Heather Russek

Heather is a strategist and designer with 15+ years of professional experience. She enjoys experimenting with innovation methods, including human-centred design, futures and art-based practices.

Formerly, Heather was the Director, Policy Innovation at BII+E. In this role, Heather was responsible for experimenting with innovation research methods and for overseeing a number of projects including the AI Shift Conference, AI Futures Policy Labs, Into the Dataverse, and Empowering Women Entrepreneurs along with oversight of the BII+E contribution to the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub including Scaling Women Founded Firms. Heather contributed to the Employment in 2030 project as a co-author of Turn and Face the Strange and through design and facilitation of the expert workshops held across Canada.

Over the course of her career, Heather has held various positions including healthcare leadership, management consulting, program and project management, and strategy. Heather holds a Bachelor of Science from Queen’s University, an MBA from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, and a Master of Design in Strategic Foresight and Innovation from OCAD University.