National President
Canadian Auto Workers
View Speaker BioKen Lewenza is the first local union leader to be elected CAW National President in the union's history. He was acclaimed as president during a special convention held on September 6, 2008.
Legal Advisor to the Secretary General and Director of the Department of Legal Services of the General Secretariat
Organization of American States
View Speaker BioKen Frankel is the Legal Advisor to the Secretary General and Director of the Department of Legal Services of the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States. Prior to joining the OAS in May, 2008, Mr. Frankel was Chair of the Latin American Practice Group at Torys (New York and Toronto), general counsel at Alcatel Canada, chief international counsel at Alcatel España, ch...
City Councillor, Ward 16 (Eglinton-Lawrence)
Chair of the Toronto Transit Commission
View Speaker BioFirst elected in 2003, Councillor Stintz represents Ward 16 Eglinton-Lawrence. She was born and raised in Toronto and lives in Ward 16 with her husband and two children. Before being elected City Councillor, she acquired seven years of experience in the public and private sectors, managing and delivering multi-million dollar programs in the healthcare sector. Earlier, she graduated with an H...
Vice President & General Manager
Dell Canada
View Speaker BioKevin Peesker serves as Dell Canada's Vice President and General Manager responsible for the high growth 1.1 Million Customer Canadian Small and Medium Business market. Kevin is responsible for all aspects of Dell's sales and marketing activities as well as guiding a team of professionals who deliver customized product and service offerings created for Canadian commercial businesses of 1 to 500...
Executive VP, Oil Sands
Suncor Energy
View Speaker BioKirk Bailey was appointed to the position of executive vice president, Oil Sands, in 2007. His primary role is to lead improvements in safety, sustainability and competitiveness at Suncor's oil sands operation. Originally from Welland, Ontario, Kirk’s career at Suncor began in 1989 in the downstream operations area of the company. Since then, Kirk has held a variety of positions in Sarnia, T...
President & CEO
Ontario Media Development Corporation
View Speaker BioKaren Thorne-Stone is the President and CEO of the Ontario Media Development Corporation, a crown agency responsible for stimulating investment and job creation in Ontario’s creative media industries. Thorne-Stone works to foster an advantageous business environment for the province’s entertainment and creative cluster including the book and magazine publishing, music, film, television,...
Senior Vice President & Global Head of Sales, Global Transaction Banking
Scotiabank
View Speaker BioAs Senior Vice President and Global Head of Sales, Kevin has responsibility for the Bank's Global Transaction Banking Sales Management business, leading the enterprise-wide responsibility for distribution of the Bank's trade finance and cash management products throughout the Bank’s global footprint.Kevin joined The Bank of Nova Scotia’s Investment Banking Division in Toronto in 1985 after grad...
Chairman & CEO
American Express Company
View Speaker BioMr. Chenault has been Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of American Express Company since 2001. He joined the company in 1981 as Director of Strategic Planning and served subsequently in a number of increasingly senior positions, including Vice Chairman and President and Chief Operating Officer, until his appointment as CEO. Mr. Chenault serves on the Boards of IBM, The Proctor & Gamble ...
Vice President, Utility Marketing
AGL Resources
View Speaker BioKevin McCrackin was named vice president, Utility Marketing for AGL Resources (NYSE: GAS) in December 2011. He is responsible for market development and customer retention for the company's seven gas distribution companies: Atlanta Gas Light, Chattanooga Gas, Elizabethtown Gas, Elkton Gas, Florida City Gas, Nicor Gas and Virginia Natural Gas. Through its utilities, AGL Resources serves more tha...
Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Psychological Association (CPA)
View Speaker BioDr. Karen Cohen is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA), a position she has held since 2008. Dr. Cohen’s current activities on behalf of CPA span a range of management and professional responsibilities and revolve around the association’s mandates to promote the science, practice and education of psychology across Canada and internationally. Dr. Coh...
Strategic Advisor
Muileboom Organics Inc.
View Speaker BioKash Heed began his public service 35 years ago with the Vancouver Police Department, where he ascended through the ranks by transitioning law enforcement in the Vancouver area from traditional responses to contemporary approaches. He pioneered initiatives aimed at crime reduction and prevention as well as greater community and police engagement. He held high profile commands in the fields of ...
Chief Administrative Officer
City of Cold Lake
View Speaker BioKevin Nagoya is the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the City of Cold Lake. As the CAO, Kevin is the administrative head of the organization appointed by the Mayor and Council. Amongst a wide array of the responsibilities; his duties are to provide leadership to the overall operations, provides apolitical advice to Mayor and Council and ensures that the policies and programs of the muni...
President & Chief Operating Officer
CP Rail
View Speaker BioKeith Creel was appointed CP’s president and chief operating officer in February 2013. Providing strategic leadership and driving superior customer service and operational excellence across the organization, Keith is responsible for the Operations and Marketing & Sales functions at the railway. Prior to joining CP, Keith was executive vice-president and chief operating officer at Canadia...
President
Canadian for Clean Prosperity
View Speaker BioKristyn Annis is the President of Canadians for Clean Prosperity, whose mission is to build support for a strong, competitive economy where economic opportunities and innovation are accelerated by a fair price on pollution charged back to polluters. Prior to taking on the role of president, she was an advisor to the Premier of Ontario on energy, mining, aboriginal and justice issues, on a ...
Chair
Transportation Safety Board of Canada
View Speaker BioKathy Fox selected air traffic control as a career in 1974, and worked at Transport Canada control towers in Baie-Comeau, Sept-Îles, Saint-Hubert and Montréal-Dorval, as well as at the Montréal Area Control Centre. From 1982 until 1986 she was in charge of air traffic control training at the CEGEP Saint-Jean-sur- Richelieu, a cooperative training program coordinated by Transport Canada and t...
President
Canadian Psychological Association
View Speaker BioDr. Kerry Mothersill is a registered psychologist and a diplomat, founding fellow, and certified supervisor of the Academy of Cognitive Therapy. He obtained his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and Experimental Psychopathology at the University of Western Ontario in 1980 and completed an extramural training program in Cognitive Therapy at the University of Pennsylvania. He began his career at the ...
CEO & Creator
THE TEN SPOT
View Speaker BioKristen Wood is the CEO & Creator of THE TEN SPOT, a chain of upscale Beauty Bars established in 2006. As CEO, Kristen's main focus is on brand oversight, development and expansion - she has her hands in everything; from developing new service protocols to designing all visuals and collateral, to wining and dining all our new franchise partners. With a burning desire to start her own business a...
Ambassador of Japan to Canada
View Speaker BioCV/Resume ______________________________________________________ Name: Kenjiro MONJI Date of Birth: August 17, 1952 Education: March 1975 Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law Professional Career: April 1975 Entered Ministry of Foreign Affairs January 1991 Counsellor, Embassy of Japan in Belgium August 1993 Director, International Agreements Division, T...
President
Women's Business Network
View Speaker BioKaren Wilson is a writer and communications strategist with a focus on digital marketing. She has worked in marketing and communications for over 15 years, from not-for-profit to government to small business. Her work focuses on helping organizations build a comprehensive and effective web presence through content marketing. Karen is a proud member and President of the Women’s Business Network ...
President & CEO
Children's Mental Health Ontario
View Speaker BioKim Moran became President and CEO of Children’s Mental Health Ontario in mid-2014. Recognized as a leading advocate for children with a focus on mental health, Kim brings more than twenty-five years of senior leadership experience in the private and not-for-profit sectors. A Chartered Professional Accountant, she has a strong foundation in financial and operational management which underlies ...
Chief Executive Officer
Curling Canada
View Speaker BioKatherine (Kathy) Henderson assumed her new role as Curling Canada’s Chief Executive Officer on April 1, 2016. Previous to that time she was as Senior Vice-President, Marketing and Revenue for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games Organizing Committee where she played a significant role in, among other things, putting together the most successful non-Olympic sponsorship program in Ca...
Chair of the Board
Royal Bank of Canada
View Speaker BioKathleen (Katie) Taylor is Chair of the Board of RBC. She has served on the Board since 2001, where she has chaired the Human Resources and Corporate Governance Committees, and served on the Audit and Risk Committees. She is also Chair of the Board of the Sick Kids Foundation, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Hospital for Sick Children and a Co-Chair of the SickKids Capital Campaign....
Premier of Ontario
View Speaker BioKathleen Wynne is Ontario’s 25th Premier. Since taking office in February 2013, some of Premier Wynne’s accomplishments include the largest infrastructure investment in Ontario’s history and completing the single-largest climate change initiative in North America by eliminating coal-fired electricity generation in the province. Premier Wynne’s economic plan for Ontario builds on her numb...
CEO
Kash
View Speaker BioKaz Nejatian is the CEO of Kash, a payment technology company with offices in Canada and the United States. Prior to stating Kash, Kaz was a senior advisor to the Government of Canada and a lawyer practising with a multi-national law firm based out of New York. He is a graduate of Queen's University's School of Business and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
Chairman
O'Shares Exchange Traded Funds
View Speaker BioCurrently the Chairman of O'Shares Exchange Traded Funds, Kevin has spent a lifetime fighting on behalf of investors and small business. Kevin is a three time, best-selling author on the topics of family, finance and business. Kevin is a Leader with a smart plan to kick start the economy and a Leader who will fight for you.
Senior Executive Vice-President, Technology and Operations
CIBC
View Speaker BioKevin heads up Technology and Operations, the group that manages the systems and operations that keeps our bank running and helps our business partners deliver an excellent client experience. He has been with CIBC his entire career, starting in a branch in 1984. Kevin is also co-chair of our bank’s United Way campaign.
Chief Strategy Officer
Diply GoViral
View Speaker BioKirstine is the Chief Strategy Officer for Diply, a content platform with over 1 billion monthly views and 34m US unique monthly visitors. 1 in 4 US Internet users come to Diply over the course of a month on an average basis and it currently ranks #16 among all US websites in traffic. Kirstine was until Fall 2016 the VP of Media overseeing Twitter's North American media partnerships acros...
Moderator
Film Critic and Arts Columnist at The Globe and Mail
View Speaker BioKate Taylor is a Toronto author and journalist. A National Newspaper Award winner, she writes about the arts for the Globe and Mail, where she currently serves as lead film critic. She also writes a weekly column about culture covering such topics as copyright, digital disruption and Canadian-content regulation. In 2009-2010, she was awarded the Atkinson Fellowship in public policy journalism t...
Partner
Baker & McKenzie LLP
View Speaker BioKevin Coon acts as counsel, and as trusted and strategic adviser to government, corporate and not-for-profit organizations, on human resource, regulatory, compliance and risk management, with emphasis on international labour standards; corporate social responsibility; ethics; codes of conduct; due diligence; human rights; workplace investigations; occupational health and safety; collective barg...
Head of Public Policy
Facebook Canada
View Speaker BioKevin Chan is Head of Public Policy, Canada for Facebook and Instagram. He leads both platforms' public policy efforts in Canada, facilitating an ongoing dialogue with the policy and public affairs communities on a broad range of issues that impact the Internet sector. Kevin serves on the boards of the Canada Excellence Research Chairs, Kids Help Phone, and the Canadian American Business Cou...
Minister of Democratic Institutions
Government of Canada
View Speaker BioKarina Gould is a trade and investment specialist and community activist with deep roots in her hometown of Burlington, Ontario. Between December 2015 and January 2017, she served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development. Karina fuelled her passion for public service and international development by spending a year volunteering at an orphanage in Mexico. As a s...
President, Aboriginal Professional Association of Canada
Diversity Sourcing Specialist, TD Bank
View Speaker BioKrystal Abotossaway is a proud member of Aundeck Omni-Kanging First Nations and Chippewas of Rama First Nations. Krystal received her Honours Human Resource Management degree from York University. In her current role at TD Krystal manages specific diversity programs designed to recruit and retain top talent Enterprise Wide. As a diversity sourcing specialist she is responsible for building div...
Chairman of the Board, President and CEO: Xebec Adsorption Inc.
Panelist
View Speaker BioMr. Sorschak co-founded Xebec Adsorption Inc. and developed it from a local compressed air and gas dryer manufacturer into an internationally active gas purification company. He played an important role in establishing strong relationships with different universities and laboratories in Canada and the US for the development of innovative adsorption-based gas purification. In 2008, he became a D...
President & CEO, Fundserv
WXN's 2017 Canada's Most Powerful Women Recipient
View Speaker BioKaren is a CEO with international and multi-industry experience. She was recognized in 2017 as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network. Karen is the CEO of Fundserv, the Canadian investment fund industry technology platform that is celebrating 25 years in 2018. Although born and raised in Toronto, Karen spent most of her career outside Canada. She has ...
Vice President, Policy & Government Relations
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
View Speaker BioKarl Baldauf joined the Ontario Chamber of Commerce as Vice-President of Policy & Government Relations in May 2015. During that time, the organization has experienced an impressive period of transformation and is positioned as the province’s most credible and visible voice of business. Determined and passionate, Karl has worked for two provincial cabinet ministers, Ontario’s leader of the op...
President & CEO
University Health Network
View Speaker BioDr. Kevin Smith is President & CEO of University Health Network (UHN), Canada’s largest research hospital. Kevin has spent his career at the interface of the University and Academic Hospital and is passionately committed to the mission of education, research and exemplary clinical care. Kevin is a pioneer in advancing integrated care models. His work and leadership have resulted in the expanded...
Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion
TD Bank Group
View Speaker BioKelley Cornish is a diversity and inclusion executive, author, and speaker and serves as the Head of Global Diversity and Inclusion for the TD Bank Group, charged with the bank’s efforts to promote diversity throughout the U.S. and Canada. Cornish works to expand the bank's efforts to promote diversity throughout the U.S. and Canada, implementing and delivering its enterprise D&I strategy, wit...
Senior Vice President, Human Resources
Royal Bank of Canada
View Speaker BioKelly has held progressively more senior roles in Human Resources including the Leadership & Organizational Development Centre of Expertise and as an HR Business Partner. In addition, Kelly has a diverse background in Personal & Commercial Banking both in retail sales and National Office. In April, 2017, Kelly was appointed to her current role as Senior Vice President, Leadership Development.
President and CEO
Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa
View Speaker BioKevin Page is the founding President and CEO of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa. Mr. Page was appointed Canada's first Parliamentary Budget Officer on March 25, 2008 where he served a five-year term providing Canadian parliamentarians and taxpayers with independent analysis on trends in the national economy, the state of nation's finances and the est...
Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA)
View Speaker BioKim Furlong is the Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (CVCA). She joined the CVCA in January 2019 after a decade in the corporate world, leading external affairs for Amgen Canada; a world-leading biotechnology company. Prior to Amgen, she held the position of Vice President Federal Government Relations for the Retail Council of Canada. Ms...
Creator & CEO
The Ten Spot Beauty Bars
View Speaker BioIn 2006, with a desire to start her own business and a perceived gap in the current spa/salon service offerings, Kristen decided to open up Toronto's niche beauty bar and “anti-spa” on the hip strip of queen west. Her first 10spot beauty bar filled the need for beauty services offered in an environment that combined the efficiency of low-end nail salons, with the top quality standards of high-e...
CEO of KDPM Consulting Group INC
Founder of the SisterTalk Leadership and Wellness Academy Group
View Speaker BioKarlyn is the CEO of KDPM Consulting Group INC, & Founder of the SisterTalk Leadership and Wellness Academy Group which has been featured on Oprah’s Lifeclass, Cityline, Globe & Mail, CNN Money, Essence & Forbes. A native of St. Lucia, Karlyn after a 23 -year career in Technology & Operations in the Financial Industry, decided to pursue her passion of helping Organisations increase B.R.I.P....
Founder & Director
Sandbox Studios
View Speaker BioKiana 'rookz' Eastmond is the Founder & Director at Sandbox Studios. Being firmly invested in Toronto’s music and creative scene, has allowed Sandbox to become one of the most successful Urban Music Artist Development and Recording Facilities in Toronto. With sessions with Cardi B, Tory Lanez, Kid Ink, and most of the city's up and coming acts, Sandbox has become a staple in the scene, and is ...
President & CEO
Triumf Innovations
View Speaker BioKathryn Hayashi is President and CEO of TRIUMF Innovations, the business interface and commercialization arm, connecting TRIUMF, Canada's particle accelerator centre, to the private sector via industry partnerships, licensing, and company creation. Ms. Hayashi is a Chartered Professional Accountant with more than 25 years of operational and strategic planning, finance and governance experie...
Manager of Commercial Operations
McMaster University
View Speaker BioDr. Karin Stephenson is the Manager of Commercial Operations for McMaster University’s Nuclear Operations and Facilities. Karin has almost 20 years of experience in medical isotopes and radiopharmaceutical development. As the Manager of Commercial Operations, Karin is responsible for maintaining, developing and identifying business opportunities as well as R&D technology/products as it benefi...
Director
Canadian Tax Advisory, Moodys Gartner Tax Law LLP
View Speaker BioA Chartered Accountant, Registered Trust and Estate Practitioner and a tax specialist practicing in Calgary as the CEO / Director Canadian Tax Advisory with Moodys Gartner Tax Law LLP / Moodys Private Client LLP. His main area of expertise is tax and estate planning for the owner-manager of private corporations, executives, professional athletes and other high net worth individuals. Kim obtaine...