Deborah Ratushniak

Deborah Ratushniak is Senior Defence Industry Associate at Samuel Associates, where she supports clients with strategic positioning, defence sector engagement, executive communications, and market shaping across complex government and industry environments. She brings nearly two decades of senior experience at Raytheon ELCAN, where she held progressively senior roles spanning integrated communications, government relations, capture management, corporate strategy, and enterprise risk alignment.

Throughout her career, Deborah has been trusted by executive leadership as a strategic adviser capable of strengthening competitive posture, reducing procurement and reputational risk, and aligning corporate objectives with institutional and government priorities. Her work has directly supported major domestic and international business outcomes, including more than $100 million in annual direct bookings, the design of strategic Industrial and Technological Benefits initiatives tied to billion dollar programs, and communications and capture efforts that contributed to major NATO and allied market pursuits.

Deborah’s expertise sits at the intersection of defence industry strategy, government relations, executive narrative development, and capture enablement. She has led executive briefings, crisis communications planning, media training, policy integrated engagement strategies, and cross functional initiatives involving business development, public affairs, compliance, and brand management. Her background also includes leadership on anti counterfeiting, anti corruption and international agreements, corporate strategy development, and NATO related research, including work supporting NIAG Study 292 under NATO Secret clearance.

Deborah holds a Master’s degree in International Public Relations from Webster University in St. Louis, complemented by graduate studies in Gerontological Studies from Sheridan College and a Bachelor of Arts from McMaster University, where she focused on ethics and bioethical theory.

At Samuel Associates, Deborah adds exceptional value to clients seeking informed guidance on defence procurement environments, stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, and growth positioning in Canada and allied markets. She is particularly well placed to help organizations navigate the increasingly interconnected demands of reputation, policy, industrial participation, and competitive advantage in the defence and national security sector.