Thomas d'Aquino

Thomas d'Aquino is the chief executive and president of the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE), an organization composed of 150 leading corporate chief executives and entrepreneurs. He has headed the organization, known prior to 2001 as the Business Council on National Issues (BCNI), since 1981.

A native of Nelson, British Columbia d’Aquino was born and raised in Trail, British Columbia, d’Aquino was educated at Notre Dame University in Nelson and the University of British Columbia, Queen’s University, and the London School of Economics). He holds B.A., LL.B., and LL.M. degrees, and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from Queen’s and from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Under his leadership, the Council has played an influential role in shaping the direction of fiscal, taxation, trade, energy, environmental, competitiveness and corporate governance policies in Canada. In the international arena, he has worked on a wide range of North American and global issues germane to Canada and to Canadian enterprises. He is acknowledged as one of the private sector architects of the Canada-United States free trade initiative and of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

His career combines experience in government, business, and law. He has served as a special assistant to the Prime Minister of Canada and as the founder and chief executive of Intercounsel Limited, a firm specializing in the execution of domestic and international business transactions and in the mentoring of chief executives on public policy strategies. He also served as an international trade lawyer and as an adjunct professor of law, lecturing on the law of international business transactions, trade and the regulation of multinational enterprise.

d’Aquino serves on boards and advisory committees in Canada and abroad. He is the author of numerous publications, a regular commentator on radio and television, and a frequent public speaker in Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Canadian historian Jack Granatstein has listed d’Aquino as one of the 100 most influential Canadians of the 20th century. Canadian author Peter C. Newman, in his book Titans, describes d’Aquino as “the most powerful influence on public policy formation in Canadian history”. d’Aquino is the co-author of an influential book published in 2001, titled "Northern Edge: How Canadians Can Triumph in the Global Economy".