Canada's First Celebrity Economist on Her Journey, AI, and the Economy

Sherry Cooper is widely regarded as Canada's first celebrity economist. She holds a PhD in economics from the University of Pittsburgh and has had a distinguished career spanning over four decades. Her journey began at the Federal Reserve in Washington D.C., where she worked under Paul Volcker, the Fed chair, from 1977 to 1982.

Cooper's experience during this period was marked by high inflation and two severe oil crises. She has stated that gasoline wasn't even available during this time. Her work with Volcker remained a significant influence throughout her career, and she has credited him as a mentor.

Cooper moved to Toronto in the 1980s, where she joined Burns Fry as a senior financial economist. She was later promoted to chief economist and became one of the first women to hold this position at a major Bay Street brokerage. In 2006, she took on the role of chief economist at Bank of Montreal, before retiring at the age of 62 in 2012.

Cooper has been vocal about her passion for artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential impact on the economy. She believes that Canada has a significant opportunity to capitalize on AI expertise but struggles with commercialization due to funding and market issues.