David McInnes

As Principal of DMci Strategies, David is a strategic advisor, speaker and facilitator on change and opportunity facing the Canadian and global food system.

As part of this role, he initiated and is currently leading a private-public coalition of over 80 partners to develop Canada’s first agri-food sustainability index, the National Index on Agri-Food Performance – a novel tool to affirm Canada’s sustainability leadership and to mark progress on societal and environmental priorities. David is the Coordinator of this initiative.

David is a Member of the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario (ARIO), a Governance Committee Member of the Canadian Agri-Food Sustainability Initiative (CASI), an Arrell Food Fellow with the Arrell Food Institute at the University of Guelph, an Affiliate of McGill University’s Institute for Global Food Security, and a Global Advisor for Nova Scotia Business Inc. He is a former Senior Fellow of Canada 2020 (an Ottawa-based think tank) and a former Contributing Editor of The Economist Intelligence Unit.

Previously, David was the President & CEO of the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute, and he held executive management positions with MDS Nordion, a Canadian-based global supplier of medical isotopes and cancer technologies. He has also worked for the Canadian Bankers Association, Scotiabank, and a Royal Commission on the economy.

He is a former Chair of WaterAid Canada and Trustee of London-based WaterAid International. He is a graduate of the London School of Economics (MSc.) and Dalhousie University (B.A.).