About Our Host

Alex McPhail brings a uniquely multidimensional perspective to leadership, shaped by decades of experience across technology, international business, government, crisis response, and sport. A graduate in science from the University of Waterloo, Alex began his career as a software developer and team leader before launching his own company, commercializing and manufacturing satellite control systems used in remote sensing ground stations around the world.
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He later turned his focus to teaching and public service, instructing in the Master of Public Policy and Administration program at Carleton University and at the Sprott School of Business, where he explored the intersection of leadership, communication, and technical expertise. A motivational speaker for technical professionals, Alex helped bridge the gap between competence and confidence, helping people translate knowledge into influence. He volunteered many years as a crisis counsellor, eventually serving as the President of the Ottawa Distress Center.

Today, he is the CEO of The EXA Consulting Group, Canada’s leading capture and proposal firm. He is also the author of Win Big the EXA Way, widely regarded as the definitive guide to capture and proposal leadership in Canada. His insights are shaped not only by business but in life: Alex travels extensively, he is an avid reader of books and articles in business, psychology, economics, and science, and he officiates part-time in the Canadian Football League.

Curious, candid, and deeply reflective, Alex has spent a lifetime studying interpersonal dynamics and high-stakes decision-making. Inside the Decision is where he brings those threads together, creating a space for honest conversations with leaders about what it really feels like to make defining choices when the pressure is on and everything’s at stake.