John Knubley
Corporate Director, Strategic Advisor, and former senior civil servant
John Knubley is a Corporate Director, Strategic Advisor, and former senior civil servant. From 2012 to 2019, John served as the Deputy Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED Canada). Prior to ISED Canada, John was Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Privy Council Office, Associate Deputy Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Communities as well as Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Resources. John’s career in public service
began in 1980 at the Economic Council of Canada.
In 2020, John founded InnovAction Advisory Services. InnovAction provides strategic counsel to organizations across a variety of sectors and verticals including agriculture, food production, technology, innovation, and post-secondary education.
John holds a Bachelor of Arts from Yale University, a Master’s of Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He also received a post-graduate diploma in Nice, France, from the Institut Europé en des Hautes Études Internationales.
A resident of Ottawa, John also serves on the Board of Directors of the Conference Board of Canada and the Asia-Pacific Foundation.
