Unlocking Canada’s $1.8 Trillion Growth Opportunity

Roundtable luncheon with Derek Neldner, Deborah K. Orida and Pascal Tremblay

The conversation will examine the policy, regulatory, and capital formation changes needed to unlock investment at scale. With Canada facing a decade-long investment gap despite abundant capital, this event will unpack the barriers, opportunities, and bold actions required to drive productivity, competitiveness, and long-term economic growth.

C.D. Howe Institute events and webinars are open to members and their guests.

Please follow this link or contact events@cdhowe.org to register.

Derek Neldner, Chief Executive Officer & Group Head, RBC Capital Markets

Derek Neldner is CEO and Group Head of RBC Capital Markets and is a member of RBC’s Group Executive. Derek has global oversight of the firm and, along with the Capital Markets Operating Committee, sets the growth strategy for RBC’s Corporate & Investment Banking and Global Markets business activities worldwide. Together with other members of Group Executive, Derek is also responsible for setting the overall strategic direction of RBC.

Derek joined RBC in 1995 and has held a broad array of responsibilities across the firm and served as Global Head of Investment Banking prior to his current role. He has significant experience across all aspects of investment banking including mergers and acquisitions, debt and equity financing, and he continues to provide senior coverage and advice to a number of the firm’s most significant clients.

Derek has a longstanding commitment to philanthropy and giving back to the community. In addition to his role on the Business Advisory Counsel for the University of Alberta, School of Business, he also currently volunteers with a variety of charitable organizations including serving as a member of the 2023 United Way Campaign Cabinet as Finance Sector Chair and Board Member of The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Foundation.

Derek holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance from the University of Alberta and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), as designated by the CFA Institute. Derek is married with four children and lives in Toronto, Canada.

Deborah K. Orida, President & Chief Executive Officer, PSP Investments 

Deborah K. Orida is President and Chief Executive Officer at the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP Investments).

Ms. Orida joined PSP Investments in 2022 from the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), where she was the Global Head of Real Assets and Chief Sustainability Officer. At CPP Investments, she previously held the role of Senior Managing Director and Global Head of Active Equities and also spent six years in Hong Kong as Head of Private Equity Asia. She joined CPP Investments after close to a decade at Goldman Sachs in New York and Toronto.

Ms. Orida has a Bachelor’s degree from Queen’s University and an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.  Ms. Orida has been a Board member of a number of public, private and not-profit organizations.

Pascal Tremblay, President and Chief Executive Officer, Managing Partner, Novacap

Pascal Tremblay is President & Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner Technologies and Digital Infrastructure of Novacap, a leading North American private equity firm. Since joining the firm as a Partner in 2003 and assuming the CEO role in 2017, Pascal has led Novacap’s evolution from a single-strategy platform to a multi-strategy global investment firm with more than US$12 billion in assets under management today. Under his leadership, Novacap has reinforced its legacy as one of Canada’s most prominent private equity firms.

Pascal holds a BBA in Finance and Accounting from Université de Sherbrooke, an MBA in Finance and International Business from McGill University and pursued corporate finance studies at the University of Connecticut.