President and CEO, Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation

Tony LaMantia is the President & CEO of the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation (Waterloo EDC). A University of Waterloo alumnus, Tony had ties to the community for decades before helping to found Waterloo EDC as the organization’s inaugural leader in 2016. A community builder at heart, he relishes the opportunity to work with businesses, civic leaders, governments and organizations like chambers of commerce and tech ecosystem anchors to help build a strong, sustainable economy for the people of Waterloo Region.

Tony is the Past Chair of the Business and Economic Support Team for Waterloo Region (BESTWR), the partnership created to advocate on behalf of the local business community during the COVID-19 crisis, and is currently a member of its leadership team.

A passionate leader, his career has spanned the public, private and non-profit sectors with executive roles in investment marketing, technology sales and mining, as well as the Province of Ontario where he was Assistant Deputy Minister of Investment and Industry.