Val Walker leads the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization that brings together some of Canada’s largest companies and leading post-secondary institutions. As CEO, Val drives BHER’s strategic direction, steers member and stakeholder relations, and leads a high-performing team committed to creating opportunity through collaboration in Canada’s skills, talent, and innovation ecosystems. 

Val was inaugural co-chair of the Future Skills Council, a group established by the Government of Canada to advise on national and regional skills development and training priorities. She has also served as a member of the Guiding Coalition to the Government of Alberta’s Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs initiative and of Employment and Social Development Canada’s Advisory Committee on Learning. 

Prior to leading BHER, Val was Vice President, Innovation and Skills, at the Business Council of Canada where BHER was founded, and was Director of Policy at Mitacs. She holds a PhD from McGill University and is an alumna of the Government of Canada’s Recruitment of Policy Leaders Program.