About Us
Our Story
"Mighty oaks from little acorns grow." – English Proverb
The Speakers Bureau of Canada's (SBC) infancy began in 1999 as the Speakers Bureau of Alberta. Roger Breault founded the Speakers Bureau of Alberta, built through a local network of Alberta-based organizations. He became one of Western Canada's most accomplished fundraisers; he raised over $75 million for non-profit organizations by planning and hosting speaking events in the 1980s and 90s. Roger excelled at qualifying speakers for their fees and determining their impact on an audience. While growing his network of speakers and business leaders, he established himself as a valued expert in the industry.
In 2014 Roger experienced a health crisis. His son, Gordon Breault, was completing his sociology degree at the time but took a break from his studies to support Roger. They worked side by side to continue business operations, and through their strong bond and newly-formed business partnership, a vision for a larger-scale company was inspired. In 2016, the national bureau was formed, and the Speakers Bureau of Canada was born.
The father and son duo spent their initial years researching the industry and consulting with event planners and professional speakers. Gordon and Roger combined this new knowledge with their experience in the field and critical analysis and consideration of the changing needs of Canadian organizations. They thoughtfully curated a roster of speakers that align with Canadian values and offer the experience and insight individuals and organizations are seeking to inspire how they think and operate.
By blending wisdom with spirit, experience with innovation, and vision with carefully applied strategy, SBC has quickly become one of Canada's most reliable resources for organizations seeking professional, dynamic, motivational speakers. The Speakers Bureau of Canada continues to grow and extend its reach in the industry through a hand-selected, exclusive network of Canadian voices and through stories that engage and empower modern Canadian culture. Roger and Gordon have booked more than 10000 speaking engagements across Canada, consistently ensuring speakers are accessible to every Canadian organization regardless of the event budget, type or size.
What Makes Us Tick…
"We don't do business with companies. We do business with people." – Simon Sinek
We are passionate and take great pride in the work we do. We acknowledge the significant role we play in helping create meaningful, tangible and systemic impacts within organizations. We ultimately play a role in affecting change for individuals and organizations and shaping the values and beliefs of Canadians.
We are lifelong learners of the speakers within the bureau. We represent an array of speakers from diverse backgrounds who hold unique knowledge and come with highly specialized experience. This allows the organizations we work with to have access to expertise and solutions specific to their own unique challenges, regardless of how complex or unique the situation.
What is our approach?
- We focus on outcomes. Although our roster includes celebrities, we only work with individuals that are real, involved and hands on. We like to think of ourselves as professional matchmakers, not a celebrity talent agency.
- We value relationships. Relationships with our speakers depend on the relationships with our clients and vice versa. We are conscious of the relationships event planners must prioritize and maintain, we work to ensure these remain the priority. People are the reason we do what we do.
- We seek to understand and to relate. We are compassionate and solution based and work to address your needs with you and for you, without giving the impression that we know it all.
- We become a part of your research, process, and event. We always acknowledge and listen to your needs and represent speakers who do the same.
- We work with integrity and are accountable. We will never charge more just because your budget allows it and we work with speakers who are flexible and willing to negotiate their rates.
- We create community. We only choose speakers that reflect our core values and these speakers often stay connected with their audiences long after their event.
Our Impact
"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about."
– Margaret J Wheatley
SBC is built on a steadfast drive to achieve and commitment to professional learning, the cornerstones being passion and purpose. It is foundational to our hiring and operations to recruit individuals who are excited and motivated to grow our impact in the industry. We carefully curated speakers for every Canadian organization.
We aim to learn the ever changing needs of Canadian organizations and present ourselves as a dynamic resource that continues to grow with industry, business and societal trends. We know what challenges a small organization can face and we know what a large association needs to attract more engagement. Our partnerships bring consistency, structure, innovation and risk mitigation for event holders. With a team culture encouraging our team to engage in ongoing learning on trending topics, unique solutions to trending we seek out speakers who can bring Canadians progressive tools that will change their lives.
We are approached by thousands of speakers every year to become members of our roster. We talk to each and every one of them. We speak with thousands of organizations every year; we answer the phones and discuss every request. We believe in our ability to educate others based on their ability to educate us. We become dynamic experts through curiosity and sincere interest on each topic, speaker and perspective. We guide our clients through the process of planning and hosting powerful, meaningful events that are remembered and talked about for years after they take place.
We feel that knowledge, empowerment, and self growth is at the core foundation of human experience and purpose. We work with speakers who are on the ground for us, truly impacting individuals, communities, and businesses. Our speakers deep dive into each conversation and organization presented to them in order to tailor their presentations and garner the greatest impact. Real life stories, researched solutions, re-imagined outcomes. We aspire to offer timely presentations that are rooted in achievements of the past, researched for today and intended to change the future.
We nurture a culture of creativity, contribution, diversity, and acceptance. We believe in the power of change through unique perspectives focused on personal and professional growth. SBC and its roster of speakers are a tight knit community that share information, strategy, and solutions. We have open and ongoing dialogue that encourage our team to ask questions freely, stimulate thought and better understand current issues. Our goal is to continually learn, improve and grow and we only hire speakers and team members that assist us in doing so.