Peter Studer

Peter entered the federal public service in 1980, joining the Department of National Defence (DND) in 1987.  At DND, he occupied progressively senior positions in the areas of materiel management and administration, primarily as a procurement and finance specialist assigned to aerospace projects.

In November 2001, Peter transferred to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) as a Senior Industrial Benefits Advisor. At ACOA, Peter worked with prime contractors and regional small and medium enterprises on marine and land procurement files. Peter also organized and led several aerospace, defence and security trade missions to international events including Exponaval and DSEI.

In January 2012, Peter retired from the Public Service of Canada and opened Harte Studer Business Development Limited, which contracted the majority of its time to CFN Consultants, Canada’s premier aerospace and defence consultancy. At CFN, Peter provided clients with advice, information, and exposure to the Canadian market in the areas of government procurement and Canadian industrial capacity. Peter’s goal was to enable clients to successfully assess, penetrate and exploit the Canadian market as a direct supplier to government and/or industry, or as a partner with government, industry and academia.

In August 2014, Peter left CFN to open the Canadian subsidiary, QinetiQ Canada Operations Limited (QCOL), of QinetiQ plc, a major U.K. based aerospace and defence firm As QCOL’s Vice President, Business Development & Sales, Peter was responsible for showcasing QinetiQ’s capabilities to Canadian government decision makers. Seeking to bring his new experience to a larger array of clients, Peter returned to CFN in September 2015. In June 2021, Peter was invited to become a CFN Partner. Peter is dedicated to a single proposition – serve the client’s interests.

In addition to his work with CFN, Peter was asked in December 2016 to join the Advisory Board of the “Best Defence Conference”, and in January 2017, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) selected Peter to be the first Canadian member of NZTE’s Beachhead International Advisor Program. From July 2021 to July 2023, Peter served as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Waterloo Institute of Sustainable Aviation.