NSB Logo Rudyard Griffiths Rudyard Griffiths

Rudyard Griffiths

Speaker

Toronto, ON, Canada

Canada’s Preeminent Moderator & Conversation Convener

Rudyard Griffiths is a highly experienced and versatile moderator, interviewer, master of ceremonies and speaker in his own right. As the moderator of the globally acclaimed Munk Debates and veteran TV anchor, he brings out best in panel discussions, one-on-one interviews, award events and acting a master of ceremonies.  Rudyard excels as communicator engaging audiences of a variety of topics from finance to politics to international affairs.

Keynote Speeches

How Geopolitics Moves Markets and Affects Financial and Corporate Decision Making

Decision makers have often learned the hard way that a crisis a world away can have lasting and profound impacts on their core assumptions about growth, risk and reward. As our world becomes ever more interconnected, the challenge of understanding and properly assessing geopolitical risk is now a critical aspect of enterprise leadership. Griffiths brings to audiences his unique insights into the risks that need to be on our collective radar honed from his unparalleled access to the world’s leading analysts, thinkers and leaders.

The Macro-Economic Trends That Define Today’s Business Environment and Risk Taking

From central bank policy to exchange rates to economic growth projections, we are all immersed in the world of conflicting, confusing and complex financial information. Drawing on his experience as an anchor with Bloomberg TV Canada, Griffiths cuts through the noise and provides decision makers with actionable insights about the macro-economic trends that will drive growth and smart risk-taking.

The Canadian and American Politics and its Implications for North America

How will business be affected by the fast-changing political environment in Canada and the United States? And, what political trends are going to impact economic growth and opportunity? By combining the expert analysis of Bloomberg’s global reporting team with his access to top-level decision makers in Canada and the US, Griffiths unpacks the complex political reality in North America to provide audiences with new insights into our shared political and economic future.

Who We Are – Canada’s Voluntary Sector and the Fight for a Caring Society
Griffiths argues Canada needs a strong national identity and robust civic values. Without them, the country will be hard-pressed to meet the daunting challenges that lie ahead: the social costs of an aging population, the unavoidable effects of global warming and the fallout of a dysfunctional immigration system. Based on his bestselling book of the same name, this presentation is updated for every audience and as times change. 

Who We Are – Canada’s Voluntary Sector and the Fight for a Caring Society

Griffiths argues Canada needs a strong national identity and robust civic values. Without them, the country will be hard-pressed to meet the daunting challenges that lie ahead: the social costs of an aging population, the unavoidable effects of global warming and the fallout of a dysfunctional immigration system. Based on his bestselling book of the same name, this presentation is updated for every audience and as times change. 

Platform Plus Presentations

Unique formats and ways to connect with audiences.
Event Moderator, Interviewer & Master of Ceremonies
Honed through more than a decade of moderating some of the world’s highest-profile debates and anchoring hard-hitting business and political news shows on CTV and Bloomberg, Rudyard can bring to your event the energy, insights and audience engagement needed to create memorable and impactful experiences. Whether you are hosting a panel discussion, a high profile one-on-one interview, debate or need a dynamic moderator to move your audience through a day-long event, Rudyard has s proven track record for making content engaging and meaningful. His accomplishments include moderating federal election debates, interviewing global thinkers and doers from heads of state to top CEOs, and leading panel discussions and day-long event on complex political, financial and geopolitical topics. In short, Rudyard can bring to your event a wealth of experience on content curation, event staging and thought leadership.

Audience reviews:

  • Rudyard Griffiths has a knack for shattering myths. Griffiths has worked tirelessly to address the shockingly low levels of knowledge Canadians have about their country's past and its unique political and social institutions. Who We Are continues this mission, encouraging Canadians to think about their history differently.

    - Globe and Mail book review
  • Your talk was thought-provoking and provocative, and will undoubtedly get many of your fellow Banff Forum members thinking more deeply about their rights and responsibilities as Canadian citizens. It was one of our most highly-rated sessions this year.

    - Banff Forum
  • The feedback from the dinner was excellent and thanks again for sharing your perspective with our clients.

    - CIBC
  • Thank you for moderating our panel at the CFA Calgary Forecast Dinner and the ATB Luncheon. Feedback on both events has been very positive…you did a great job.

    - CFA Calgary

Speaker Biography

Rudyard is an accomplished public speaker having provided keynotes, fireside chats and taken part in panel discussions for some of Canada’s largest financial institutions, industry associations and community and not-for-profit groups. Drawing on his insights as best selling author, multi-decade TV news anchor and public policy entrepreneur, Rudyard can provide your group with actionable insights on big issues shaping economics and global finance, geopolitics and international events, and U.S. and Canadian politics.

Rudyard is the organiser and moderator of the Munk Debates, the world’s preeminent public debating forum.  Griffiths is a public commentator on Canadian cultural issues, national politics and international affairs and is an advisor to various not-for-profit foundations and organizations in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom.

He is the author Who We Are: A Citizen’s Manifesto, which became Globe and Mail best book of the year, and has edited various essays on Canadian and international political and historical themes. His television and media commentary includes roles as Anchor of Bloomberg North for Bloomberg TV Canada, the bi-monthly Next Debate interview and podcast series for The Globe and Mail, and as co-anchor of NATIONAL AFFAIRS on CTV News Channel. Griffiths first joined CTV as co-host of Squeeze Play, BNN’s daily business and politics show.

Sample Munk Debates and resulting books edited by Griffiths include:

  • Editor, The Munk Debate on Gender in the 21st Century, Anansi Books, 2013
  • Editor, The Munk Debate on State Surveillance, Anansi Books, 2014
  • Editor, The Munk Debate on Obama’s Foreign Policy, Anansi Books, 2015
  • Editor, The Munk Debate on Putin’s Russia, Anansi Books, 2015
  • Editor, The Munk Debate on Progress, Anansi Books, 2016

Rudyard Griffiths was the co-founder of the Dominion Institute; a national charity created to promote history and civics education in Canadian high schools.  The Dominion Institute and the Historica Foundation merged to create Historica Canada where he remained a board member of the combined organization until 2012. He is a founding director and member of the executive committee of the board of the Global Centre for Pluralism; an international initiative of the Aga Khan IV and the Government of Canada.

His contributions have also included roles as a member of the advisory boards of the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (Canada), the U.K. based Ditchley Foundation, as board member of the Stratford Shakespearian Festival, and the Rt. Hon. Adrienne Clarkson’s Canadian Institute for Citizenship.

In 2006, Rudyard was recognised by The Globe and Mail as one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40. He studied history and political science at Trinity College, University of Toronto and completed a masters of philosophy at Cambridge University.