Dustin Heise 0:00

Awesome. Well, it's such a pleasure and always great to be able to spend a few moments and you know, us to get to connect again here, Andrew. I uh always enjoy our conversation. Every time we get to connect, the energy, the positivity, the intelligence, and just the thought leadership you always bring. It inspires me, and I know it will with anyone else that's able to get to to listen to this or see it on uh on a podcast platform. And thanks so much for taking some time with me today.

Andrew Baker 0:26

Uh it's a pleasure to be here, The Feelings Mutual. I always uh I always enjoy these conversations, and this is stuff that I'm very passionate about, so I was happy to chat about sport and and and sports impact.

Dustin Heise 0:34

Right on. Well, today's guest is Andrew Baker, Chief External Affairs Officer at the Canadian Olympic Committee, where he helps shape partnership, public strategy, and national conversations that connect Olympic sport to communities across Canada. Over more than two decades with the COC, he's played a key role in everything from games operations to long-term sport legacy and system-wide impact. We've got Andrew here. Andrew, I'm just going to kick it off with an incredible question. You've been an elite athlete at every level of the sport and spent much of your career helping shape the system and been around sport. When did you first realize sport could influence a country far beyond medals alone?

Andrew Baker 1:15

The impact that I believe sport can have was shaped before I started my career. And it was shaped by my personal experience watching the Olympics. It was always something I was passionate about. But but I have a moment in time that I always go back to and my belief of what the Olympic movement and what sport can do. And that's 1996. I was a 13-year-old. I was starting in track and field and I was watching, I remember the Atlanta Games, the 100-meter event, Bruni Cern, Donovan Bailey. They were going through the rounds. And I remember sitting in my basement and watching this, this happen and go and think thinking, like, I need to go train. I need to go for a run. And I would go and I would, I went for a run around the neighborhood, and I came back and I was watching later rounds. I said, I didn't run far enough. I need to go for another run and went for another run. And that that always for me just highlights how impactful seeing Olympians can be, watching them, getting inspired by them, and what it can do to inspire youth and and the general population to be more active, to be more engaged in sport. And that is really the my driving belief of my career over the course of the last 20 years. And then if I I look more broadly in my career and the time that I've spent at the COC, really in Vancouver 2010 was a pretty landmark moment for sport in this country and being part of the games operations team, being in the Whistler Village, but then really just seeing what was happening around the country. And I had worked at the Olympic Committee then for five years at that point, and just seeing how engaged Canadians were in sport in that event was incredible. And it was really, I think, what showed me that the power of the Olympic movement when done right, and then those games set the trajectory of the sport system for the next, you know, 16 years now.

Dustin Heise 2:59

Your career path has been nothing less than impressive. And, you know, as you came out of those 2010 games and you saw what the power of sport was, and we know the momentum that Canada had as a nation, you know, during those games, coming out of those games, continued to carry that forward and perpetuate it. How did you know and what did you see in yourself that gave you that spark that you know that you could be a substantial senior leader within sport in Canada as well? Like how did you know that you were meant to be in and knew that the drive that was inside you was able to be in that leadership role in that chair?

Andrew Baker 3:36

I don't know if there was one moment and I I still I look back on 20 years and I've been so, so fortunate to learn from great leaders over the course. And I do feel like I joined the Canadian Olympic Committee at a really great time. And even down to the start of my career, I'm fortunate. You know, you cut, I guess you create your own luck, but I but that there needs to be some fortune in there too. And so I was hired by the COC on a five-month contract to do a maternity leave replacement. And they needed someone last minute because they had, I think, hired someone that didn't work out. And so they called the university that I had just graduated from and said, Do you have anyone in mind? And they called me on a Thursday night. I started my career on a Monday. But that wouldn't have existed if something hadn't happened with a previous candidate. So again, I was really fortunate that that opportunity came up. I was offered that opportunity because I had built, I guess, the credibility during my university tenure, but I also, they also knew I wanted to work in the Olympic movement. So, and throughout my career, I've been faced with those moments. I've had great leadership to learn from and I've had great people who've supported my career and offered opportunities. So it really happened naturally, I would say. I mean, I I think it was delivering excellence in the roles that I was in and doing my best. And that's something that I'm passionate about. And when you're when you love what you're doing, you're you're willing to put the work in and the hours in. And then that always just led to moments that I was able to develop and grow within the organization. You know, I started as an assistant and I've kind of worked at every level of the organization up into the chief external affairs officer that I am now. And so it's just an amazing moment. And but at every point in time, I the focus was always on just being excellent in the role that I was doing and delivering to the maximum of that potential.

Dustin Heise 5:16

As you've taken on this current role, what have you what have you found that has been a defining moment for you in that external component? You know, you've just had a monumental role in shaping an announcement that will define sport in Canada for years and decades to come, and your leadership in in that announcement within the the Canadian sport landscape, and share a little bit about, you know, in Canada, what the roles enabled you to ensure that you've been able to unlock and maybe internationally a sharing that, you know, those that can understand the impact that Canadians can have globally as well through sport. Yeah.

Andrew Baker 5:59

And I started my career in operations, which is is really, really different than the external affairs role I'm in now, because it was always focused on delivering projects, games over games over games. And so you kind of always had these, this ability to have these wins to deliver something great, debrief, learn, and then move on to the next one. And at the Olympic level, that's every two years, summer, winter. And then you had Pan Am games during youth games in there. So we were always, always kind of delivering something and you had these wins. And then in 2019, when I moved over into external affairs, we created that department in the context of what had happened with the Calgary Olympic bid for 2026.

Dustin Heise 6:36

Yep.

Andrew Baker 6:36

And the identification of the need for this, the Canadian Olympic Committee to be much more strategic about how we create conditions for future bidding, et cetera. But the wins are few and far between in external affairs. I sometimes joke with people about that. You kind of you're always working towards something that may or may not happen, and you're looking to create conditions that help to maybe influence and help shape, but are really outside of your direct control. So a very, very different environment. But I think what I've learned is you need to build credible relationships with people. And I'll pull from my colleague Eric Miles here. We we tend to use this is like even when you're going to government, often you you feel like you have to go with hand out, but it's really going hand sideways, right? And how can we be a partner in the delivery of value for Canadians? I think all of us in the sports system are rooted in a belief that sport has the ability to impact lives for the positive. And that's ultimately what a government is seeking to do. And so when we look at the investment, the incredible investment that this government made and the belief that they've shown in sport, and that's attributed to our a prime minister who believes in sport and a secretary of state for sport who, as an Olympian himself, sees the value and champions that value in government, we're part of helping to allow them to get comfortable with an investment of that nature and know that there are credible partners and a system behind that that will modernize, that will change and will deliver value for that government. So, but it's been a slow build. I mean, we created this department and we started advocacy as a system. And the request really came from our membership, from the national organizations to mobilize and organize as it related to advocacy in 2019. And so it's been a long road, but I think all of the pieces have come together and this was the right time for an investment of this magnitude. We have the future of sport in Canada that has laid out a set of recommendations that can act as a roadmap. And there's a government that believes in the potential of sport. And so I think we're going to deliver incredible things for the country through a stronger modernized sport system, which I'm so excited about.

Dustin Heise 8:37

I loved how you shared earlier, you know, kind of a childhood sharing or late childhood sharing around how you push yourself to keep going for more and more runs and continuing to do what you need to do to keep elevating yourself athletically. But then how you've translated that as a you know, how you've stayed the course, stayed motivated on behalf of everyone in the sector during this last you know several years of diligent, hard work, strategic, sticking to the strategy and the timing was right. You laid the groundwork for it, and you know, you and your team have have now been a big part of ensuring that you know that trust in the Canadian sports system and the sports system and sport as a vehicle for good for all Canadians or you know, people again across the globe. We can't thank you enough for you know that kind of effort and just that that stick with it-ness. But I'm going to transition to that like that international perspective that you know you get to have quite often and you know the role that Canadians and Canadian leaders and you know, just even using an experience that you're willing to share, a role that we can continue to play internationally and in leading by example at every stage of the sporting pathway.

Andrew Baker 9:49

Yeah, absolutely. Canada has been, I think, long regarded as a leader in in crafting uh a sport system and and whether it's organizations like on the podium or organizations like even CCS, SDRCC. I mean, the we've identified issues and we've been able to structure around them for decades. And so that's attributed to to previous sport leaders and it's an evolution. And even when we look internally and we we see a number of issues and we see opportunities for improvement, I think internationally there's a recognition that we are light years ahead of some other systems and we're we're privileged really in the work that we're doing into in terms of some of these investments. But you can't rest on those laurels, right? And and and we know that that there is opportunity to do better, to deliver better as a system. And I think this recent investment will will further reinforce our ability to be a global leader and share with other countries how we were able to leverage sport to deliver value for Canadians, how we were able to craft a system, to modernize a system, to adapt a system, to better deliver impact. And I think that's what this is all about. Investment is one aspect, but investment in a really efficient and modern system is the opportunity ahead of us, I think. And that's exciting work. We've seen the recommendations of the Future of Sport Commission. And I think it's another opportunity for us to demonstrate global leadership in shaping and transforming a system. Because I think across the country, you see it. Sports systems are struggling with very similar issues, maybe different degrees, maybe they're at different levels of their evolution. But a lot of people are struggling with the same thing. A lot of governments are struggling with the same thing. Where does sport fit as a tool for public health, for public engagement? And where does that investment lie? And I think Canada can be a leader in demonstrating how an invest a government can invest efficiently in a sports system and that system can deliver value. I think part of that is a bit of our approach internationally, is we're generally viewed as a country that will share best practices. We're open, we're collaborative, uh, we view ourselves as part of solutions. We see the bigger picture and we know that we operate globally and that what's good in global sport is good for Canada. And we want the values that we believe in, and we want the opportunities that we see to be available globally. So at every sport, you you work within one federation of many, and we work in one Olympic movement of many. There are many other aspects. But I think collectively, as a sports system in Canada, there's a general openness to sharing and to be a collaborative partner, and that gets recognized internationally. And then the last piece I'll maybe offer internationally is just on the hosting front. We've hosted three Olympic Games, one Paralympic Games, and I think there's a great opportunity again for Canada to play a leadership role. It demonstrates our ambition, it demonstrates our view of where Canada sits in the global structure. And so uh I think that's another another example of Canada's leadership. And today we just it was just announced that Montreal will host the Olympic qualifier series as one of four stops in advance of LA 2028. So we're excited about that. And that's again a demonstration of Canada being uh a leader in the in the global sport movement.

Dustin Heise 13:01

You got another choir member here to sing with you. Couldn't agree more on the the power of sport and sport hosting, um, both from an economic impact, but also that social impact and bringing people together. I mean, there's there's not another medium like it that can impact people's lives at the magnitude that it does. And we're gonna see that in you know the work that you guys continue to lead and deliver in Montreal, future games for sure. But even this upcoming summer with you know FIFA and the eyeballs that'll be seeing that and the values here in Canada, I know we'll all be cheering and watching and supporting, and you'll be one of them too. You talked a little bit earlier, I used the word, I love the word modernized, and especially from a modernized sport perspective. I'd love to hear your thoughts on you know just one component of what you see as an opportunity for modernization of sport anywhere. Of course, start here in Canada, but you know, just think of something that modernization means to you from even an innovation perspective.

Andrew Baker 13:59

Yeah, I think there's a lot of opportunities and and we'll we'll get to shape them. But one aspect for me is just looking really at how sport is delivered. And I that happens a lot at the grassroots level, where Canada is a complex constitutional structure. I mean, it's a sport is a function of the government. We have different levels of government, jurisdictions, responsibilities. And so I think one of the elements for me that I'm excited to dig into collectively with the system is really about how we better align the different jurisdictions to really focus on the outcomes that we want to see. We want more Canadians participating in sport on a more regular basis. We want more kids to experience the value of sport. We want more adults to stick with it. How do we, as a set of ecosystem partners at every level, shape that and ensure that that's core to our mandates and make sure that we're we're scaling that effort, right? I think there's a lot of amazing work that happens at the national level and different provinces and different municipalities, but those efforts are not necessarily coordinated. They're not necessarily viewed as best practices, shared as best practices for others, and they're not done within a structure where we're able to track and measure that impact systematically so that we can continue to build. So I think for me, putting it all the pieces together in a strategy with outcomes, with data to support it is a huge opportunity for us as a system to advance how we talk about sport, how we deliver sport, how we deliver sport impact, and then build a system that consistently identifies the opportunities and the risks and delivers that value. We have sport policies that have talked about growing participation, but we haven't had a strategy necessarily that says how we're going to get there. And I think that to me is one aspect of modernization that I think is exciting.

Dustin Heise 15:56

Yeah, redefining you know the why to tie it to the how. Couldn't agree more than have the measures and the data that backs it up. Again, uh couldn't agree more. When you think of back to Vancouver 2010, and you know, Canada was on the cusp of of you know that that world-leading sport nation and certainly at a test in time, what do you think it's gonna take for for Canada from a podium perspective to to get back to that world-leading sporting nation once again? And I know that you know COC has a you know just a monumental role in seeing that as we continue to use those those podiums as the ongoing inspiration around you know each of these sports and in and future sports that'll that'll join that movement.

Andrew Baker 16:44

Yeah. One of the things that I get really excited about when we think about opportunities for Canada, and you talked about globally, is I I think we have an opportunity to be a world leader in connecting high performance to grassroots. And I think that I would love to see that angle. And I think when we think about the role of national sports organizations, and and that's the membership of the Canadian Olympic Committee, and that was the the original source of our advocacy was around support for NSOs. And as we have evolved that advocacy, you've you realize that different NSOs operate in different ways, have different input and programming around participation. But creating a set of national sports organizations that are able to go out and do that work with mandate to work with provincial partners, to work with local clubs against a clear goal, and then connect that to the high performance success, right? And that is a clear mandate and objective of a national sports organization. So to connect those two pieces and every NSO will likely deliver that in a slightly different way, depending on their partnership frameworks with the provinces and clubs. But the opportunity to bring and build the success internationally and then channel that inspiration with strategy and intention is really exciting for me. And so when we think about how do we then build that amount of inspiration, how do we ensure we're building, I think a lot of the when we see support for sport, when we see support for national sports organizations, it's creating the capacity within those NSOs to be able to support athletes to the extent that they're needed, to be able to fund the training camps, to be able to fund the high performance. And the investment that was announced last week is not necessarily a massive investment in high performance specifically, but I think it equips the NSOs to operate and to deliver sport in a way that will support podium performance. And then when we think about on the podium, Canadian Olympic Committee and the high performance side, I think going not back to the drawing board, but looking at what's the evolution of this programming and how do we ensure that it's fit for purpose in 2026 as it was in in 2010 or in the lead up to 2010? What does that look like and how what changes are needed, if any, right? So I think as we build towards that, I think there continues to be a huge opportunity to both strengthen the NSOs to be able to deliver the structures and systems around high performance and delivering more kids at the grassroots, ensuring that at the next gen level, those athletes with that potential are staying in the system and then delivering at the high performance level. I think we'll we'll see aspects of all three of those pieces, which all need to work together so that'll have an immediate impact and a long-term impact as well.

Dustin Heise 19:20

You've got a champion in me in supporting you on that connection and using that. I think we do need to continue to simplify that connection of podium, Olympian, Paralympian, and tie that back to the grassroots and simplify that so all Canada's constituents understand that connection and in the various impacts. If we look at the strategic plan to 2035 that you guys have have put forward, what will success look like for you within that from that connection to grassroots and in this moment in time with this new funding? Yeah. What does that look like to you, Andrew?

Andrew Baker 19:59

Yeah, and that Team Canada 2035 strategy we uh approved at the COC session in 2025. So we're kind of into year one of it. One of the critical aspects of that was absolutely an increase in government funding because we will absolutely are increasing our private investment. We have an incredible set of private partners that are supporting sport and have allowed us to have an impact, but the government needed to increase their investment for this to really come to fruition. And now that they've done that, I think there's just such a great opportunity. The outcomes that are set in that is a million more young people in sport. That's the play pillar, and a top five combined metal tally between summer and winter. We're in the range of about eight, eight, nine, 10 in that space, depending. I haven't done the recalculation based on Milan. But what it means is that we're looking at we are the COC is a high performance organization at its core, but we've always had a mandate around promotion of Olympic values. That's part of the Olympic charter. But we're reframing our Olympic values around, hey, how do we get more people into sport? And what that allows us to do is turn anecdote into evidence in one sense, right? Is we so much of the foundational belief for many people is that the Olympic movement has the ability to inspire participation. But there's actually very, very little strategy anywhere in the world to make sure that that's happening. And so I view it as two angles from a Canadian Olympic Committee perspective. One is with our national sports organization and excellence team, then looking at what are the conditions that need to exist in the system and how can we lend support from the Canadian Olympic Committee to those conditions? And we might not lead all of them, but when we talk about infrastructure, when we talk about membership, how can we lend our support, whether that's resources, time, platform, et cetera, to create the conditions for the system to be able to bring a million more young people into sport? The other aspect is how do we leverage the platform? So, how do we use the moment of the Olympic Games to ensure that we're maximizing our ability. To move eyeballs into action, right? So people are walking. How do we make it as easy as possible for them to then go try sport? And there's a number of different ways. And so what I love about this strategy is it creates intention behind that process, which I've believed for a long time. I think it's the foundation of my belief and why I'm passionate about the Olympic movement. That's the opportunity. And I think so many of us in the organization feel that way. And that's what gets us so excited about this strategy. And we're not becoming a grassroots organization. That's not the idea. But what it does is it puts it squarely in our mandate to help support our membership, our national sports organizations deliver on that, which is core to their mandate, and increasingly so with this investment from government. So I think those two pieces fit perfectly together. And I'm excited to see the government invest in this space because it just means that both the private dollars and this our strategy is backed by over $500 million in private investment is now fully aligned to what the government is delivering. And that's, you know, over the course of our plan, what got announced last week is about $1.2 billion and new government funding for sports. So you put those two together, and I think it's a really powerful opportunity ahead of us.

Dustin Heise 23:09

That's a nice message. But it's also very true on how I know you will walk the walk, and your colleagues, your teammates there at the COC will for sure walk the walk on delivery against that. Capturing the evidence, you know, you are evidence of it. You were inspired in that 1996, we all were with the Olympics. And then, you know, look where you are today. And it's it's an honor, it's a pleasure to get to spend time with you today, Andrew, and you know, just to see you continue to to grow and rise. And you know, since we met each other, you know, through the Emerging Leaders project many years back, and I always admired, you know, your ambition and the drive and the way that you uh you always carry yourself and mentor others around you. So it's it's been it's been great to see how you you walk the walk and and your teammates walking the walk. And here at Canada Snowboard, you know, we're gonna be uh early adopters and championing alongside you and look forward to many more years of doing that with you. I look forward to doing uh another podcast and chat with you.

Andrew Baker 24:09

And I'm happy to come on anytime. I I appreciate the the opportunity to connect and and likewise, I mean, I think you you at Canada Snowboard, you guys are doing some really incredible things. You're thinking in an innovative way, you're delivering great stuff, so uh and I and a great partner for all that we do. And yeah, this is something I'm I'm really passionate about. It's what's driven my career, and it's it's always been a pleasure to to work with people who are who are passionate about it as well. So happy to chat anytime. And thanks for having me on.