Ron Shlien

Ron Shlien is a TEDx speaker, entrepreneur, former senior Government of Canada executive, co-founder of Mad Science, Canada’s first Entrepreneur-in-Residence, senior mentor with Creative Destruction Lab, and current presiding official at Canadian citizenship ceremonies. His work sits at a rare intersection: business, government, AI, education, civic life, innovation, belonging, and human engagement. In a world flooded with answers, Shlien helps leaders, teams, and organizations ask better questions — and turn curiosity into action.

A builder and operator rather than a theoretical consultant, Shlien has spent more than four decades turning curiosity into real-world impact. He co-founded Mad Science, which grew from a teenage curiosity project in Montreal into a global STEM education brand reaching millions of children through hands-on learning. Long before curiosity became a leadership buzzword, Shlien was building experiences that helped children, families, schools, and communities question, experiment, discover, and engage.

Shlien later brought that same entrepreneurial mindset into public service as Canada’s first Entrepreneur-in-Residence. In that role, he worked at the intersection of government, science, innovation, commercialization, and public purpose — helping senior institutions think differently about how ideas move from possibility to action. He has also served as a senior mentor with Creative Destruction Lab, working with entrepreneurs and emerging ventures at the frontier of science, technology, AI, and commercialization.

Currently presiding over Canadian citizenship ceremonies, Shlien welcomes new Canadians at one of the most meaningful moments in their lives. That role has deepened his understanding of belonging, participation, purpose, and the power of creating moments where people feel seen, included, and invited to contribute.

Shlien's keynotes connect strategy with humanity. He speaks on curiosity, leadership, AI, innovation, future of work, employee engagement, workplace culture, entrepreneurship, public-sector innovation, education, STEM learning, belonging, and change. His core message is that curiosity is not a soft trait or a slogan — it is a practical leadership discipline that helps people ask better questions, challenge assumptions, strengthen judgment, adapt faster, and turn uncertainty into meaningful action.

Audiences value Shlien's rare combination of founder experience, public-sector insight, civic perspective, entrepreneurial energy, and human warmth. His presentations are practical, engaging, story-driven, bilingual, and fully customized to the audience, industry, event theme, and desired outcomes. He delivers keynotes, fireside chats, executive conversations, workshops, leadership labs, and moderated discussions.

Shlien has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the King Charles III Coronation Medal in recognition of his service and contributions.