Goran Samuel Pesic is a distinguished business executive and political strategist with over three decades of experience in business, politics, defence, and national security. He serves as the President and CEO of the Samuel Group of Companies overseeing a diverse portfolio of businesses and organizations.

Goran is a registered lobbyist with active roles in both Washington, D.C., and Ottawa, where he leads prominent government affairs firms, including the Samuel Group D.C. and Samuel Associates. In 2024, his contributions to the defence and aerospace sectors earned him recognition as one of Canada’s top leaders in the industry by Canadian Defence Review magazine.

His other business enterprises also include Samuel Technologies, which specializes in international technology transfers; Samuel People, which focuses on HR management and workforce transformation; and Samuel Strategies, known for its expertise in crisis management and strategic communications.

Committed to societal progress, Goran founded and leads the Samuel Institute, an NGO nurturing future IT and technology leaders through education strategies that empower emerging innovators and entrepreneurs.

He also serves as the Chairman of the Policy Insights Forum (PIF), a strategic policy think tank that examines industrial defense diplomacy, NATO-private sector relations, emerging technologies, and the evolving interplay among the environment, the economy, and national security.

In the earlier stages of his career, Goran played a key role at the Canadian Commercial Corporation, where he developed and implemented international trade strategies that facilitated successful government-to-government projects in energy, infrastructure, and foreign military sales to allied nations.

His professional experience extends to the Middle East, where he was instrumental in setting up CAE Inc.'s Defense and Security Regional Office in the UAE, to serve the GCC military markets.

In the political arena, Goran has provided critical insights and leadership, serving as a Senior Political Advisor to the Minister of International Trade at Global Affairs Canada—where he focused on Canada-U.S. trade relations—and as a National Security Policy Advisor to the federal Minister of Public Safety.

Before his political roles, he led influential think tanks like the Atlantic Council and the Council on Transatlantic Relations.

An academically accomplished U.S. National Security Fulbright Scholar, Goran studied at the University of California and earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto.