s promotion, the CCI has named longtime executive Dana O’Born as its first chief strategy officer. In the new role, O’Born, currently CCI’s vice-president of strategy and advocacy, will focus on advancing the council’s work on national data governance and IP strategies, among other priorities. 

The executive changes cap CCI’s near-decade under Bergen’s leadership, during which time the council grew to more than 175 members and established itself as a key advocate for government policy to support innovation-sector entrepreneurs. 

Balsillie said Bergen’s new role as head of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, which represents private-sector investors in Canada, will create more opportunities for both advocacy groups to collaborate in helping build strong, successful companies.