Janet Ecker

Janet L. Ecker was the founding CEO of the Toronto Financial Services Alliance (TFSA), a concept she turned into an influential public-private partnership dedicated to building Toronto as an international financial services centre. With government and industry support, she also established the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services to leverage the sector’s global reputation for stability.  

A former Minister of Finance for Ontario, and the first woman to deliver a provincial budget, Ms. Ecker also delivered significant public policy reforms during her political career as Minister of Education, Minister of Community and Social Services and Government House Leader. 

Before entering public life, she was the Director of Policy for the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the first non-physician in the role. She now serves as the first non-physician director on the board of the Canadian Medical Association. She was the founding Vice-Chair for the regional investment attraction agency, Toronto Global, and a founding director of the Ontario Government’s new agency, Invest Ontario.   

She currently sits on several public and private sector boards, including the University Pension Plan and is a Senior Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute and a member of its National Council. 

Among other leadership awards, she received the Order of Canada for her public service contributions in 2016. Ms. Ecker is also one of the founders of “Equal Voice”, a national, multi-partisan organization working to elect more women and “The Prosperity Project”, a national advocacy group working to minimize the negative economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women.