What Halifax International Security Forum does

Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization founded in 2009 and headquartered in Washington, DC, that convenes the annual Halifax International Security Forum in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Forum brings together approximately 300 heads of state, ministers of defense and foreign affairs, senior military officers (including the NATO Military Committee Chair), legislators, defense industry CEOs, and think tank leaders from NATO and democratic partner countries to discuss the global security agenda under Chatham House Rule protections. HFX has expanded from a single annual conference into a platform-plus-programs organization with six additional products: the Peace With Women Fellowship (a three-week executive study tour for senior female military officers launched in 2018), the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service, the 15@15: Youth Building Democracy global competition (launched 2023), the HFX China initiative addressing Chinese interference in democracies, HFX Conversations digital platform, and Club HFX: The Pro-Democracy Business Group. The 2025 Forum marks the 17th annual convening.

HFX operates an event-driven, invitation-only model funded through partnerships, sponsorships, and likely government and private grants, with all pricing and revenue figures undisclosed. The organization is governed by a board chaired by Dr. Janice Stein (Munk School, University of Toronto) and led by founder and President Peter Van Praagh, with a small team of approximately 20-25 staff including a COO, Managing Director, Event Director, and program-specific personnel. Notable board members include Admiral (ret.) Rob Bauer (former NATO Military Committee Chair 2021-2025), Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović (former President of Croatia and former NATO Assistant Secretary General), and Mark Lippert (EVP Samsung Electronics America, former U.S. Ambassador to Korea). There are no investors, no parent company, and no acquisitions; the organization is independently funded. HFX's technology footprint is limited to standard website and digital content infrastructure; the organization is not a technology company. Its competitive moat is built on the compounding network of senior democratic leaders who attend annually, the reputational franchise of the Forum itself, and the interlocking program ecosystem that creates high switching costs for participants and partners.

Name

Halifax International Security Forum

Legal name

Halifax International Security Forum

Website

https://halifaxtheforum.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) is a Washington, DC-based non-profit founded in 2009 that convenes an annual security conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia, bringing together ~300 heads of state, ministers, NATO military leaders, and defense industry CEOs from democratic nations, supplemented by six additional programs including the Peace With Women Fellowship, 15@15 youth competition, and HFX China initiative.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Security Forum and Policy Convening Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910), National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

International Affairs (9721), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Defense, Security & Emergency Management Congresses (THAHAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Peace, Security & Arms Control Organizations (BPADAAAF)

Keywords

• International security forum
• Defense policy dialogue
• Military leadership development
• Democracy policy convening
• Security conference services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Organizational Funding: HFX operates as an independent, non-profit, non-partisan organization. Funding appears to come from partnerships with supporting organizations, sponsors, and possibly government grants. The organization explicitly invites partnerships from organizations that believe security is achieved through democracy.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

HFX convenes the annual Halifax International Security Forum in Nova Scotia, bringing together heads of state, ministers, generals, and industry leaders from democratic nations for frank strategic dialogue under the Chatham House Rule. The core offering is supplemented by the Peace With Women Fellowship (executive study tour for senior female military officers), HFX Conversations (ongoing dialogue platform), the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service, the 15@15 youth competition, HFX China initiative, and Club HFX business membership group.

Product overview

Halifax International Security Forum (HFX) operates as a platform-plus-programs organization consisting of the annual Halifax International Security Forum conference and several complementary programs. The core product is the annual Forum (held each November in Halifax, Nova Scotia), which is supported by the Peace With Women Fellowship for senior military officers, the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service, the 15@15 youth competition, HFX China initiative, HFX Conversations platform, Club HFX business group, and the Agenda Working Group. These programs collectively serve HFX's mission to strengthen strategic cooperation among the world's democracies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Halifax International Security Forum (Annual Forum) Annual international security conference held each November in Halifax, Nova Scotia, bringing together heads of state, ministers, generals, legislators, and thought leaders from democratic nations for plenary and informal Chatham House Rule sessions on global security challenges.
• Peace With Women Fellowship (PWWF) Three- to four-week executive study tour program for senior female military officers from NATO and NATO-partner countries, providing all-expenses-covered meetings with senior military, political, business, technology, and thought leaders and culminating in participation at the annual Halifax Forum.
• John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service Annual prize awarded at the Forum to individuals or groups who have demonstrated uncommon leadership in the pursuit of human justice, democratic principles, and courage confronting oppression.
• 15@15: Youth Building Democracy Annual global youth competition inviting young people to submit their vision for a more secure democratic future, with selected winners introduced to HFX's mission and senior leadership network.
• HFX China Initiative that addresses China's influence and interference in democratic societies, opposing self-censorship, oppression of people, technology control, intimidation of democracy supporters, and trade in products made by forced labor.
• HFX Conversations Digital dialogue platform providing ongoing international security and democratic cooperation discussions between annual Forums.
• Club HFX: The Pro-Democracy Business Group Membership initiative for leading international entrepreneurs and business leaders to engage with HFX's global network of democratic political and military leaders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300 participants from 30+ countries attended the 2022 Forum, representing the full spectrum of democratic security leadership
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Amazon Web ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAWS is listed as one of the institutional meeting locations for the Peace With Women Fellowship, providing technology sector perspective to senior military officers on digital infrastructure and cloud computing in security contexts.
• Brookings InstitutioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Brookings Institution is listed as a meeting destination for Peace With Women Fellowship, providing thought leadership engagement on governance, security policy, and international affairs.
• CAEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAE, a Canadian defense and security training company, serves as a meeting host for the Peace With Women Fellowship, providing industry perspective on defense training and simulation.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSIS is listed as an institutional meeting location for the Fellowship, providing research and policy expertise on international security and defense matters.
• DeloittecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeloitte's Defence and Intelligence practice is listed as a Fellowship meeting destination, providing consulting perspective on defense policy and security transformation.
• McCain InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe McCain Institute for International Leadership is a key institutional partner, connected to the John McCain Prize for Leadership in Public Service presented annually at the Forum.
• National Endowment for DemocracycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Endowment for Democracy, through its International Forum for Democratic Studies, is an institutional meeting destination and partner aligned with HFX's democracy-strengthening mission.
• Club HFX: The Pro-Democracy Business GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerClub HFX is HFX's business membership initiative that involves leading international entrepreneurs in HFX's global network, providing business leaders opportunity to engage with democratic political and military leaders.
• Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries (CADSI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCADSI, representing Canada's defense and security industry, is listed as a Fellowship meeting destination and Forum participant, connecting industry with government and military leadership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Chatham House: The Royal Institute of International Affairs, a globally recognized venue for international affairs research and convening under the Chatham House Rule. Its rule-based discussions directly mirror HFX's informal session format and overlapping audience.
• Brookings Institution: A leading U.S. policy research organization producing work on foreign policy, security, and governance, and convening senior officials. Brookings is a listed PWWF institutional partner, signaling overlap in audience and convening role.
• International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS): A world-leading authority on defense and security analysis that publishes strategic surveys and runs the Shangri-La Dialogue and other convenings. IISS overlaps with HFX on defense policy research and high-level convening, especially via its flagship Asia security summit.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): A prominent Washington-based think tank running defense and security programs and convening senior officials. CSIS is an institutional partner for HFX's Peace With Women Fellowship and serves a comparable policy audience.
• Atlantic Council: A leading U.S. foreign policy think tank running high-profile programs (e.g., Global Citizen Award, NATO conferences) that convene democratic leaders on transatlantic and global security issues, overlapping HFX's mission with a wider think-tank portfolio.
• German Marshall Fund of the United States: A major transatlantic policy institution that convenes leaders, publishes research, and runs fellowship-style programs on democratic governance and security. HFX's founder Peter Van Praagh previously led foreign policy there, and GMF operates overlapping convening and thought-leadership activities.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: A major international affairs think tank producing research and convening senior officials on global security, democracy, and governance — overlapping HFX's intellectual space and contributor network (e.g., Rachel Kleinfeld).

Direct peers

• Munich Security Conference: The MSC is the world's most prominent annual defense and security conference, convening heads of state, ministers, and senior officials from NATO and partner nations. It is the closest direct comparator to HFX's annual Halifax Forum in audience, format, and policy focus.
• Raisina Dialogue: India's flagship geopolitical conference co-hosted by the Observer Research Foundation and the Ministry of External Affairs, convening global leaders on security and foreign policy. Comparable to HFX as a government-linked, invitation-based security conference.
• IISS Shangri-La Dialogue: Asia's leading defense summit, organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, convening defense ministers and senior officials. It overlaps HFX on mandate (high-level security dialogue) but is region-specific to the Indo-Pacific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HFXforum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/halifax-international-security-forum
• Instagraminstagram.com/halifaxforum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Halifax International Security Forum