Where is Best Defence Conference 2026 held?

Best Defence Conference 2026 was held at RBC Place London in London, Canada.

Who sponsors Best Defence Conference 2026?

ConferenceGrid lists 33 sponsors, including ARA Robotics Inc., BDC, Federal Fleet Services, General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada and International Test Pilot School (ITPS).

Manufacturing & Industrial

Best Defence Conference 2026

Name: Best Defence Conference 2026
Start: 2026-10-20
End: 2026-10-21
Location: RBC Place London

This edition has ended

Best Defence Conference 2026 ran Oct 20–21, 2026 at RBC Place London in London, Canada. It is a Manufacturing & Industrial conference that expected about 1,806 attendees. ConferenceGrid lists 68 speakers, 33 sponsors and 62 sessions. Dates for the next edition are not announced yet.

Lineup updated Oct 7, 2026

Best Defence is the front line of access to Ontario - recognized by the Province as Canada's largest defence-industrial base. This two-day event connects industry, the Canadian Armed Forces, and government procurement decision-makers in London, Ontario. The conference provides direct access to industry leaders, military representatives, and key decision-make…

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68Speakers

33Sponsors

62Sessions

72Companies · in total

Speakers

Programmed at Best, in alphabetical order.

Alan Shepard

President · Western University

Andrew Gowan

Regional Vice President & Head of Commercial Banking · National Bank of Canada

Ashan Corea

Program Director · Ontario Defence Association

Brandon Robinson

Co-Founder & CEO · Horizon Aircraft

Cameron King

CPPO, Regional Service Line Leader, Contracts Services · Defence Construction Canada

Cameron King, CPPO

Regional Service Line Leader, Contracts Services · Defence Construction Canada

Captain(N) C.G. Taitt

Director Naval Requirements · Royal Canadian Navy

Carmelita Crisp

Senior Manager for Indigenous Partnerships & Engagement · NAIT Industry Solutions

Charmaine Dean

Vice-President, Research & International · University of Waterloo

Colin Keiver

MSM, CD

Colonel Blair McNaught

Director Force Development · Canadian Special Operations Command

Colonel Christopher S. Sines

Director Land Requirements · Canadian Armed Forces

Colonel Paolo Pavese

Director Army Experimentation and Innovation (DAEI) · Canadian Army

Colonel Robert Tyler

Director Air Requirements - Combat · Royal Canadian Air Force

David Hutchison

DG Trade Strategy & Chief Trade Commissioner · Global Affairs Canada

David Lohse

CEO · ITPS (International Test Pilot School)

David Muir

Associate Vice-President Innovation and Strategic Partnerships · Western University

David Parry

COO · Aegis Critical Energy Defence Corp.

Denise McClure

Director, Economic Development · Invest Brampton

Dr. Charmaine Dean

Vice-President, Research & International · University of Waterloo

Dr. David Muir

Associate Vice-President Innovation & Strategic Partnerships · Western University

Dr. John Walsh

Associate Professor & Director of Defence Industrial Strategy · University of Guelph

Agenda

Selected from 62 sessions.

1:00 PM
Keynote Address
1:00 PM
Keynote Speaker
1:00 PM
Special Guest
11:00 AM
Building Canada’s Defence Industrial Capacity: The SME Imperative
Canada’s defence ambitions cannot be achieved by large contractors alone. Building a stronger, more resilient defence industrial base requires more Canadian SMEs and startups to sc…
Industrial Strategy
11:00 AM
Technology Showcase
Technology Showcase
11:30 AM
Continental Defence & NORAD Modernization
Defence Outlooks
11:30 AM
The Gulf Between Rhetoric and Reality
1:30 PM
Building Canada's Defence Sovereignty
How Canadian companies, domestic investment, and a strong Buy Canadian strategy can build critical infrastructure, strengthen national security, and support Canada’s allies.
Defence Outlooks
1:30 PM
Canada's Path Forward with Defence
Industrial Strategy

Quick answers

When is Best Defence Conference 2026?: Best Defence Conference 2026 ran Oct 20–21, 2026 at RBC Place London in London, Canada.
Where is Best Defence Conference 2026 held?: Best Defence Conference 2026 was held at RBC Place London in London, Canada.
Who is speaking at Best Defence Conference 2026?: ConferenceGrid lists 68 speakers, including Alan Shepard (President, Western University), Andrew Gowan (Regional Vice President & Head of Commercial Banking, National Bank of Canada) and Ashan Corea (Program Director, Ontario Defence Association).
Who sponsors Best Defence Conference 2026?: ConferenceGrid lists 33 sponsors, including ARA Robotics Inc., BDC, Federal Fleet Services, General Dynamics Land Systems–Canada and International Test Pilot School (ITPS).

Company intelligence

What does it mean when 72 companies show up, and 11 bet on three roles at once?

72 companies. eleven are betting more than once.

The numbers below are derived from the speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors on this page, cross-referenced into one ledger. They are the only thing here that 10times.com cannot tell you.

Who's in the room

11All threespeak · spons · exh

22Sponsoringsponsor only

39Speakingspeaker only

In all three roles

Serco Canada·Western University·BDC·Ontario Defence Association·Anvil·ARA Robotics Inc.·Federal Fleet Services·Invest Barrie·Invest Brampton·Lerners·Roshel Inc.

Speakers by seniority

62% of the speakers carry senior titles: C-suite, Founder, VP, or Director-level.

C-suite1624%
Founder / Owner11%
VP-level69%
Director / Head of1928%
Manager / Lead34%
Advisor / Investor34%
Other roles2029%

Of 68 speakers · classified by free-text title

Most-represented companies

#	Company	Roles	Speakers
1	Serco Canada	Sponsor · Gold	3
2	Western University	Sponsor · Platinum	3
3	BDC	Sponsor · Platinum	2
4	Ontario Defence Association	Sponsor · Primary Association Partner	2
5	Anvil	Sponsor · Bronze	1
6	ARA Robotics Inc.	Sponsor · Platinum	1
7	Federal Fleet Services	Sponsor · Platinum	1
8	Invest Barrie	Sponsor · Gold	1
9	Invest Brampton	Sponsor · Platinum	1
10	Lerners	Sponsor · Gold	1
11	Roshel Inc.	Sponsor · Gold	1
12	Allient Defence	Sponsor · Silver	-
13	A&T Human Resources	Sponsor · Bronze	-
14	Bird Construction	Sponsor · Silver	-

Sponsors by tier

platinum11

33% of 33

gold5

15% of 33

silver11

33% of 33

bronze5

15% of 33

primary association partner1

3% of 33

Best Defence Conference 2026

Keynote Address

Keynote Speaker

Special Guest

Building Canada’s Defence Industrial Capacity: The SME Imperative

Technology Showcase

Continental Defence & NORAD Modernization

The Gulf Between Rhetoric and Reality

Building Canada's Defence Sovereignty

Canada's Path Forward with Defence

72 companies. eleven are betting more than once.