Lavin Exclusive Speaker
Anthony Wilson-Smith is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Historica Canada, the national historical organization known for their iconic Heritage Minutes. Under Wilson-Smith’s leadership, their programs reached nearly 28 million Canadians last year alone. His storied, award-winning career in journalism—including his time as Editor-in-Chief at MacLean’s—also informs his engaging, illuminating talks.
Having worked as a journalist in over 35 countries, and all of Canada’s provinces and territories, Anthony Wilson-Smith knows Canada inside and out: both in terms of what we think of the world and how we interact with it—and what the world thinks of us. Much of his fascinating journalism career was spent with Maclean’s, serving at various times as Editor-in Chief, Quebec Bureau Chief, and Moscow Bureau Chief—even living in Moscow when the Berlin Wall came down. Fluent in French and Russian, he has appeared as a social and political commentator on international media including BBC, ABC, and C-SPAN; Russia’s Moskovskii Novosti; and all of Canada’s national television networks in French and English.
As President and Chief Executive Officer of Historica Canada, Wilson-Smith is leads the organization towards its commendable mission of enhancing awareness of, and instilling pride in, Canadian history and citizenship. He oversees all operations and provides strategic vision to their numerous projects, including the iconic Heritage Minutes. Dramatized vignettes that recreate events of importance in historically accurate detail, the Heritage Minutes now boast a collection of over 90 videos. Historica Canada also developed The Canadian Encyclopedia—the largest free online collection of accurate and continuously updated articles focused on Canada and Canadiana. Overall, these and other programs overseen by Wilson-Smith reached almost 28 million Canadians in 2019, making Historica Canada the largest independent organization of their nature.
In talks, Wilson-Smith explores how our past can provide a game plan for our future: after all, everything that’s happening today—political unrest, economic inequality, new social movements—has happened before, in one form or another. The past lives within the present, and is inextricable from the future, which is why exploring the role it can play in planning for tomorrow opens up new pathways towards greater innovation and creativity. With engaging stories and a vast breadth of historical and business knowledge, Wilson-Smith shares how strong leaders can use history as a tool to strengthen democracy, international relations, and the very fabric of society.
Prior to his work with Historica Canada, he served as Special Adviser to the President and CEO at Canada Post Corporation, and as their Vice-President of Public Affairs and Communications. He was the senior executive responsible for overseeing the launch and growth of their commitment to its Cause of Choice, Mental Health. Wilson-Smith has been awarded for his work as a magazine journalist, and honored for his volunteer work in the mental health sector, as well as his work in promoting diversity. In 2018, he was awarded the Sovereign’s Medal for Community Service. He has also served as Chair of the Lifetime Achievement Awards at the Canadian Journalism Foundation, as a Judge on the 2019 Newspaper Awards, and is a past Chairman of Journalists for Human Rights. Wilson-Smith is also currently the Chair of the Canada Post Stamp Advisory Committee, which provides guidance to Canada Post in their selection on new stamp subjects and designs.