Canada
CEO, bestselling author, and advisor known for leading complex institutional transformations and helping organizations remain relevant during periods of disruption, growth, and change. As President & CEO of Werklund Centre, Alex is leading one of Canada’s most ambitious organizational and infrastructure transformations. Since joining the organization in 2020, he has helped secure more than $500 million in combined public and private investment, including a historic $75 million philanthropic commitment. Under his leadership, the organization has undergone a major institutional repositioning, expanded its role in civic life, strengthened its financial resilience, and launched the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history. Alex’s work sits at the intersection of change management and public trust. Throughout his career, he has focused on a central question: how do institutions remain relevant in a rapidly changing world? Before returning to Canada, Alex spent two decades in New York City, including senior leadership roles at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the world’s leading cultural centre. There, he oversaw major education, community engagement, and international consulting initiatives, advising organizations, governments, and foundations across fifteen countries and five continents on strategy, audience growth, and public value. He is the author of The Audacity of Relevance, a national bestseller that explores how organizations can adapt to changing public expectations while remaining true to their civic mandate. His writing and speaking focus on organizational change, institutional trust, and the challenges facing public-facing organizations in the twenty-first century. Alex serves on governing and advisory boards spanning technology, tourism, education, and philanthropy. His leadership has been recognized nationally and internationally, including being named among Canada’s most influential cultural leaders and receiving a 40 Under 40 award. Born in Toronto, raised in Buenos Aires, and shaped by a career spanning North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australasia, Alex brings a multilingual and multicultural perspective to leadership. His work is driven by a belief that institutions matter most when they create value beyond themselves—strengthening communities, earning public trust, and helping people navigate change together.
President & CEO leading one of Canada’s most complex institutional transformations. Responsible for strategy, governance, capital development, government relations, stakeholder engagement, and organizational performance for a major public-facing institution. Since 2020, helped secure more than $500M in public and private investment, including a historic $75M philanthropic commitment, while leading the largest cultural infrastructure project in Canadian history. Focused on institutional relevance, public trust, sustainable growth, and navigating change at scale.
Author of the bestseller The Audacity of Relevance, a book exploring how institutions can remain trusted, effective, and essential in periods of disruption and change. Through conversations with leaders across sectors, the book examines organizational transformation, public trust, community impact, and the evolving relationship between institutions and the people they serve. Praised by leaders in business, government, education, philanthropy, and culture, the book has been recognized for its practical insights on navigating change, strengthening relevance, and building organizations that matter.
The Productivity Project is a national research and policy initiative examining how Canada can better develop, recognize, mobilize, and renew human capital to strengthen productivity, opportunity, and long-term prosperity.
LaPlaca Cohen is home to the Culture Track report, a landmark series of research studies that examine the attitudes, behaviors, and shifting patterns of cultural consumers.