Conference lands former leaders
EX-PMS of New Zealand, Finland booked to appear at energy summit in October
The former prime ministers of New Zealand and Finland — respectively the youngest female heads of government at the time they were elected — will be in Calgary for a major energy summit in October.
Jacinda Ardern, former prime minister of New Zealand, and Sanna Marin, former prime minister of Finland, are scheduled to make appearances on Oct. 1 and 2.
The conference's organizers said Ardern and Marin will discuss geopolitics, climate action and gender equality. During their tenures, both “earned international attention for progressive leadership, especially in their ambitious climate policies,” read a news release.
Ardern, elected in 2017 at age 37, was at the time the youngest female head of government ever elected. A 34-year-old Marin took that record when she was elected in 2019.
The 2024 conference is expected to host more than 3,000 delegates at the BMO Centre, whose expansion will be complete by the time the conference rolls around. The event was recently named Canada's Best Conference by the Canadian Event Awards. It has previously hosted speakers such as Malcolm Gladwell, Richard Branson and Erin Brockovich.
Ardern resigned in 2023 from her post in New Zealand's top office, citing a desire to spend more time with her partner and daughter. Ardern led the country through the Christchurch mass shooting that killed 51 Muslim worshippers at a mosque, shortly after passing a law banning most semi-automatic weapons.
Marin, meanwhile, was defeated in an April 2023 election by a centre-right party in Finland, and shortly after resigned as leader of the Social Democratic Party. She has since founded a publishing and consulting company, and now speaks frequently at international events. As Finland's prime minister, Marin led the country to join NATO — the fastest accession in the alliance's history — after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
“I think it's very telling that these two extraordinary global leaders chose the Energy Disruptors: UNITE Summit for their first appearances in Western Canada,” said Graeme Edge, co-founder and CEO of the conference.