David Cohen
David Cohen on the Chances of a Global Recession
David Cohen
Keynote Speaker
U.S. Ambassador to Canada (2021-2025); Senior Executive Vice President and Senior Advisor for Comcast NBCUniversal (2001-2021)
Ambassador Cohen offers deep insights into U.S.-Canada relations, drawing on his diplomatic service. He clarifies the complexities of the partnership between the two countries and, drawing on his experience and history, offers suggestions and advice for Canadian leader reactions to the new U.S. reality. He remains highly optimistic about the future of U.S.-Canada relations. Ambassador Cohen is also a recognized authority on U.S. politics, with expertise spanning federal, state, and local government.
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David Cohen's speaking fee: $25K - $40K
Nominated by President Joe Biden and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate, David L. Cohen served as the United States Ambassador to Canada from 2021 to 2025.
Before his tenure in the State Department, Ambassador Cohen served as Senior Advisor to the CEO and Senior Executive Vice President of Comcast NBCUniversal, where his portfolio included corporate communications, legal affairs, government and regulatory affairs, public affairs, corporate administration, corporate real estate and security, and community impact. Ambassador Cohen also served as the company’s first chief diversity officer.
Ambassador Cohen previously served as a partner in and Chairman of Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll, LLP. From January 1992 to April 1997, Ambassador Cohen served as Chief of Staff to the Honorable Edward G. Rendell, the Mayor of the City of Philadelphia.
Ambassador Cohen currently is Chair of the Board of The Philadelphia Citizen Media Group and has returned as a member of the board and executive committee of The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. In addition, Ambassador Cohen is serving as a member of the board of the Joe and Jill Biden Foundation as well as an Honorary Trustee of the Barnes Foundation.
Ambassador Cohen has previously served on many nonprofit and civic boards, including as chair of the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania; as chair of the Philadelphia Theatre Company; as chair of the FIFA 2026 World Cup Philadelphia Bid Committee; as chair of the board of trustees of City Year and its executive committee; as a member of the board of directors of the National Urban League; and as chair of the corporate board of advisors of Unidos US. Mr. Cohen also served as a member of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission. In addition, Ambassador Cohen served on the board of directors of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. and PNC Bank, National Association and as a member of the board of directors of FS Global Credit Opportunities Fund.
Ambassador Cohen has received numerous awards for his civic and charitable activities, including six honorary Doctor of Laws degrees, including from the University of Pennsylvania
A native of New York and raised in New Jersey, Ambassador Cohen graduated with a B.A. from Swarthmore College in 1977 and with a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School summa cum laude in 1981.
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David Cohen’s Speech Topics
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The U.S. Canada Relationship
The relationship between Canada and the United States, and its implications for foreign policy for both countries and their allies, is a topic of significant interest in 2025. Ambassador Cohen is extremely knowledgeable and speaks frequently on the history of the relationship, its strength and importance to both countries, and weaknesses and pressure points. Speeches or presentations can cover trade, defense, intelligence, and people-to-people ties. In addition, Ambassador Cohen can discuss the politics of these issues in both the United States and Canada, including the most recent Canadian election.
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Business Issues
Ambassador Cohen is a former senior executive for a Fortune 50 company and can speak to multiple business issues, including the investment climate in Canada and the United States, and the impact of current Trump Administration policies on geopolitical risk and that investment climate. Ambassador Cohen is an expert on the digital divide, which was a passion point for him as a Comcast executive – its implications for equity, for education, for economic development, and community building.
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U.S. Politics
Ambassador Cohen is a well-known expert on the U.S. political scene, having served as an advisor and having been active in multiple federal, state, and local political campaigns. He can discuss what is happening in U.S. politics today and provide some historical perspective, including the plight of the Democratic Party, the strength of Donald Trump, and the upcoming midterm elections (in 2026). He also can provide perspectives on U.S. federalism, which is so different than Canadian federalism, and can discuss Canadian politics as well.
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Leadership
Ambassador Cohen has been delivering and refining a presentation on the major attributes of leadership for 15 to 20 years. The Ambassador brings a diversity of perspectives to his leadership comments, based on his careers in law, business, and politics. The presentation is built on a series of video clips – famous scenes from movies and recognizable scenes from news – to illustrate each of the leadership attributes. Attributes discussed include humility, a sense of humor, vision, the ability to inspire, communication, flexibility, leadership by example, appreciation, team building, maintaining perspective, etc. The presentation usually includes a story or two on strong examples of leadership drawn from Ambassador Cohen’s career.
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