Speakers

Biography

Fayza Abdallaoui is the founder and director of Next Level-Impact Consulting, a coach, a professor, an investor and a SheEO activator. An active member of the diverse Francophone community in Canada and a passionate innovative agent of change, she has initiated and managed various initiatives of economic development including strategy consulting, training programs for entrepreneurs from various sectors, microloans and loans circles initiatives, mentorship, coaching and networking and PR opportunities and is building an extensive network of partners, leaders and members of the francophone community nationally and internationally.

She is member of different committees dedicated to supporting women entrepreneurs such as with the Société Economique de l’Ontario or to support the launch of an incubator piloted by the Conseil de la Coopération de l’Ontario.

She is also currently launching, in partnership with Oasis Centre des Femmes and Cuisine Santé des Canadiens the social business “Bon Appétit”, the first catering cooperative dedicated to supporting the financial empowerment of francophone vulnerable immigrant and refugees’ women in Ontario. And is preparing the launch of a platform dedicated to financial literacy, especially focused on women, entrepreneurs and immigrants.

A Diversity CivicAction fellow from 2017, she was also, until July 2019, the president of the Board of MOFIF, Ontarian Movement of Francophone Immigrant Women. She is currently on the Board of Directors of the Theatre Français de Toronto and a founding director of the Algerian Association of the Greater Toronto Area.

Fayza Abdallaoui also regularly speaks or MC at conferences. She has been featured on “Vocation Leader”, on RDI Economie as a rising leader along with more experienced entrepreneurs such as Guy Cormier and Ethan Song. She teaches Management and Leadership and Public Speaking at the College Boréal of Ontario.

Biography

With more than 3 decades of entrepreneurial success, Kerry Adler has built a venerable career as a widely recognized award winning business leader, visionary, pioneer and trailblazer in the renewable energy and BPO industries.

As one of the first entrepreneurs in North America to spearhead the renewable energy industry, Mr. Adler founded SkyPower in 2003, a globally recognized and leading developer, owner and operator of large utility-scale solar projects with an active presence in over 36 countries and multibillion dollar electricity contracts around the world.

Mr. Adler is a vocal and public champion of solar energy’s global growth potential and under his leadership, SkyPower's vibrant expansion continues to help countries around the world energize their cities. A trusted and sought after energy advisor to numerous Heads of State, Kerry Adler was instrumental in the formation of the Green Energy Act, North America’s first comprehensive clean energy legislation.

Mr. Adler’s proven business leadership spans across multiple, international industries including Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Webhelp Worldwide, an international BPO solutions group, which today has grown to over 40,000 employees. Prior to this, he served as Chairman and CEO of SITEL Canada and EVP, Office of the President, SITEL Corporation, a leading NYSE-listed CRM company with more than 24,000 employees in 18 countries. Mr. Adler also served as EVP and President of the Canadian Telephone Company, Corpfon Cellular, Canada's first Cellular Reseller Network.

Since 2003, Mr. Adler has been designing and developing renewables strategies coupled with driving governments towards their climate change initiatives by executing on technologically advanced infrastructure projects in renewables with a focus on PPP implementation and GDP growth. He is an active board member, supporter and contributor to global organizations including the UN Global Compact, Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), United Nations Foundation, Canada-UAE Business Council, Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU), Canada Arab Business Council (CABC), Canadian Council on Africa, Special Advisor to the Founders of the IEFA, and a Member of the Government of Canada’s Canada-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), amongst others.

Mr. Adler is also an award winning business leader, having been honoured by the United Nations as the Entrepreneur of the Year in 1999 and once again, by the United Nation Global Compact in 2016 as the Inaugural SDG Pioneer for Climate Action (SDG 13). In 2019, at the 9th Global Ritossa Family Office Investment Summit under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco, Mr. Adler was recognized as one of the early pioneers of solar energy and as a leading authority on renewable energy around the world. Mr. Adler received the ‘Family Office Social Responsibility 2019 Award’, an international award in recognition of outstanding business and environmental contributions through sustainable practices benefiting social and economic development.

In 2018, during the Global Giving Awards, Middle East Leadership Awards, and World Leadership Congress Awards, Mr. Adler was honoured with numerous accolades including CEO of the Year ‘Who Believes in the Spirit of Giving’ Award, the 2018 Award for ‘Environmental & Corporate Sustainability’, and the award for leading the ‘Most Successful Sustained Organization in 2018.’ He is also the recipient of other industry awards that include the ‘Global 2016 ESG Responsible Executive Team Award’ and notable awards for building the fastest growing company in Canada as well as the ‘Global Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award’ from the UN.

As an innovator, climate action leader and advocate for a renewable future, Mr. Adler is sought-after as a renowned industry spokesperson at dozens of global events annually that include the World Future Energy Summit, Atlantic Council, UN Global Compact, UN Global Leaders’ Summit, UNECE, International Economic Forum of the Americas, and a champion for advancing the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Mr. Adler was educated in both the USA and Canada, where he studied at Bryant University, Concordia University and The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with specializations in Management, Administration, Marketing, Economics (with Honors), and in (AI) Neural Language Programming. Mr. Adler is also a board member, advisor and investor to numerous start-up companies in emerging technology, AI, IOT, media, and infrastructure.

Biography

Giadha Aguirre de Carcer is Founder and CEO of New Frontier Data, the leading cannabis big data and analytics reporting provider in over 80 countries around the world. An entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in business execution, management, and strategic business development, Aguirre de Carcer has worked in investment banking and as a senior consultant in multiple industries across commercial/government sectors domestically and abroad.

Having launched and operated four successful data-driven businesses, including disruptive technologies such as the original patent application behind Progressive’s Snapshot and Verizon’s Hum, Aguirre de Carcer is considered an expert in strategic positioning and risk management in emerging high-growth markets, investment banking, and government and commercial intelligence data collection and analysis. These core skill sets, along with dynamic entrepreneurship, have defined Aguirre de Carcer’s career and drive her vision forward for New Frontier Data.

Aguirre de Carcer is an official member of the Forbes Technology Council, and her work has been featured in Forbes, Fortune, CNBC, Fox News, CNN Money, Bloomberg, WSJ and other top news outlets, as well as in documentaries and books, including “Mary Janes,” “The Marijuana Show,” “The Great Green Gold Rush,” and “Breaking the Grass Ceiling,” among others.

Number Seven on the list of the 20 Most Influential Women in Cannabis by greendorphin, Aguirre de Carcer also has been designated one of The Most Powerful Women to Watch in D.C. and is a Stevie Awards Maverick of the Year award recipient. Her reputation of building a company that is considered the most reliable, trusted and unbiased cannabis big data company, has positioned her at the center of the 116^thCongressional discussion on federal legalization, providing hard data to leaders as they study the reality and impact of cannabis legalization.

Her passion for trusted and unbiased data extends well beyond U.S. borders; in 2018, Aguirre de Carcer created the InterCannAlliance (ICA). The ICA is a New Frontier Data-led effort to foster best practices by sharing lessons learned to newly emerging cannabis stakeholders from leaders in each of the Nine Foundational Pillars of a healthy cannabis market. Her passion for education and sharing of knowledge stems from her many mentoring and volunteer efforts including the creation of the Women Entrepreneurship Reinforcement (WeR), a program to mentor and coach women starting their own businesses.

Although not the first woman to enter this space, she is the first immigrant woman and the first female to launch a FINTECH company in cannabis. She is also first to raise over $15M for a company operating in this industry.

New Frontier Data, headquartered in D.C., has been recognized in DCINNO as one of 17 D.C. area startups to Watch. PC Mag named the company one of just 15 Blazing Hot Weed Tech Companies to Watch. Having long since moved from being a startup, New Frontier Data now has the largest earned media of any other company in cannabis with 85% of the share of voice and over 6 billion in earned media reach.

Giadha Aguirre de Carcer is fluent in five languages: English, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. Born in Italy and raised in France and Spain, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations & Trade from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Arts in International Security from Georgetown University.

Biography

Aharon Aharon is the CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority, an independent public entity that operates for the benefit of the Israeli innovation ecosystem and Israeli economy as a whole. Its role is to nurture and develop Israeli innovation resources, while creating and strengthening the infrastructure and framework needed to support the entire knowledge industry.
Prior to his role at the Authority, Aharon served as the VP of Hardware Technologies and General Manager of Apple Israel. Aharon joined Apple in 2011, as its first Apple employee in Israel, and managed the R&D activities of Apple’s Hardware Technologies in Israel.
In 2004, Aharon co-founded Camero, a startup company developing through-the-wall micro-power radars for the defense and HLS markets. He served as the CEO and Chairman of the company, which was acquired by the SK group in 2010.
From 2003 till 2010, Aharon served as an active Chairman of the Board at Discretix, a startup company providing solutions for data security in mobile phones and hand-held devices. Discretix was acquired by ARM in 2014.
Aharon managed Seabridge, a wholly owned subsidiary of Siemens.
As CEO, he oversaw the successful turnaround of the company.
Aharon served as COO of Zoran (NASDAQ: ZRAN) in Silicon Valley, managing all aspects of company activities along with the financing of development of chips for consumer electronics markets.
Aharon began his professional career at the IBM Research Division in Haifa, Israel, where he spent 14 years and held a number of senior management positions including Deputy Manager of IBM Research’s Haifa operations.
Aharon holds a B.Sc and M.Sc in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering respectively from the Technion, where he lectured for more than 15 years (1983-1999).

Biography

Ido Aharoni serves as Global Distinguished Professor for International Relations at New York University’s. He is a Global Ambassador of the Genius 100 Community, Co-Founder of Emerson Rigby, a member of the International Advisory Council of APCO Worldwide, a Global Ambassador for Maccabi World Union and the Chairman of the Charney Forum on New Diplomacy.

Aharoni is a 25-year veteran of Israel’s Foreign service. He is a place branding and public diplomacy specialist, founder of the Brand Israel program and a well-known nation branding practitioner.

Aharoni has been Israel's longest serving Consul-General in New York and the tri-state area to date. He held that position with the rank of Ambassador for six years, overseeing the operations of Israel’s largest diplomatic mission worldwide.

Biography

Luis Almagro Lemes was elected Secretary General of the Organization of American States on March 18, 2015, with the unanimous support of 33 of 34 member states, and one abstention. Upon taking leadership of the OAS, he announced that one of the central themes of his mandate will be “more rights for more people,” and that he would work to bring the Organization closer to the new realities in the Hemisphere and contribute to ensuring more democracy, security and prosperity for all.

A career diplomat, Almagro was Foreign Minister of Uruguay from 2010 to March 1, 2015, and has extensive regional and international experience. In addition, he was elected Senator in the national elections in Uruguay in October 2014.

His time at the head of Uruguayan diplomacy was characterized by activism in defense of human and civil rights at the regional and global level, the insertion of Uruguay into non-traditional markets, the diversification of these markets, and the strengthening of the image of Uruguay as a democratic, fair, tolerant, and diverse society, with ever increasing rights for more Uruguayans.

As Foreign Minister for President José Mujíca, he defined several emblematic initiatives that put the small South American country on the global map, from receiving former prisoners from Guantanamo, to welcoming dozens of Syrian families who had been victims of the country´s conflict, to building support in the United Nations so that, beginning in 2016, Uruguay will become part of the Security Council.
Moreover, Uruguay has maintained its presence in Haiti to ensure the continuity of the process of reconstruction in the country following the devastating earthquake of 2010.

Knowledgeable about the new regional alignments, Almagro was an active participant in the consolidation of UNASUR and CELAC and as member of the special UNASUR delegation to Venezuela in 2014 he was recognized as an advocate of dialogue between the government and the opposition to stop the violence at that moment.

As a consensus builder in the region and at the same time a driver of new initiatives, during his term at the head of the country´s diplomacy, he achieved the long-desired entry of citrus products into the United States, a key market for the sector, while moving forward with bilateral cooperation programs in areas of scientific-technical innovation.

For its part, Uruguay developed specific programs of cooperation for development with Bolivia, Paraguay, and several African nations in the context of the vision of international solidarity that characterized the term of the former Foreign Minister.

The candidate for Secretary General of the OAS was also Ambassador to China for five years, after occupying senior diplomatic posts in the Foreign Ministry of his country, and in the Embassies of Uruguay in Germany and Iran.

In 2014 Foreign Policy magazine named him a Leading Global Thinker, one of ten decision-makers in the region granted this international distinction.

Almagro, a lawyer by profession, is married and has seven children. In addition to Spanish, he speaks English and French.

Biography

Dan Barclay was appointed CEO & Group Head of BMO Capital Markets in November 2018. In this role, he is responsible for BMO Financial Group’s interactions with corporate, institutional and government clients worldwide. Previously, Dan was Co-Head, Global Investment & Corporate Banking (I&CB) where he oversaw relationships with corporate and government clients, including equity and debt underwriting, corporate lending and project financing, mergers and acquisitions advisory services, and global trade and banking.

Dan has over 27 years of investment banking experience in a broad range of industries. He joined BMO in 2003 as a Managing Director in the Mergers and Acquisitions group, and in 2009 was named Head of Canadian Mergers and Acquisitions. In 2014 he was appointed Head of Investment & Corporate Banking Canada and International. Prior to joining BMO, Dan spent 13 years in investment banking at a global and Canadian investment dealer.

Dan serves on BMO Financial Group’s Executive Committee and chairs BMO Capital Markets’ Operating and Executive committees.

As a proud supporter of the United Way, Dan acted as past co-chair of the BMO Capital Markets Employee Giving Campaign and is a recipient of the Women in Capital Markets Champion of Change Award (2016). He also currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada.

Dan holds a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Alberta and an MBA from the University of Calgary.

Biography

Martin “Marty” Baron became executive editor of The Washington Post on January 2, 2013. He oversees The Post’s print and digital news operations and a staff of more than 800 journalists.

Newsrooms under his leadership have won 14 Pulitzer Prizes, including seven at The Washington Post. The Post during his tenure has won four times for national reporting, and once each for investigative reporting, explanatory reporting and public service, the latter in recognition of revelations of secret surveillance by the National Security Agency.

Previously, Baron had been editor of The Boston Globe. During his 11 ½ years there, The Globe won six Pulitzer prizes—for public service, explanatory journalism, national reporting and criticism. The Pulitzer Prize for Public Service was awarded to the Globe in 2003 for its investigation into a pattern of concealing clergy sex abuse in the Catholic Church, coverage portrayed years later in the Academy Award-winning movie “Spotlight.”

Prior to the Globe, he held top editing positions at The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the Miami Herald. Under his leadership, the Miami Herald won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Coverage in 2001 for its coverage of the raid to recover Elián González, the Cuban boy at the center of a fierce immigration and custody dispute.

His honors include Editor of the Year by the National Press Foundation (2004), the Al Neuharth Award for Excellence in the Media (2017), the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Award (2017), and the Award for Public Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government (2016). In 2012, he was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is the recipient of honorary doctorates from George Washington University, George Mason University, and his alma mater, Lehigh University.

He began his journalism career at the Miami Herald in 1976, serving as a state reporter and later as a business writer. In 1979, he moved to the Los Angeles Times, where he became business editor in 1983; assistant managing editor for page-one special reports, public opinion polling and special projects in 1991; and, in 1993, editor of the newspaper’s Orange County Edition, which then had about 165 staffers.

In 1996, Baron moved to The New York Times; he became associate managing editor responsible for the nighttime news operations of the newspaper in 1997. He was named executive editor at the Miami Herald at the start of 2000.

Born in 1954 and raised in Tampa, FL, Baron speaks fluent Spanish. He graduated from Lehigh University in 1976 with both BA and MBA degrees.

Biography

Dominic Barton is the Global Managing Director of McKinsey & Company. In his 27 years with the firm, Dominic has advised clients in a range of industries including banking, consumer goods, high tech and industrial. Prior to his current role, Dominic was based in Shanghai as McKinsey’s Asia Chairman from 2004 to 2009 and led the Korea office from 2000 to 2004.

Dominic is an active participant in international fora including Davos, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Les Rencontres Économiques d’Aix-en-Provence, the Asia Business Council and the China Development Forum. He has authored more than 80 articles on the role of business in society, leadership, financial services, Asia, history and the issues and opportunities facing markets worldwide. Dominic is a co-author, with Roberto Newell and Greg Wilson, of Dangerous Markets: Managing in Financial Crises (Wiley & Sons, 2002), and his most recent book is China Vignettes: An Inside Look at China (Talisman, 2007).

Dominic leads McKinsey’s work on the future of capitalism, long-term value-creation and the role of business leadership in society. This is a set of research initiatives and projects to convene organisations and leaders for constructive action. One such project was a task force on Inclusive Capitalism, which Dominic co-led with Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild (sponsored by the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank). The task force – comprised of business and public leaders in the US and UK – developed approaches for engaging and scaling business actions to address issues that create both social and economic value.

He is a Trustee of the Brookings Institution, a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board’s International Advisory Council, an advisor to the Asia Development Bank, a member of the Advisory Board for the China Development Bank Capital Group and a Board Member of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Dominic has received multiple awards for his business leadership and contributions to the communities in which he has lived – for example, in February 2013 Dominic received the Order of Civil Merit (Peony Medal) from former President Lee of South Korea. He is a Rhodes Trustee and an Honorary Fellow at Brasenose College, Oxford. Dominic is also an Adjunct Lecturer at Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Biography

The Honourable Perrin Beatty, PC, OC, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the 200,000-member Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Canada’s largest and most representative national business association. Before joining the Canadian Chamber in August 2007, Perrin held the same role at Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME).

A descendant of one of Canada’s most prominent manufacturing families, he grew up in Fergus, Ontario and graduated from the University of Western Ontario in 1971.

Perrin was first elected to the House of Commons as a Progressive Conservative in 1972. During his 21 years in Parliament, he served as Minister in seven different portfolios, including Treasury Board, National Revenue, Solicitor General, Defence, National Health and Welfare, Communications and External Affairs.

In 1994, Perrin joined a number of private sector boards and worked as a consultant in communications. In addition, he was an Honorary Visiting Professor in Western University’s Department of Political Science. From 1995 to 1999, he served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In keeping with his long-standing interest in education, Perrin served as Chancellor of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology from 2008 to 2015. He has received honorary Doctor of Law degrees from Western University, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and Wilfrid Laurier University.

Perrin is currently a member of the board of directors of Mitsui Canada and in 2018, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for his lifetime of public service and for his devotion to the development of our nation as a community leader and corporate visionary. In 2020, the Government of Japan awarded Perrin the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star, in recognition of his many distinguished achievements in international relations and advancements in Canada-Japan business relations.

Biography

Mr. Robert Beaudry is member of the executive committee, in charge of economic and commercial development, design and housing city councillor of the St-Jacques district.
Before his election in November 2017, Mr. Beaudry held various positions in community organisations: Le Pas de la Rue, la Société de développement social de Ville-Marie and Spectre de Rue.
Graduate in History of the Arts and Non for Profit Management; Laureate of the Municipal Merit – Prix de la relève municipale 2012.

Biography

John M. Beck is Founder and Chairman of Aecon Group Inc. (TSX: ARE), Canada’s premier construction and infrastructure development company.   A leader in providing services to private and public sector clients throughout Canada and internationally, Aecon primarily serves the Infrastructure, Energy and Mining sectors.

A graduate in Civil Engineering from McGill University, Mr. Beck has more than 50 years of experience in the construction industry in Canada and internationally. His background includes corporate leadership in numerous construction activities including heavy civil projects and public-private partnerships for the development of infrastructure, such as airports, toll roads and transit systems.

Mr. Beck is currently a member of the Board of Directors of PPP Canada, the Ontario Financing Authority, the Royal Conservatory of Music as well as Co-Chair of the Infrastructure & Urban Development Industries at the World Economic Forum.  He is a member of the Advisory Council for the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary and is also a member of the Business Council of Canada. He was previously Chairman of the Board of the Ontario Power Authority, a government agency with responsibility for planning and procuring all of the province’s power needs for the next 20 years.  He was named P3 Champion of the Year by the Canadian Council of Public Private Partnerships in 2013. In recognition of his distinguished achievements and career-long service to the engineering profession, Mr. Beck was inducted as a Fellow into the Canadian Academy of Engineering.

Biography

Jean-Christophe Bédos is currently the President and CEO of Birks Group Inc., formerly Henry Birks & Sons, Canada’s 140-year-old premier luxury jewelery brand.
Mr. Bédos came to Birks from the high-end jeweler Boucheron International (Kering), in Paris, France where he served as President and CEO, following a distinguished career with the Richemont Group in Paris and London and with the iconic jeweler of Cartier.
In July 2018, Birks was prized with the prestigious Brand Of the Year Award. The prestigious World Branding Awards are the premier recognition programme of the UK-based World Branding Forum. Birks is the only brand to receive the award in the Retail Jewellery category, surpassing the impressive competition for its dedication and passion behind the fine jewellery brand.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of Birks Group Inc., the Montreal General Hospital Foundation. Mr. Bédos is a Member of the London Business School Global Advisory Council. He is an active participant on the committee for “the Future of Sainte-Catherine Street” Project and has participated as co-chair for fundraising campaigns of the McCord Museum and l’Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal.
Mr. Bédos is a skilled brand builder within the luxury retail sector, who brings a very relevant background having spent his entire career for more than twenty-nine years within the high-end watch and jewelry industry. Mr. Bédos earned a MSc in Business Management from London Business School – Sloan Fellowship Masters Program, with Distinctions in Marketing and Brand Management; a BA in International Commercial Law from University of Paris Pantheon-Sorbonne; BA (Honors) in European Business from Trent University, Nottingham, England; BA in Business Administration from Toulouse Business School, Toulouse, France.

Biography

Yoshua Bengio (computer science PhD, 1991, McGill U; post-docs at MIT and Bell Labs, computer science professor at U. Montréal since 1993): he authored three books, over 300 publications (h-index over 108, over 112,000 citations), mostly in deep learning, holds a Canada Research Chair in Statistical Learning Algorithms, is Officer of the Order of Canada, recipient of the Marie-Victorin Quebec Prize 2017, he is a CIFAR Senior Fellow and co-directs its Learning in Machines and Brains program. He is scientific director of the Montreal Institute for Learning Algorithms (MILA), currently the largest academic research group on deep learning. He is on the NIPS foundation board (previously program chair and general chair) and co-created the ICLR conference (specialized in deep learning) and scientific co-director of IVADO. He pioneered deep learning and his goal is to uncover the principles giving rise to intelligence through learning, as well as contribute to the development of AI for the benefit of all.

Biography

Jean-Stephane Bernard is Associate General Secretary for the Secrétariat du Québec aux Relations canadiennes of the Ministère du Conseil exécutif since March 2018.

Between October 2014 and March 2018, he was Deputy Minister of the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie, after being the Assistant Deputy Minister for the Bilateral Affairs of the same ministry from August 2012 to October 2014. He was before that Québec Delegate to New England, from February 2011 to August 2012, and he represented the Québec government in Washington DC as Director of the Québec Office, from November 2007 to February 2011.

Mr. Bernard began his career in the Québec public service in 1994. From 1994 to 2007, he held a variety of positions at the Régie des rentes du Québec (provincial pension commission), serving as Financial Management Analyst; Assistant to the Vice-President, Client Services; Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer; and finally as Director of the Internet Services and Corporate Security Branch. In March 2007, he was appointed Director of Revenu Québec’s Online Services Development and Planning Branch.

Over the years, Mr. Bernard also served on the Board of the Québec Public Administration Institute (IAPQ). In addition, he chaired the Young Explorers Program and the Public Service Youth Forum, as well as coordinating the Public Service Executive Forum (FDGO) and the Public Service Expertise Centre (CEGO). In 2005, he served on the provincial Healthcare and Social Services Task Force chaired by Jacques Ménard. M. Bernard currently serves on the boards of directors of the Institute of public administration of Canada and the Caisse Desjardins of Sillery St-Louis de France.

Mr. Bernard received a degree in administrative sciences (finance and accounting) from Laval University and a master’s in public administration from the National School of Public Administration (ÉNAP) in Québec City.  He also completed an executive education certificate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In 2018, he received from the ÉNAP for his exceptional contribution the medal of the 50^th anniversary of the University of Quebec and in 2019, for its 50^th anniversary, ÉNAP named him one of its eleven influential graduates.

Biography

David Bhamjee has worked at EDC for 18 years and was appointed Vice-President of Public Affairs and Corporate Secretary in 2019. He is responsible for critical corporate and business advisory functions that oversee EDC’s strategic relationships with Government, the Board of Directors, private sector partners and civil society. In addition, as Corporate Secretary he works with the Board of Directors and Senior Management to support the effective governance of the corporation.  Over his 18 years at EDC, David served as Vice-President of Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Vice-President of Corporate Strategy, and in a number of leadership roles across the corporation.

Biography

Marla Blow is the Founder of FS Card, a startup credit card company (sold to strategic acquirer in December 2018), and serves as a Partner with Fenway Summer. In February 2018, Ms. Blow joined the Board of Directors of Care.com (NYSE: CRCM), the world's largest online marketplace for finding and managing family care.

Ms. Blow won the EY Mid Atlantic Emerging Company Entrepreneur of the Year Award for 2018, and has been listed as one of Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business. Marla was featured in the April 2018 Vanity Fair “26 Women of Color Diversifying Entrepreneurship” photo shoot, and she is a Henry Crown Fellow as part of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Previously, she was part of the Implementation Team to stand up the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and ultimately served as the Assistant Director for Card and Payment Markets, where she shaped the CFPB’s regulatory priorities in these markets.

Prior to joining the CFPB, Marla spent seven years in a variety of functions at Capital One in the credit card business.  Ms. Blow is a member of the US Capital Chapter of YPO, and previously served on the Board of Directors of FactorTrust, a provider of underbanked consumer data, analytics and risk scoring solutions.  Marla holds an MBA from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Biography

Selim Bora holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering, from the Middle East Technical University of Ankara, as well as a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering from the Alfred University of New York.

In 1993, Mr. Bora joined the Summa International Construction company as Business Development Manager, first in Turkmenistan and then in Kyrgyzstan. In 1995, he was named Regional Manager of Summa for the Russian Federation, based in Moscow. Mr. Bora became President of Summa in 1999 after holding the position of Vice-President for 3 years. Since its foundation in 1989, Summa has enjoyed a reputation for responsible service and on-time, design build, turn-key contract delivery in exigent international markets.

For the last nine years, Summa operates in Sub-Sahara Africa namely; Equatorial Guinea, Senegal, Rwanda, Congo Brazzaville, Niger, Benin.

Under the leadership of Mr. Bora, the Group was ranked within Top 225 International Construction Companies by Engineering News Record- a prominent publication. Today Summa has diversified business interest and operations in BOT Airports, Hospitals, Shopping Malls, Hotels and similar infrastructure projects as an Investor/EPC Contractor globally.

 Selim Bora acting as Chairman of non-profit “Akyurt Foundation” also chairs in several economic boards.

Biography

Carl is a Montreal based retail strategist and board advisor with over 25 years of hands on operational, marketing, merchandising and retail executive experience. He has worked across a full array of retailer environments from the very large, such as 10 years with Costco Wholesale to working as a strategy consultant for a group of 800 independent retailers across Canada. As founder of StudioRx, now working with CloudRaker, he guides senior retailer leaders to better leverage their combined choices of technology, analytics & design to create positive outcomes both for their customers and bottom line. He also advises technology companies on how to best tailor their solutions to address needs that matter most to retailers. He spent a year working with a team of computer vision (AI) researchers as their retail strategy & global commercial lead. He holds an MBA from Queen’s University and advices several retail associations and innovation labs including the Retail Council of Canada, the Quebec Center for Commercial Innovation and the Bensadoun School of Retail Management School at McGill University.

Biography

Richard Bradley is Editor in Chief of the Worth Group. A respected author, journalist, and speaker, Richard is responsible for the Worth Group’s editorial print, digital, broadcast, and radio content.  He sets the overall direction of Worth’s editorial voice as the “authority on excellence” and leads the team that creates Worth content that is distributed through the company’s platforms and those of its partners. Richard leads the editorial direction of the Worth Group’s award-winning print magazine, Worth, which is published quarterly. He spearheads Worth’s flagship franchise, the Power 100, which is Worth’s authoritative look at the most influential people in global finance, and oversees the Worth Group’s aggressive expansion into content distribution across multiple platforms. Richard identifies and secures thought leaders to participate in Worth Group events—Wells Fargo Chairman and CEO John Stumpf, California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, FOX Business journalist Trish Regan, and many others—and structures and moderates discussions among them.

Richard’s previous experience includes roles as the executive editor of George, the political magazine founded by John F. Kennedy Jr.; 02138, a lifestyle magazine for Harvard alumni; and Regardie’s, a Washington business monthly.  He is the author of three best-selling books: American Son, a memoir of John Kennedy and George; Harvard Rules, an exploration of Harvard University during an important time of its history; and The Greatest Game: The Yankees, the Red Sox, and the Playoff of ’78. A graduate of Yale College and Harvard University, Richard has written for Boston, Mother Jones, Rolling Stone, Salon, Slate, The New Republic, The New York Times, The Washington Monthly, The Washington Post, Washingtonian, and Vanity Fair, among others.

Biography

Paul F. Browning was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (MHPS-AMER), Inc. on April 1, 2016 and oversees all Western Hemisphere business activities. MHPS-AMER is headquartered in Central Florida, and has regional offices across Canada, the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil. With over 2,000 employees, MHPS-AMER operates four manufacturing and repair centers and provides a wide variety of products and services for the electric power generation industry including gas, steam, and geothermal turbines, boiler, and environmental control systems to serve customers throughout the Americas. Mr. Browning has led MHPS-AMER’s expansion into Central and South America, assembled teams and opened regional offices, positioning MHPS-AMER as a top competitor in the LATAM energy market.
Mr. Browning has extensive global leadership experience in distributed and central power generation, as well as in North American midstream and downstream oil and gas operations. He has worked in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Germany and has commercial experience around the world. He has also served on the Board of Directors of eSolar and Fuel Cell Energy.
Prior to joining MHPS-AMER, Mr. Browning was President and Chief Executive Officer of Irving Oil Company Limited. Irving Oil owns and operates Canada’s largest oil refinery and crude oil import terminal, and is a joint venture partner in Canada’s only LNG import terminal. The company markets its products in eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.
Before joining Irving Oil, Mr. Browning was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Thermal Products Division of GE Power & Water in Schenectady, New York. At General Electric, he and his team developed new products for the power generation industry and sold and executed utility scale power generation projects throughout the world.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Browning worked for Caterpillar Corporation in a variety of leadership positions, including Managing Director of Caterpillar Motoren in Kiel, Germany, Vice President of Turbomachinery Products for Solar Turbines in San Diego, CA and General Manager of a manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico. He began his career at GE Corporate Research and Development in Niskayuna, New York.
Mr. Browning holds a B.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering & Materials Science from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as an M.S. degree in Materials Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Biography

Franck Bruel has held commercial and general management roles in several multinational corporations. In 2016, with a wealth of international experience and a firm belief in the importance of energy efficiency in fighting climate change, he joined ENGIE – a leader in the energy transition – as Executive Vice President. He is currently ENGIE EXCOM member in charge of Business Units Latin America and United Kingdom, after a couple of years in charge of B2B energy services in France, as well as setting up the global green hydrogen BU.

Since May 2018, he is a member of the Board of Directors of SUEZ.

Franck worked successively at L’Oréal, Pinault Distribution, Samse and Saint-Gobain, where he eventually was appointed CEO of Dahl Group in Scandinavia, and CEO of Point P Group.

In 2010, he joined the family-owned group Sonepar (world leader of electrical material distribution) where he became the Group Chief Executive Officer.

Franck Bruel is the author of the book "Energy efficient, when less and better means more," (in French and English), published in 2018, Débats Publics editions.

Biography

Since July 2019, Tom Bruulsema is Chief Scientist with IPNI Canada, providing support for the nutrient stewardship programs of Fertilizer Canada, The Fertilizer Institute, and the International Fertilizer Association. Prior to the dissolution of the larger IPNI, he was vice-president for the Institute’s programs in the Americas, and research globally. From 2015 to 2017 he led the Institute's Phosphorus Program. Dr. Bruulsema has been recognized as a Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy, the Soil Science Society of America, and the Canadian Society of Agronomy. He was previously a research associate at the University of Minnesota (1994), and an agronomist with the Mennonite Central Committee in Bangladesh (1986-1990).

Biography

Stephen Cannon was named chief executive officer of AMB Group, LLC effective February 2016, assuming the day-to-day leadership of the company’s for-profit businesses. Cannon leads all business operations of the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons; Atlanta United of Major League Soccer; Mercedes-Benz Stadium; and PGA TOUR Superstore.

Prior to joining AMB Group, Cannon served as president and chief executive officer of Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) and was responsible for leading operations that generated record sales with annual revenues exceeding $20 billion. During his tenure, MBUSA achieved a first-ever No. 1 ranking on the American Customer Satisfaction Index and was also lauded as one of the best places to work by Fortune Magazine five years in a row. Cannon oversaw MBUSA’s successful headquarters relocation from New Jersey to the metro Atlanta area, in addition to crafting a sports sponsorship strategy that closely aligned the premium brand with properties reflective of its category leadership and brand position.

Cannon began his automotive career in 1991 as executive assistant to the president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz of North America (predecessor to MBUSA). From there, he moved to Stuttgart, Germany and joined a small team tasked with the development, manufacturing and launch of the M-Class, the first Mercedes-Benz SUV ever made in, and for this market. Following his time in Germany, Cannon served as director of marketing for Debis Financial Services (later Daimler Financial Services).  He also served as principal for The Richards Group, one of the largest independent full-service advertising agencies in the U.S. before re-joining MBUSA in 2007 where he served as the vice president of marketing for MBUSA from June 2007 until he was promoted to president and CEO in 2012.

Cannon graduated with honors from the United States Military Academy at West Point (B.S., Economics).  He is Airborne Ranger qualified and served as 1st Lieutenant inWest Germany during the fall of the Iron Curtain. During his time in the Army he also served five years as an artillery officer.

Cannon and his wife, Ann, reside in Atlanta and are the parents of nine children.

Biography

Winston Chan is the Co-founder of the Young Leaders’ Circle of the International Economic Forum of the Americas. He led  Canadian young entrepreneurs trade missions in China, Australia, Turkey, Germany, France, Mexico, Argentina and Japan. He owns a health clinic in Montreal. He is a member of Employment and Entrepreneurship Taskforce of B20-G20 since 2014. From 2011 to 2013, he was President of the board of Quebec Federation of young chambers of commerce. He is the laureate of Quebec University Medal, the Journal Les Affaires Top 25 under 40 award, the Claude Masson award, the UQTR Pythagore award and the Quebec Federation  of young chambers of commerce Tribute award for his contribution to youth entrepreneurship in Quebec. He has a first cycle doctorate in chiropractic from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières with honorific distinction to student life. He is senior advisor at La Base entrepreneuriale HEC Montréal. (Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurial Acquisition and Business Families Hub).

Biography

Kimberly Churches is the chief executive officer of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), a leading voice in advancing equity for women and girls through research, advocacy and education. Prior to joining AAUW, Kim was the managing director of the Brookings Institution, an internationally recognized public policy think tank. In that capacity, she strategically guided Brookings, providing vision and problem-solving skills while focusing on expansive partnerships, external relations and advancement.

Kim also served as associate vice chancellor at the University of Denver, a director of development at the University of North Florida, and a division director at the American Heart Association. Kim is widely recognized for her success at working collaboratively in education, as well as for capacity-building for grassroots groups and national and international nonprofits..

She has also served as an associate vice chancellor at the University of Denver, a director of development at the University of North Florida, and a division director at the American Heart Association. She has extensive experience working collaboratively on education (K–12 and higher education) as well as on capacity building among grassroots groups and national and international nonprofits.

In addition to her work at AAUW, Kim is the current chair of the BUILD Metro DC board, which focuses on the power of experiential learning through entrepreneurship for underresourced communities, and the board treasurer of 1455, a new center for the literary arts in Virginia. She also serves as a director on the board of the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, and is a member of the International Women’s Forum of Washington, D.C., and the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

With her pragmatic approach, Kim is a dynamic and sought-after speaker at national conferences. She is regularly interviewed by top national media outlets and her insights on how to advance gender equity are routinely quoted in the New York Times, the Washington Post, USA Today and more. She has also written for national media outlets, including CNN, The Hill and Fortune, and she is a columnist for MSNBC’s Know Your Value website.

Biography

Zita Cobb is Founder and CEO of Shorefast and Innkeeper of the Fogo Island Inn. A registered Canadian charity, Shorefast uses business-minded means to help secure economic and cultural resilience for Fogo Island, Newfoundland: one of Canada’s oldest settlements. Following a successful career in high-tech, Zita returned to her home of Fogo Island to help grow another leg on the economy of this singular rural place. Shorefast’s notable achievements to date comprise a holistic set of charitable initiatives, including the world-class artist-in-residence program Fogo Island Arts (fogoislandarts.ca), and three innovative social businesses whose operating surpluses are returned to Shorefast for reinvestment in further community development work. Specifically, Shorefast is behind the award-winning, 29-suite Fogo Island Inn (fogoislandinn.ca), the Woodshop on Fogo Island (woodshopfogoisland.ca), and Fogo Island Fish. Shorefast has pioneered the innovative practice economic nutrition labelling for its social businesses, transparently demonstrating “where the money goes.”

In 2016, Zita was awarded the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour, in recognition of Shorefast’s work in collaboration with the community of Fogo Island to help secure a more resilient future for this singular rural place.

Biography

Guy Cormier has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Desjardins Group since April 2016. Desjardins is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and sixth in the world, with assets of over $248 billion. It is one of the 20 largest employers in the country, supported by the skills of its 47,000 employees and the commitment of more than 5,000 elected officers. Drawing on the strength of its caisse network in Quebec and Ontario and its subsidiaries across Canada, Desjardins Group offers a full range of financial products and services to its millions of members and clients. Desjardins specializes in wealth management, life and health insurance, property and casualty insurance, personal services, and business and institutional services.

Mr. Cormier has been with Desjardins since 1992, and was General Manager of several caisses in the network. He was Vice-President of Cooperative Network Finance from 2009 to 2012, before being appointed Vice-President of Cooperative Network, in 2012, and then Senior Vice-President of Cooperative Network and Personal Services in 2013.

Mr. Cormier has always encouraged audacity, agility and innovation to improve the experience of members and clients. Under his leadership, the organization's AccèsD Services earned their 11th Customer Operations Performance Center (COPC) certification, making Desjardins the only financial institution in the world to hold the certification that long. It was also under Mr. Cormier that new innovative technology-focused service centres were launched, earning several awards internationally.

In 2014, he was invited to give lectures and take part in round tables for events organized by the World Health Organization and the International Summit of Cooperative.

In 2013, the Quebec MBA Association recognized Mr. Cormier as one of 40 Quebecers with a major influence on business in the province.

Biography

Committed to excellence, Stefanie Crosby’s general knowledge and expertise is proven with over 15 years of working experience in Canada, in the United States and has travelled over 50 countries for her work.  She has engaged in managerial positions in several businesses across a wide spectrum of industries; energy, infrastructure, real estate, hospitality, clean-tech, entertainment, sports, media and defense technology.

As a seasoned executive, Stefanie has launched her consulting firm; Triumspear International, providing strategic leadership towards new business development activities, origination, market entry strategy, developing innovative ideas, as well as effective cross-border M&A. She develops projects and initiatives through close strategic partnerships with various constituents, including government leaders, head of States, captains of industries and executives and worldwide family offices.

On top of spearheading her firm, Stefanie was appointed a role as Professional Alliance Group to Morgan Stanley Wealth Management, where she leverages a specialized group that was created to help address the distinct wealth management needs of athletes, family offices, top professionals, captain of industry and institutional clients in various sectors. Stefanie has access to customized resources and programs needed to craft creative financial strategies that account for the unique challenges and dynamics of the ultra-high net worth client.

On a personal note, Stefanie was an Olympic-level athlete and holds an executive MBA from John Molson business School in Montreal, Canada. Stefanie has done several speaking engagements including at the United Nations, Penn State, Family Offices, etc.  She was awarded the Konde prize for woman of the year in the New Jersey/New York area and has been nominated by Finance Capital International in 2015, and 2017 for best advisory group in Canada.

Key words: Professional Sport Franchise, Wealth management, Media and Entertainment, Energy, real estate, Global, Non-for-profit

Biography

Straightview provides strategic intelligence, decision-making and execution for B2G and B2B clients operating globally in complex and culturally sensitive environments, leveraging wide cross-sector/market expertise.  As Chair, Piers has led an international career working in and with multi-national corporations, private equity, governments and civil society organisations across Asia, Europe, Africa and North America.  He is a board director and vice-chair of the Investment Committee of Global Sustainable Capital Management; Partner and Head of UK for AYNFG, a professional services firm focussed on high growth businesses in Europe and Asia; and a director of South Pole Group, a global sustainability consultancy.  He has been a board director of public corporations, and has managed two PE funds, in Africa and Russia.  More recently he was Head of Partnership at the World Economic Forum, and Chairman Europe of Veracity, a global business intelligence firm.

Piers has a strong personal commitment to sustainable economic development: he is a board director and Investment Committee member of EWB Canada; in 2009 he established an SME social venture fund in Africa.

MA Oxford, business degree Coventry & GEC, ICD.D McGill/ICD.  Speaks a number of languages.

Biography

Jan De Silva is President and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, one of the largest and most influential business organizations in North America. She is spearheading efforts to make Toronto one of the most competitive and sought-after business regions in the world.

Jan brings to the role more than 14 years of international CEO experience building ambitious, high-growth organizations. Anchored in her leadership is her belief in the power of economic development to lift communities.

Prior to joining the Board, she served as CEO of Sun Life Financial’s Hong Kong and Mainland China businesses and co-founded and later sold Retail China Limited. Jan also served as Dean of Ivey Asia for Ivey Business School of Western University.

Highly respected for her business advocacy and government engagement, Jan has been Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Chair of the Canada China Business Council in Beijing and served on the Board of the Asian Corporate Governance Association. In 2019, she was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to represent Canada on the APEC Business Advisory Council. Jan also sits on the boards of Intact Financial Corporation, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange; and, Blue Umbrella Limited, a global compliance technology company headquartered in Hong Kong.

ABOUT THE TORONTO REGION BOARD OF TRADE

The Toronto Region Board of Trade is one of the largest and most influential chambers of commerce in North America and is a catalyst for the region’s economic growth agenda. Backed by more than 13,500 members, we pursue policy change to drive the growth and competitiveness of the Toronto region, and facilitate market opportunities with programs, partnerships and connections to help our members succeed – domestically and internationally. We want Toronto to be recognized as one of the most competitive and sought-after business regions in the world, and believe this reputation starts with our businesses. Learn more at bot.com and follow us at @TorontoRBOT.

Biography

Melissa Dickerson is the Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director, Operations of Genstar Capital, responsible for finance & accounting, regulatory compliance, risk management, technology and administration.  She joined Genstar in 2004.

From 1999 to 2004, Melissa was the Controller of American Industrial Partners, a middle market private-equity firm focused on industrial businesses, where she was responsible for finance & accounting, risk management and administration.  Prior to AIP, Melissa worked at Deloitte as a Senior Accountant focused on businesses in the financial services industry, where she obtained her CPA license (currently inactive) in March 1999.

In June 2019, PitchBook featured Melissa in, “Yes, girls allowed: 5 women thriving in the male-dominated world of PE” as one of the “most powerful” women in private equity. In November 2018, Bold Business named Melissa one of the “Top Ten Women Business Leaders in Private Equity”. In December 2017, Mergers & Acquisitions highlighted Melissa as one of the 35 “Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A”.

During her tenure at Genstar, Melissa has built out the firm’s operational infrastructure as the firm grew from $200 million to $17 billion in assets under management. Concurrently, Genstar acquired 57 platform investments, divested 33, and doubled its staff. Melissa has more than 20 years of middle-market private equity experience, with over 15 years at Genstar Capital as its Chief Financial Officer (current), Chief Compliance Officer (January 2012 to June 2019) and Managing Director of Operations (current).

EDUCATION

• University of California Berkeley, Haas School of Business, MBA
• Vassar College, BA

Biography

Jerry Dixon is the Chief Information Security Officer at CrowdStrike, with more than two decades of cybersecurity experience on the front lines of incident response, cyber crisis management, national cybersecurity policy and critical infrastructure protection.

Previously, he served as vice president, cyber threat intelligence and incident response at American Express, where he spearheaded the creation of forward-looking strategies to operationalize threat intelligence, incident response, and computer network defense.

Jerry has held multiple leadership positions at top-tier security companies and government agencies, including director-level positions at the Department of Homeland Security National Cyber Security Division and United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. He is considered one of the foremost industry experts on risk mitigation, incident response and proactive security.

Jerry earned a Master of Science degree from Norwich University in Information Assurance.

Biography

Mr. Dumur’s received his bachelor’s degree in 2011 in industrial engineering from Laval University, he was awarded the SNC-Lavalin Fellowship for Best Engineering Project.
In 2014, he founded the company OVA, which produces products and content relating to virtual and augmented reality.
The following year, OVA was selected by the university and banking accelerator HEC-National Bank.
Particularly distinguished for his communication skills, he was awarded the best start-up prize at the G20 Young Entrepreneur Summit in Beijing in 2016, against companies from Silicon Valley, Berlin and Harvard to name just a few.
In 2017, he presented the StellarXTM powered by OVA as the best sandbox available for non-programmers to develop their own XR environments, and it enables them to build through simple drag-and-drop creation at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. In 2018, OVA was selected among the top 3% augmented and virtual reality startups in the world according to HTC. That same year, Mr. Dumur joined the Board of Directors of the Musée de la civilisation (Quebec City Museum). Lastly, this year, in 2019, OVA was elected startup of the year by Action TI receiving the prestigious OCTAS trophy.

Biography

Bart W. Édes has served as the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB’s) Representative in North America since October 2017. In this capacity, he mobilizes financing for ADB’s developing member countries; shares development knowledge and experience; establishes and deepens partnerships with public, private and nonprofit organizations in North America; and raises public awareness of ADB in Canada and the United States.

His earlier ADB experience includes leading teams responsible for knowledge management, social development, gender equity, the social sectors, civil society engagement, ICT for Development, inclusive business, governance, and public sector management. He guided the formulation of ADB’s Public Communications Policy, which set a new global benchmark for transparency and information sharing among the international financial institutions. Mr. Édes has also served as Alternate Chairperson of ADB’s Appeals Committee, and Member of the ADB Integrity Oversight Committee.

Between 1994 and 2000, Mr. Édes managed communications at SIGMA, a joint initiative of the European Union and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development providing support to public governance reform in Central and Eastern European countries. Mr. Édes has also worked as a journalist, researcher, policy analyst, and specialist on international trade and foreign direct investment.

He has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Government (cum laude) from Georgetown University. Mr. Édes is a dual national of Canada and the United States.

Biography

A graduate from École Polytechnique and Ponts et Chaussées (France), he started his career at Ernst & Young, then joined OCP Group in 2013 after managing different Moroccan SMEs for seven years. He first held the position of Project Leader to the General Manager of OCP. He was later appointed Director of Management Control/Business Steering, before being appointed Deputy Secretary General. Today he is also Secretary General of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Benguerir, Morocco.

Biography

Jaime Ellertson is Executive Chairman of Everbridge’s Board of Directors. Jaime became an investor and Board Member of Everbridge in 2010. In 2011, Jaime merged CloudFloor Corporation, a company he founded and majority owned, with Everbridge becoming CEO and Chairman.

Over the last decade as Everbridge’s Chairman and then CEO, Jaime has successfully guided the Company through its transition from a single-product business to the leading global SaaS provider of Critical Event Management, with more than 4,500 customers and 800 employees.

In 2016, Jaime led the Company through a successful public offering (EVBG on NASDAQ) which has created over $3B of investor value. In recognition of his leadership and the success of the Everbridge team, Jaime was named EY Entrepreneur of The Year® in June 2019.

Prior to CloudFloor, he served as CEO of Gomez Inc., the foremost Internet Performance Management provider, from 2005 to 2010. During his tenure, Jaime led the company through an IPO registration that resulted in the successful sale of Gomez to Compuware Corporation (NASDAQ: CPWR) in October of 2009.

Jaime has also served as CEO, President and Director of S1 Corporation, the first internet bank and a leading financial services provider from 2000-2005. From 1997 to 2000 he served as President, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Interleaf Inc. (NASDAQ: LEAF) which was successfully acquired by BroadVision. Additionally, Jaime has founded several high growth software companies including Document Automation Corporation (1982-1987), Openware Technologies (1990-1995) and Purview Technologies Inc. (1996-1997).

Biography

Jon Erlichman anchors BNN Bloomberg’s morning program, The Open, which airs between 8:30-11 a.m. ET on weekdays. Erlichman is also a correspondent and fill-in anchor for CTV National News, as well as a fill-in anchor for Bloomberg's global program "Bloomberg Markets" and a contributor to CTV's "Your Morning.” Additionally, he hosts “Sidelines” on BNN Bloomberg and CTV. Erlichman can also be heard on iHeartRadio’s BNN Bloomberg Radio and Montreal’s No. 1 morning show, The Andrew Carter Morning Show, as well as Newstalk’s 1010 Moore in the Morning.

Erlichman has a background as a scoop-oriented reporter, an accomplished interviewer of top global CEOs and a digital innovator. He rejoined BNN in March 2016.  He previously spent nearly a decade with the channel, including helping with its launch in 1999, when it was known as ROBTV.

Since his return, he has helped to break multiple stories for BNN Bloomberg and CTV. In February 2017, Erlichman was first to report exclusive details of the planned meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and leading women executives at the White House. He also authored an in-depth piece on the fast growing artificial intelligence industry, called “Better than humans: Vanguards of the AI arms race.”

On BNN Bloomberg’s Sidelines, which also airs on CTV, Erlichman has interviewed athletes such as Robert DeNiro, Tony Parker, Danica Patrick and Georges St-Pierre, along with entertainers such as Gene Simmons and Charli XCX.

Erlichman previously served as a correspondent for ABC News in Los Angeles.  Beginning in September 2014, he covered high-profile stories for the network, such as the cyber-attack at Sony Pictures, Harrison Ford’s plane crash, and the Ebola crisis in Dallas.

Erlichman also spent more than six years working for Bloomberg Television.  He joined the U.S. network in June 2008, as a New York-based anchor and reporter, covering the financial markets. During the financial crisis, he routinely reported from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Erlichman also helped spearhead Bloomberg Television’s coverage of General Motors’ bankruptcy, the Bernie Madoff fraud case, and the SEC’s case against Goldman Sachs. He interviewed leading investors, such as David Einhorn, Tom Barrack, Tom Marsico Alec Gores, Michael Burry and Barry Rosenstein and provided daily commentary on Bloomberg Radio. Stories Jon broke included Mark Cuban’s planned sale of Landmark Cinemas and Lions Gate’s attempts to reduce Carl Icahn’s stake in the company.

In November 2011, Erlichman relocated to San Francisco to help lead Bloomberg Television’s Silicon Valley coverage and join the the daily program, “Bloomberg Technology.” In that role, he interviewed many media and tech leaders, including Barry Diller, Jimmy Iovine, Daniel Ek, Brian Roberts, Tim Westergren, John Donahoe, Ev Williams, Dennis Crowley, Jonah Peretti, Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull and Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. He reported live from the launch of numerous Apple product events, Facebook headquarters on the day of the company’s initial public offering and from Twitter headquarters during its IPO. In coordination with Bloomberg News, Jon broke stories like Twitter’s internal goal of reaching $1 billion in revenue, Zynga’s planned secondary offering, Motorola’s planned edge to edge phone, Siri co-founder Adam Cheyer’s departure from Apple. In 2013, Erlichman helped create Bloomberg’s first West Coast technology conference, the “Next Big Thing Summit.”

Erlichman relocated to Los Angeles in July 2013 to further establish Bloomberg Television’s West Coast presence. In that role, he routinely broke news and interviewed top entertainment industry players, including Brian Grazer, Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Eisner, Ron Howard, David Zaslav, Jon Favreau, Vince Gilligan, Bob Odenkirk, Frozen Directors Jennifer Lee and Chris Buck, Fox’s Jim Gianopulos, will.i.am, Kobe Brant, Robert Rodriguez, Maleficent Producer Joe Roth, Jim Dolan, Irving Azoff, Mike Medavoy, Ryan Kavanaugh, Haim Saban, and BlackBerry CEO John Chen. Erlichman reported extensively on the future of film and television and hosted Bloomberg’s “Business of Entertainment” events, featuring guests like Disney’s Alan Horn and Netflix’s Ted Sarandos. The events were sponsored by Bloomberg and the Tribeca Film Festival. He also appeared daily on the Bloomberg Radio show “Taking Stock.”

Along with breaking news on Microsoft’s hiring of Satya Nadella as CEO, he was first to report on AMC’s interest in acquiring BBC America, Time Warner’s interest in Fullscreen, CBS’s interest in CNN, Twitter’s hiring of a head of commerce, Xbox Studios slate of original shows, Buzzfeed’s expected 2014 sales of $120 million, Vice Media’s consideration of an IPO, Roku’s consideration of an IPO, Guggenheim’s investment in ‘House of Cards’ creator Media Rights Capital, Jeff Gaspin and Jon Klein’s launch of the digital platform ‘TAPP,’ and the launch of the ‘New Form’ digital studio by Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Discovery Communications.

Erlichman has also written columns and articles for Fortune Magazine and The Wrap, and worked as a tech correspondent for the U.S. cable channel HLN (Headline News).

Beyond his traditional news experience, Erlichman is passionate about digital media.  He served as a news advisor to Disney-owned Maker Studios, helping to launch news partnerships with ABC News. In August 2015, Erlichman helped launch Parachute TV, the first live streaming TV channel on Twitter’s Periscope app.  Parachute won Digital Entertainment World's 2016 startup award, after reaching more than one million live viewers and launching more than 50 shows a week, with more than 100 top Periscope creators.  Erlichman, who has more than 100,000 followers across all social media platforms, was profiled by AdWeek in its September 2015 cover story “Meet The Newest Live-streaming Stars Every Brand Should Know About.”  Business Insider also named him one of the “100 Tech People You Have To Follow On Twitter.”

Erlichman frequently serves as a moderator and MC at events such as the Top 40 Under 40, CEO of The Year, Tribeca Film Festival, The Wrap’s TheGrill conference, and NATPE Miami gatherings.

Erlichman majored in Economics at Huron College at the University of Western Ontario, graduating summa cum laude. He was the gold medalist for his outstanding academic performance.

Erlichman is based in Toronto, where he lives with his two daughters and his wife, actor and entrepreneur, Caroline Lesley.

Biography

Adam Fair is the Vice President of Strategy and Impact at Prosper Canada. Adam began his career in social development at Prosper Canada in 2007. He is responsible for leading the strategic and operational planning, and managing partnership development. Adam studied politics and economics at the University of Toronto. He also completed the Graduate Diploma in Social Innovation at the University of Waterloo and the Performance Measurement for Effective Management of Nonprofit Organizations course at Harvard University.

Biography

Nicola Farinetti was born in Alba, Italy. He is currently the CEO of Eataly North America.

Growing up, Nicola learned about running a business while working with his father and brothers at UniEuro, which his father Oscar grew into Italy’s largest consumer electronics company. While attending college in Turin, Nicola studied political science, and soon after graduating, discovered his passion for the food industry while spending time working as a waiter.

With Nicola and his brothers’ desire to create a place that housed the best regional ingredients of Italy and their father’s inspiration from the bazaars of Istanbul, the concept of Eataly was born. Nicola’s father sold UniEuro in 2003 to focus full-time on the Eataly concept, which joins the elements of a lively European open market with an educational center, creating a unique culinary experience where eating, shopping, and learning co-exist and celebrate Italian culture. In 2007, Oscar founded the first Eataly in his hometown of Turin, Italy.

Nicola helped bring the now largest Italian marketplace in the world to the U.S., starting with N.Y.C. Flatiron in 2010, Chicago in 2013, N.Y.C. Downtown in August 2016, Boston in November 2016, Los Angeles in November 2017, and Las Vegas in December 2018. There are currently locations planned for Toronto and other regions throughout the U.S.

Biography

Since June 2002, Lady de Rothschild has been the Chief Executive of E.L. Rothschild LLC, a private investment company.  She is also the Founder and CEO of the Coalition for Inclusive Capitalism, a charity devoted to advancing economic and social inclusion.

E.L. Rothschild invests in media, asset management, luxury consumer goods and real estate worldwide. Holdings include The Economist Group, Bronfman/E L Rothschild, R Chocolate London, real estate and financial instruments. Lady de Rothschild is currently a member of the Board of Directors of The Estee Lauder Companies, and was a Board member of The Economist Newspaper Limited from October 2002-2017. She is a member of the Board of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the McCain Institute for International Leadership and the ERANDA Rothschild Foundation.

Lady de Rothschild has been a featured speaker for the United Nations, the World Bank, Conference of Montreal, the OECD, the British Academy, and The Economist’s World In series. Her opinion pieces have been published in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, The Guardian and The Daily Beast. She graduated Magna cum Laude and Beta Kappa from Pomona College in Claremont, CA and from Columbia University School of Law, NYC with a Juris Doctor with honors.

Biography

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland is Canada’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.

Ms. Freeland was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre in July 2013. She was elected as Member of Parliament for University—Rosedale in October 2015 and re-elected in October 2019 and September 2021.

From November 2015 to January 2017, Ms. Freeland served as Canada’s Minister of International Trade, overseeing the successful negotiation of Canada’s free trade agreement with the European Union, CETA. From January 2017 to November 2019, she served as Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs. During this time, she was a leading advocate for democracy, human rights, and multilateralism around the world.

As Foreign Minister, she led and successfully concluded the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

In November 2019, Ms. Freeland was appointed Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. In this capacity, she led Canada’s united response to the COVID-19 pandemic. She was appointed Minister of Finance in August 2020.

An esteemed journalist and author, the Deputy Prime Minister was born in Peace River, Alberta. She was educated at Harvard University before continuing her studies on a Rhodes Scholarship at the University of Oxford.

After launching her career in journalism as a Ukraine-based freelance correspondent for the Financial Times, The Washington Post, and The Economist, Ms. Freeland went on to various roles at the Financial Times of London. She then served as deputy editor of the Toronto-based Globe and Mail between 1999 and 2001, before returning to the Financial Times as deputy editor and then as United States managing editor.

In 2010, she joined Canadian-owned Thomson Reuters. She was a managing director of the company and editor of consumer news when she decided to return home and enter politics in 2013.

Ms. Freeland has written two books: Sale of the Century: The Inside Story of the Second Russian Revolution (2000); and Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else (2012). Plutocrats has been an international best-seller and won the Lionel Gelber Prize and National Business Book Award.

In 2018, the Deputy Prime Minister was recognized as Foreign Policy’s Diplomat of the Year. She was also awarded the Eric M. Warburg Award by Atlantik-Brücke, for her achievements in strengthening transatlantic ties. In 2020, she was awarded Freedom House’s Mark Palmer Prize, in recognition of her years of work in championing democracy and human rights.

Ms. Freeland speaks Russian, Ukrainian, Italian, French, and English. She lives in Toronto with her husband and three children.

Biography

Michael Friisdahl is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE). MLSE is one of the world’s premier sports and entertainment companies as owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL), Toronto Raptors (NBA), Toronto FC (MLS), the Toronto Argonauts (CFL), as well as each franchise’s development team, and hosts more than 3.8 million fans each year at its venues. In addition to its sports franchises, MLSE’s LIVE division (a joint venture with Live Nation) has established the Scotiabank Arena as one of the leading music and entertainment venues in the world. MLSE’s entertainment properties include popular restaurant destinations Real Sports Bar & Grill and E11even. As part of the company’s facilities management, MLSE owns and operates Scotiabank Arena, and has also invested in and manages five of Toronto’s sports facilities — Coca-Cola Coliseum, BMO Field, Lamport Stadium, the MasterCard Centre for Hockey Excellence and the Raptors training facility. The very successful MLSE Foundation works to continue to change young people’s lives through the power of sport.
Michael previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada’s Leisure Group since it was formed in 2012 where he led the launch of Air Canada rouge, the company’s successful leisure airline. Combined with Air Canada Vacations tour operation, the Air Canada Leisure Group was an important contributor to Air Canada’s very successful transformation. Prior to joining the Air Canada executive team, Michael was CEO of Thomas Cook North America and a member of the international Group Executive Board of Thomas Cook Group plc. As a partner and President and CEO of The Holiday Network, he continued to grow the business until its acquisition by Thomas Cook Group plc (formerly MyTravel plc).
Michael currently serves on the board for Entertainment One (eOne) as well as the SickKids Foundation cabinet. In addition, Michael is also on the fundraising committee at SickKids, responsible for raising $1.3 million to build a new Hospital building. Michael also serves as a member of the Mercedes-Benz Canada Advisory Council.

Biography

Tom Gann is the Chief Public Policy Officer at McAfee. In this capacity, he manages the U.S. and international advocacy activities and partners with the public relations team to help position McAfee as an industry leader in capitals around the world.
Prior to joining McAfee, Gann managed cyber security policy, government relations, alliances, product marketing, and sales functions at Intel, Sun Microsystems, Siebel Systems, and Digimarc. He started his career on Capitol Hill, working as a legislative director and chief of staff to Congressman Tom Campbell.
Gann has an MS in Management from the London Business School and a BA, with distinction, from Stanford University.

Biography

Daniel S. Goldin is an entrepreneur and technologist. Most recently he is the founder of Cold Canyon AI, an innovation advisory company. His career has spanned numerous technologies and businesses in space science, aeronautics, national security, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.
Mr Goldin has the distinction of serving as NASA’s longest-tenured Administrator from April 1992-November 2001 and reported to three U.S. Presidents: George H.W. Bush, William Jefferson Clinton, and George W. Bush. He not only led the re-emergence of NASA through one of its most challenging times after the Cold War but helped foster east-west international cooperation in space, oversaw the redesign, construction and initial operation of the $120B International Space Station through to the successful
development, deployment and operation of a whole new generation of spacecraft to monitor Planet Earth. Thus, allowing us to explore our solar system and to observe our universe to better protect our environment and life and to understand the laws of nature and our origins to enhance humanity.
Prior to NASA, he was Vice President and General Manager of the TRW Space and Technology Group -now Northrop Grumman - where he oversaw a broad range of advanced space and technology developments focused on America’s national security, scientific exploration of our solar system, space telescopes to observe our high energy universe, and development of advanced technologies for the global marketplace. Mr Goldin began his career as a research scientist at NASA’s Glenn Research Center working on electric propulsion systems to enable future human interplanetary travel.
Mr Goldin is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and International Academy of Astronautics. He is a Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Competitiveness, a Fellow of the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics and a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society.

Biography

Biography

Ryan Grant Little is currently Managing Director of SmileBack, a software-as-a-service company working in the customer satisfaction feedback space. In his free time he works in the fields of impact investing, social innovation, technology for good, and corporate social responsibility. Wearing this hat, his work ranges from startup acceleration through to impact investment strategy. Previous roles include leading the social finance practice at the BMW Foundation, and co-founding StormFisher Biogas, one of the earlier energy-from-organics companies in North America. He is co-founder of and advisor to CanadaHelps, a donations platform that has facilitated more than $1 billion in charitable donations, for which he was awarded E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year (Social Enterprise, Canada) in 2016. He holds an MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario.

Biography

Brendan Greeley is the U.S. Editor for FT Alphaville. Most recently he was at Bloomberg, where he served as economics correspondent for Bloomberg Television, and co-host of Surveillance, the network's morning markets program.
Before that, he was a staff writer for Bloomberg Businessweek, covering economics and technology.
In 2012, he received a New York Press Club award for special events reporting for a Bloomberg Businessweek cover story, “Why Bin Laden Lost.” He has written cover features on the Pentagon’s response to the Ebola epidemic, how to sell soccer cleats, the reinsurance industry since Sept. 11 and Paul Krugman’s Twitter fight with the President of Estonia.
Previously, Greeley was technology and policy correspondent at The Economist.
His freelance print work has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, the Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal Europe. Brendan lives in Annapolis, Maryland, with his wife, four children and two dogs.

Biography

Katherine is Chair of 38 North Solutions, a public policy consultancy specializing in clean energy and innovation. In this role, Katherine has been listed on the #Solar100 board by kWh Analytics and received a Cleanie Award as Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018. Katherine was Co-Chair of the World Economic Forum‘s Future of Advanced Energy Technology Global Future Council and President of GRID Alternatives Mid-Atlantic. Katherine served as President of the GridWise Alliance, advocating for nearly $5 billion in funding for smart grid projects in the Recovery Act. Prior to that role, Katherine was a policy advisor for Good Energies, Inc., a private investment company with a portfolio in clean energy technologies of nearly $6 billion. She co-directed the American Bioenergy Association, working with the states of Maryland and New Jersey to develop renewable portfolio standards. At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Katherine led buildings research and then managed government relations in Washington, DC. Katherine spent a decade at Virginia Power, designing overhead and underground electrical systems for commercial and residential developments. Katherine studied electrical engineering at Northern Virginia Community College and holds degrees from Cornell University and the Sorbonne. Katherine is part of The Energy Gang podcast through Greentech Media.

Biography

Linda Hasenfratz is the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Linamar Corporation. Linamar Corporation (TSX:LNR) is an advanced manufacturing company where the intersection of leading-edge technology and deep manufacturing expertise is creating solutions that power vehicles, motion, work and lives for the future. The Company is made up of two operating segments – the Industrial segment and the Mobility segment, both global leaders in manufacturing solutions and world-class developers of highly engineered products. The Industrial segment is comprised of Skyjack and MacDon. Skyjack manufactures scissor, boom and telehandler lifts for the aerial work platform industry. MacDon manufactures combine draper headers and self-propelled windrowers for the agricultural harvesting industry. The Mobility segment is subdivided into three regional groups: North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. Within the Mobility segment, the regional groups are vertically integrated operations combining expertise in light metal casting, forging, machining and assembly for both the global electrified and traditionally powered vehicle markets. The Mobility segment products are focused on both components and systems for new energy powertrains, body and chassis, driveline, engine and transmission systems of these vehicles. In addition to the recently formed eLIN Product Solutions Group that focuses on Electrification, McLaren Engineering provides design, development, and testing services for the Mobility segment. Linamar has over 26,000 employees in 60 manufacturing locations, 11 R&D centres and 25 sales offices in 17 countries in North and South America, Europe and Asia, which generated sales of $6.5 billion in 2021.

Hasenfratz’ enthusiasm for the arts prompted her to join the Board of Governors of the Royal Ontario Museum in 2002.  In 2012 Hasenfratz became the inaugural Chair of the Philanthropy Leadership Cabinet of the Guelph General Hospital.  Involvement in charitable organizations continues to be an important focus for her.

Hasenfratz has also sat on the Board of Advisors for Catalyst Canada since 2003.  In February 2017 Hasenfratz was announced as the Canadian Chair of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.  Hasenfratz’ desire to see women progress in business to the top level of industry prompted her to participate in these two key initiatives.

Strengthening her position as a Canadian and Global leader, Ms. Hasenfratz was appointed to the CIBC Board of Directors in 2004 and retired from the board in April 2020.  She was Canadian Chair of the North American Competitiveness Council in 2008, a trilateral group of executives from Canada, the US and Mexico convened by the countries’ Leaders to debate and advise on key recommendations regarding enhancement of the NAFTA region.  Hasenfratz became a member of the Board of the Business Council of Canada (formerly the Canadian Council of Chief Executives) in 2010 and was Chair from 2016 to 2018.  Her contribution to this important policy and advisory group has assisted her in developing relationships and advancing ideas to key business and government leaders.  In December 2018, Ms. Hasenfratz was appointed to the board of the Association of Equipment Manufactueres (AEM).  The California Mobility Center appointed Ms. Hasenfratz to their board in November 2021.

Ms. Hasenfratz was named the Canadian Outstanding CEO in November 2018 and was also made a member of the Order of Canada in December of the same year.

In recognition of her and Linamar’s support and focus on international growth Hasenfratz has received 2 international honours.  The French Government honoured Hasenfratz in June of 2015 with the Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur, one of the highest honours bestowed upon a non-civilian in France.  In October 2016 Hasenfratz was honoured by the Hungarian government and was awarded the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary.

Ms. Hasenfratz supports one of Linamar’s key industries, the automotive industry, through her appointment as the first female director to the Faurecia Board of Directors, a French automotive supplier, in 2011 and retired from the board in May 2021.  Hasenfratz has been named one of the Automotive News 100 Leading Women in each year of its publication in 2000, 2005, 2010, 2015 and 2020.

Hasenfratz was recognized for her contributions to Canadian business through an Honourary Degree from Ryerson University in Toronto in 2003, an Honourary Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo in 2011 as well as the Outstanding Leader Award from the same institution in 2007.  She also holds an Honourary Degree from Fanshawe College in 2016.  In the spring of 2014 The Asper School of Business at the University of Winnipeg honoured Hasenfratz with the International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award (IDEA) which is to honour a business leader who has achieved outstanding entrepreneurial success and has made and exemplary contribution to economic life.  In the fall of 2014, Linda Hasenfratz was awarded the Ontario Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award – Manufacturing and the overall Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award.  Hasenfratz was also extremely honoured to be awarded the National Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Canada at a gala in late November and to represent Canada at the World Entrepreneur of the World Conference in Monaco in June 2015.  In May of 2016 Linda Hasenfratz, along with her father Frank Hasenfratz, was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame.  Hasenfratz was awarded the Distinguished Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the University of Victoria in September 2016.  In October of 2016 Linda Hasenfratz was awarded the Fraser Institute Founders Award along with Linamar’s President & COO Jim Jarrell.  In September 2016 Linda Hasenfratz was named to Fortunes 50 Most Powerful Women International list.  The Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario honoured Hasenfratz in October 2017 with their Ivey Business Leader Award. In 2018 Hasenfratz was named Canada’s Outstanding CEO of the Year and was named to the Order of Canada. In October 2019 she was installed as University of Western Ontario’s 23rd Chancellor.

Biography

Geoffrey Hinton designs machine learning algorithms. His aim is to discover a learning procedure that is efficient at finding complex structure in large, high-dimensional datasets and to show that this is how the brain learns to see. He was one of the researchers who introduced the backpropagation algorithm and the first to use backpropagation for learning word embeddings. His other contributions to neural network research include Boltzmann machines, distributed representations, time-delay neural nets, mixtures of experts, variational learning, products of experts and deep belief nets. His research group in Toronto made major breakthroughs in deep learning that revolutionized speech recognition and object classification.

Geoffrey received his BA in Experimental Psychology from Cambridge in 1970 and his PhD in Artificial Intelligence from Edinburgh in 1978. He did postdoctoral work at Sussex University and the University of California San Diego and spent five years as a faculty member in the Computer Science department at Carnegie-Mellon University. He then became a fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and moved to the Department of Computer Science at the University of Toronto. From 1998 until 2001 he set up the Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit at University College London and then returned to the University of Toronto. From 2004 until 2013 he was the director of the program on “Neural Computation and Adaptive Perception,” funded by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. In 2013, Google acquired Hinton’s neural networks startup, DNNresearch, which developed out of his research at U of T. He is a Vice President and Engineering Fellow at Google where he manages Brain Team Toronto, which is a new part of the Google Brain Team.

Biography

Frank Holder leads BRG's Global Investigations & Strategic Intelligence (“Global.i”) practice as well as the Latin American region. With over 25 years of experience, he has directed corporate investigations and security consulting assignments across the globe. The investigative matters include large-scale internal fraud and public corruption investigations, product protection, litigation support, due diligence, and hostile takeovers. As a security expert, he has designed the security for international airports, seaports, and complex multijurisdictional distribution networks.
As a strategic consulting industry leader, Frank draws on decades of client service experience to provide cutting edge strategies and integrates investigative skills with technology and financial expertise to address and resolve critical problems. Frank has assembled and experienced international management team strategically located in financial centers around the world to work with BRG’s clients to mitigate risks and take advantage of opportunities as they arise.
Before joining BRG, Mr. Holder was the chief executive officer of Holder International, which was acquired by FTI in 2007. Before founding Holder International, he was the president of Kroll Inc.’s Consulting Services Group, responsible for operations in more than 35 countries. Prior to that, he was the head of Kroll’s Latin America and Caribbean region. Before joining Kroll, he was the president of Holder Associates in Buenos Aires, a risk mitigation and business intelligence firm.
Mr. Holder began his career with the U.S. Air Force as a political-military analyst for the U.S. embassy in Argentina and as a special agent for the Office of Special Investigations at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia, with responsibilities in areas including counterintelligence and force protection.
Mr. Holder is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. He is an accomplished public speaker with numerous presentations throughout the United States, United Kingdom, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Brazil on a broad range of topics such as money laundering, risk management, homeland security, and operational risk. He has written articles on similar topics for U.S. and Latin American newspapers and professional journals. He has taught courses in political science and law on the Inter-American system at the Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires.

Biography

Jeff Howell is President, Panasonic Industrial Devices Sales Company of America, the advanced industrial components and electronic devices division of Panasonic Corporation of North America. In this role, Jeff leads the strategy, direction and operations providing key components to power a variety of products to companies across a diverse set of industries ranging from industrial automation devices to passive components, relays, connectors, sensors, wireless connectivity, and semiconductors.

With Panasonic for more than 25 years, Jeff has served in a variety of leadership roles previously managing the appliance and air conditioning groups, and later directing the electronic components unit. Jeff has been instrumental in Panasonic’s business transformation from a consumer electronics company to a leading provider of integrated business solutions, leading his teams in the development of custom solutions across the electric vehicle, government, business, retail, alternative energy/smart grid sectors.

Jeff serves on the Executive Board of Newark Alliance and the Board of Directors of the Newark Regional Business Partnership.

Biography

Werner Hoyer has a PhD (economics) from Cologne University where he also started his career in various positions. Dr Hoyer served for 33 years as a Member of the German Bundestag. During this period, he held the position of Minister of State at the Foreign Office on two separate occasions. In addition, he held several other positions, including that of Whip and FDP Security Policy Spokesman, Deputy Chairman of the German-American Parliamentary Friendship Group, FDP Secretary General and President of the European Liberal Democratic Reform Party (ELDR).
Upon appointment by the EU Member States, Dr Hoyer commenced his first term as EIB President in January 2012. His mandate was renewed for a second term commencing on 01 January 2018.
Dr Hoyer and his wife Katja have two children.

Biography

Steven K. Hudson is a highly accomplished entrepreneur, senior executive, and investor with extensive experience in leading new business initiatives and achieving growth objectives with some of the world’s leading finance companies. He has a distinguished track record across several business sectors with extensive expertise in the global financial and capital markets.

Mr. Hudson is Chief Executive Officer of ECN Capital Corp. (TSX: ECN), a leading provider of prime credit portfolios to more than 90 US financial institutions. With managed and advised assets of US$32 billion, ECN Capital originates, manages, and advises on prime credit assets offering unsecured and secured consumer portfolio solutions as well as credit card portfolios.

Previously, Mr. Hudson served for five years as the Chief Executive Officer of Element Financial Corporation. Under Mr. Hudson’s leadership, Element’s assets increased from just over $400 million to more than $24 billion, establishing it as North America’s largest independent equipment finance company and as one of the largest fleet management companies in the world.

Mr. Hudson is an active community leader and philanthropist, including serving as a significant donor to St. Michael’s Centre for Urban Health Solutions as well as being named a World Fellow by the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation.

He has served as a board member on numerous organizations, including CHC Helicopter Corporation, First International Asset Management, Altamira Investment Services and AGRA.

Mr. Hudson has a Bachelor of Business Administration from York University. In recognition of his achievements, he received his Fellowship with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 2000.

An entrepreneur, investor and incubator of successful businesses, Mr. Hudson has a distinguished track record across several business sectors, with deep expertise in financial and capital markets. He is the founder and principal of Cameron Capital, a private investment firm established more than 20 years ago. In 1984 Mr. Hudson founded Newcourt Credit Group. Under his leadership as CEO, Newcourt grew to become a worldwide leader in equipment and asset finance with owned and managed assets exceeding $36 billion prior to its sale to CIT Group in 1999.

Mr. Hudson has been an active director on numerous boards of both public and private corporations and an active community leader and philanthropist.

Mr. Hudson graduated from York University in 1981 with an Honors Bachelor of Business Administration degree and received his Fellowship with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario in 2000. In 1996, Mr. Hudson received the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year award and was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.

Biography

Blake is the President and Chief Executive Officer of OMERS, one of Canada’s largest Pension Plans with over $110 billion of equity.  Prior to that Blake was the President and Chief Pension Officer of OMERS and prior to that their Chief Investment Officer of Real Estate and Platform Investments.  He was also President & CEO of Oxford Properties Group from 2010 to 2018 where he was responsible for overseeing the global business, consisting of approximately $60 billion of assets under management and 2,200 employees in Canada, the USA, Europe, and Asia. Prior to that he was based in New York as the Head of Global Real Estate Investing for a multi-strategy private equity firm, with offices in New York, London, Hong Kong and Mumbai. Prior to that, he was the Chairman & President of CB Richard Ellis Canada (1999 - 2008) & Latin America (2001 – 2008) overseeing all operations in multiple countries with over 2,500 employees. Mr. Hutcheson has also served on several Boards and Committees including: Director of Algoma Central Corporation (listed on the TSE); Chair of REALpac (2019 – 2020), Director of both Alpine Canada and Canadian Sports Hall of Game, Governor of Upper Canada College, Member of the Toronto Mayor’s Task Force on Affordable Housing 2015; Chair of Build Toronto (2010 – 2012); Member of the Premier’s Transit Advisory Panel (2013); Chair of the Mayor of Toronto’s Fiscal Advisory Committee (2008); President of the University Club of Toronto; Director of RealNet Canada; and Chair of the Canadian Real Estate Forum (2005 and 2016).  He is also the recipient of the ICONS of the Industry Award through BOMA, Ottawa and the Distinguished Alumni Award from the Columbia University Masters Real Estate Development Program.  Since 2013 he has often been named to the Power 100 Most Influential Real Estate Executives in New York City.  Mr. Hutcheson is a long-time member of YPO and WPO and was selected as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.  He is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, the London School of Economics, England (with distinction), and has an MSc in Real Estate Development from Columbia University, New York.  He is married and has two children.

Biography

Goldy Hyder was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada, effective October 15, 2018. Founded in 1976, the Council is a non-profit, non-partisan organization composed of the chief executives and entrepreneurs of 150 leading Canadian companies, representing every major industry and every region of the country.

From July 2014 to October 2018, Mr. Hyder was President & CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies, providing strategic communications counsel to the firm’s extensive and diverse client base. Prior to joining Hill+Knowlton in 2001, he served as director of policy and chief of staff to The Right Honourable Joe Clark, former prime minister and former leader of the then federal Progressive Conservative Party.

In addition to his achievements in business and public policy, Mr. Hyder has an extensive record of service on behalf of the charitable and non-profit sectors, including as chair of the Ottawa Senators Foundation and as an Executive Committee member of Century Initiative. He is a past co-chair of the United Way of Ottawa Campaign Cabinet and a former member of the Board of Governors at Carleton University.

Mr. Hyder is a regular commentator in the Canadian media on business, politics and public policy. From 2011 to 2018 he appeared weekly as a panelist on CBC Television’s On the Money. He received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 in recognition of his contributions to Canada. He holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Calgary in public policy, with a specialization in policy-making during times of crisis.

Biography

Brent has over 20 years of finance, legal and executive-level management experience at numerous small and mid-sized growth companies, law firms and investment firms.

Brent has managed and executed over $2 billion in capital raising, private equity, venture capital and M&A transactions.  He has managed multiple investment funds up to $65 million in assets under management.  He routinely advises investors, fund managers and companies regarding capital raising, structure, finance and operations.  Brent is also an advisor and mentor to Canopy Boulder and serves as an advisor to various companies and investment funds in the cannabis industry.

In his legal practice, Brent specializes in the representation of closely-held entities and emerging growth companies through the whole business life cycle, including entity selection, formation, equity and debt financing transactions, acquisitions and the eventual transfer or sale of the business.  In addition, Brent advises on capital raising transactions working extensively with companies looking for capital as well as venture capital and private equity funds.  Brent also serves as outside general counsel to clients in support of operations, capital raising, corporate governance, commercial transactions, contract drafting and negotiation, intellectual property and general business matters.

In addition, Brent serves on the executive team of Mazakali, a leading capital advisory firm in the cannabis industry.  Brent previously served as EVP, Managing Director and General Counsel of First Capital Ventures, a leading management services provider, accelerator and fund management firm.  Prior to that, he was EVP, CFO & General Counsel for Atrium Capital Management Group, where he was responsible for strategic planning, executive management and compliance across multiple business unit, including oversight of the firm’s $65 million investment fund.  Brent was previously Associate General Counsel for Quiznos during its aggressive growth phase where he managed corporate legal matters, including debt and equity financing transactions, franchise matters, acquisitions, intellectual property, corporate governance and commercial transactions.

Brent began his legal practice at the Silicon Valley office of law firm Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison where he worked with venture capital firms and emerging growth and technology companies focusing on capital raising transactions, mergers & acquisitions, securities, public offerings and general corporate matters.  He then joined Denver-based Brownstein Hyatt & Farber where he represented public and private companies as well as venture capital and private equity firms.

Brent is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and served on active duty in the Air Force for five years, rising to the rank of Captain.  He also holds a JD from the University of Colorado and an MBA from the University of Nebraska.

Brent and his wife live in Evergreen and have two boys.  For fun, Brent plays keyboards in the local band Open Space and enjoys time with his family as well as skiing, mountain biking, trail running, boot camp class, camping and riding ATVs.

Biography

Denise C. Johnson is a group president of Caterpillar Inc. in Deerfield, Illinois. She has responsibility for Resource Industries, which includes– Innovation and Technology Development, Material Handling & Underground and the Surface Mining & Technology Divisions.

Johnson joined Caterpillar in 2011 and initially served as the general manager of Specialty Products within Caterpillar's Reman & Components Division, where she had global responsibility for wear component products and facilities. She previously had a career with General Motors, where she built deep expertise in operations and product management. In 2012, the Caterpillar Board of Directors named Johnson vice president of the Diversified Products Division. In 2013, Johnson was named vice president of Integrated Manufacturing Operations, and in 2014, she was named vice president of Material Handling & Underground Division. She was named group president of Resource Industries in April of 2016.

Johnson, a native of Portland, Michigan, graduated from Michigan State University in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. She earned dual master's degrees in mechanical engineering and business administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1997 as a Fellow of the MIT Leaders for Global Operations program.

Johnson is a member of numerous outside boards, including National Mining Association, National Association of Manufacturers, The Mosaic Company, MIT Leaders for Global Operations Governing Board, and the President’s Advisory Council on Doing Business in Africa (PAC-DBIA.) Johnson also serves as the executive sponsor of the Caterpillar Women in Leadership initiative.

Biography

Tyson has worked in both the public and private sectors over the course of his career.  Starting in the Federal civil service, Tyson developed hands-on experience across the entire spectrum of issues facing Canada’s foreign and domestic threats.  He worked closely with government agencies in Canada and abroad to collaborate and achieve successful outcomes.

After departing the Government of Canada, Tyson spent the next number of years building and supporting enterprise risk management programs for multinational organizations in both financial services and electronics manufacturing.  During this time, Tyson worked globally to understand and integrate regional nuances into a corporate framework to support business success.  It was during this period that Tyson obtained his Global Masters of Arts Program designation from The Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.   His thesis explored the contributing decision support factors for comparative country selection by corporations.

Most recently, Tyson led BrightPlanet, a US-based ‘big data’ pioneer, as its VP Business Development & Strategy.  In this role, Tyson helped shape BrightPlanet into a successful member of the data & analytics ecosystem to support risk management across government and industry.  This included a key focus on threat identification and cybersecurity initiatives.

Biography

Helle Bank Jorgensen is a sustainability, climate change, and ESG advisor with close to 30 years of experience helping global companies and investors turn sustainability into strong financial results. She has worked with hundreds of world-leading companies including IKEA, Nike, Shell, Unilever, Novo Nordisk and Vestas.

She developed the Competent Boards Certificate Program to help board members, executives and advisors to confidently identify, articulate and act upon the most material environmental, social and governance aspects of their business. The program has engaged several world-class business leaders like Paul Polman, former Unilever CEO, who calls it an “Incredible initiative.”

She serves on His Royal Highness Prince of Wales A4S Global Expert Panel, the Cornerstone Capital Global Advisory Council, the WBCSD Governance & Internal Oversight High-Level Advisory Group and is a judge for Ethical Corporation awards. Helle is a Board Facilitator for the UN Global Compact Board Program, a regular keynote speaker and author of many thought-leading articles and books.

Helle was the creator of the world’s first Green Account as well as the world’s first Integrated Report. She also developed the first holistic supply chain program and was the principal organizer for the CEO/Investor-network for Business Ethics and Non-Financial Reporting. She has received the 2019 Clean50 award. Helle has extensive experience providing strategic and operational guidance to all organizational functions, including advising at the C-suite and board level.

She is a State Authorized Accountant and Business Lawyer. She also holds a Master’s in Business Administration and Auditing. 

Biography

Robert Steven Kaplan has served as the thirteenth president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas since September 8, 2015. He represents the Eleventh Federal Reserve District on the Federal Open Market Committee in the formulation of U.S. monetary policy and oversees the 1,200 employees of the Dallas Fed.

Kaplan was previously the Martin Marshall Professor of Management Practice and a Senior Associate Dean at Harvard Business School.

He is the author of several books, including What You Really Need to Lead: The Power of Thinking and Acting Like an Owner; What You're Really Meant To Do: A Road Map for Reaching Your Unique Potential; and What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential.

Prior to joining Harvard in 2006, Kaplan was vice chairman of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. with global responsibility for the firm's Investment Banking and Investment Management Divisions. Previously, he served as global co-head of the Investment Banking Division. He was also a member of the firm’s Management Committee and served as co-chairman of the firm’s Partnership Committee and chairman of the Goldman Sachs Pine Street Leadership Program.

During his 23-year career at Goldman Sachs, Kaplan served in various other capacities, including head of the Corporate Finance Department, head of Asia-Pacific Investment Banking as well as head of the high-yield department in Investment Banking. He became a partner in 1990. Upon joining Harvard in 2006, Kaplan became a senior director of the firm.

He serves as chairman of Project A.L.S. and co-chairman of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a global venture philanthropy firm that invests in developing non-profit enterprises dedicated to addressing social issues. He is also a board member of Harvard Medical School.

Kaplan previously served on the boards of State Street Corporation, Harvard Management Company, Bed Bath & Beyond and Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. He was also a trustee of the Ford Foundation, co-founding board chair of the TEAK Fellowship, co-founder and chairman of Indaba Capital Management, LP and chairman of the Investment Advisory Committee at Google, Inc.

Kaplan was appointed by the Governor of Kansas as a member of the Kansas Health Policy Authority Board.

Born and raised in Prairie Village, Kansas, Kaplan received a bachelor of science degree in business administration from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School.

Biography

Dr. Tolga Kurtoglu is CEO of PARC, a Xerox company, which is in "the business of breakthroughs.” Practicing open innovation since being incorporated in 2002, PARC provides custom R&D services, technology, specialized expertise, best practices, and intellectual property to Xerox’s business groups, Fortune 500 and Global 1000 companies, startups, and government.

Dr. Kurtoglu oversees PARC’s R&D investments for Xerox and its innovation portfolio for commercial clients and government agencies in a diverse set of focus areas and competencies including human-centered innovation services, intelligent agents and systems, clean energy, smart packaging, machine learning and analytics, security and privacy, printed electronics and digital manufacturing.

Motivated by his passion for bringing innovations to market, Dr. Kurtoglu specializes in leading cross-functional teams to apply science and technology to develop creative solutions to real-world problems. Since joining PARC in 2010, he has held various leadership roles focusing on R&D management, product strategy, and technology commercialization. In his early years at PARC, he pioneered the formation of PARC’s digital design and manufacturing (DDM) program. Later he created and led the System Sciences Laboratory by building a technology portfolio across hardware, software, and process technologies. In both roles, he managed multi-million-dollar R&D investments and product strategy encompassing several platforms and market offerings, and led successful transition of inventions from an R&D output to commercial software systems and services. Prior to PARC, he was a researcher at NASA Ames Research Center, and a mechanical design engineer at Dell Corporation.

Dr. Kurtoglu’s own research was focused on computation and artificial intelligence applied to design and manufacturing of complex systems, and application of preventive and predictive analytics techniques to engineered systems. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and M.S. from Carnegie Mellon University, both in Mechanical Engineering. He holds a bachelor’s degree in the same field from Orta Dogu Technical University (ODTU).

He has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and papers in leading journals and conferences in his field, and regularly serves in organizational leadership roles for the ASME, AIAA, AAAI, Design Society, and Prognostics and Health Management Society. He is the recipient of the IEEE Best Professional Paper Award at the Prognostics and Health Management Conference, IEEE Best Application Paper Award from IEEE Robotics and Automation Society, NASA Ames Technical Excellence Award, PARC Excellence Award, PARC Golden Acorn Award, and the Best Design Award in “Dexterous Robot Hand” Design Competition.

Biography

Mathieu is Director of Media Strategy at the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA). He is responsible for the CBA’s public affairs, media relations and social media strategy, and provides communications advice related to public policy issues that have an impact on the financial sector and banking in Canada. Mathieu also helps lead the CBA’s financial literacy education programs, Your Money Students and Your Money Seniors.

Prior to this role, he was Senior Manager, National Communications at KPMG Canada and Manager, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at TMX Group. Prior to TMX, Mathieu was Senior Communications Advisor to former Ontario Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Dwight Duncan, and held several positions in both the federal and Ontario civil services.

Fully bilingual, he holds an MA in Political Strategy and Communication from the University of Kent’s Brussels School of International Studies, and a bi-disciplinary BA in Communication and Political Science from the University of Ottawa.

www.linkedin.com/in/labreche

Biography

Award-winning business journalist Amanda Lang has been covering business in North America for 20 years. Lang is the host of Bloomberg Markets for BNN Bloomberg, a global program airing daily from Toronto and New York. Previously, Lang was CBC’s senior business correspondent, reporting for its flagship nightly news program, The National, and host of The Exchange with Amanda Lang, a daily business program airing on CBC News Network. For five years before that Lang hosted The Lang and O’Leary Exchange, with Kevin O’Leary. And prior to that the pair co-hosted SqueezePlay, on BNN, for 6 years.

Lang studied Architecture at the University of Manitoba, before becoming a journalist. Her first job in journalism was for the Globe and Mail, and subsequently Lang joined the Financial Post newspaper, where she became the paper’s New York correspondent. In New York she made the leap to television, where she first was part of the team that launched BNN and before long wound up at CNN as a reporter and anchor. Lang is also a best-selling author. “The Power of Why,” (HarperCollins, October 2012) explores the connection between curiosity and success. “The Beauty of Discomfort” (HarperCollins, April 2017) examines how difficult change can be, and set out strategies for how to achieve it.

Biography

Since joining Export Development Canada in 2014, Mairead Lavery has put values and ethics at the center of her leadership approach. Appointed President and CEO on February 5, 2019, Mairead set out three pillars for her leadership: Champion for Trade; Environmental, Social and Governance Responsibility; and Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. These values are the centerpiece of her – and EDC’s – business agenda.

Under her direction, Canada’s export credit agency has pursued ambitious objectives, achieving strong growth, and helping more Canadian companies do business in 200 markets around the world, while generating over $100 billion in trade and investment annually.

In 2020, EDC became a major contributor to the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 economic response, helping deliver billions of dollars in liquidity to companies across Canada. EDC also stands as the single largest financier of Canadian cleantech, a proud supporter of women-owned and women-led businesses, and regularly ranks among Canada’s Top 100 Employers.

Mairead is the Board Chair for the EDC subsidiary, FinDev Canada, Canada’s international development finance institution, and a Board member of Ontario Global 100, creating opportunities for business leaders of Ontario mid-sized companies to accelerate growth. She also sits on the advisory boards of Toronto Global Forum and Project Arrow, which is creating Canada’s original full-build, zero-emissions concept vehicle. Prior to joining EDC, Mairead held executive roles at Bombardier, where she managed a range of large complex portfolios over a sixteen-year career.

She is a native of Northern Ireland, has a degree in Management and Accounting from Queen’s University Belfast, and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. She is also the first woman to occupy EDC’s chief executive role in its 75-plus year history.

In 2015, Mairead experienced another very proud milestone: becoming a Canadian citizen.

Biography

Stephen Lecce is the Minister of Education for the Province of Ontario and the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for King-Vaughan. As Minister, Stephen is fighting for student success and is working to build an education system that is equipped to support our next generation. It is his mission to ensure that students are given every opportunity to develop the transferable skills needed to lead productive lives and secure good jobs. Stephen stands for an inclusive and equitable system of education and believes that our future as a province and as a country, depends on unlocking the potential of all youth.

Stephen’s experience in politics began in his home town of Vaughan where he was involved with the 1999 election of the late MPP Al Palladini. Since then, he has served as the Chief Spokesperson for former Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, as Deputy Government House Leader, the Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Parliamentary Assistant to the Premier.

Stephen is a community leader, who has devoted over half his life to public service. He continues to give back and support his local community as MPP, and as the former First Vice President of the National Congress of Italian Canadians, an active member of the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce and former Youth Education Chair of Vaughan’s Royal Canadian Legion (Mackenzie Branch 414).

Stephen lives in Vaughan, where he grew up, and remains active in his community.

Biography

Chris Levesque joined TerraPower as president in 2015 and became CEO in 2018. Levesque started his career as a nuclear submarine officer, rising to chief engineer. He later worked for AREVA in multiple roles, including Board chairman and president of their joint venture with Newport News Shipbuilding. Prior to joining TerraPower, Levesque directed a project for one of America’s first new reactor builds in decades at Westinghouse Electric. He earned his M.S. in mechanical engineering and Naval Engineer degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Biography

Paul Lightfoot, BrightFarms’ founder and CEO, leads the company on its mission to provide consumers with the freshest, tastiest and most responsibly grown local produce.

Through his vision, BrightFarms is creating the first national brand of locally grown produce. In four years, Lightfoot has led the company from a proof-of-concept to operating four greenhouses in key markets like Washington, D.C., Chicago, Cincinnati and Philadelphia. BrightFarms was named 235th on the 2017 Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing private companies, ranking 10th among all food companies and the only produce company featured on the list.

A healthy and sustainable food zealot, Lightfoot has delivered keynote speeches at a myriad of conferences, such as Forbes AgTech, Groceryshop and the Partnership for a Healthier America Summit, and has been featured multiple times in national publications such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The Washington Post. Lightfoot is an active member of YPO and received its CSR Award for Environmental Sustainable Business Practices. He currently sits on the Board of Directors for The United Fresh Produce Association.

Lightfoot has been recognized by Chain Store Age magazine as a "Rising Star in Retail" and was featured by Fast Company on its list of “1000 Most Creative People in Business.”

Biography

World-renowned in cybersecurity, risk, compliance and governance, Kris leads EY Global Advisory Cybersecurity services. She regularly keynotes at RSA, InfoSec and Security World conferences as well as appearing in publications such as Forbes, Fortune, SC Magazine, InfoWorld and USA Today.

Prior to joining EY, Kris was CEO of an AI-driven network security company. Previously, she was also the general manager of a multinational information technology company’s security services division, charged with building end-to-end cybersecurity programs for clients worldwide. In this role, she participated internally as a member of the growth and transformation team. Externally, she has served as advisor and sat on the boards of a number of public and private organizations.

Kris earned a BA in English from Lafayette College, US.

Biography

Joseph S. Mancinelli is International Vice President and Central and Eastern Canada Regional Manager of LiUNA, the Labourers’ International Union of North America.

With over 120 000 members across Canada and half a million strong across North America, LiUNA is the most progressive, aggressive and fastest growing union of construction workers and one of the most diverse and effective unions representing various sectors across North America.

Mr. Mancinelli leads many of LiUNA’s entities including serving as Chair of the Labourers’ Pension Fund of Central and Eastern Canada (LPF), named Canada’s 5thfastest growing pension fund by Benefits Canada. Established in 1972, the LPF is a Multi-Employer Pension Plan (MEPP) established which has grown to over $10 Billion in assets.  The LPF continuously seeks out investments that provide long-term rates of return in order to maximize value while managing risk through diversification strategies.  Investments include the Long Term Care, Hospitals, Courthouses, Transit Infrastructure, Hotels and more.

Joseph Mancinelli is a visionary who has brought LiUNA into areas that other unions have never ventured, including the world of Public Private Partnership (P3). Under his leadership, LiUNA has become a new face of Labour, working together with industry, private sector and government to build better communities in partnership, across North America.

Joe has been an advocate of P3 initiatives for many years and LiUNA has experienced first-hand the benefits of working in tandem with both the public and private sectors.  LiUNA has successfully yielded strong returns for its pension fund, while building much needed infrastructure for the community and employing unionized workers to get the projects done.  It has been a rewarding model that we will continue to advocate for and build upon in years to come.

He is also an advocate of community building and a champion of benevolent causes.  He is an ardent supporter of the arts, is passionate about the restoration of historical sites and is an accomplished artist in his own right.

Over the years he has served on numerous committees including serving as the Co-Chair of the Toronto Region Board of Trade’s Talent Cabinet, serving on the province’s Transit Investment Strategy Advisory Panel; serving as a founding director of the Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, and as the first Chair of the Bay-Area Health Trust.

Joe has also been a leader in community advocacy and fundraising initiatives for the betterment of building inclusive futures, including children’s charities and causes, hospitals and health care centres, the Children’s Wish Foundation, Camp Trillium, Easter Seals, the United Way, Mt. Sinai, St. Joseph’s Healthcare, the ALS Society, Down Syndrome Research Foundation, Larger than Life Kindergarten School for children with cancer in Israel, as well as natural disaster relief initiatives and cultural inclusiveness initiatives.

He has also been acknowledged for his leadership and dedication to community building as the recipient of  many awards, including the Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Club, Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, has been inducted into Hamilton’s Gallery of Distinction and has been bestowed an honorary Doctorate of Laws Degree from McMaster University.  He received a National Philanthropy Award as Outstanding Volunteer by the Association of Fundraising Professionals, has been named Sons of Italy Citizen of the Year and was awarded a ‘Spirit of Ontario’ award by the National Congress of Italian Canadians, to name a few.

Joe is a lifelong Hamiltonian.  He and his wife Enza have been married for 33 years, they have five children and two grandsons.

Biography

José Luis Manzano is an Argentine businessman with a deep understanding of Latin American public policy and global emerging markets. He possesses significant experience in the investment, media, energy and distress industries. He speaks frequently across the world on these issues.

Dr. Manzano founded the international firm Integra Capital, a private equity and merchant banking firm. Integra also provides services such as mergers and acquisitions, financial structuring, IPOs, due diligence procedures, debt and company restructuring, among others.

Dr. Manzano and his family are relevant shareholders of Phoenix Global Resources, a company engaged in the exploration and production of oil with activity in Argentina. PGR is listed on the London Stock Exchange, AIM Market, and the Stock Exchange of Buenos Aires, produces 10.000 barrels of oil per day and has more than 60 million barrels of proven reserves and 300 million barrels of unconventional resources. Dr Manzano is also a relevant investor in Interoil, an exploration and production company listed in Oslo stock exchange that produces 1600bopd in Colombia.

Dr. Manzano is the major shareholder of Integra Oil & Gas, an oil production company that produces 4000 bopd in Venezuela. He is also a major shareholder in Integra Gas Distribution in partnership with Mercuria Energy Trading. Integra Gas Distribution is a significant shareholder of Metrogas, the gas distribution company of Buenos Aires serving more than 10 million people. He is also a relevant shareholder of Edemsa, the distribution electricity company of the province of Mendoza, HIDROELECTRICA AMEGHINO, a hidroplant producing 60 megas and Altus, a winery producer of premium wines in Argentina.

In relation to the media industry, Dr. Manzano is a major shareholder of Grupo America, the second by size argentine media group he co-founded in 1996. The group owns TV stations, news channels, radios and newspapers, including America Tv, the national leader on live television, La Capital, the oldest newspaper of the country and El Cronista Comercial, the more prestigious business and finance newspaper of Argentina.

Prior to his business career, Mr. Manzano was active in the Peronist party where he was Secretary General. He served as majority leader in the lower house of Argentina’s National Congress from 1983 to 1991 and was appointed as Homeland Security Minister under President Carlos Menem.

Dr. Manzano is a relevant donor to several educational organizations and charities. Dr. Manzano is the President of Universidad de Congreso, where he is actively involved in academics and research activities. He has developed activities with the climate change organization of Novel Awards Al Gore and the Clinton Global Initiative. He is also active with the UK Argentinean Chamber of Commerce and the Cámara de Comercio Argentino Norteamericana. He is a sponsor of the Chinese House of Culture in Buenos Aires and was a member of the B20, the business group in support of the G20 Argentine presidency. Dr Manzano is a regular participant of the activities of the Council of The Americas and the Americas Society and is a member of the Energy Steering Committee of the Institute of The Americas.

Mr. Manzano received his Medical Doctorate and his Post Degree specialization in Occupational Health from the National University of Cuyo. He has been a Visiting Scholar at both Georgetown University and the University of California at San Diego. He has received an International Business Certificate and an International Finance Certificate from Georgetown University. He has received a diploma in leadership from Oxford University and lectured at prestigious universities in Argentina, Japan, Europe and the United States.

Biography

Joy McBrien is a global learner who is passionate about creating opportunities for women and girls. She is the Founder and CEO of Fair Anita, a social enterprise that strives to build a more inclusive economy for women by providing economic opportunity and dignified jobs through beautiful fair trade jewelry and accessories. She has worked with thousands of women around the world, using her empathetic nature to understand circumstances and develop creative solutions, including having built a battered women’s shelter in Peru and working at a girl-focused middle school in St. Paul. Joy has been recognized for her leadership in this space, giving a TEDx talk and receiving awards including: Top Ten Outstanding Young Minnesotans 2015, Open Hands Initiative Fellow 2016, Minnesota Business Magazine’s 35 Entrepreneurs Under 35, CauseArtist's 35 Entrepreneurs to Watch, and the Real Power 50 Award. Joy is a member of the Global Shapers Community, and has spoken on women's issues at various events with the World Economic Forum, including the Annual Meeting of New Champions (aka Summer Davos) and the Sustainable Development Impact Summit. Beyond acting on her passions for women's rights and ethical supply chains, Joy spends much of her time travelling, working with young people, and performing as a professional dancer.

Biography

Corey McCarthy is an entrepreneur, marketer, and speaker with twenty years’ experience in the hospitality industry. As Beekeeper's VP of Global Marketing, Corey dances on the fine line between art and science to share Beekeeper's mission to connect the world's 2 billion non-desk workers. In her former life, Corey ran the media assets for Lodging Hospitality, part of a $1.56B publishing company, and has extensive insights into all facets of hotel, retail, and real estate businesses.

Biography

Mehdi is an AI researcher and the CEO of Dataperformers, one of the most promising AI companies that provides state of the art Deep Learning and advanced Computer Vision to several industries and large institutions. Designated as the AI Leader of 2017 by Digital Finance Canada, Mehdi is deeply invested to democratize artificial intelligence and this by co-founding several non-profit initiatives like the Deep Learning Montreal and Toronto groups, ThinkAI, etc. Mehdi is an official contributor to the AI and future of work Taskforce of the G7 at Charlevoix, 2018 and AI economic impact taskforce of the G20 / B20 in in Buenos Aires. He also an active speaker at local and international panels like SXSW featuring in 2017 in Austin, Montreal Annual Fintech Forum, Economic Forum of Quebec, etc.

Biography

Dr. Shefali Mehta, an environmental and agricultural economist and statistician, focuses on developing strategy and change plans for organizations undergoing transformation.  She founded and leads Open Rivers Consulting Associates to tailor solutions and create holistic strategies for a range of clients.

Prior to founding Open Rivers, Dr. Mehta worked in roles across private, public and non-profit sectors including McKinsey, Syngenta, the Soil Health Partnership, amongst others.  She serves or has served as a Board member for various groups including Bountifield, Pheasants Forever, Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pest Center (MITPPC), the School of Statistics at University of Minnesota, The Gates Scholar Advisory Council, amongst others.

Dr. Mehta received her PhD in Agricultural and Applied Economics and MS in Statistics from the University of Minnesota, MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University and a BA in Economics from New York University.

Biography

Eric Minoli is a serial innovator and disruptor, who combines the creativity and risk-taking of a digital media entrepreneur with the meticulous planning and organizational vision of a process engineer. For 20 years he has fearlessly pushed the limits of what is possible in the word of audio-visual production.

Eric built his first computer at the age of eight. By age 12 he had written every TV broadcaster in his native France looking to work as a cameraman. Undeterred, he turned to the theatre, learning production sound and lightening. He similarly challenged the French state education system to pursue the technical training he desired, eventually pursuing a DEC in broadcasting and graduating from the Université de Provence (France) and Université McGill (Canada).

Invited by the Alliance Française to install a computer system in their office in Hyderabad, India, Eric was recruited by the French Embassy and stayed for two years in India. Returning to France, he spent six years in increasing positions with Groupe Canal +, before leaving to establish its U.S. office in Miami.

After immigrating to Canada and joining the provincial public broadcaster TVOntario, Eric helped plan and implement the spin-off of French-language broadcaster TFO, precursor to Groupe Média TFO. In his role as VP Technologies and Optimization, he currently manages a team of 70 people responsible for all technical and production capabilities ( IT, web, studio, digital, legal, supplying and business activities and strategies) as well as related work flow and process planning.

His relentless pursuit of new ways to lever technology to unleash GMTFO’s creative potential and maximize its production resources has vaulted it to the forefront of developments in the industry, despite its modest size.Eric has overseen GMTFO’s amazing transformation from a single minority language tv channel into an award-winning, multi-platform digital content and distribution network of premium French-language education content. He has overturned traditional broadcast practices, decentralizing post-production by installing Adobe Premiere editing packages on more than 60 laptops, which radically altered workflow and productivity.

Most recently, Eric’s disruptive influence has manifested in the creation of the Laboratoire d’Univers Virtuels ( LUV). The LUV is a radical and unique merger of existing green screen broadcast technology and industry-leading gaming engine software, which allows for live actors to interact with unlimited virtual sets and effects in real time. Conceived in April 2016, it was put in service only a few months later.

When not scouring the globe for technology partners on behalf of GMTFO, Eric travels widely with his husband. A natural gourmand, he is currently studying to become a maître fromager, the equivalent of a sommelier in the world of cheese.

Biography

Steve Morriss is Group President, Design and Consulting Services, Americas at AECOM (NYSE:ACM), a premier, fully integrated infrastructure firm that designs, builds, finances and operates assets for governments, businesses and organizations in more than 150 countries.

In this role, Mr. Morriss leads the group's technical services business, numbering more than 20,000 employees across the United States, Canada and Latin America.  The capability of the business includes master planning, design, environment, planning, cost management, engineering, and project management for a range of market sectors including transportation, water, defense, power and energy, sports and leisure, education and healthcare.

He is a member of AECOM’s Executive Leadership Team at the enterprise level. Previously, Mr. Morriss served as President and Chief Executive of AECOM’s EMIA geography, which includes the U.K., Continental Europe, the Middle East, India and Africa.

Mr. Morriss joined AECOM in January 2011 from Mouchel where he served as Managing Director of Government and Business Services. Additionally, his 28-year career includes senior executive roles with Serco PLC and WS Atkins.  A Civil Engineer, he also served in the Royal Engineers and Royal Marines Reserve.

Biography

Caroline Mulroney is Ontario’s Minister Francophone Affairs.

She was elected MPP for the riding of York-Simcoe in June 2018 and has since served as Minister of Francophone Affairs. Since June 2019, Ms. Mulroney is also Minister of Transportation; she was previously Attorney General of Ontario. The Ministry of Francophone Affairs is currently addressing the priority issue of economic development as a catalyst for the vitality of Ontario's Francophonie. This approach stems from the importance that Minister Mulroney places on the culture of entrepreneurship, the skilled bilingual workforce and the role of economic immigration in the contribution of the Francophonie to Ontario's economy as a whole.

Mulroney was the vice president of BloombergSen Investment Partners, a Toronto-based investment firm, where she managed client services, marketing and business development. Prior to that, Mulroney spearheaded corporate and regulatory matters related to growth opportunities in Canada and the United States for Wellington Financial LP.

Mulroney is a graduate of Harvard College and the NYU School of Law. After graduating from the NYU School of Law, Mulroney practiced law at Shearman & Sterling.

She co-founded the Shoebox Project for Shelters, a charitable organization that co-ordinates and delivers gifts to thousands of women and girls in shelters or facing homelessness.

Mulroney and her husband, Andrew Lapham, have four children.

Français:

Caroline Mulroney est ministre des Transports et ministre des Affaires francophones de l’Ontario.

Elle a été élue députée provinciale de la circonscription York-Simcoe en juin 2018 et elle occupe depuis le poste de ministre des Affaires francophones. Depuis juin 2019, madame Mulroney est également ministre des Transports ; elle était précédemment procureure générale de l’Ontario.

Le ministère des Affaires francophones se penche présentement au dossier prioritaire du développement économique comme catalyseur du dynamisme de la francophonie ontarienne. Cette approche relève de l’importance que la ministre Mulroney accorde à la culture de l’entrepreneuriat, à la main d’œuvre bilingue qualifiée et au rôle de l’immigration économique à l’apport de la francophonie à l’ensemble de l’économie ontarienne.

Mme Mulroney a été vice-présidente de BloombergSen Investment Partners, une société de placement de Toronto où elle était responsable du service aux clients, du marketing et du développement des affaires. Mme Mulroney a également géré les questions corporatives et réglementaires liées aux possibilités de croissance au Canada et aux États-Unis pour la firme Wellington Financial LP.

Mme Mulroney est diplômée du collège Harvard (Harvard College) et de l’École de droit de l’Université de New York (NYU School of Law). Après avoir obtenu son diplôme de l’Université de New York, Mme Mulroney a pratiqué le droit au sein du cabinet Shearman & Sterling.

Elle a cofondé l’Opération boîte à chaussures, un organisme de bienfaisance qui coordonne des dons et les distribue à des milliers de femmes et de filles dans des refuges ou sans-abri.

Caroline Mulroney et son mari, Andrew Lapham, ont quatre enfants.

Biography

War veteran Mr. Tipu Munshi, MP, Minister for Commerce Ministry was born on 25 August,1950 in Gopalganj in a reputed muslim family.

Mr. Tipu Munshi did his graduation from University of Dhaka. He played pivotal role in the mass uprising of 1969. He has been active in politics for the last 52 years. He actively participated in Bangladesh Awami League politics along with his business since 1976.

He took part in great liberation war with his father, Ramjan Ali Munshi, at the age of 21 years. It is a rear history of Liberation War that father and son fought together directly for the liberation of the mother land.

Mr. Tipu Munshi, as a candidate of Bangladesh Awami League, was elected Member of Parliament of Rangpur-4 constituency on 29 December 2008 in the 9th parliamentary election   for the first time. He was a member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Jute and Textile in the 9th parliament. He was elected a member of Bangladesh Awami League central executive committee. Tipu Munshi, as a candidate of Bangladesh Awami League, was elected Member of Parliament of Rangpur-4 constituency on 05 January,2014 in the 10th parliamentary election   for the second time. He was a member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Finance in the 10th parliament. He was elected secretary of planning and finance of Bangladesh Awami League central executive committee in 2017. He was elected Member of Parliament of Rangpur-4 constituency in 2019 in the 11th parliamentary election   for the third time. Tipu Munshi took oath as Minister of Commerce in the cabinet of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 07 January 2019.

As an establish businessman Mr. Tipu Munshi served as chairman of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporter Association (BGMEA) from 2005 to 2006. Presently he is serving as chairman of the joint forum of the Garment’s Owners. He visited the USA, Australia, Malaysia and India with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as business representative.

He is involved in different social and cultural activities and has established many philanthropic organizations.

He is father of two daughters. Listening song, reading book, and travelling are his favorite hobbies.

Biography

Nathalie Myara, Ph.D. is a psychopedagogist, Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at University of Montreal; Entrepreneur, Member of the International Association for Cognitive Education and Psychology Committee; and McGill Disability Study Group. Dr. Myara has more than 20 years of experience in intervention and assessment with students with special needs. She is concerned with the educational and qualifying success of learners with different challenges. Her research focuses on the design and efficiency of Individualized education programs (IEPs) transition plans, dynamic assessment, cognitive intervention, and, research and development methods in particular pedagogical value analysis. She has written several scientific articles, she is also the author of the book "le plan d'intervention: un processus et des ententes" and she leads trainings and workshops in Canada, the USA, Europe, Israel and Qatar.

Biography

Amit is the Founder and CEO of AutoGrid, Inc. From 2010 to 2012, he was the Director of Smart Grid Research in Modeling & Simulation at Stanford University, where he led an interdisciplinary project related to modeling, optimization and control of the electricity grid and associated electricity markets. Prior to founding AutoGrid, Amit was the Vice President of Products at the publicly traded company Magma Design Automation, Inc. (Nasdaq: LAVA), where he led the product development and product management teams responsible for Magma’s flagship product in the design implementation area.

Over one third of all semiconductor chips used in consumer electronic devices — such as smart phones, blue-ray players and video games — were designed using products developed by Amit’s team at Magma. Prior to joining Magma, Amit founded Berkeley Design Automation, Inc. (BDA), a venture-backed company in analog and radio-frequency semiconductor design software and served as its founding CEO and later Vice President of Engineering, responsible for all research and product development activities, as well as customer engagements. Under Amit’s leadership, BDA saw its products adopted by over 100 semiconductor companies in the world (including 20 out of the top 25). For his work at BDA, Amit received the EDN’s “Innovation for the Year” award in 2006. Amit received his B. Tech. in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology at Kanpur and Ph.D. from University of California at Berkeley. He has published over 25 papers about design automation, holds seven U.S. patents and is an active advisor to several startup companies in the Bay Area.

Biography

Mikki Nasch is the Co-founder and Head of Business Development at Evidation Health. At Evidation, Ms. Nasch is responsible for revenue and strategic business development. Prior to co-founding Evidation, she was the EVP of Business Development for Sense Networks, a pioneering machine learning company founded by leading scientists at MIT and Columbia. She has also held executive roles at Fair Isaac (NYSE: FIC) and held leadership positions in the incubation phase of numerous startups while at Brightspark Ventures, a leading venture capital company in Canada. A serial technology entrepreneur, Ms. Nasch was part of the founding team of Backweb Technologies (NASD: BWEB) and managed business development projects at AT&T Business Network, Europe Online, and Reuters.

Biography

In 2019, Sean co-founded BrainBox AI.  With his advanced knowledge of the commercial real estate industry combined with his hands-on experience of energy technology development and integration, Sean’s vision, leadership and unique skillsets equip him to lead an organization that is forefront of the green building revolution.

In 2011, Sean founded RealTerm Energy (RTE), the Property Technology (Prop. Tech) division of Realterm. RTE successfully financed, designed, built, and operated 1.5MW AC of roof-top solar systems under the Ontario Power Authority’s FIT 1.0 renewable energy program, part of the Province of Ontario’s 2009 Green Energy Act.  Shortly after, in 2013, RTE launched a service offering for the design, procurement and replacement of existing municipal street lights to LED technology.  Between 2013 and 2019, RTE became one of the leading, 3^rd party, LED street light integrators in North America.

During his 20+ year real estate career, Sean was responsible for the growth of a portfolio of over 20 facilities, cumulating in over 2 million square feet of property, responsible for land lease negotiations and acquisitions, environmental remediation, tax contestation, leasing, construction, financing, property management and asset management and dispositions.

Sean is also CEO of RealTerm Energy (RTE) and sits on the Realterm Investment and Audit Committees. Sean graduated from Yale University with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics.

Biography

From promoting Canada to the world as a great place to do business, to helping our entrepreneurs and businesses grow and access new markets – Minister Ng is focused on helping Canadians succeed.

First elected the Member of Parliament for Markham–Thornhill in April 2017, Minister Ng was first appointed to Cabinet in July 2018 as Minister for Small Business and Export Promotion. After being successfully re-elected in October 2019, she became Canada’s Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade.

Prior to serving as a Member of Parliament, Minister Ng served as Appointments Director for the Prime Minister, and as Executive Director for the President of Ryerson University where she oversaw the creation of a world-leading business incubator for tech start-ups.
Throughout her 20 years of public service, Minister Ng has been a devoted community leader with a focus on creating jobs, fostering entrepreneurship, and empowering small business to innovate and grow.

Biography

Susan Nickey is a managing director at Hannon Armstrong (NYSE:HASI), a leading capital provider focused on sustainable infrastructure markets that address climate change.

Susan Nickey is a managing director at Hannon Armstrong (NYSE:HASI), a leading capital provider focused on sustainable infrastructure markets that address climate change.

Previously, she founded and served as chief executive officer of Threshold Power. Prior to Threshold, Ms. Nickey was the chief financial officer of ACCIONA Energy North America from 2007-2010 and was a managing director of investment banking in the project finance group of Mesirow Financial before that. She currently serves on the board of directors of the American Wind Energy Association and its finance committee and the board of directors of the American Council of Renewable Energy and its executive committee. Ms. Nickey is a frequent speaker at renewable energy events, particularly on topics related to capital markets and financing trends for clean energy, including wind, solar and storage. Ms. Nickey holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Master of Science in foreign service from Georgetown University.

Biography

Mr. Allan O’Dette, MBA, ICD.D, is a high-profile, results-oriented leader with more than 30 years experience in public, private and not-for-profit and volunteer sectors where has he has a proven track record of success in leading change and organizational renewal. Allan is the CEO of the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), which represents the political, clinical and economic interests of the provinces more than 41,000 physicians, residents and medical students. In this role, Allan is tasked with driving transformation and modernization in the 138-year-old organization. Previously Allan was appointed the first Chief Investment Officer for the Province of Ontario, in which he led the creation of a customer-focused, cross-functional enterprise generating billions of dollars in new attraction and retention investment to the province.

As president and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce for more than five years, Allan led the revitalization of Ontario's most influential business organization, which has 60,000 members in more than 135 communities. In doing so, he established the OCC as an influential thought leader and change agent, with an engaged membership and a sustained financial foundation. Allan is an entrepreneur with more than 25 years experience in progressive leadership roles in the bio-pharmaceutical sector. Passionate in support of Canadian business and his community, Allan has served on numerous private and not-for-profit boards and committees, including serving as vice chair of the Markham Stouffville Hospital Board of Directors. Allan was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his contribution to his community and his philanthropic activities.

Biography

Iliana Oris Valiente, CPA, CA, CBP (Certified Bitcoin Professional) is a Managing Director at Accenture where she oversees both the Canada Innovation Hub and the Canadian blockchain practice, working with clients to support their strategic transformation journeys leveraging the latest emerging technologies.

Iliana is widely credited for being a trailblazer in the blockchain industry, leading initiatives to conceptualize and build blockchain solutions across industries – focusing on financial services, supply chain, health and public sector. Iliana has strong views on how the network effects of this technology will impact multiple industry verticals, and how it will radically change many status quo business models. Most recently, she founded ColliderX, a non-profit blockchain research and development organization, where she also chairs the board of directors. Iliana is also a contributor to the Tapscott-led Blockchain Research Institute, an Associate at the Creative Destruction Lab, and on the Emerging Leaders Advisory Council for CPA Ontario.

Based in Toronto, Iliana graduated summa cum laude from the University of Ottawa with a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and is a certified public accountant and chartered accountant (CPA,CA).

Iliana a published author and sought-after speaker, having presented at a number of North American and European conferences and events. She has been featured in print and online media, radio and television outlets including CNBC, CBC, NPR, BetaKit, IT World Canada, American Banker, and was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People In the Blockchain Industry by Coindesk, the main news publication in the industry in 2017.

Biography

Recognized as a results-driven figure, the Honourable Christian Paradis was Member of the Parliament of Canada for the Mégantic-L’Érable from 2006 to 2015, and Cabinet Minister between 2007 and 2015, of Public Works and Government Services, Natural Resources, Industry and International Development and  La Francophonie. During his years in office, he led very important files in Canada and at the global stage, he played a leadership role with his involvement in developing and pushing on blended finance for international development.

The Honourable Christian Paradis did not seek a fourth mandate and he joined GardaWorld in January 2016 as Senior Vice President, Strategic Development, Protective Services. His mission is primarily to promote the benefits of public-private partnerships of security services in Canada. When implemented with rigor and common sense, outsourcing is equally capable of making a significant contribution to public services. Over the last years, the Honourable Christian Paradis could indeed see and appreciate the importance of the protection services of the population, both in Canada and around the world.

Mr. Paradis graduated from the University of Sherbrooke in civil law and holds a graduate degree in corporate law from Université Laval. He has been member of Quebec Bar since 1997.

The Honourable Christian Paradis is member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada since 2007. He is recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012).

He is a member of the Boards of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce of Canada, Canada World Youth and Canadian Wildlife Foundation. He also co-founded Global Development Solutions (GDS) Canada inc., an organisation facilitating social impact investments in frontier and emerging markets.

Biography

Paul is a results-oriented Canadian leader with a strong track record of more than 20 years in the payments industry. He is focused on building on PayPal’s successful 12-year history in Canada, and driving the next phase of growth for the company and its 6.5 million active customers in the country.

Paul plays a pivotal role in identifying strategic partnerships and bringing payment innovations to the Canadian market. He leads his team to help more than 250,000 Canadian small businesses and large retailers grow their sales locally and internationally. An engaging speaker with a passion for innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership, Paul brings a unique perspective on how financial services companies can collaborate to make money more accessible to people and businesses.

Prior to PayPal, Paul was vice president and general manager of global commercial payments at American Express Canada. During his tenure at American Express, he developed and drove business strategy for corporate payments and small business services and held several key leadership positions across sales, account management, e-procurement and travel. A global sales leader, Paul has lived and worked in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K.

Paul has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Guelph.

Biography

Thomas Park leads BDC Capital’s Deep Tech Venture Fund as Partner. Previously, he has served as Vice-President, Operations and Strategy, at BDC Capital since 2016. Before joining BDC, Thomas was Program Officer with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to this, he served as Senior Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Company. He previously worked at the United Nations Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and the International Criminal Court.

Thomas holds bachelor’s degrees in Civil and Common Law from McGill University, a Master in Public Policy from the Kennedy School at Harvard University and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Biography

Neil Parmenter is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Bankers Association. In his role, he advocates on behalf of Canada’s banking sector for policies and perspectives that contribute to a sound, successful banking system for the benefit of all Canadians.

Neil has more than 25 years of financial sector experience. Before leading the CBA, Neil was Senior Vice President, Corporate and Public Affairs and Chief Communications Officer at TD Bank Group. There, he counseled key executives on government relations, communications, and public affairs issues.

Neil is a graduate of Western University, Humber College, and Stanford University’s executive management program.

Biography

Emily Paxhia is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Poseidon.

Emily has reviewed thousands of companies in the cannabis industry and has worked with countless founders in many capacities. She had helped to shape founders' pitch preparations, their go-to-market strategies/ product launches, and advised on day-to-day business operations. Emily has held board seats for three portfolio companies and participates as an adviser to multiple teams.

Extremely active in the investment decision making and ongoing investment oversight processes, she works closely with her partners to create meaningful deal structures, ensuring that proper governance is carried out at the company level. Further, Emily has dedicated time and energy to supporting policy groups and has served on the Board of Directors of the Marijuana Policy Project. She also currently serves on the Board of Athletes for CARE.

Emily has over 10 years of experience working as a consultant and researcher, and as such, has become an expert at extracting actionable insights from research and applying them to make corporations function more efficiently and successfully. She also leverages this experience to engage in detailed market analysis for determination around product-market fit and potential scalability.

Emily graduated from New York University with an M.A. in Psychology in 2008. She graduated from Skidmore College with a B.A. in Psychology in 2002.

Biography

Zach Pendley is a Toronto based Partner in the Transaction Advisory Services practice of EY and is the leader of our Real Estate Transactions business in Canada.  Zach has more than 15 years of experience helping clients with strategic acquisitions, dispositions and financings. He has deep sector expertise in the real estate industry and has led transactions of over $15 Billion of real estate assets. Zach’s skillset in the real estate industry is comprehensive, from expertise in valuation, feasibility studies, designing and implementing marketing strategies, transactions and capital structuring initiatives.  Zach’s experience with EY has spanned several locations, originally being based in Phoenix, Arizona, where he worked with many of the largest homebuilders in the US.  Zach also spent 5 years serving the largest financial institutions and private equity firms in the world in New York City.  Zach is committed to supporting diverse entrepreneurs.  He has served on the Board of Directors with the Canadian LGBT Chamber of Commerce for the past 3 years and is involved in both the EY Entrepreneur of the Year program and the Entrepreneurial Winning Women program.  Zach has an MBA with Honours from Columbia University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Arizona.

Biography

The Honourable Pierre Pettigrew is Executive Advisor, International at Deloitte Canada. He is also the Government of Canada Special Envoy for the Canada-European Union Trade Agreement (CETA).

Pierre has had success in both the public and private sectors. While a consultant at the Deloitte Montreal office from 1985-1995, he emerged as a strong voice for business on international trade issues and unity matters that brought him an appointment to the Federal cabinet in 1996.

Pierre served as a Minister for 10 years, most notably as Minister of Human Resources Development, as Minister for International Trade and Foreign Minister. He represented in Parliament the Montreal district of Papineau now represented by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Pierre is on the advisory board of Forbes Manhattan, a Toronto-based private merchant bank specialized in commodities. He sits on a number of profit and non-profit boards. He is the only Canadian on the board of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington.

Pierre regularly arbitrates international trade disputes between countries at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva.

Biography

Tara is founder and CEO of Numina, which takes a privacy-first approach to measure all forms of street-level activity for cities and, by making this real-time intelligence queryable via API, turns streets into a developer platform for the urban planning, mobility, and real estate sectors. Individually and with Numina, Tara has led city-scale data projects with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Code for America, Living Cities, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Clinton Foundation, and others. Prior to civic tech, Tara had worked in public health/urban design research, radio and print media, and arts administration. She is also a former Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur, Mercedes Benz EQ Fellow, Next City Vanguard, 1776vc Fellow, alumna of URBAN-X and 500 Startups, and winner of the $50,000 Globalhack hackathon. Tara currently co-hosts Women Who Hardware, which brings together the female and gender-nonconforming doers of the NYC hardware ecosystem.

Biography

Mary Powell is nationally recognized as an energy visionary, positioning Green Mountain Power as a leading energy transformation company. Delivering clean, cost-effective and highly reliable power to customers all across Vermont, GMP offers cutting-edge products and service to reduce costs and carbon. In 2017, GMP was named one of the top 10 energy companies in the world by Fast Company. GMP has also achieved the top score for mid-sized utilities in the East Region in J.D. Power’s 2016 electric utility residential customer satisfaction study.

Mary has served as president and chief executive officer for GMP since 2008. She initiated and implemented a strategic and comprehensive restructuring of the company that dramatically transformed GMP, and she has been the backbone of a cultural transformation and service quality improvement. Fast, fun, and effective is her motto. Under Mary’s leadership, GMP became the first utility in the world to become a member of B Corp, showing a commitment to use energy as a force for good.

Mary has delivered on an ambitious energy vision to provide low-carbon, low-cost and highly reliable power to Vermonters. As a result, GMP became the first utility to offer to help customers go off-grid, built Vermont’s largest wind farm, made Rutland, Vermont, the Solar Generation Capital of New England, and installed smart grid technology across GMP’s service territory.

In 2012, Mary led the acquisition of Central Vermont Public Service, with a promise to generate $144 million in savings for customers. GMP has grown from serving 88,000 customers in 2008 to serving over 260,000 customers, with revenues of more than $640 million and $2 billion in assets.

In 2014, Mary announced a new partnership with NRG Energy, Inc. to make Vermont a leader in sustainable energy. And in 2015, Mary led another partnership with Tesla, with GMP becoming the first utility anywhere to offer customers the Tesla Powerwall battery.

In 2014, Mary was recognized by Powergen as the Woman of the Year, in 2015 The Burlington Free Press named her Vermonter of the Year, and in 2016, Fast Company named Mary one of the 100 most creative people in business.

Biography

Gary has led CFEE since 1981 in efforts to improve economic, financial, and enterprising capability. Gary has developed school curriculum for a number of provinces and written a wide variety of resources including “Money and Youth” which has over 500,000 copies in circulation, “Canada’s Economy: What Path, What Future” for the Department of Finance, and “Money and Monetary Policy in Canada” with the Bank of Canada. He has served as a Director/Advisor to a variety of Canadian national organizations and government departments including the Canadian Bankers Association, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Federal Department of Finance, and the Bank of Canada. Gary was a member of the initial federal government National Steering Committee working with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada to develop the National Financial Literacy Strategy for Canada. He has created a number of major financial literacy projects and programs including the “Building Futures” and “Talk With Our Kids About Money Day” programs. Gary is a member of financial literacy and education committees for the OECD (Paris) and CYFI (Amsterdam), and was a contributing author to the Guide to Developing an Excellent Financial Education Program that was circulated by the Asia Pacific Economic Community (APEC) to nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

Biography

Costin joined Kaspersky in 2000, and became Director of the company’s Global Research & Analysis Team (“GReAT”) in 2010. He specializes in analyzing advanced persistent threats and high-level malware attacks, and the GReAT team has researched the inner workings of Stuxnet, Duqu, Carbanak and more recently, Lazarus, BlueNoroff, Moonlight Maze and the Equation group. Costin’s work includes analyzing malicious websites, exploit attacks, and online banking malware.

Costin has over 24 years of experience in anti-virus technology development and security research. He is a member of the Virus Bulletin Technical Advisory Board, a member of the Computer AntiVirus Researchers’ Organization (CARO), and a reporter for the Wildlist Organization International. Before joining Kaspersky, Costin worked for GeCad as Chief Researcher and as a Data Security Expert with the RAV antivirus developers group.

Some of his hobbies include chess, photography, and reading science fiction literature.

Biography

Mr. Rawlings is Chief Executive Officer for JPMorgan Chase in Canada. He is based in Toronto and has responsibility for the Corporate and Investment Bank, Asset Management, the Commercial Bank, Chase Card Services and Merchant Services business locally.  He leads the regulatory agenda in Canada as CEO, J.P. Morgan Bank Canada; CEO, J.P. Morgan Securities Canada Inc; and Principal Officer, JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A., Toronto Branch.  Mr. Rawlings also runs the JPMorgan Chase Foundation for Canada, which focuses on philanthropic investments in community development and education across the country.

Beyond the firm, he is a strong advocate for Canada and promoting its continued growth and prosperity.  Mr. Rawlings is a member of the Business Council of Canada and the Young Presidents’ Organization.  He also sits on the Executive Committee of the Canadian Bankers Association and has previously served on the Cabinet of the United Way Toronto and York Region.

Previously, Mr. Rawlings led J.P. Morgan’s relationships with several global asset management, pension and hedge fund clients from New York.  Prior to that, he ran the global relationship management group at Bear Stearns and was co-head of the Canadian Division. Mr. Rawlings has prior experience at Credit Suisse and Royal Bank of Canada.

Mr. Rawlings graduated from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and is a Chartered Financial Analyst. He and his wife, Tasha, have two daughters.

Biography

Kimberly A. Reed was appointed by President Donald A. Trump to serve as President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM), a position that includes being Chairman of EXIM’s Board of Directors. Reed is serving for a term expiring on January 20, 2021. Reed is a senior executive with a 23-year career across a variety of sectors and has led efforts focused on American job creation, trade, economic development, and government reform. She is a noted international speaker and has testified before the United States Congress, United Nations, and American Medical Association.
Reed most recently served as President of the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation where she collaborated with the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and State to increase acceptance of U.S. exports in emerging market countries. At the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Reed headed the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund, where she oversaw the award of $4 billion in tax credits, loans, and grants to financial institutions and economic development groups investing in distressed communities across the nation. Reed also served as Senior Advisor to U.S. Treasury Secretaries John Snow and Henry Paulson. As counsel to three committees in the U.S. House of Representatives—the Ways and Means, Government Reform and Oversight, and Education and the Workforce Committees—she focused on oversight and reform of federal agencies. She was Vice President for Financial Markets Policy Relations at Lehman Brothers in New York. Recognized as one of the “100 Women Leaders in STEM,” Reed serves on the boards of the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement and American Swiss Foundation and was the first woman elected as Chair of the Republican National Lawyers Association. She previously served the boards of the Alzheimer’s Association, Tax Coalition, National Coalition for Food and Agriculture Research, and West Virginia Wesleyan College.

Originally from Buckhannon, West Virginia, Reed earned her J.D. from West Virginia University College of Law and B.S. from West Virginia Wesleyan College. She is a Certified Association Executive (CAE), earned a Professional Certificate in Finance from the New York Institute of Finance, and has spent time in more than one hundred countries.

Biography

Heather Reisman is the founder, Chair and CEO of Indigo, Canada’s largest book, gift and specialty toy retailer, and co-founder of Kobo, a leading global eReading company. Ms. Reisman was born in Montreal and educated at McGill University.

For the first 16 years of her career Ms. Reisman was Managing Director of Paradigm Consulting, the strategy and change management firm she co-founded in 1979. Paradigm was the world's first strategic change consultancy and pioneered many organizational change strategies still in use today.

Heather is a former Governor of McGill University and of the Toronto Stock Exchange. She has served on many North American boards and continues to serve as a Director of Onex Corporation and Mount Sinai Hospital.

Ms. Reisman is the recipient of several awards including the Order of Canada; the WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women; Waterloo Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, University of Waterloo; International Distinguished Entrepreneur Award, University of Manitoba; John Molson School of Business Award of Distinction, Concordia University; and the Desautels Management Achievement Award in recognition of her outstanding contribution to Canadian business and society. She is the recipient of Honorary Doctorates from Ryerson University (2006), Wilfrid Laurier University (2009), Mount Allison University (2010), St. Francis Xavier University (2013), McGill University (2017) and the Weizmann Institute of Science (2017). Ms. Reisman was inducted into the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2015.

Ms. Reisman is married to Gerald Schwartz, Chair and CEO of Onex Corporation. She has four children and nine grandchildren.

Biography

Born in Hull (Gatineau) on November 25, 1944, son of Carmel Rémillard and Jeannine Desjardins, Gil Rémillard is married to Marie DuPont. They have one son, Nicholas-Philippe, and two grandchildren, Matthieu-Gil and William, whose mother is Élizabeth Côté. Gil has two brothers, Jean and Martin and a sister, Sylvie.

Gil Rémillard holds degrees in Philosophy (1965), Political Science and Economics (1968), was called to the Québec Bar (1969), and has a PhD in Law (1973). He has worked in the fields of university teaching, private law and politics.

Career

From 1965 to 1969, when he was studying at the University of Ottawa, Gil Rémillard worked as a freelance journalist for Radio-Canada on Parliament Hill.

Professor and lawyer (1973 – 1985)

Upon returning from Europe in 1973, where he completed his PhD, Mr. Rémillard began teaching constitutional and administrative law in the Faculty of Law at Laval University in Québec City; he also taught in several other universities. During this time, he also practiced law at the Chouinard, Rémillard, Bussière & Robinson law firm and acted as advisor to the Québec and Ottawa governments on reforming administrative bodies and on certain constitutional issues, among them cable distribution. In 1983, he became a special constitutional advisor to Brian Mulroney, then Prime Minister of Canada, and an advisor to the United Nations Canadian delegation in New York. He has appeared before all levels of the Canadian court system, including the Supreme Court of Canada. From 1981 to 1985, he organized and chaired the Québec Constitutional Conferences at Laval University, which included a number of high-profile speakers, among them Prime Ministers Trudeau and Mulroney, as well as Javier Pérez de Cuéllar (former Secretary-General of the United Nations), Mother Teresa and Marguerite Yourcenar.

Politician (1985 – 1994)

On December 2, 1985, Mr. Rémillard was elected as the MNA for the Québec City riding of Jean-Talon; 10 days later, he was sworn in as a member of Premier Robert Bourassa’s Liberal government. Within that government he held several positions, being successively Minister for Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister of International Relations, Minister of Public Security, and Minister of Justice. As Québec’s Minister of Justice for nearly six years, Mr. Rémillard was responsible for implementing the new Civil Code of Québec, which came into effect January 1, 1994. In 1990, he presided over the creation of the Human Rights Tribunal of Québec and, on June 4, 1990, convened a major Justice Summit and created the Prix de la justice Award. Each year, the award recognizes the outstanding achievements of individuals who have worked to ensure and promote the quality, universality and accessibility of justice.

As Minister of Canadian Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Rémillard headed the negotiations which led to the Meech Lake (1987) and Charlottetown (1992) Accords. While not officially part of the Canadian Constitution, these two agreements had a considerable impact on Canadian federalism, primarily because the Parliament of Canada recognized the “Québec nation.” In addition, the distinct nature of Québec and the principles of cooperative federalism that were central to the Meech Lake Accord are now recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada as points of reference for interpreting the Canadian Constitution.

As Minister of International Relations for the Bourassa government, Mr. Rémillard negotiated the agreement that would lead to the creation of the International Organisation of the Francophonie (OIF). As the Minister responsible for International Relations and La Francophonie, in 1987, he hosted the organization’s second summit in Québec.

Professor and Lawyer (1994 – the present)

In January 1994, Mr. Rémillard left the political arena. From February 1, 1994 until March 1, 2016, he taught at the École Nationale d’Administration Publique (ÉNAP), where he lectured on administrative and international law and gave a course on the principles and issues involved in public administration. He also served as counsel to the law firm Fraser Milner Casgrain, now Dentons Canada LLP.

In 1995, along with his wife Marie DuPont and his son Nicholas Rémillard, he founded the International Economic Forum of the Americas, which annually presents the following events: the World Strategic Forum in April in Miami; the Conference of Montreal in June; the Toronto Global Forum in September; and the Conference of Paris in November. The primary goal of these forums is to promote understanding of the major issues involved in economic globalization.

From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Rémillard acted as an advisor to the governments of the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria concerning the reform of their Civil Codes, as part of the preparation for their entry into the European Union.

From 2008 to 2011, he served as Chair of the Board of Governors for the Université de Sherbrooke. From 2009 to 2012, he acted as a negotiator for the Québec Government and Secretary General of the Québec-France Mutual Recognition Agreement that establishes equivalency of professional qualifications for many trades and professions on both sides of the Atlantic. From 2010 to 2013 he sat on the roundtable of the International Monetary Fund (IMF); in December 2015, the Government of Canada appointed him Chair of the Judicial Compensation and Benefits Commission. As Founding Chairman of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, in partnership with HEC Montreal, Sciences Po Paris, the University of Seoul, the University of California in San Diego, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), in 2017 he created the International Institute of Economic Diplomacy.

Publications

Mr. Rémillard is the President and publisher of the economic magazine FORCES and IEFA Magazine, the official magazine of the International Economic Forum of the Americas. He is also the author of several books and articles, among them: Le fédéralisme canadien, et Le fédéralisme canadien, Éléments constitutionnels de formation et d’évolution, Volumes I and II. He has edited a number of collections, including Global Economy: The Foundation for the Next Era of Growth, which was published in 2014.

Honours

In 1992, he was made Doctor Honoris Causa by the Faculty of Law and Political Science of Aix-Marseille University, France. In 1994, he was awarded the Mérite du Barreau by the Québec Bar for his assistance in creating the new Civil Code of Québec. In 2001, he was appointed to the Order of Canada and, in 2002, was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In 2004, he received the Ordre national du Québec and, that same year, was made a Knight of France’s Légion d’honneur by then-President Jacques Chirac; in 2017, he was made an Officer of that same organization by then-Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

In May 2007, he was granted the honorary title of Advocatus Emeritus by the Québec Bar. In 2013, he was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the France-Canada Institute’s Samuel de Champlain prize. That same year, Ottawa’s Saint Paul University named him Alumnus of the Year and established a fund in his name to help children with learning disabilities. On June 11, 2017, he was awarded the 50^th Anniversary Medal by the Québec Ministry for International Relations and La Francophonie (MRIF), in recognition of his years of service as Minister.

Social Involvement

A dyslexic himself, Mr. Rémillard devotes his efforts to supporting organizations that help children with learning disabilities. He serves on a number of Boards of Directors, one of which is the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, co-chaired by former Governor General of Canada Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul, that helps welcome new citizens and integrate them into Canadian life.

Biography

Nicholas Rémillard, President and Chief Executive Officer, International Economic Forum of the Americas (IEFA), is responsible for the direction and strategy of the IEFA’s four major economic events: the Conference of Montreal, the Toronto Global Forum, the World Strategic Forum and the Conference of Paris.
Since the organization’s inception over 25 years ago, Nicholas Rémillard has held a variety of management roles, ultimately serving as President and CEO from 2010. His contribution led to the rapid expansion of the organization where he launched the Toronto Global Forum and the Palm Beach Strategic Forum in 2007 and 2011, respectively. The latter event is now held in Miami under its new appellation: the World Strategic Forum. In addition to these North American conferences, the IEFA has also shifted towards Europe and will be hosting its fourth edition of the Conference of Paris in November 2020.
Beyond his role at the IEFA, Nicholas Rémillard also serves as Honorary Consul General of Iceland in Montreal.
Nicholas Rémillard holds a law degree from the University of Ottawa.

Biography

Michael W. Rencheck is President and Chief Executive Officer of Bruce Power. Bruce Power provides over 30% of the electricity for Ontario, and produces medical grade isotopes that help to sterilize 40% of the single-use medical devices around the world, while also treating cancer. Bruce Power provides electricity from eight nuclear reactors, and a five-turbine wind energy facility. We believe in our social responsibility and have award-winning economic development and community betterment initiatives.

Over the last 36 years, Mike has served in a number of roles. Prior to joining Bruce Power in 2016, he served as the Deputy Chief Operating Officer for AREVA Group, overseeing its extensive global capital portfolio of nuclear and renewable projects. Prior to this, he served as President and CEO of AREVA Inc. in North America, leading its diverse nuclear manufacturing and services business in Canada and the United States with a workforce of about 5,000 people.

Prior to joining AREVA, Mike was the Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer at American Electric Power (AEP). AEP is a major investor-owned electric utility in the United States, delivering electricity to more than five million customers in 11 states, with 38,000 megawatts of generation assets.

After joining AEP in 1998 as VP of Nuclear Engineering, Mike held various positions during his tenure, including Senior Vice President of Engineering, Projects and Field Services, where he led an extensive capital expansion program and strategic initiatives; Senior VP of Engineering, Technical and Environmental Services; and President of AEP ProServ, a wholly-owned engineering and field services subsidiary responsible for major power generation projects and outage management.

Before joining AEP, Mike worked for Florida Power Corporation serving as Director, Nuclear Engineering and Projects, for Crystal River Nuclear Station. Earlier in his career, Mike worked at Public Service Electric & Gas Company Salem Nuclear Generating Station as Director of System Engineering and Duquesne Light Company’s Beaver Valley Power Station.

In 2014, Mike was recognized by the National Safety Council for his leadership demonstrating a personal commitment to worker safety and health as part of “CEO’s who get it.” He was designated by the U.S. Department of Energy as a STEM ambassador, and served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority. Mike currently sits on the board of directors of the Nuclear Energy Institute.

He also has demonstrated a commitment to many organizations that make a difference in people’s lives including Habitat for Humanity and the United Way.

He is a Professional Engineer and certified senior reactor operator and currently serves on the Advisory Councils of several small modular reactor companies.

Biography

Jennifer Reynolds is the President & CEO of Toronto Finance International (TFI), a public private partnership whose mission is to promote and develop Toronto’s financial services sector, and to establish its prominence as a leading global financial centre.

Jennifer’s 20-year career in the financial services industry has included senior roles in investment banking, venture capital, and global risk management. Prior to joining TFI, Jennifer was the President & CEO of Women in Capital Markets (WCM), Canada’s largest industry association and advocacy group for women in the financial sector.

Jennifer is a Director on the Board of Citibank Canada, Director on the Board of BF&M Insurance Group Ltd, Director on the Board of the Canada Development Investment Corporation ("CDEV"), and a Director on the Board of Women’s College Hospital Foundation. Jennifer also serves on the Advisory Council for the Institute of Sustainable Finance, housed at Queen’s University. In 2015 and 2017, she was named a Women's Executive Network (WXN) Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award Winner.

Jennifer is a graduate of the Harvard Business School Women's Leadership program, and she received her MBA from McGill University, as well as a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in Economics and Political Science from McGill University. Jennifer also holds the Institute of Corporate Directors Designation, ICD.D..

Biography

 Maria Leonor Gerona Robredo, an alternative lawyer and public servant, is the 14th Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines. After years of working with the poor and the marginalized, teaching the less fortunate about their rights under the law, Leni, as she is popularly known, emerged into national consciousness following the loss of her husband, long-time Naga City Mayor and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. Called upon to carry on his legacy of good governance, she stepped into the political arena in 2013, when she won as Representative of the Third District of Camarines Sur.

Amid a productive term in Congress, she was called upon to run for the Vice Presidency, and rose above many odds to assume the second-highest elected post in the country. Determined to bring the Office of the Vice President closer to the people, she led the crafting of its flagship anti-poverty program, Angat Buhay-an endeavor inspired by the work she had done alongside those in need. The program focuses on six key advocacy areas, including food security and nutrition, women empowerment, education, healthcare, rural development, and housing. It has reached 176 communities around the country, through the generosity of partner-organizations and individuals, most of whom are from the private sector. She also launched Istorya ng Pag-asa, a program that aims to spread hope and positivity by featuring extraordinary stories of ordinary Filipinos through words and portraits shown at events, exhibits, and social media.

Believing in the power of collaboration, and a faith in the people, VP Leni vows to keep working to help her fellow Filipinos, especially those in the fringes of society.

Biography

Craig Ryan is Director, Social Entrepreneurship at BDC. He has more than 20 years of experience providing strategy and policy advice to executive decision-makers in government, business and civil society. His focus is on creating a more inclusive, prosperous and green Canada. He leads the BDC that helps grow Canada’s movement of certified beneficial corporation (B Corp) entrepreneurs, holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School and is a member of the board of directors of Rise Asset Development.

Biography

Anthony Scaramucci is the Founder and Managing Partner of SkyBridge Capital. He is the author of four books: The Little Book of Hedge Funds, Goodbye Gordon Gekko, Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole (a 2016 Wall Street Journal best seller), and Trump: The Blue-Collar President.

Prior to founding SkyBridge in 2005, Scaramucci co-founded investment partnership Oscar Capital Management, which was sold to Neuberger Berman, LLC in 2001. Earlier, he was a vice president in Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs & Co.

In 2016, Scaramucci was ranked #85 in Worth Magazine’s Power 100: The 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. In 2011, he received Ernst & Young’s “Entrepreneur of the Year – New York” Award in the Financial Services category. Anthony is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), vice chair of the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund Board, a board member of both The Brain Tumor Foundation and Business Executives for National Security (BENS), and a Trustee of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Foundation. He was a member of the New York City Financial Services Advisory Committee from 2007 to 2012.

In November 2016, he was named to President-Elect Trump’s 16-person Presidential Transition Team Executive Committee. In June 2017, he was named the Chief Strategy Officer of the EXIM Bank. He served as the White House Communications Director for a period in July 2017.

Scaramucci, a native of Long Island, New York, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Tufts University and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School.

Biography

Rodney’s background in equities, financial research, investment banking and venture capital makes him an unconventional but authoritative champion for impact investment. Joining Wall Street in 1980, he rose to become the number one ranked financial services analyst at PaineWebber and then held senior management posts at Lehman Brothers and Paribas, before leaving the sector in 1997 to found the venture capital firm Catalyst.

At Catalyst, Rodney became passionate about innovative businesses that earn a living by trying to make the world a better place. A pioneer in this impact investment marketplace, he transformed Catalyst into a social business consultancy and in 2008 launched ClearlySo, a business designed, “to help create 100 Justgivings”. This seemed an exciting new style of company, which achieves significant impact as well as great financial returns. The firm raises investment for high-impact businesses, charities and funds. Today, ClearlySo is Europe’s leading impact investment bank and has helped more than 130 clients raise more than £230 million in investment capital by leveraging its extensive network of high-net-worth individual and institutional investors.

Rodney also teaches Impact investing at the Said Business School (Oxford) and the ESMT (Berlin), and is Former Chair of Shelter, The Green Thing, Spacehive and Justgiving, in addition to having served on many fintech boards. He holds an MBA and BA from the University of Rochester and has four adult children.

Biography

James Scongack is the Executive-Vice President Corporate Affairs & Operational Services at Bruce Power.
He is responsible for Operational Services including Emergency Protective Services, Information Technology, Waste Management, Environment/Sustainability, Site Support Services and Corporate Affairs including Nuclear Regulatory Affairs, Indigenous and Community relations, Communications, Corporate Social Responsibility and Government/Stakeholder relations. In his role he is also the executive lead for the Site Lease with the Province and Isotope development.
More broadly in the energy sector, he serves as a Generator Representative for nuclear and Vice Chair on the Independent Electricity System Operator Stakeholder Advisory Committee. He is also a Member of the Advisory Board for the Ivey Policy and Management Centre.
James sits on the Board of Life Labs, Canada’s largest independent provider of laboratory services, and is Chairperson of the External Stakeholder Relations Committee of the Board.
His passion for health extends to the important role Canada plays supplying life-saving isotopes. He serves as Chair of the Canadian Nuclear Isotope Council, an organization formed to ensure the critical supply of Isotopes for health and industrial purposes is secured for the long-term and also as Co-Chair of Ontario’s Nuclear Advantage.
James is actively involved in many community organizations and charities through the efforts of Bruce Power’s community investment and sponsorship program, environment and sustinability fund and the indigenous community investment fund. He has been a long-time supporter of Easter Seals previously serving as a member of the Board and Chair of the Fundraising Committee and received a diamond award of distinction for his efforts in 2016.
James served as Vice-President Corporate Affairs and Environment for Bruce Power from 2012-2018 and Head of Corporate Affairs from 2011-2012. From 2006-2011, James served
as the Executive Assistant to Bruce Power’s President & CEO, while leading various company initiatives including new-build development projects and environmental reviews in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan. During this time he served as part of the transaction team enabling the expansion of the site to eight units of operations through various agreements between 2007 and 2013.
Between 2014 and 2015, James was part of the Bruce Power team which successfully negotiated a long-term commercial framework with the Province of Ontario, extending the life of the facility to 2064 enabling the $13 billion life extension program. He also served as executive co-host for the 2015 International Atomic Energy Agency OSART Mission.
He has an Executive MBA from London’s Ivey Business School and a Chartered Director through the DeGroote Business School Directors College. James also holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Guelph College of Management and Economics in Leadership and a BA (Hons) and has completed Master’s-level Project Management certification through York University’s Schulich Business School.
James and his family live in Port Elgin, Ontario where he grew up and he is an active runner.

Biography

Diane Scott brings over 20 years of global experience in the C-suite of enterprises in emerging industries to her role of CEO with JMCC. Most recently, she served as Chair and CEO of Panther Payments Group, which provides innovative payment solutions for North America's leading financial institutions. From 2006 to 2010, she was President, Emerging Business with New York-based Viewpointe LLC, and Global Director and Vice President with Tenemos AG, a Swiss-based financial services solutions provider. Previously, she served as Global Director of Marketing, Communications & Solutions Development with Perot Systems in London. She began her career in the insurance industry, with roles including Communications Director of CGU Canada (now Aviva Canada).

Diane serves as a member of the Board of Directors for organizations such as Site Hawk Canada, a subsidiary of the leading global provider of web-based chemical data management software and services for the environmental, health and safety industry, and RIBO, a regulatory body for insurance brokers in Ontario. Diane is also Chair of the Corporate Program, Royal Patrons Circle of the Royal Museum of Ontario, one of Canada’s largest and most distinguished cultural institutions.

Diane’s educational accomplishments include completing the Finance program at Harvard Business School, the Business Administration & Management program at France’s INSEAD graduate school of business, and the Strategic Business Management program at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto. Earlier, she earned her B.A. in International Relations and Affairs from York University.

Biography

Santiago serves as the CEO of Atlantica Yield.  Atlantica is a company that owns and manages a portfolio of renewable energy, power generation and electric transmission assets in North America, South America and Europe.  Atlantica is listed in the United States (NASDAQ: AY) with a market capitalization of over 2 billion dollars and was ranked by Sustainalytics as the top company within renewables on ESG.

Prior to this, he served as the CEO of Abengoa Solar and Abengoa and led the creation of Atlantica Yield and its IPO in 2014.  Previously, he was a partner with McKinsey & Company.

Biography

Ian Siegel is CEO and co-founder of ZipRecruiter, a leading online employment marketplace that uses AI-driven matching technology to actively connect millions of businesses of all sizes and job seekers across all industries to their next great opportunity. Since the company’s inception in 2010, more than 1.8M employers have used ZipRecruiter to find their next great hire and over 500 million job applications have been submitted through the site. Prior to co-founding ZipRecruiter, Ian held executive product and technology leadership roles at companies including CitySearch, Stamps.com, and Rent.com. He received his B.A. in sociology from Oberlin College and is based in Santa Monica, California.

Biography

Rod has served as president of Field to Market since March 2014. Prior to this role, Rod held positions as Public Policy Director for the National Corn Growers Association and Government Affairs Leader for CropLife America. He is particularly recognized for his work at the intersection of agricultural and environmental issues. He has previously served on the board of directors of the Conservation Technology Information Center, on the steering committee of the Agricultural Nutrient Policy Council, on the executive committee of Field to Market, and as chair of the Pesticide Policy Coalition. He resides on his family’s farm in Shenandoah Junction, West Virginia.

Biography

George So is a seasoned infrastructure, investment and finance professional with over 20 years of specialized expertise in principal investing, asset management, restructurings, acquisitions and capital raising. At InstarAGF, George is responsible for strategic and business development, transactions and asset management.

George was most recently the founder and Managing Partner of Kindle Capital Group Inc., an independent investment firm established in 2009 to lead and manage groups of Canadian institutional investors in syndication and co-investment opportunities in the infrastructure and private equity sector in North America and globally.  Notable transactions included Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group, 407ETR, Behrman Capital, Anglian Water Group and Colonial First State’s Global Diversified Infrastructure Fund, among others.

Prior to establishing Kindle, George served as a senior member for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s private investment infrastructure team, where he was responsible for executing global direct investments valued at approximately $7 billion, and part of a team managing a $4.5 billion investment portfolio.  Prior to CPPIB, he served in leadership roles at various private equity and global investment banking firms located in Asia, US and Canada, where he specialized in principal investing, capital restructurings, distressed real assets and international corporate finance.

George holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Chartered Accountancy Studies from the University of Waterloo and the Chartered Accountant designation.  He is an avid supporter of various community causes and institutions, including Right to Play, The Stop and the University of Waterloo.

Biography

Katie Bomi Son (손보미) is the Global CEO of QARAsoft. QARA is a fintech startup that provides asset management services through the AI deep learning technology. QARA's financial and analytics app KOSHO was launched on May 29th, 2018. In less than 10 months, KOSHO has gained over 100,000 downloads and reached 8 different countries worldwide.

Prior to joining QARA, Katie founded her own company called Project AA Inc, a global marketing firm that focuses on the spectrum from Asian Arts to Startup and IT Tech companies in Seoul and New York. Before starting Project AA, Katie launched her career at Pfizer, MSD, and Johnson & Johnson as an enthusiastic marketer and provided marketing strategy on healthcare products for 3+ years. She graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in Business Administration.

Katie is also the author of two published books: "New York Artist (뉴욕 아티스트)" and "The Greatest Selfish GlobalVolunteer Trips (세상에서 가장 이기적인 봉사여행)." Since July 2012, Katie was selected as the first seven members of the World Economic Forum, a Global Shapers Community in Seoul, South Korea.

Aside from her career in global arts & culture, healthcare, and finance, Katie continues to take on personal projects she's passionate about.

Biography

As the Chief Marketing Officer for eBay’s North American business, Andrea leads all facets of buyer marketing for one of the largest e-commerce players in the region. Andrea also oversees eBay’s Canadian operations as President of eBay Canada Ltd. Prior to her current role, Andrea was GM of eBay Canada & Latin America and was responsible for strategy and operations across more than 40 countries.

Andrea has received a BA from McGill University, as well as LLB and MBA degrees from the University of Toronto.

Andrea sits on a number of boards including Export Development Canada, FinDev Canada, Canada’s National Ballet School, and the Toronto Region Board of Trade. She is also the recipient of the Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award, in the Corporate Executive category.

A native of Montreal, Andrea lives in Toronto with her husband and young son and daughter.

Biography

Jeffrey Steiner is a Canadian lawyer and public-policy specialist based in Toronto. He is a board member of FinDev Canada Inc, a subsidiary of Canada's official trade credit agency, Export Development Canada. He served as the President & CEO of the Toronto Economic Development Corporation (TEDCO) from 2002-2009 focused on real estate development, green buildings and waterfront revitalization. He is currently the President of New Franchise Media Inc which is an IP rights-ownership company in the film & television business. In 2019 he joined the board of the Toronto Parking Authority.  Mr. Steiner is an active member of the Young Presidents Organization (YPO).

Biography

Doug Stephens is one of the world’s foremost retail industry futurists. His intellectual work and thinking has influenced many of the most widely known international retailers, agencies and brands including Walmart, Google, L'Oreal, BMW and LVMH.

Prior to founding the consultancy Retail Prophet, Doug spent over 20 years in the retail industry, holding senior international leadership roles.

Doug is the author of two books - the International bestseller Reengineering Retail: The Future of Selling in a Post-Digital World and The Retail Revival: Re-Imagining Business for the New Age of Consumerism. Doug is also the nationally syndicated retail columnist for CBC Radio and sits on multiple corporate and academic advisory boards.

His unique perspectives on retailing, business and consumer behavior have been featured in many of the world’s leading publications and media outlets including The New York Times, The BBC, Bloomberg Business News, TechCrunch, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company.

Doug speaks regularly to major brands and organizations across North and South America, Europe, Asia, The Middle East and Australia.

Biography

BACKGROUND
►Ron Stokes, brings more than twenty five years of professional experience providing advisory and assurance based services in the financial services sector.

►Ron holds a degree in Commerce from University of Toronto.

►Ron is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant and a Certified Public Accountant in the U.S. (North Carolina) a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the North Carolina Association of Certified Public Accountants.

►Ron leads the Canadian Fintech Practice.  He works closely with each of the EY’s service lines (Advisory, Assurance, Tax and Transactions) to assist start-up fintech companies and advise incumbent financial institution on innovation in financial services.

►Ron is a frequent speaker and writer on technology and innovation in Financial Services..

►Ron is also the Canadian Financial Services Transaction Managing Partner.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

►Ron’s transaction experience includes financial services acquisitions in Canada, the US, the Caribbean and South America; Canadian credit card portfolios; retail and commercial loans, consumer finance & specialty finance companies, asset managers and hedge funds.

►Selected recent experience includes:

►i) carve-out of a global fleet financing portfolio,

►ii) financial due diligence related to a Canadian privately-owned commercial and consumer leasing and lending

►iii) due diligence related to a small and medium sized merchant cash advance company;

►iv) financial due diligence related to the acquisition of a privately financing company,

►v) sell side due diligence on a privately held consumer finance company specializing in consumer lending and retail services,

►vi) financial due diligencebehalf of a major non-bank finance company in Canada acquiring a carved-out block of business of specialized finance loans.

Biography

Dato’ Dr. Syed Omar Sharifuddin bin Syed Ikhsan is a Secretary General of the Ministry of Works Malaysia that is responsible for public works, highway authority, construction industry, engineers, architects and quantity surveyors.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Population Studies from University of Malaya, a Master of Business Administration (Information Systems Management) from University of Dallas, Texas, United States as well as a Doctorate in Information Science from Loughborough University, United Kingdom. He also holds a graduate certificate in International Management from University of Melbourne and Certificate in Learning and Development Practice from Charted Institute of Personnel and Development, United Kingdom.

Syed Omar Sharifuddin, who has been in the civil service for 33 years, was first appointed as an archives officer on Dec 1, 1984, before joining the Administrative and Diplomatic Service on Jan 12, 1988. He was appointed as the State Secretary of Perlis, Malaysia on January 1, 2018 based on his qualifications and wide experience in various fields, especially public administration and the development of public sector leadership at the federal level and state government. Previously, he served various post such as head for Leadership Programme, Deputy Director of Leadership and Management Unit, and Senior Deputy Director in National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), a Malaysian government agency responsible for training of civil servants in management and administration.

He has also served as chief executive officer of the Perak Islamic Religion and Malay Customs Council, assistant director of the Federal Territories Land and Mines Office as well as board of directors in various government and private agencies. Syed Omar Sharifuddin is also an Adjunct Lecturer at University Technology Petronas, Malaysia.

His vast experience and knowledge about knowledge management and leadership, he often participates in the international seminars and forums as a resource person, speaker, moderator and presenter including Seminar on Leadership in Republic of Maldives in 2004 and 2005, Brunei Darussalam in 2005, A Commonwealth High-Level Reflection on Diversity Leadership (program under Commonwealth Secretariat), Canada School of Public University in 2007 and Knowledge Management Initiatives in Malaysia, International Conference on E-Government, Turkey in 2009.

Biography

On July, 3^rd, the cabinet of the government of Québec has appointed Ms. Catherine Tadros as its Chief Representative at the Bureau du Québec à Toronto (BQT).

Since July 2016, Ms. Tadros was serving as Director of Economic Affairs at the BQT. Prior to that, and from 2011 to 2016, Ms. Tadros was Director of Economic Affairs at the Québec Government Office in Chicago, reporting to the Ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie. During the previous seven years, Ms. Tadros worked at the Ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et des Exportations as an International Affairs Counsellor working with the France-Benelux region and with India. She began as a Technological Development Counsellor at the Québec government’s Montréal office.

Ms. Tadros holds a Master’s degree in International Management from HEC Montréal, and an undergraduate degree in International Relations from the College of Wooster, located in Ohio, USA.

Français:

Le 3 juillet dernier, le Conseil des ministres du Gouvernement du Québec a procédé à la nomination de M^me Catherine Tadros à titre de cheffe de poste du Bureau du Québec à Toronto (BQT).

Madame Tadros occupait ce poste par intérim depuis le 11 avril dernier, à la suite du départ à la retraite de Mme Nicole Lemieux. Depuis juillet 2016, Mme Tadros était directrice aux affaires économiques au BQT. De 2011 à 2016, M^me Tadros a exercé les fonctions de directrice aux affaires économiques à la Délégation du Québec à Chicago, rattachée au ministère des Relations internationales et de la Francophonie. Au cours des sept ans qui ont précédé, M^me Tadros a travaillé au ministère du Développement économique, de l’Innovation et de l’Exportation, à titre de conseillère en affaires internationales au pupitre France et Benelux, puis au pupitre Inde, ainsi que comme conseillère en développement technologique à la Direction régionale de Montréal.

Mme Tadros est titulaire d’un baccalauréat en relations internationales du College of Wooster, en Ohio, ainsi que d’une maîtrise en gestion internationale de l’École des hautes études commerciales de Montréal.

Elle possède toutes les qualités et l’expérience nécessaires pour assumer les responsabilités de chef de poste du BQT et le gouvernement du Québec est très heureux de pouvoir compter sur elle pour le représenter sur le territoire à l’ouest du Québec.

Biography

Don Tapscott, Executive Chairman of the Blockchain Research Institute, is one of the world’s leading authorities on the impact of technology on business and society. He has authored 16 books, including Wikinomics: How
Mass Collaboration Changes Everything, which has been translated into over 25 languages.
Don’s most recent book was authored alongside his son, Alex Tapscott, a globallyrecognized investor, advisor and speaker on blockchain technology and cryptoassets. Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies is Changing the World was published in May 2016 and is, according to Harvard Business School’s Clay Christensen, “the book, literally, on how to survive and thrive in this next wave of technology-driven disruption.” The paperback version of the book, updated with new material covering recent developments in the blockchain industry, was published in June 2018.
In 2017, Don and Alex co-founded the Blockchain Research Institute, whose 100+ projects are the definitive investigation into blockchain strategy, use cases, implementation challenges and organizational transformations.
Don is a member of the Order of Canada and is ranked the second-most influential Management Thinker and the top Digital Thinker in the world by Thinkers50. He served as Chancellor (2013 - 2019) of Trent University in Ontario, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at INSEAD. It is hard to imagine anyone who has been more prolific, profound, and influential in explaining today’s technological revolutions and their impact on the world.

Biography

Keith Taylor is the Executive Director of The DUCA Impact Lab, an innovation hub founded by DUCA Financial Services Credit Union. The Impact Lab is a hub for leveraging emerging technology and community-based insight to build banking models that benefit all members of the community. The Lab’s work brings together innovators, experts and stakeholders from a variety of sectors to identify, test and champion catalytic solutions focused on addressing inequities in today’s financial system.

Prior to DUCA, Keith worked as strategic advisor to a group of companies accounting for over $500 million of community investment annually. He started his career in international development working on business planning and finance for community owned businesses in the Caribbean. Since then, Keith has worked in Canada and internationally on a variety on initiatives focused on philanthropy, social enterprise, social finance and strategy.  He holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a BA from Saint Francis Xavier University.

Biography

Deputy Mayor Michael Thompson is Chair of Toronto’s Economic and Community Development Committee and a member of the Mayor’s Executive Committee. Now in his fifth term as Councillor, Michael has earned a reputation as one of Toronto’s hardest working and most effective political leaders.

Under the banner of “getting things done,” Michael is known to his constituents as a community builder committed to bring people together in a spirit of collaboration. He has led and assisted in the formation of local community associations, youth leadership initiatives and Business Improvement Areas, and holds regular public meetings to engage residents throughout his ward. In 2006, as Chair of the Scarborough Community Council, he led the campaign to create the first ever TTC transit strategy for Scarborough, a strategy designed to significantly expand and enhance public transit services for all Scarborough residents.

In addition to a strong focus on resolving local issues and serving his constituents, Michael’s commitment to developing Toronto’s city-wide economy is longstanding. In his first term in office, he spearheaded the creation of the Wexford Heights Business Improvement Area, co-founded the Taste of Lawrence Festival and established a Job Fair that annually brought thousands of job seekers together with dozens of employers.

Appointed Chair of the Economic Development Committee in 2011, a role expanded to encompass Community Development in 2019, Michael has played a leading role in the expansion of Toronto’s economy, the promotion of Toronto to key worldwide markets and the attraction of billions of dollars of domestic and foreign investment to the City. He was appointed Deputy Mayor in 2018.

Michael is a member of the Mayor’s Executive Committee, the Board of Directors of Destination Toronto, the Board of Directors of Canada’s Walk of Fame and the Toronto Global Forum Advisory Committee. He was a key member of a Toronto project team that successfully lobbied executives of Collision, one of the world’s leading high technology conferences, to choose Toronto as the conference’s home for 2019 – 2021, bringing 25,000 technology executives and investors to the City and injecting tens of millions of dollars into Toronto’s economy.

Michael maintains a widespread network of business relationships that has helped the City to enhance business retention, promote growth and increase private sector employment. His active engagement with business has helped speed the launch of new business ventures, resolved business/residential conflicts and gained business participation in a wide range of community-building initiatives. In 2019, Michael was named Toronto’s first Ambassador for the Night Economy, a role that is helping to spotlight and support businesses that flourish when the daytime economy sleeps.

Michael is a firm believer in the critical value of culture as a builder of strong communities. When he first took office, he co-founded the Taste of Lawrence Avenue
East Festival, which brings together tens of thousands of people each year to experience local performing arts and cuisine. In 2013, he led the City’s efforts to create a new arts and culture plan that provided a bold, new roadmap for cultural vitality, strengthened arts spending and launched a new era of collaboration among arts and culture groups across the City. Michael was also the first Chair of Toronto’s Music Advisory Committee, and played a key role in efforts to attract international film and television productions and studio investments to Toronto.

Michael received his public school education in Scarborough, and his BA from Concordia University in Montreal. Prior to entering politics, he earned his business credentials as an entrepreneur in the business and financial services sector. In 2017, he successfully completed the ICD Directors Education Program offered by the Rotman School of Management and Institute of Corporate Directors.

He is the recipient of the African Achievement Award for Excellence in Politics, the York University International Award, the Jain Society of Toronto Community Award, the Bob Marley Award and the Bob Marley Lifetime Achievement Award.

He continues to work with a number of charitable organizations including participation in the LIUNA Local 506 scholarship fund.

Biography

Born and raised in Toronto, Mayor Tory has spent his life giving back to the city he loves, through his tireless work in public, private sector and philanthropic roles.

Elected as the 65th Mayor of Toronto in 2014 and re-elected in 2018, John Tory is making the city more liveable, affordable and functional.

He has improved the way people move around this city, fighting traffic congestion and speeding up major construction projects; introducing free transit for kids 12 and under and discounted transit for low income residents; championing a transit network expansion plan that includes the Relief Line, SmartTrack, the Eglinton East and Eglinton West LRT, Bloor Danforth Subway Extension to Scarborough and the Waterfront Transit Network; and securing $9 billion in transit investments from other levels of government – the single biggest infrastructure investment in this city’s history.

He has kept taxes low, while investing in priority services including affordable housing and poverty reduction, and modernizing the government services on which people rely.

Under his leadership, Toronto has attracted jobs and investment and emerged as an undisputed centre of innovation and opportunity on the world stage.

Mayor Tory and his wife Barbara have been married for 41 years, and have four children and five grandchildren.

Biography

A highly successful business executive and philanthropist, Julie has an impressive track record which includes proven expertise in building a global brand. She was part of the core founding group and leadership of MAC Cosmetics, one of the world’s top makeup brands. Julie is also the founder of the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI). It is the largest youth engaged participatory grantmaking organization in the world that combines in-class learning with community development experience for high school students. She has received numerous awards for YPI, which is currently run in more than 200 schools in Canada, the United States and the UK.

Biography

Mary Ann Turcke is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the National Football League (NFL). She oversees all facets of the operation including marketing, technology, NFL Films, NFL Network and NFL Digital Content and Operations. She also oversees the corporate functions including Human Resources, Public Relations, and Government Relations. Prior to her promotion to (COO) she was the President of the NFL Network.
Mary Ann Turcke was formerly President of Bell Media, Canada’s premier multimedia company with leading assets in television, radio, out-of-home advertising, and digital
media. Renowned for a wide breadth of executive leadership roles and team building skills, Ms. Turcke was previously Group President, Media Sales, Local TV and Radio, where she leveraged Bell Media properties and brands across all platforms to support its strong position in the competitive advertising marketplace.
Under her leadership, Bell Media built on its position as the country’s top multimedia company, with innovations in TV and on-demand content as well as continued investment to ensure Canadians have the very best choice in primetime programs and coverage of live events, news, and sports on TV, radio, and digital platforms.
Prior to joining Bell Media, Ms. Turcke was Executive Vice-President of Bell Field Operations, leading Bell’s team of 12,000 installation and service technicians in delivering Fiber TV, Internet, and other Bell residential and business services. Ms. Turcke joined Bell in 2005 as VP, Customer Experience and Operations for Small and Medium Business.
Recently, in 2018, she was named one of Adweek’s most Powerful Women in Sports. She has also been named one of Toronto Life’s 50 Most Influential People of 2016, a member of the Women’s Executive Network Hall of Fame, and named the 2015 Woman of the Year by Women in Communications and Technology. Ms. Turcke serves on the advisory board of the Queen’s School of Business and on the capital campaign for Queen’s Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
Ms. Turcke is a Director, SickKids Foundation. Ms. Turcke holds a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from Queen’s University, a Master of Engineering from the University of Toronto, and a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s.

Biography

Douglas E. Turnbull is Vice Chairman and Country Head, Canada at DBRS. Mr. Turnbull has been in the position since January 2016. In his role, Mr. Turnbull is responsible for overseeing all of DBRS’s day-to-day operations in Canada.  As part of the global management team, Mr. Turnbull, 59, also focuses on the strategic development of DBRS’s rating business and senior outreach activities for the company.

Mr. Turnbull has more than 36 years of experience in the investment banking industry, most recently as Deputy Chairman, TD Securities Inc. Mr. Turnbull has worked in Toronto, Tokyo and New York, where he advised government, corporate, infrastructure and public sector clients on numerous public and private market transactions.

In addition, Mr. Turnbull has held a number of board positions with public sector and not for profit organizations, including, Metrolinx, the Ontario Financing Authority, George Brown College Foundation, the Toronto Financial Services Alliance and ORBIS.  In 2014, Mr. Turnbull was appointed by the Government of Canada as one of two Co-Chairs of the Canada-Assembly of First Nations, Joint Working Group on Resource Development, and delivered the final report in 2015.

Biography

Dr Vitas Vasiliauskas is Chairman of the Board of the Bank of Lithuania and a member of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank. Prior to his appointment at the Bank of Lithuania, he worked as a lawyer (specialisation – financial law) and was an associated partner at the law firm LAWIN Lideika, Petrauskas, Valiūnas ir partneriai. Having worked as Director of the Tax Department at the Ministry of Finance, he was later appointed Vice Minister of Finance. During his time at the Ministry of Finance he led the accession negotiations with the EU on the Taxation chapter and the signing of the ERM II Treaty.

In 2004 he earned a PhD in Social Sciences (Law). Throughout his career he has been an active member of the academic community, and currently lectures at Vilnius University, as a lector at the Public Law Department of the Faculty of Law.

Biography

Chris Viehbacher is the Managing Partner of Gurnet Point Capital. Gurnet Point is a Boston based investment fund associated with the Bertarelli family and has a $ 2 billion capital allocation. He is also a member of the boards of a number of companies including PureTech Health plc. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Northeastern University and a member of the Board of Fellows of the Stanford Medical School. Chris is the former CEO and Member of the Board of Directors of Sanofi, a Fortune 50 Biopharmaceutical company based in Paris. He was also the Chairman of the Board of Genzyme in Boston.
Prior to joining Sanofi, Chris spent 20 years with GlaxoSmithKline in Germany, Canada, France and, latterly, the US as President of GSK North America. Current and past advocacy roles include: Former Co-chair with Bill Gates, the CEO Roundtable on Neglected Diseases Chairman of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer. Chairman of the Board of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in Washington President of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations in Brussels. Chair of the Health Governors at World Economic Forum and Co-chair of a WEF initiative to create a Global Charter for Healthy Living. Member of the International Business Council. Chris has in the past served on various advisory groups at MIT, Duke University and Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario. Chris has received the Pasteur Foundation Award for outstanding commitment to safeguarding and improving health worldwide. He has also received France’s highest civilian honor, the Legion d’Honneur.

Biography

Darryl was appointed Chief Executive Officer of BMO in 2017. He chairs the bank’s Executive Committee and serves as a director of BMO Financial Group, as well as its U.S. subsidiary, BMO Financial Corp.

Darryl joined BMO’s investment and corporate banking business in Toronto in 1994 and returned to his hometown in 2006 as Head of Montreal Investment & Corporate Banking for BMO Capital Markets. In 2014, he was named CEO and Group Head, BMO Capital Markets, and in 2016 was appointed BMO’s Chief Operating Officer

Darryl is a member of the Ottawa-based Business Council of Canada, the Washington, D.C-based The Business Council, and the Mayor of Beijing’s International Business Leaders Advisory Council. Darryl also serves as a director of The Bank Policy Institute (BPI), a nonpartisan public policy, research and advocacy group, representing leading banks in the U.S.

A long-standing community builder with strong ties to the United Way Centraide movement, Darryl has volunteered for these organizations in Montreal, New York, Chicago and Toronto. In 2018, Darryl became Co-Chair of the Inclusive Local Economic Opportunity Roundtable, a partnership between BMO and United Way Greater Toronto that brings together business and community leaders to develop approaches to reduce economic disparity in the region.

An advocate for BMO’s efforts to ensure a diverse and inclusive workplace, Darryl serves as a member of the Catalyst Board of Directors and Vice-Chair of Catalyst Canada Advisory Board.

Darryl is a director of Unity Health Toronto, which includes St. Michael's Hospital, St. Joseph’s Health Centre and Providence Healthcare, and serves as Campaign Cabinet Co-President for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation. Darryl is also a director of the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens and Alpine Canada, the governing body for alpine, para-alpine and ski cross racing in Canada.

Darryl holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario and has completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School. He is a past recipient of Canada’s Top 40 under 40® Award.

Biography

Garth Whyte is President and CEO of Fertilizer Canada, joining the association in June 2015. Garth brings decades of industry association, advocacy, and government experience.  Prior to joining Fertilizer Canada, he was President and CEO of Restaurants Canada. He was Executive Vice President of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and has held several other senior positions over his 23-year career with CFIB.  He started his career working for the Government of Saskatchewan in the Departments of Finance; Intergovernmental Affairs; and Tourism, Parks and Renewable Resources. Garth has served on several Boards and numerous Canadian and provincial government advisory committees. He is currently a member of the Fertilizer Canada Board and is on Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute Advisory Committee.

Biography

Geoffrey Wilson is an international business leader with more than 25 years in the multimodal transportation, shipping, infrastructure and aviation businesses. Having held senior executive roles throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific, with companies such as Triton Container International Inc., Budget Car and Truck Rental, and Kerr Steamship Agency Inc., Mr. Wilson brings a unique skill set and global perspective to his role as CEO of PortsToronto. A government business enterprise, PortsToronto owns and operates Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport, Canada’s ninth busiest airport, the marine Port of Toronto, the Outer Harbour Marina, and several commercial properties along Toronto’s waterfront.

Mr. Wilson’s professional experience includes global infrastructure and asset management, international market development and strategic alliances. Prior to his current role, Mr. Wilson served as Chief Operating Officer of Cartel Communications Systems Inc., Canada's leading wireless equipment distributor and integrator.

Mr. Wilson holds his ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors through the Rotman School of Management. He serves on the advisory board of Toronto Global Forum, associated with the International Global Economic Forums of the Americas, and sits on the Board of Directors for the Empire Club of Canada, the Council of the Great Lakes Region, and Neuchâtel Junior College.

Biography

Tanya Woods brings more than a decade of successful strategic advocacy experience to her role at the Chamber of Digital Commerce Canada. Tanya most recently served as the Interim Executive Director for the Blockchain Association of Canada and is a champion for Canada’s digital innovation ecosystem, domestically and globally. Tanya has held senior level positions in industry representing national and multinational organizations in the telecommunications, technology and entertainment sectors, including BCE Inc., Microsoft and Nintendo. She has also advised and represented the Government of Canada in global trade negotiations and on the growth of the country’s blockchain ecosystem. Tanya is a global public speaker and published author with degrees from London School of Economics, Ottawa University and American University Washington College of Law. She was named among the top 10 “Leading TechWomen in Canada” by the Government of Canada, a “Trailblazer” by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, a “Top 40 under 40” in Canada’s Capital by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and the Ottawa Business Journal for her innovation in technology, policy and philanthropy.

Biography

Yung is a pioneering entrepreneur, serial investor and experienced corporate director. He has a proven track record of founding, scaling and backing several breakthrough scale-stage companies spanning digital automation, mobile analytics and big data, media and entertainment, enterprise software, financial services, and pharma. He has been recognized as one of Canada’s Top 40 under 40 and for leading one of the country’s 50 Best Managed Companies.

Biography

Daphna E. Ziman, the President of Cinémoi, a network on Verizon FIOS devoted to film, fashion, and lifestyle, is also the founder of a music label, a movie writer and director, an author and a philanthropist, known internationally and in the Halls of Power in Washington, D.C. for her work on behalf of at-risk and foster children.
Cinémoi is an elegant channel tailored for discerning viewers and recognized for its high-quality eclectic array of classic and contemporary curated movies and documentaries and its glamorous coverage of top worldwide film festivals and Fashion Weeks.
In 2011, Ms. Ziman's first novel, The Gray Zone, inspired by her own experience adopting a daughter she rescued from a homeless shelter, was a New York Times Bestseller, and it will soon be turned into a major motion picture.
Formerly, Ziman was President of Edwards Entertainment International, an independent film and television production company, and wrote and directed the movie, Footsteps, which stars Maria Conchita Alonso and debuted on Showtime. Ms. Ziman also was President of the U.S. Film Distribution Company of British & Continental and was an in house Producer at CBS.
Away from the office, her passion is helping at-risk and foster youth. She is the founder and emeritus chairperson of Children Uniting Nations, a charity that provides foster children with devoted non-paid mentors, and successfully lobbied to amend the Family Preservation Act, ensuring the safety of children returning home after foster care.
Ms. Ziman also serves on the Board of Trustees of Children’s Institute International, is a
Chairperson of ABC LOVE (Adoption Brings Children Love), and has been the recipient of many honors, including: The Jacqueline Kennedy Award by JFK University; the Women of Achievement Award by the North American Council for Adoptable Children; the Uniting Children of the World Award by the Child Welfare League of America; the 2011 Community Hero Award by the Dreamland Foundation; the 2010 Soromundi (Sisters of the World Award) by the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles; the 2007 Blue Skies Award by Penny Lane Center; the 2006 Spirit of Life Award by LA's City of Hope; the 2002 Spirit of Compassion Award, presented by Aviva Family and Children Services; and the 1999 Peace & Tolerance Lifetime Achievement Award for Child Advocacy.