Purpose

The purpose of the NATO-Private Sector Engagement (NPSE) program is to foster collaboration between Allied-Nation private industry executives and NATO’s senior leadership.

Context

The international environment has changed drastically in recent years, posing new dilemmas and presenting new opportunities for NATO and its 32 member-states. Canada and its Allies face significant pressure to increase defence spending and align their budgetary goals with the priorities of NATO. To achieve these goals, significant new investments in innovative technologies at the NATO and at the member-country level will be required.

By generating interactions with senior NATO officials, the NPSE initiative enabled senior defence and security industry executives to gain a novel perspective on NATO's global strategic needs and priorities. Direct dialogue with leading executive decision-makers allows NATO to better coordinate with the private sector and produce more significant synergies between the Alliance's Mission and the future direction of domestic industrial allocation into the 2030s and beyond.

Program Themes

·        Day 1: Setting the Strategic Context: NATO's Role and Opportunities in the European Security Environment
·        Day 2: Intensifying NATO’s Industry Engagements with Canadian Defence and Technology Innovation Companies
·        Day 3: NATO SHAPE Priorities and Canada's Role: Canadian Defence and Technology Industry Support

Date

The Engagement took place over three days, from Wednesday, February 19 to Friday, February 21, 2025.

Venue

The in-person engagement was held at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, NSPA Headquarters in Capellen, Luxembourg, SHAPE Headquarters in Mons, Belgium, the European External Action Service (EEAS) and European Defence Agency (EDA) in Brussels, Belgium.
Additionally, a special Belgium-Canada Defence Industry Evening was held at the Prince Albert Club, in Brussels, bringing together NPSE Participants, the Belgian Ministry of Defence, the Belgian Security & Defence Industry (BSDI) and the Royal Higher Institute for Defence (RHID).

Format

The NPSE was designed to feature 33 Senior NATO, Canadian, Belgian and EU Officials.

Audience

The NPSE initiative organized by the PIF facilitated discussions between a wide range of small-to-large companies in the defence, security and technology sector. It showcased interest in a spectrum of collaboration areas with NATO, including critical domains such as Aerospace Defence, Digital Transformation, Maritime Security, Shipbuilding, Advanced Manufacturing, Cloud Technologies, Secure Communications, and Cybersecurity, among others.

Contact Information

If you or your company is interested in attending the next NPSE program (2026), please contact the PIF's Industry Liaison, Jamie Baillie (jamie.baillie@policyinsights.ca), to schedule a consultation.

Background information on the Summit and organisers

SENIOR SPEAKERS

General Markus Laubenthal

SHAPE Chief of Staff

Biography

Ambassador Heidi Hulan

Permanent Representative - Canada

Biography

Manfred Boudreaux-Dehmer

NATO Chief Information Officer

Biography

US Representative Stephanie Murphy (D)

(US)

Congresswoman for Florida

The Honorable Peter MacKay

(CAN)

Former Canadian Cabinet Minister

Zoltán Nagy

NSPA Chief of Staff

Biography

Brian Glynn

Managing Director, Americas, EEAS

Biography

Sean White

EDA Director for Industry, Synergies and Enablers

Biography

MGen Filip Borremans

Belgian Director General Material Resources

Biography

Pascal Acket

BSDI Director

Biography

RAdm Baudouin Coppieters

RHID Director General

Biography

US Representative Stephanie Murphy (D)

(US)

Congresswoman for Florida

The Honorable Peter MacKay

(CAN)

Former Canadian Cabinet Minister

SPEAKERS FOR THE FIRST DAY - NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Général Philippe de Montenon

Maj Gen Jürgen Setzer

Stephen Burt

Air Vice-Marshal Tim Neal-Hopes OBE

Adjoint au Commandant de la Cyberdéfense

Deputy Chief, German Cyber and Information Domain Service, Bundeswehr

ADM and Chief Data Officer for the Department of National Defence

Director Cyber, Intelligence and Information Integration, UK Ministry of Defence

Biography

SPEAKERS FOR THE SECOND DAY - NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Angela Heise

Chris Pogue

Kevin Ford

Emiliano Kargieman

Corporate Vice President for Defence & Intelligence of Microsoft

Chief Executive Officer of Thales Canada

President and Chief Executive Officer of Calian

Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Satellogic

Biography

ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2021
SUMMIT DAY 1: POLITICAL-MILITARY

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2021
SUMMIT DAY 2: CEO-INDUSTRY

9:00AM – 9:10 AM (EST): Event Opening
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Michel Maisonneuve
‍

9:10AM – 9:30 AM (EST): Keynote Statement Interview from NATO Headquarters (Brussels)
Mircea Geoană, NATO Deputy Secretary General
‍

9:10AM – 9:30 AM (EST): Replay - Summit Keynote Interview from NATO Headquarters (Brussels)
Mircea Geoană, NATO Deputy Secretary General

9:30AM – 9:35 AM (EST): Moderator Speaker Introduction
Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) Michel Maisonneuve
‍

9:30AM – 9:35 AM (EST): Moderator Speaker Introduction
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Michel Maisonneuve
‍

9:35AM – 9:45 AM (EST): Germany Perspectives
Generalmajor Jürgen Setzer, Vice Chief of the Cyber - and Information Domain Service and Chief Information Security Officer of the Bundeswehr
‍

9:35AM – 9:45 AM (EST): Special Speaker Opening Statement
Goldy Hyder, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada (Canada)
‍

9:45AM – 9:55 AM (EST): Canada Perspectives
Stephen Burt, Assistant Deputy Minister (Data, Innovation and Analytics) and Chief Data Officer for the Department of National Defence (Canada)
‍

9:45AM – 9:55 AM (EST):
Kevin Ford, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calian (Canada)
‍

9:55AM – 10:05 AM (EST): France Perspectives
Général Philippe de Montenon, général de brigade, Adjoint au Commandant de la Cyberdéfense
‍

9:55AM –10:05 AM (EST):
Emiliano Kargieman, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Satellogic (Argentina)
‍

10:05AM –10:15 AM (EST): United Kingdom Perspectives
Air Vice-Marshal Tim Neal-Hopes OBE, Director of Cyber, Intelligence and Information Integration for the UK Ministry of Defence
‍

10:05AM – 10:15 AM (EST):
Angela Heise, Corporate Vice President for Defence & Intelligence of Microsoft (USA)
‍

10:15AM – 10:25 AM (EST): Moderator Summary of Speakers’ Perspectives
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Michel Maisonneuve
‍

10:15AM –10:25 AM (EST):
Chris Pogue, Chief Executive Officer of Thales Canada (France)
‍

10:25AM – 10:30 AM (EST): Tribute to Dr. Robert Spencer, a 101-Year-Old Canadian WWII Veteran and Eminent Scholar
‍

10:25AM – 10:30 AM (EST): Moderator Summary of Speakers’ Perspectives
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Michel Maisonneuve
‍

10:30AM (EST): Break
‍

10:35AM – 10:40 AM (EST): Round Table Segment Introduction
Lieutenant General (Ret’d) Michel Maisonneuve
‍

10:40AM – 11:35 AM (EST): Round Table Discussion
‍

11:35AM (EST): Closing Remarks
Brett Kitchen, CDR Magazine Publisher
‍

NPSE 2025 ORGANIZERS

Participating organizations