Andrew Leslie

Andrew Leslie

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Lt. General Andrew Leslie (Ret'd), Business Transformation and Leadership Expert

Andrew Leslie has been a Soldier, Business and Military leader,  Chief Government Whip and Board Director with corporate, charitable and government organizations. He has extensive training and shares lessons in practical leadership under extraordinary stress; how to build a strong team; the art of helping your organization transform; the do’s and don’ts of strategic planning; and Canada’s place in the world with a special knowledge of Canada-US relations.

His 35-year career in the Canadian Armed Forces involved motivational and adaptive leadership at every level, especially as the Commander/CEO of the Canadian Army for four years during the latest Afghan War, where he was responsible for the leadership of 57,000 people, their equipment, training, a multi billion-dollar budget and related equipment programs: he was subsequently appointed the Chief of Transformation for the Department of Defence and the Canadian Forces.

After international tours with both the UN and NATO in peacekeeping and war and numerous Canadian and international awards and decorations, he joined a large Canadian corporation as a senior Vice President, working on network operations and cyber security with U.S. and Canadian clients.

Elected as the Federal Member of Parliament in 2015, he was Chief Government Whip and a member of the Privy Council of Canada, participating with various Cabinet Committees. In January 2017 the Prime Minister focused him on Canada-U.S. trade relations as Parliamentary Secretary for Global Affairs. He has spent considerable time in the U.S. and across Canada interacting with military and business leaders, Premiers, Governors and Congress on binational issues.

A graduate of numerous military courses on leadership, governance, ethics, strategy, tactics, equipment acquisition and risk management, his education includes the University of Ottawa (Economics), the Royal Military College (MA/Strategic Studies), the University of London, as well as executive courses at the Harvard Business School and the Canadian Forces Colleges.

He is a 2019 graduate of the Institute of Directors Education program from the Rotman School of Management in Toronto. In 2021 he was conferred the degree of Doctor of Military Science from the Royal Military College.

He currently lives in Ottawa and is bilingual.

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Speaking topics

Corporate Change and Lessons in Transformation

This keynote is from somebody who has been part of and successfully led transformative efforts in multi-cultural and extraordinarily diverse organizations ranging from 100 to 57,000 people both in peace and war, and learnt even more lessons in failing to successfully assist in the transformation of an even larger organization…

The importance of great communications and even better listening skills to both the good and bad, leveraging diversity and differing cultural backgrounds and experiences to develop a bigger, better  view, effective team building that brings people together instead of reinforcing the silos, the criticality of having clear and readily understood goal, and examples of what can happen if you do (or don’t) follow these lessons.

Leadership that can Produce Growth

 This keynote is from a leader who  has led in both peace and war within  the Canadian Armed Forces, United Nations and NATO organizations; as a senior corporate executive and board director for various corporations from small to large; and as Federal Member of Parliament and Chief Government Whip whom the Prime Minster asked to focus Canada-US relations and trade during the latest NAFTA renegotiations.

Successful corporate growth is almost impossible without effective leadership, and successful leaders should never stop learning and growing. Using practical examples from both peace and war, and life within the corporate and political training grounds, the methods and techniques of helping leaders at all levels grow will be explored with a focus on building from the ground up, the criticality of the team, seeking out and celebrating differing leadership cultures and expectations, the importance of listening, and the role, value and examples of successful mentoring. 

Canada's Place in the World

Based on his senior roles within the military, in politics, and in business, General Andrew Leslie presents a customized keynote on the strategic forecasting regarding the ongoing wars dominating international attention and what is likely to happen in the mid-term.  He includes the impact on global supply chains and what the upcoming US and Canadian elections will mean to Canadian businesses and Canada’s current place in the world.

 

Video clips

General Andrew Leslie Speaking Reel

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