Peter J.M. Nicholson

President and Chief Executive Officer
The Council of Canadian Academies
1401-180 Elgin Street
Ottawa, ON K2P 2K3
e-mail: peter.nicholson@scienceadvice.ca
website: www.scienceadvice.ca
Telephone: 613-567-5000
Fax: 613-567-5060

Biography:
Peter J.M. Nicholson became the inaugural president of the Council of Canadian Academies in February, 2006. The Council supports expert panels that assess the science that is relevant to issues of public importance. Educated in physics (BSc, MSc, Dalhousie) and operations research (PhD, Stanford), Dr. Nicholson has served in numerous posts in government, business, science, and higher education. Before assuming his current position, he was Deputy Chief of Staff, Policy in the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada. He has served in a number of public service positions over the past 36 years including as a member of the Nova Scotia Legislature, Clifford Clark Visiting Economist in Finance Canada, and as Special Advisor to the Secretary-general of the OECD in Paris. Dr. Nicholson’s business career has included senior executive positions with Scotiabank in Toronto and BCE Inc. in Montreal. Dr. Nicholson began his career in the academic sector where he taught computer science at the University of Minnesota (1969-73). He was also an original member of the Prime Minister’s National Advisory Board on Science and Technology, the founding Chair of the Board of the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences and was the founding Chair of the Members of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Dr. Nicholson is a Member of the Order of Canada.

Abstract:
From Resource-based to Knowledge-driven: The Role of Business Innovation
Resources have been, and will continue to be, one important source of Canada’s prosperity and the profitability of our businesses. But while the traditional orientation of our economy to commodity products (resource-based and otherwise) has not, so far, hurt overall Canadian business profitability, a “commodity focus” has reduced the incentive to adopt innovation-oriented strategies. It will be argued that the environment facing Canadian business is changing fundamentally owing to a combination of factors including increased vulnerability arising from our dependence on the US market; resource price volatility and environmental concerns; and new opportunities as well as new competitive challenges from emerging economies. These changed circumstances are creating incentives for Canadian business to place much greater strategic emphasis on innovation.