Podcast: Francis McGuire Taking ACOA in a New Direction
Francis McGuire has a very interesting background, having been both a Deputy Minister during the Frank McKenna era and the CEO that built Moncton-based Major Drilling into the second biggest company in its sector in the world.
In this edition of the Huddle “Insights” podcast, McGuire talks with co-hosts David Campbell and Don Mills about the strategies he used to grow Major Drilling and the current ones he is employing to take the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) in a new direction.
Convinced by others, including Frank McKenna, to take on his current role as the CEO of ACOA, McGuire has taken the organization in a new direction. The organization has placed a greater emphasis on immigration to help address the growing labour market needs within the region, as well as preparing organizations for the automation and digitalization of the economy in Atlantic Canada.
“Our degrees and levels of automation and digitization are lower and as long they’re lower, we’re not going to catch up to the rest of the country,” he says.
You can listen to their conversation in the player above or search for “Huddle Insights” on a podcast platform like Apple or Spotify. Follow the show and never miss an episode. You can also listen to past episodes on those platforms.
The “Insights” podcast combines the experiences of an economist, David Campbell, and a social scientist, Don Mills, to explore the challenges and opportunities facing Atlantic Canada, to promote data-driven decision-making among policymakers, and to encourage a wider dialogue and debate leading to greater prosperity for the region.