Todd Hirsch

Todd Hirsch is an internationally renowned economist, keynote speaker and author whose research and work focuses on enhancing adaptability in an ever-changing world. Having had a front-row seat to key issues transforming the global economy for the past 25 years, he delivers dynamic, clear-eyed talks on adaptability, creativity and resilience to help industry and business leaders prepare for a future that is volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. An economist by training, Hirsch is currently the director of the Energy Transition Centre, an incubator of tech startups focused on navigating our path toward netzero carbon. Prior to this, he served as VP and chief economist for ATB Financial for 15 years, taught economics at the University of Calgary and the University of Alberta, and worked in the research department of the Bank of Canada. In recognition of his work, Hirsch has received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals, the University of Alberta’s Alumni Honour Award and an honorary degree from Mount Royal University. He has also spoken to hundreds of business audiences across the United States and Canada as well as international audiences from Venezuela to Dublin. Hirsch is the author of four books, and his latest, Spiders in COVID Space: Adapting During and After the Pandemic, shares the inspiring and compelling stories of businesses and not-for-profits that reinvented themselves during the pandemic.