EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Shaping up Southern Ontario's business landscape
James Meddings President, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
James Meddings was appointed President of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) on October 31, 2016. James served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy and Strategic Direction at Western Economic Diversification from 2011- 2016 and Vice President, Individual Learning and later Vice President, Organizational Leadership at the Canada School of Public Service from 2006 to 2011. In his 28 years of federal public service Mr. Meddings has also held positions as Director General, Policy and Corporate Affairs, at the Meteorological Service of Canada; Director General, Parliamentary and Corporate Affairs, Human Resources Development Canada; Policy Analyst at the Privy Council Office, and Advisor to the Chief Commissioner, at the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Prior to joining the federal public service, Mr. Meddings taught economics and political science in public and private schools in the United Kingdom and Canada. Mr. Meddings has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Economic and Social Studies from the University of East Anglia; a Post Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of Birmingham; and, a Masters in Public Policy and Public Administration from Concordia University. He is married and lives in Almonte, Ontario with his wife Susie Quackenbush and their four children: Sam, Harry, Max and Georgia. 24
I CANADIANSME MAGAZINE I JULY 2019
As President of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, can you tell us about your role to give our readers a better idea of what your responsibilities are? As President, a job I was appointed to almost three years ago, I have the great privilege of leading an Agency that helps Canadians living and working in the region to seize opportunities created by the innovation economy. FedDev Ontario is a small Agency, with just over 240 employees, but it delivers on a big mandate. With our headquarters in Waterloo and offices in Toronto, Peterborough and Ottawa, we deliver programs and services to support Canadian SME’s to grow, scale and build on the region’s competitive advantages to spur innovation across Southern Ontario. The majority of my time is spent meeting with stakeholders, and helping to shape and deliver our programs and services to meet the needs of businesses, organizations and communities in the region. Over the last six weeks, we completed more than 20 stakeholder roundtables across rural and urban communities to discuss the key strengths, challenges and opportunities for businesses and communities to innovate and grow, which will help guide us in our future partnerships and investments.
The Agency continues to deliver impressive results, which can be seen in southern Ontario businesses that are creating innovative technologies, improving their productivity, growing their revenues, and in the economic advancement of communities across southern Ontario. I encourage you to take a look at some of our success stories. I am proud to say that in the 2019 Budget, we were provided permanent funding. I view this as a validation of the impact the Agency has had since it was created 10 years ago. As a permanent Agency, FedDev Ontario will be a stable long-term partner in supporting innovation and economic growth in, I would argue, Canada’s most vital and dynamic region. Not only are we committed to making a difference in the region, we are also committed to being a model of a respectful workplace, that attracts and develops talent, creates an environment where employees are challenged to be innovative and creative in an organization that celebrates learning and excellence. This is why my executive team and I were delighted to see that we were ranked in the top 10 best places to work in the federal government in a recent Hill Times article.