Navigating Rupture

Centre for International Governance Innovation

Tuesday, Apr 7, 2026 at 7:00 PM  - 9:00 PM EDT 

{ "name":"Navigating Rupture", "description": "https:\/\/ticketfi.com\/event\/6878\/navigating-rupture\n\nJoin President and Vice-Chancellor, Vivek Goel for an important gathering of leaders from across Waterloo Region on Tuesday, April 7 from 7 to 9 p.m., community reception to follow, at the CIGI Auditorium. This event, Navigating Rupture, is cohosted by the University of Waterloo and the Balsillie School of International Affairs. \n\nThis event is a follow-up to last year’s CEO Challenge, where nearly 200 leaders from business, government and academia came together to examine how our Region should respond to the profound geopolitical and economic shifts affecting Canada. Improving productivity gains was identified as a key challenge. Since that time, we have launched the Waterloo Region AI Coalition together with Communitech and 17 other community partners to support firms and organisations in adopting AI and digital innovation tools to improve their productivity.  \n\nThe urgency of this work has only intensified. Prime Minister Mark Carney recently spoke of a “rupture” in the global order in his Davos address and called on Canada to rethink trade, investment and security in an increasingly volatile world. These challenges and opportunities are deeply relevant for Waterloo Region. \n\nOn April 7, we will reconvene to discuss these issues through the lens of technological disruption and geopolitical uncertainty.  We will once again welcome Balsillie Fellow Hamza Abdulbasit, who will join us in person to share insights on the new geopolitical reality from his perspective in Washington D.C.\n\nThe event will include a moderated discussion with attendees, focused on opportunities for our Region across AI, advanced manufacturing, quantum, defense and health innovation, followed by a networking reception and refreshments.\n\nEVENT PARKING\nThe event will take place in the auditorium in the CIGI Campus, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo.\nFree evening parking is available in the City of Waterloo Erb lot or in the CIGI Campus lot, on the South side of the building. The entrance to the campus is on Erb Street, on the North side of the building.\n", "startDate":"2026-04-07", "endDate":"2026-04-07", "startTime":"19:00", "endTime":"21:00", "location":"Centre for International Governance Innovation - 67 Erb St. W Waterloo ON N2L 6C2 Canada", "label":"Add to Calendar", "options":[ "Apple", "Google", "iCal", "Microsoft365", "Outlook.com", "Yahoo" ], "timeZone":"US/Eastern", "trigger":"click", "inline":true, "listStyle":"modal", "iCalFileName":"invite.ics" }