Keynote Speaker Series

In this deeply personal talk, Hamza makes the case that to change is human. More than that, change is essential to long-term growth and development. By understanding our human nature and by intentionally contending with adversity, we can not only overcome setbacks, we can prepare to react effectively when met with future dead ends and failures.

Learn to make better choices that result in a healthier, more meaningful, more sustainable life. The result? You’ll find that you can bring more energy, enthusiasm and impact to everything you do. In this refreshing and informative presentation, Dr. Susan Biali Haas highlights daily choices that will help you shape a more vibrant, healthier lifestyle.

Brand is a reflection of an organization’s culture, which reflects its purpose, daily habits and values. In this presentation, Zahra proves that the key to being part of great teams lies in learning, opportunity and connection. Drawing on powerful stories of extraordinary organizations, Zahra will leave you with practical strategies to motivate teams and colleagues and lead by example.

​All of us want to be happy, engaged and satisfied and yet, when a massive external shift hits us hard like the pandemic, emotional states are at risk. We’re in a historical moment of change and despite feeling overwhelmed, there’s an opportunity for growth. By practicing psychological fitness, we may be able to reset 2020. The added benefit to developing these skills means we’ll carry them into our post-Covid reality—making us well prepared to handle future stress.

In any given week, hundreds of thousands of employees are off work due to a mental health issue, depression being the single largest contributor. Yet only a quarter of people feel comfortable talking to their employer about mental illness. Mark helps audiences understand what works and what doesn’t in supporting mental health and provides insight on implementing effective workplace mental health strategies, calling on employees at every level to play an active role.

As an entrepreneur and news journalist, Jesse has a unique perspective on a shift taking place in our industries and institutions. Has technology actually made us more productive, or does it distract us with endless diversions? In this interactive presentation, Jesse explains how we can learn to be productive while tapping into the collaborative social dynamics of the transparent, networked workplace.

Disruptive innovation is forcing everyone to reimagine how they currently do business. How do we survive? How do we disrupt ourselves before someone else does? How do we deliver better experiences to our clients? Today, we need to be bold, brave and experimental. In this talk, Shawn provides a bold roadmap for the future, exploring how we can take unexpected approaches to innovation to remain competitive and relevant.

Join Erin as she shares key trends that have led to digital transformation including the rise of peer-to-peer apps, software-as-a-service and mobile, highlighting companies in legacy industries that are embracing digital. Erin looks at how legacy processes, like accounting, are being transformed by technology. You’ll leave inspired to incorporate tech into your day-to-day with a clearer understanding of what tomorrow’s consumer expects.

Thinking is your beliefs and values—it’s not your product, it’s your purpose. Doing is the decisions you make and actions you take to live your values. Saying is how you communicate your values and actions: the internal or external selling, marketing and promotion. When an organization and all its people think, do and say the same things, it creates alignment. But when an organization and its people don’t think, do or say the same things, the result is an integrity gap.

If a negative situation were to happen to you, how confident are you that you would know what to do? Would you know how to effectively manage the situation in a way that results in increased trust and loyalty? In her talk, Melissa provides a roadmap for building an invincible brand through effective communication, issues management and crisis readiness, resulting in increased organizational trust, credibility and goodwill.

While many of us want to be an ally of the Black community, we may not know where to start. Lekan helps audiences lean into this important conversation, providing historical context and insights into the Black experience and giving practical tools on how to become an ally.

Successful professionals understand that being able to communicate cross-culturally leads to enhanced productivity, performance and employee engagement. Everybody can benefit from communicating more effectively, however, when 20% of Canada’s population is foreign-born, communicating with a cross-cultural advantage is one of the most important types of communication to understand.

This presentation combines humour and personal reflections on women in the 21st century, highlighting why the women’s movement is unfinished everywhere. Samantha offers an engaging, thought-provoking and entertaining examination of the challenges women still face in the world and how women (and men) can successfully advocate for change.

As an authority on retention of under-represented populations in predominantly white organizations, Dr. Ivan Joseph shares practical and proven strategies to help build an inclusive workplace culture. He has overcome challenges, broken barriers and led a transformation toward inclusivity in every organization he’s worked for. In this perspective-shifting talk, Joseph shares insights and experiences from his own remarkable story.

Supported by literature and real-life experiences, Dr. Hadiya Roderique focuses on how to make better decisions as a team by capitalizing on diversity and inclusivity.