Brain Health + Brain Skills = Brain Capital

In 2011 Michael H. Wilson and Bill Wilkerson co-authored a report, many years ahead of its time, outlining the connection between brain health and productive workplaces. 

They proposed “a new dimension to the concept of supply-side economics to include investment in and of brain capital to parallel capital investments.” Investing in technology and people, they argued, will sow the seeds of a “revolution in productivity.” 

Wilson was a former ambassador to the United States and federal finance minister. Wilkerson was a senior business leader with a varied career spanning the sports, arts and communications industries. They were largely responsible for putting mental health on the radar of corporate Canada, and together formed the Global Business and Economic Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health, which published the report. 

Their approach was paradigm-changing, at a time when conversations about the brain focused on diseases and disorders, on deficits and a health crisis. They flipped the script to an asset focus. This meant not only thinking in terms of absenteeism and presenteeism, but also about what is lost when people are functioning sub-optimally or opting out of the workforce entirely. 

The concept of brain capital has since gained momentum in Canada and globally, particularly with the rise of AI. This technological shift has put front and centre the value of human/brain skills — critical thinking, judgement, empathy, resilience, managing stress, getting along with people, collaborating, problem-solving — and ultimately greater emphasis on brain health.  

We are just beginning to examine the brain skills needed to live harmoniously with AI. How AI will impact our future will depend on our ability to understand its capabilities and develop the appropriate frameworks. 

PPF’s Canada Growth Summit 2026, on May 7, will feature a panel discussion with brain capital experts Inez Jabalpurwala, PPF’s President and CEO, and Dr. Andrew Nevin, the Inaugural Director of Brainomics Venture at the Center for BrainHealth, Dallas, Tex, and co-author of Flourishing in Canada. 

The landmark Wilson-Wilkerson report — essential reading for this important discussion — can be downloaded here.  

Brain capital is also a key pillar in PPF’s new Build Big Talent initiative, looking at how Canada can develop a workforce with the right skills to drive economic growth. 

Building Canada’s brain capital means understanding  the importance and value of brain health at the individual and population level and change from a siloed, late-stage approach focused on brain health at crisis points, to a collaborative model focused on prevention, wellness and optimization of brain health across the lifespan.  

And this means starting early in educating our young people about the fundamentals of enhancing their brain health, and maintaining these habits throughout their education, work and family life. It also means policies that can support better brain health. 

See the full agenda for the Canada Growth Summit 2026 and register now.  

 For more information about PPF’s Build Big Talent initiative, contact Chris Hobson, Director, Policy: CHobson@ppforum.ca