Join the McCain Speaker Series featuring John Alexander, Director of Finance at the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation (NBIF). John will discuss his journey as a CPA, highlighting his background in private practice, his experiences in the cannabis industry, and his role at NBIF, managing a $37 million portfolio of 75 New Brunswick startups.
About John Alexander:
John Alexander, CPA, CA, ICD.D, was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick. After completing his Commerce degree at Mount Allison University in 2011, John was hired by PricewaterhouseCoopers to pursue his Chartered Accountancy designation. In 2013, he earned the prestigious CICA Gold Medal for achieving the top mark on the Uniform Evaluation in Eastern Canada.
John’s career has been diverse. His work auditing First Nations led him to join the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Government as Director of Finance, where he supported financial planning and capacity building. He also served as a Director for the Aboriginal Financial Officer Association (AFOA) – Atlantic Region, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing financial management in First Nations communities.
In 2018, John joined the Charlo Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) as a Director, contributing to financial planning, funding applications, and audit preparation. Over the next five years, he transitioned into the highly regulated legal cannabis industry, where he helped grow a production team from 12 to over 400 employees and opened eight retail stores across Newfoundland in just 15 months.
In 2022, John returned to Fredericton to join NBIF as Director of Finance. In this role, he helps startups across New Brunswick scale their innovative ideas through strategic investments. Outside of his role at NBIF, John has taught Financial Statement Analysis at the University of New Brunswick and will be teaching Intro Accounting at Cape Breton University this fall.
Why Attend?
This event provides a unique opportunity to learn from John’s experiences across industries—from finance and auditing to navigating the cannabis sector and supporting New Brunswick startups. Whether you’re interested in entrepreneurship, finance, or innovation, John’s insights into the local startup ecosystem and his leadership journey will offer valuable takeaways.