Canada's defence industry has made significant strides in helping military veterans transition into civilian employment. What remains less understood is what happens after they arrive.
How is military leadership recognized beyond the hiring process? What organizational conditions help veterans continue to grow as leaders? And what barriers may prevent experienced military talent from realizing its full potential within Canada’s defence industry?
Those questions have been at the centre of ALLIES (A Leadership Lab for Impact and Executive Sponsorship), an industry-led initiative convened by ADGA Group in partnership with Invest Ottawa. Over the past several months, the inaugural cohort—supported by Thales Canada, Calian, CAE, AWS Defence, SEA Canada, and Leonardo—has brought together defence industry leaders and military veterans to examine how leadership experience is recognized and developed throughout civilian careers.
Building on the insights generated through the inaugural cohort, the next phase of ALLIES will broaden the conversation by gathering perspectives from veterans working across Canada’s defence industry through an industry-wide survey that invites veterans to share their experiences on career progression, leadership development, recognition of military experience, organizational support, and advancement opportunities.
“Veterans represent one of Canada’s greatest leadership assets. By listening directly to their experiences across our industry, we have an opportunity to better understand what enables long-term success—and how organizations better leverage that leadership for the benefit of the entire Canadian Defence Industrial Base,” said Lieutenant-General (Ret’d) Jean-Marc Lanthier, CEO of ADGA Group.
“Veterans represent one of Canada's greatest leadership assets.”
As Canada’s Defence Industrial Base continues to compete for experienced leadership talent, better understanding how veterans experience civilian careers presents an opportunity for organizations to create environments where veteran talent can continue to thrive.
Survey findings will be analyzed alongside insights generated throughout the inaugural ALLIES cohort and will inform recommendations presented during a capstone event planned for Veterans’ Week 2026 at Bayview Yards.
Organizations across Canada’s defence industry are encouraged to share the survey within their networks to help ensure veteran perspectives are broadly represented.
Take the ALLIES Industry Survey: ALLIES Industry Survey / Projet d’enquête ALLIES – Fill out form
Organizations interested in learning more about ALLIES or exploring future opportunities to participate can contact Erika Coghill at ecoghill@adga.ca.