90th Anniversary Conference Feature Speaker: Robert (RJ) Johnston
Robert (RJ) Johnston
Director of Energy and Natural Resources, University of Calgary, School of Public Policy
Robert (“RJ”) Johnston is the Director of Energy and Natural Resources at the University of Calgary School of Public Policy. His work focuses on the intersection of energy, natural resources, geopolitics, policy, and markets.
He is also a Professor (Teaching) at the Haskayne Business School at the University of Calgary. Previously, he was Senior Director of Research at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. RJ was previously the founder and Managing Director of the Eurasia Group’s Energy, Climate, and Resources practice, and served as the firm’s CEO from 2013 to 2018.
RJ is an independent advisor to the First Nations Climate Initiative and serves as an advisor on North American energy policy to a New York-based diversified investment management firm.
Recent notable achievements include serving as a counselor for the Canada-US Trade Council and co-chairing the Open Minds Next Generation initiative on the dual energy/climate policy challenge. He also served as Project Director for the Aspen Institute Task Force on US Critical Minerals Policy.
RJ is a member of the Trilateral Commission and. He was a Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center from 2017 to 2021.
RJ holds a doctorate in international relations from American University, a master’s degree in political science from McMaster University, and a bachelor’s degree in political studies from Bishop’s University.
Session Details
The Geo-political Case for Expansion & Diversification of Canada’s Resource Markets
Urgency, Opportunity & Wider Economic Benefit
Canadian economic resilience will depend on access to diverse global markets. This feature session will explain the urgent need to expand and diversify our resource markets in response to geo-political developments; the scale of the opportunity for the various industries within the sector; and how resource market growth and diversification will support other industries and local supply chains across Canada, underpinning our longer-term prosperity and independence.
