David is a Strategic Advisor to Global Advantage. Prior to the creation of Global Advantage, David pursued a 30-year career in the Government of Canada including Assistant Deputy Minister positions in Industry Canada, Treasury Board, and Finance Canada. As the Assistant Deputy Minister at Finance Canada for Economic Development and Corporate Finance, he helped shape Canada’s economic and innovation investments. David then established the Global Advantage Consulting Group Inc. in Ottawa in 2002. Since then, the firm has completed over 500 assignments in Canada and abroad, providing advice to corporate, association, university, and government clients, primarily in the areas of R&D, new technology development, innovation, commercialization, economic development, and trade.

David holds a bachelor’s in economics from Queen’s University as well as a law degree in corporate, commercial, and tax law from Queen’s Law School. As an adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa for seven years, he taught International Negotiation to MBA students.

Dawnita directs stakeholder and client relations and company operations. Prior to the creation of the firm, Dawnita worked for over 32 years in the federal government with over 20 years as a senior executive in Health Canada, Industry Canada, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Public Works and Government Services and the Treasury Board Secretariat. Dawnita has an Honours Bachelors degree from McGill University and the University of Vienna, an EMBA from Queens University and an Advanced Certification in Facilitation and Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Harvard/Windsor Law School project.

Robert Crawhall is a strategic innovation advisor to the public, private and academic sectors in AI, cybersecurity, net-zero energy and advanced materials. His private sector career spanned telecommunications, energy and manufacturing sectors with multinational corporations. Over the past 15 years he has run several collaborative innovation organizations focused on nanotechnology, IoT, eCommerce, wireless and photonic technologies. Robert sits on the boards of private and not-for-profit organizations dealing with aerospace manufacturing, advanced materials and national security. He holds the ICD.D Director certification. Robert is a professional engineer in the Province of Ontario, holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa and a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from McGill University. He is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Peter MacKinnon has a rich background working in the public and private sectors as well as in academic and international institutions. For example, for the private sector he worked for Cognos as Director of Corporate Development and later as Director, Computer-Aided Software Engineering. For the federal government he has worked for the Ministry of State for Science and Technology, as a Special Advisor on Advanced Information and Communication Technologies. Academically he has worked as an adjunct professor of engineering at Carleton University and at the School of Information Technology and Engineering at the University of Ottawa as Executive Director of WiSense (Heterogeneous wireless sensor networks). He is currently a Senior Research Associate in a Smart Cities Lab in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Ottawa and a Senior Partner with Global Advantage.

Bert van den Berg has deep experience in Canada’s research and innovation system – as a researcher, engineer, and funding executive. At NRC he grew a research group focused on real-time machining of complex surfaces (airfoils). As a software engineer he helped Hymarc develop, market and install 3D laser scanners. More recently he led various industry-focused research funding programs for NSERC. This included the development of NSERC’s Strategy for Partnerships and Innovation, and the launch and growth of NSERC’s College & Community Innovation program. They have received significant government funded, contributing to clean growth across Canada. He holds an MBA from the University of Ottawa (innovation policy), a Master of Engineering from Carleton University (Computer Aided Manufacturing) and a Bachelor of Engineering from Waterloo.

Susan McIntyre has over 20 years of experience as a Knowledge Management (KM) Practitioner and another 20 years as an Information Management (IM) specialist at Defence Research and Development Canada; Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; whole-of-government initiatives; and as an independent consultant. Her expertise is in KM strategy and policy, operationalizing KM and IM theory, lessons learned processes, and Communities of Practice, subjects on which she has written and presented nationally and internationally. She has provided research and analysis on decision support and strategic defence and security issues. Ms. McIntyre holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Lethbridge, a Master of Library Science from the University of Alberta and a Masters Certificate in Public Management from Carleton University. She was responsible for conducting lessons learned for whole-of-government initiatives, including the Vancouver 2010 Winter Games, for which she received a Deputy Minister Commendation at National Defence.

Alain Dudoit is a Strategic Advisor for Global Advantage Consulting Group,

Since his retirement from the Canadian public service in 2008, Alain Dudoit has been applying and sharing his vast international experience in innovation partnerships, his many professional achievements and an impressive business network in Canada and abroad.

Immediately following his retirement from the Canadian government, he was appointed Associate Vice-Principal (Strategic Partnerships in Innovation) at McGill University. Since then, Alain Dudoit has been involved in the private sector as an independent entrepreneur and strategic advisor in international business and innovation network development for several companies and organizations in Canada, California, China and Europe.

In 2017, Alain Dudoit completed his mandate as Senior Advisor to the QG100 Network, which he has developed and managed since its creation in 2010: a private grouping of Quebec business leaders in support of their global market development strategies. The success of this Network led Alain Dudoit to participate in the creation of a similar organization, OG100, in Ontario.

He has also been a lecturer (international competitiveness) at the Faculty of Management of McGill University and a guest lecturer at ENAP.  He has also served as a strategic advisor to the Milken Institute Santa Monica, a member of the Los Angeles Commission on Foreign Relations and a member of the Governance Committee, Center for Accelerated Growth, Office of the Government of Quebec in New York. Alain Dudoit is one of the main architects of the supply chain and artificial intelligence innovation super cluster, Scale AI.  He is regularly invited to speak before national and international innovation panels.

During his long and successful public service career in Ottawa, Alain Dudoit has held several senior positions in the Privy Council Office, the Canadian International Development Agency, the Department of Finance and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. He has served Canada abroad as: Minister Counsellor (Commercial and Economic Affairs) at the Canadian Embassy in Paris, Ambassador to the Czech and Slovak Republics in residence in Prague, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Spain and the Principality of Andorra in Madrid and Consul General in Los Angeles.

Tim Norris is an idea man, a team player and expert troubleshooter with 35 years experience in Ottawa’s federal government and political circles. Specialties: Strategic analysis with finding solutions to tough problems with win-win solutions. Tim is interested in bettering private sector and governmental collaborations.

He was the Director of Canada’s Energy Policy (2011-2013) for then Natural Resource Minister, Joe Oliver. He was the Executive Assistant to Prime Minister Kim Campbell, and Chief of Staff to the Minister Supply and Services, and was a senior Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on the Charlottetown Constitutional Accord.

Tim offers a common sense approach to finding real win-win solutions. He most recently joined Global Advantage Consulting after retiring from a Director’s position at the Office of Energy Efficiency. His career also included 8 years experience as an Advisor to Ministers and the Prime Minister on Parliament Hill.

An Alberta lawyer (non-practicing) with in depth Ottawa public service experience. Tim has extensive and significant experience collaborating with internal and external stakeholders while mediating solutions. At the NRC Tim worked on new management projects and assisted IRAP Vice President on communications tools and strategic planning files.

Tim has in depth program expertise with NRCan’s Office Energy Efficiency (OEE). He was recently a Director at the National Research Council (NRC) advising the President and Vice President of Engineering. Tim was the Director of Special Initiatives at industry Research Assistance Program (IRAP).

Tim has a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of New Brunswick. Trained as an architectural technician at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). Tim also has a Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University, in philosophy and political science.

Ali Akinci is a Research Analyst at Global Advantage Consulting Group. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Carleton University. Ali has worked in diverse areas focusing on foreign policy, and migration politics. His professional background includes political parties, think tanks, municipality unions, and political marketing agencies. Ali also worked as a junior foreign policy advisor to an Ambassador (R)/MP in the Turkish Parliament.

Edmer Buen is a Senior Multimedia Developer and has managed graphical content for Global Advantage since 2017. He holds an Interactive Multimedia Design Diploma from Algonquin College.

Kathryn Kavanagh has rejoined Global Advantage after completing her master’s degree in Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. Prior to coming to Canada, she worked as a mineral exploration geologist in Africa and South America. She also has experience as an adviser to government and of project development and implementation for consulting companies and spent several years editing dictionaries for Oxford University Press. Her current interests lie in international affairs, particularly in international development and in the challenges faced by fragile states. Kathryn also has bachelor’s degrees in Classics from the University of Oxford and in Geology from Rhodes University in South Africa, as well as a master’s in Library and Information Studies. She is a Chartered Geologist through the Geological Society of London and a Qualified Information Scientist.