NSB Logo Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell

Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell

Speaker Exclusive

New York City, New York, USA

Leadership - 19th Prime Minister of Canada

The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell rose to fame as Canada’s first female prime minister and one of the world’s youngest leaders of a nation. Following her tenure as the nation’s leader, she’s traveled internationally to represent Canada and strengthen democracy and women’s leadership around the world. From her service as an international ‘leader of leaders’ to an educator of tomorrow’s change makers, Ms. Campbell brings a unique perspective on leadership, diversity, current events, politics and international relations.

Keynote Speeches

Current Events & Canada's Place in the World

Rt Hon Kim Campbell has a unique perspective on current events and Canada’s place in the world.  From her rise as a young leader to an international ‘leader of leaders’, Ms. Campbell brings a seasoned and bold perspective to current events, politics and international relations.  She’s also on the cutting edge of leadership training that is preparing our NEXT generation of Canadian leaders to thrive.  Campbell discusses the importance of creativity, innovation and the need to be brave and bring people together to find solutions to complex problems.  

Can Leadership Be Taught?

As Founding Principal of the Peter Lougheed Leadership College, Campbell created an interdisciplinary program to cultivate the next generation of leaders. Drawing on her personal experience as well as the most up to date social science, former Canadian Prime Minister Campbell explores aspects of effective leadership across sectors, and how to develop creative, flexible, and innovative leaders in a world driven by intense competition, rapid technological change, and ever more complex diversification.  She encourages the need to have clarity of vision and communicate it confidently.  

Her experience teaching youth is complemented by her personal experiences as a former world leader.  A “leader of leaders”, she’s represented Canada internationally and led organizations such as the World Movement for Democracy, the Council of Women World Leaders, the International Women’s Forum, and the Club of Madrid, an independent organization of former heads of state and government (such as Bill Clinton, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Mary Robinson). 

Social & Security Dimensions of Climate Change

In the realm of climate change, we often find ourselves grappling with concepts that seem almost unthinkable. Yet, as former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell reminds us, it’s crucial to confront these challenging ideas head-on.

In the past decade, climate change has come to be recognized globally as one of the most serious challenges facing our planet. Former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell can discuss not only the impact of the physical changes of global warming on human societies but also the security risks that can be posed by this global threat as well.  Campbell’s formal experience has been informed by her role as Advisory Board member for Climate Action Reserve.

As corporate leaders and decision-makers, we must heed Campbell’s call to action. By confronting the realities of climate overshoot and working towards innovative solutions, we can strive to be the ancestors that future generations deserve. In Campbell’s words, “I think we all should try to be the ancestors that future generations deserve.”

Gender & Power and The Business Case for Women Leaders

Ms. Campbell has spent much of her life breaking barriers for women. Through her political career serving at all three levels of Canadian government, Kim knows what it’s like to make it in a man’s world, and is widely regarded as one of the foremost thinkers and speakers on gender issues. Attendees will be inspired by her unique experience in the political arena.

She explores both sides of her experience: the price she paid & the rewards she reaped for sticking to her principles, her vision, and her achievements. Her determination and wit helped her battle stereotypes & change perceptions of what’s possible. Both men and women will be inspired by her insights on leadership. In the last century, the argument for including women in leadership positions such as corporate boards seemed to rely on it being a kind and noble thing to do. However, recent studies are showing that the inclusion of women can improve decision-making and even the intelligence of a group, which in turn, improves performance overall.

 

Platform Plus Presentations

Unique formats and ways to connect with audiences.
Panelist/In Conversation
After breaking barriers in her rise to become Canada’s first female Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Kim Campbell remains a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. She’s smart; she’s quick; she’s funny. And she’s the only female Prime Minister we’ve ever had. Enjoy a conversation on what Kim Campbell has to say about the importance of women’s voices on issues ranging from Politics, Leadership, Human Rights and more.

Audience reviews:

  • Ms. Campbell’s talk to the students and women leaders was exceptional. She hit all of the important points and the students were engaged and interested, and the adults in the room were all commenting about how wonderful her presentation was. She had obviously lived the topic and her comments and stories will resonate with us all for a very long time.

    - Executive Director & Private Secretary, Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
  • She was the perfect complement and ending to our event. Tying in with our 100th-anniversary celebration, she hit all the right notes in terms of highlighting the importance of public service – the strides made and challenges to come (while challenging us) - and with lots of stories, insights, and humour.

    - Program Manager, Local Government Management Association of British Columbia
  • Kim was phenomenal! She really exceeded our expectations for an inspiring speaker. All our guests enjoyed her talk and felt motivated from her responses. The Q&A was very popular, with many women wanting to get their questions answered. During the poster signing, Kim was very personable and kindly took photos with guests. She also stayed for the lunch, and we could not have been happier that she did.

    - Fund Development & Communications Manager, Bridges for Women Society
  • I have heard a number of truly inspiring speeches in my life and Kim's speech may well have been the best one I ever heard. Her ability to blend personal anecdotes with statistical information was amazing.

    - Chair - Dress for Success Vancouver
  • Outstanding speaker… She made us think and we remembered her remarks throughout the conference...Thank you for your visions and ideas.

    - Attendees, National Association of State Chief Information Officers
  • Kim Campbell's stature as a global leader never overshadows her connection with an audience, regardless of the size. They always feel like they've been personally engaged and inspired.

    - Dean of UCLA School of Public Affairs
  • One of the most brilliant, engaging and passionate speakers in Canadian political history. She is relevant, understands local, national and global community and speaks to current issues with historical knowledge.

    - Association of Women in Finance PEAK Director 2009
  • Kim Campbell has a remarkable gift of clarity. She speaks with knowledge, passion and honesty on a wide array of complex issues—from global warming to international affairs—while keeping the very human impact of these larger themes front and center.

    - President & CEO, Chicago Public Library Foundation
  • Kim Campbell was awesome! She wowed everyone that she met including 1400 luncheon guest and 150 girls following the luncheon. She really was fantastic.

    - Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis
  • Ms. Campbell’s talk to the students and women leaders was exceptional. She hit all of the important points and the students were engaged and interested, and the adults in the room were all commenting about how wonderful her presentation was. She had obviously lived the topic and her comments and stories will resonate with us all for a very long time.

    - Executive Director & Private Secretary, Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba
  • She was the perfect complement and ending to our event. Tying in with our 100th-anniversary celebration, she hit all the right notes in terms of highlighting the importance of public service – the strides made and challenges to come (while challenging us) - and with lots of stories, insights, and humour.

    - Program Manager, Local Government Management Association of British Columbia
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Speaker Biography

The Rt. Hon. Kim Campbell knows the power of effective leadership.  Ms. Campbell brings a wealth of experience as an academic and a leader to help audiences foster creativity, innovation, and flexibility in leadership.

The Right Honourable Kim Campbell is a former Canadian politician, lawyer and teacher who devotes her time to international work promoting the advancement of women, democratization and causes related to climate change.  

After holding elected office at all three levels of Canadian government, Kim Campbell served as Canada ’s nineteenth and first female Prime Minister in 1993. She was also the first woman to hold the Justice and Defence portfolios and the first to be Defence Minister of a NATO country.

She is a founding member of the Club de Madrid  (the largest global forum of former democratically elected Presidents and Prime Ministers) and of the Council of Women World Leaders (current and former women Presidents and Prime Ministers)(Chair Emerita). She was global President of the International Women’s Forum.

Trained as a Political Scientist (Soviet Specialist) and a lawyer, in 2014 Kim Campbell created the groundbreaking Peter Lougheed Leadership College at the University of Alberta, serving as its Founding Principal until 2018.

In 2021, Ms. Campbell joined the board of the Glen Gould Foundation and the advisory board of The Vancouver Anti-Corruption Institute, a project of The International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy (ICCLR).

In 2022 Kim Campbell became a founding member of the Global Commission on Climate Overshoot, chaired by former Director General of the World Trade Organization and European diplomat, Pascal Lamy. (www.overshootcommission.org). The Commission consists of 12 members – former heads of state and government, ministers and experts- whose membership represents the global south and north. 

The Commission presented its report, Managing the Issues of Climate Overshoot in September 2023 during the UNGA in New York. Ms. Campbell continues to do outreach for the Commission’s recommendations and to participate in its ongoing work, which is focusing on health issues and climate change.