Brian Macdonald
Brian Macdonald is deeply engaged in the community of Fredericton, New Brunswick, and is an advocate for veterans and mental health issues.
A successful business leader, Brian is the Founder and CEO of Duntragon, a financial services company that provides online identity verification for Financial Institutions. He is also a partner in Brewbakers restaurant, and provides consulting services to businesses looking to deepen their connections in New Brunswick.
Brian served eight years as an elected Member of the Legislative Assembly in New Brunswick, also serving as Legislative Secretary to the Premier for Intergovernmental and Military Affairs.
Before holding elected office, Brian was the Senior Political Advisor to the Minister of National Defence, with a focus on procurement. He was awarded a commendation from the Chief of the Land Staff for his work to modernize Canada’s armoured vehicle fleet.
During his military Career, Brian commanded troops on two tours of Bosnia with The Royal Canadian Regiment, as well as domestic deployments including Ice Storm and the G8 summit. He transferred to the British Army, and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
As Director of Crisis Management at Scotiabank, Brian was part of a small team that established the bank’s crisis planning and response capabilities. He was responsible for enhancing the bank's daily operational readiness and, when required, for acting quickly and efficiently in a crisis.
Brian also has strong experience in the volunteer and charitable sector. During his tenure leading the team at Aman Lara, the organization of veterans, former interpreters and volunteers, they helped over 4000 Afghans escape the Taliban, and over 400 Ukrainians escape the Russian invasion. Brian Chairs the New Brunswick Garrison Community Council, an organization which brings together the province’s veterans groups. He is also the Chair of the Friends of the New Brunswick Military Museum. He continues to be involved with many local charitable causes.
As a Mackenzie King Travelling Scholar, who received his Master's degree from the London School of Economics. Brian received his B.A. Honours from the Royal Military College of Canada, and was awarded the Victor van der Smissen-Ridout Award. Brian continues to develop new leaders through experiential learning programs with The Smith School of Business at Queen's University, the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, and McMaster University.
Brian is a frequently called upon to provide media commentary on governmental and military issues. Brian has run the Petawawa Ironman competition five times, including a first place in the Masters division.