A CIRANO Researcher and Fellow since 2008, Patrick Leblond is Associate Professor and holds the CN–Paul M. Tellier Chair on Business and Public Policy in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa. He is also Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) and Affiliated Professor of International Business at HEC Montréal. Dr. Leblond is an expert on international economic relations as well as economic policy and governance. He has published extensively on financial and monetary integration, banking regulation, international trade and business-government relations. He was visiting professor at the World Trade Institute (Bern, Switzerland) and the University of Barcelona (IELPO LL.M.) as well as visiting researcher at the European University Institute (Florence, Italy), the Institute for Research on Public Policy (Montreal, Canada) and the University of Lund (Sweden). Prior to moving to Ottawa, he taught international business at HEC Montréal and was director of the Réseau économie internationale (REI) at the Centre d’études et de recherches internationales de l’Université de Montréal (CERIUM). Before embarking on his academic career, he worked in accounting and auditing for Ernst & Young as well as in corporate finance and strategy consulting for Arthur Andersen & Co. and SECOR Consulting. Dr. Leblond holds degrees from Columbia University (Ph.D.), Cambridge University (M.Phil.), Lund University (M.B.A.) and HEC Montréal (B.B.A.). He is also a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA).

Marie-France Paquet is the Chief Economist and Director General, Trade Analysis Bureau, at Global Affairs Canada since September 2017. As Chief Economist, she leads a team of analysts in reporting and advising on international trade, investment and economic issues. Current economic research and analysis projects include the impact of trade agreements on labor and gender, the determinants of export for SMEs, the impact of the Trade Commissioner Services on Canadian exporters’ performance, or the impact of foreign direct investment on the economy.

Stéphane Rochon is Managing Director and Head of Private Client Research at BMO Nesbitt Burns. As Group Chief Analyst, Stéphane Rochon leads one of North America's most successful equity research teams. His recommendations relate to the development and implementation of strategies focused on the growth of securities or the payment of dividends.

A CIRANO Researcher and Fellow since 2005, Main Researcher of the theme World Economy, Ari Van Assche is Full Professor in the Department of International Business at HEC Montréal. He holds a Professorship in Educational Innovation on Economic Diplomacy at HEC Montréal. He is also a Research Fellow with the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), as well as Deputy Editor of the Journal of International Business Policy.

Holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Hawaï at Manoa, his research focuses on the organization of global value chains and their impact on international trade policies.

In 2018, Redesigning Canadian Trade Policies for New Global Realities, a book he co-authored with Stephen Tapp and Robert Wolfe, took the Doug Purvis Memorial Prize from the Canadian Economics Association and the Roger Charbonneau Award from HEC Montréal. He is also a three-time winner of the award for the most promising scholar under 40 from the Academy of International Business, in 2011, 2012 and 2015.