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David MacNaughton      

President at Palantir Technologies Canada; Former Canadian Ambassador to the United States

David MacNaughton, a seasoned entrepreneur and political strategist, has made significant contributions as a businessman, diplomat, political advisor, and strategy consultant. He has significantly transformed the public affairs industry since the 1980s by establishing an organization that combines government relations, public opinion research, and public relations. After selling this business in 1989, MacNaughton went on to lead Canada’s largest government and public relations firm, eventually becoming the North American president of the world’s largest public relations firm. From 1995 until 2003, he was president of Strathshore Financial and served as an advisor to one of Canada’s leading investment banks.

MacNaughton's public sector experience includes work at both the federal and provincial levels. His roles have included being an advisor to the Minister at the Departments of Transport, Industry and Foreign Affairs. He was principal secretary to the Premier of Ontario from 2003 to 2005. Notably, he served as the Canadian ambassador to the United States from 2016 to 2019, bringing his unique set of skills and experiences to this role.

MacNaughton was the chairman of StrategyCorp, a public affairs consulting firm, from 2005 until his appointment as Ambassador. He also co-created the Public Affairs Resource Group (PARG), revolutionizing public affairs in Canada. Currently, he is the president of Palantir Technologies Canada. Throughout his career, MacNaughton has been an advocate for government efficiency, pushing for the use of asset sales to fund new infrastructure and urging for fundamental changes in government operations to enhance service provision.

Active in community affairs, MacNaughton has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including the North York General Hospital, the Stratford Festival, the National Ski Academy, TVOntario, the Toronto French School, and the Toronto International Film Festival.

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