In 2018, Goldy Hyder succeeded John Manley as the President and CEO of the Business Council of Canada,[3] who had been in the position since Thomas d'Aquino stepped down in 2009.
[5][6] In 1981, when Thomas d'Aquino was named as Business Council on National Issues's CEO, "not many companies were truly global players.
In the name of economic efficiency, the BCNI called for the elimination of internal barriers to trade in order to be competitive.
"[6]: 63 [19][20] In an August 1986 interview in Ottawa, d'Aquino was "concerned to differentiate the BCNI from neo-conservative bodies such as the National Citizen's Coalition or the Fraser Institute.
[6][21]: 23 By 1987, the BCNI has been successful in forging "common positions on major issues... [despite] the wide diversity of sectoral and regional representation ... consensus has been achieved in virtually every task force initiative since 1981.
"[24] In a talk to the BCNI in the fall of 2000,[25] against the backdrop of the "growing anti-globalization movement", d'Aquino, echoing Fred Bernsten,[26] reminded Canadian CEOs "not to take globalization for granted."
[4][28] In 2009 d'Aquino was described by Globe and Mail's John Lorinc as Canada's "behind-the-scenes prime minister" and the "most influential corporate tout" for almost 30 years.
According to a BCC January 2016 article, members of the "40-year-old organization" are "CEOs and entrepreneurs of 150 leading Canadian companies" that "employ[ed] 1.4 million Canadians, account[ed] for more than half the value of the Toronto Stock Exchange, contribute[d] the largest share of federal corporate taxes, and [were] responsible for most of Canada's exports, corporate philanthropy, and private-sector investments in research and development.
"[5] In 2018, Goldy Hyder succeeded John Manley as the President and CEO of the Business Council of Canada,[30] who had been in the position since Thomas d'Aquino stepped down in 2009.
[4] During his tenure, Hyder has focused on a number of issues, including challenges facing Canadian businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[31] economic growth[32] and bolstering the Canada-U.S.