J. Phillip Nicholson

A graduate of Carleton (BA Hons Geography), Oxford (MA Economics and Politics) and M.I.T. (MCP City Planning), Mr. Nicholson has served as a public policy advisor to some 250 organizations in the public, private, voluntary and academic sectors over the past 25 years. Considered an expert in Cabinet decision-making and executive governance, he has worked for every major department and agency of the federal government, including all of the central agencies: Privy Council Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, Department of Finance and Justice Canada.

His extensive work in policy development and program design includes principal authorship of more than one hundred major Cabinet and Treasury submissions spanning the social, economic, environmental, health, Aboriginal and general governance policy domains.

In addition to substantial work in policy research and analysis, he has planned and facilitated some 300 consultation sessions, ranging from half-day in-house workshops to extensive multi-party stakeholder engagement processes addressing complex national issues. He has lectured on public issues management at universities in Canada, the United States, England and Japan.