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 and EU 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

·        NATO: Strengthening Alliance Readiness Through Industry Integration
·        European Union: Defence Integration, Financing, and Strategic Alignment
·        Belgium: National Industrial Strategy and European Connectivity
·        Luxembourg: A Strategic Gateway for Defence and SpaceInnovation

Date

The Engagement took place over three days, from Wednesday, February 18 to Friday, February 20, 2026.

Venue

The NPSE 2026 delegation engagedwith NATO institutions in both Luxembourg and Brussels. Meetings were held with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) in Luxembourg, as well as at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, including engagements with Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the NATO Communications and Information Agency (NCIA). The delegation also met with European Union institutions in Brussels, including the European External Action Service (EEAS), Member of the European Parliament, as well as officials associated with DG DEFIS.

In Luxembourg, national-level engagements included meetings at the Luxembourg Space Agency (LSA) headquarters, as well as discussions with LuxDefence, representatives of the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence, and the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce during the Luxembourg–Canada Defence Industry Evening, which was hosted at the Chamber of Commerce, bringing together government and industry stakeholders.

In Belgium, a Belgium–Canada Defence Industry Evening took place at the Embassy of Canada to Belgium and Luxembourg, convening Belgian government and industry representatives from the Belgian Ministry of Defence, the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Belgian Security & Defence Industry (BSDI), Agoria, and the Royal Higher Institute for Defence (RHID) alongside NPSE participants.

Format

The NPSE was designed to feature 34 NATO, EU, Luxembourg, Belgium and Canada senior officials and industry representatives.

Audience

The NPSE initiative organized bythe 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 suchas Aerospace Defence, Digital Transformation, Maritime Security, Shipbuilding, Advanced Manufacturing, Cloud Technologies, Secure Communications, Cybersecurity, Post-secondary Education and Financing among others.

Contact Information

If you or your company isinterested in attending the next NPSE program (2027), 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

Admiral Pierre Vandier

Supreme Allied Commander Transformation

Biography

Ambassador Heidi Hulan

Permanent Representative - Canada

Biography

Lieutenant General Greg Smith

Military Representative – Canada

Biography

US Representative Stephanie Murphy (D)

(US)

Congresswoman for Florida

The Honorable Peter MacKay

(CAN)

Former Canadian Cabinet Minister

Cheney Boutilier

Principal Officer for Industry Outreach

Biography

Steen Søndergaard

NATO Chief Scientist

Biography

MEP Tobias Cremer

Member of SEDE Committee

Biography

Cosmin Dobran

Director for PCM

Biography

Claude Véron-Réville

EU Special Envoy for the Arctic

Biography

André Wilmes

President

Biography

Dr. Estelle Badie

International Affairs Manager

Biography

RAdm Baudouin Coppieters

RHID DIrector General

Biography

Eric Van Caugh

Senior BG Leader Cyber Security

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