Ross Wainwright
CEO, Alida

Ross Wainwright is a seasoned software executive with proven 30-year track record of identifying and fast-tracking opportunities that will not only disrupt existing market habits but also transform customer results to produce the most successful business outcomes.

As Alida’s new leader, he sees strong potential to become a compelling and transformative alternative to existing solutions in the CXM software space.

Over the past two years Ross has been the CEO for Dimension Data/NTT managing the Americas P&L. This business focuses on Networking, Security as well as Managed services and Consulting. The organization includes approximately 2300 employees across 6 countries with Revenues of 2.1B. As CEO, Ross oversaw all aspects of the business and reported to the Global CEO for NTT. Ross also led the integration of all NTT subsidiaries across the Americas supporting a global initiative focused on a full amalgamation of NTT assets. ...

Ross also spent 15 years at SAP and his last role was the EVP & Global Head of S4 Hana Cloud. This strategic new global business focused on delivering an ERP solution leveraging a SAAS / Public Cloud Delivery model. The business was a start-up within SAP and required leadership across Product Management, Development, Sales, Service, Partner Ecosystem and Customer Lifecycle management.

Ross was responsible for all aspects for the business and signed the first 50 clients in 2017. Ross also played the role of Chief Customer Officer overseeing Customer engagement and lifecycle to ensure successful implementation, support and renewal of the business.

Prior to this role Ross was the EVP & Global Head of Financial Services responsible for the end-to-end business including Banking, Insurance and Capital Markets. He had responsibility to lead Development, Industry teams, Services, Partner ecosystem, Support, Marketing/Communications, Strategy and oversee the global P&L for Financial Services. This business included 1250 employees stretching across 65 countries around the world and represents 1.55B total P&L for SAP. Ross has also spent 4 years as the EVP for NA Services (3450 employees and a 1.6B P&L).

Ross is a goal oriented, motivational leader with extensive global P&L management experience. He has an established track record of building and leading high performing organizations, driving a transformation leadership agenda and delivering consistent revenue & profit growth. Show More

Carolyn Spriet
President, Hallmark Canada

Carolyn Spriet is a consumer-packaged goods executive with 25+ years’ experience leading Private, Private Equity and Tier One Multinational organizations and championing the growth of many of Canada’s most recognized household and retailer brands. She is currently the President of Hallmark Canada, responsible for local strategy and operations and driving sales in the Drug/Mass/Club/Grocery channels and the Hallmark Gold Crown independent retail stores.

Prior to joining Hallmark, Carolyn was General Manager of Sun Products Canada, a division of the $2B North American private equity-backed consumer products company that was formed with the acquisition of Unilever’s laundry business. Carolyn was responsible for the 2008 start-up of the Canadian company and built that organization for eight years until its successful sale to Henkel AG, a global CPG Multinational. As General Manager, Carolyn was responsible for the stand-alone $200 MM Canadian operation, including all functional strategy development, financial results, and leadership of the 70-person team. ...

Prior to Sun Products, Carolyn had a successful 16-year career at Unilever Canada. During this time, she held progressive marketing and sales leadership roles in all three company business units: Food (Becel, Ben & Jerry’s, Lipton), Personal Care (Dove, Degree, Axe) and Homecare (Sunlight, Vim, Snuggle). As a lead of the Unilever Laundry Divestiture team, Carolyn and her colleagues led the sale process with prospective buyers and ultimately executed the transfer of the business to private equity.

Carolyn holds an Honours Business Administration degree from Wilfrid Laurier University. She lives in Toronto with her husband and three children. Outside of work, Carolyn enjoys anything that gets her outdoors and active - skiing, snowboarding, hiking and travel. Show More

John Ferguson
President & CEO, Purolator

John Ferguson is President and Chief Executive Officer of Purolator, leading a team of more than 14,000 employees across North America, where he is responsible for leading the company’s rapid growth and transformation.

In the course of his 30-year career, John has gained extensive experience in leading businesses in the transportation and logistics sectors across North America. Holding a variety of diverse, senior roles, he has demonstrated a proven track record in financial performance, operational excellence, automation, innovation and strategic planning.

Prior to Purolator, John was President and CEO of SCI Logistics, where he led its transformation into a leading supply chain solutions company with operations across Canada.

As the leader of Purolator, John has driven record operational and financial performance by motivating and empowering the workforce. ... This provided the capital and catalyst for a $1 billion growth initiative that is expanding and automating the business infrastructure to capture e-commerce market share through a world class last-mile logistics network.

John understands the critical importance of combining innovation and environmental sustainability. For example, by building the largest hybrid-electric fleet in the industry, Purolator has decreased its direct GHG emissions by 11% even with a significant increase in delivery volume.

John is a strong advocate for the people side of business, launching new priorities most notably workforce diversity and mental health programs, championing corporate culture and innovation through continuous improvement. Under his leadership, Purolator was honoured with the prestigious Canada’s Most Admired Corporate Culture award in 2019. John’s leadership and support for the company’s flagship “Purolator Tackle Hunger Program” has generated a 24% increase in donated food it delivers to food banks across Canada – 1.65 million pounds.

John currently serves on the board of directors of Trillium Health Partners Foundation, SCI Group Inc., and Innovapost Inc. He is also an active member in YPO (Young Presidents Organization).

John holds a Corporate Director designation (ICD.D) from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. Show More

Sarah Jordan
CEO, Mastermind Toys

Sarah Jordan is CEO of Mastermind Toys, the nation's largest specialty toy and kids bookstore and Canada's Authority on Play. She leads 68 stores coast-to-coast and online, with thousands of employees from teams across their stores, Play HQ (head office) and warehouse, and creates a world-class employee and customer experience. In 2021, Mastermind Toys won the Omni Channel Award at Retail Council of Canada's Excellence in Retailing Awards for their digital transformation and Sarah received the Innovation Award at the Women of Inspiration Awards by the Universal Womens Network. Recently, Mastermind Toys was named a 2022 winner of Canada's Best Managed Companies and won the 2022 Retail Marketing award at the Excellence in Retailing Awards.

Sarah is a passionate, authentic, purpose-driven CEO with deep expertise in customer & employee experience, digital innovation and brand-centric reinvention. Previously she was the Senior Vice President, Customer Experience and Omni Channel Strategy at Scotiabank where she led the bank from #5 to #1 in customer experience ratings. ... She spent a decade with Boston Consulting Group, where she advised Fortune 500 companies on large scale retail customer centric transformations and cultural change. Sarah holds both an MBA and an Engineering degree from Queen’s University.

She is a board member at Wawanesa Mutual Insurance Company, the largest Canadian Property and Casualty Mutual Insurer with $4.2 billion in annual revenue, and assets of $11.3 billion, and 125 year heritage. She is also a board member at the Canadian Toy Association, the first-ever retail member in the organization’s history whose members include manufacturers, importers, distributors, and retailers in the $2.5 billion toy industry in Canada. She is also a board member at the Retail Council of Canada, the voice of retail in Canada, representing 45,000 store fronts, $485 billion in sales and 2.2 million employees. Show More

Franca Gucciardi
CEO, McCall MacBain Foundation

Franca Gucciardi is the CEO of the McCall MacBain Foundation and the McCall MacBain Scholarships at McGill. Prior to this, she served as CEO of the Loran Scholars Foundation for 13 years. Franca was the first-ever Loran Scholar, selected in 1990, and during her time as CEO, raised a cumulative $50M+ while stewarding the foundation to provide the most comprehensive leadership-development program for undergraduate students in the country by launching or revitalizing the mentorship program, annual peer-led retreat, summer internship program, orientation expedition and alumni relations strategy. She was also the Founding Director of Canada’s Millennium Excellence Awards and is recognized as a global expert on merit scholarships.

Franca grew up in Sicily and immigrated to Canada at the age of 11 to the Jane and Finch neighbourhood of Toronto, where she attended C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute. In her graduating year of high school, she was encouraged by her guidance counsellor to apply for the newly inaugurated Loran Award, becoming its first recipient later that year. ... This enabled her to become the first person in her family to graduate from university, where she studied Political Science and French. After obtaining a BA from Waterloo, she earned a MA in International Relations from Carleton University. Franca began her career learning the fundraising ropes at Brampton Caledon Community Living, a non-profit organization that helps people with developmental disabilities lead enriched and meaningful lives.

Franca is a Board Director of Enactus and sits on advisory councils for Western University and the University of Guelph. She is a Fellow of the International Women’s Forum and holds a C.Dir, Governance, from The Directors College, where she received the Gil Bennett Gold Standard Governance Award for outstanding achievement. She has been recognized as one of the 2013 Diversity Journal Women Worth Watching, a recipient of the CATAAlliance Sara Kirke Award for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (2015) and a recipient of the University of Waterloo Arts Alumni Achievement Award (2017). In collaboration with Alan Broadbent, she co-authored You’re It! Shared Wisdom for Successfully Leading Organizations from Both a Seasoned and a First-Time CEO. Show More

Jeffrey L. Orridge
CEO, TVO Media Education Group

Jeffrey L. Orridge is a highly regarded corporate and community transformative leader with global experience building teams, brands, and businesses across North America.

Prior to joining TVO, Jeffrey served as Commissioner of the Canadian Football League and held senior leadership positions at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian Tire Corporation, Reebok, Mattel, and Warner Brothers and USA Basketball.

A graduate of Harvard Law School and Amherst College, Jeffrey has earned a reputation for making lasting social impact. He has served in senior leadership roles at Right to Play, a global humanitarian organization as well as on the boards of War Child Canada, the Canada Post Foundation, BlackNorth Initiative and Historica Canada. ...

Jeffrey is a sought-after speaker, having spoken at Harvard Law School, Stanford University, Arizona State University, Schulich School of Business, Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management, Drexel University Law School, and the University of New Brunswick (among others).

Drawing on lived experiences and having led transformational diversity and inclusion initiatives, Jeffrey is regarded as a thought leader on enhancing corporate brands through alignment with D&I goals.

Jeffrey, his wife Carly, and their two sons live in North York, Ontario. Show More

Judy Goldring
President & Head of Global Distribution, AGF Management Limited

Judy G. Goldring is a renowned leader in the asset management industry and one of Canada’s most influential business women. As President and Head of Global Distribution at AGF Management Limited, she supports the CEO on business planning and execution of strategic initiatives.

Judy also brings unified accountability to and fosters greater synergies across AGF’s respective sales distribution channels globally. In addition, she oversees the firm’s Human Resources function and is responsible for AGF’s Private Client business. Judy is a member of the Board of Directors for AGF Management Limited and AGF Mutual Funds.

Judy is Vice-Chair of The Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC)'s Board of Directors and sits on the Board of the Toronto French School (TFS), Canada’s International School. In addition, she serves on the Scholarship Advisory Committee for the Children’s Aid Society, as well as is a lead fundraiser for the JDRF $100m Campaign to Accelerate. ...

In 2015, Judy was named a Top 100 Hall of Fame Inductee by the Women’s Executive Network™ (WXN). Show More

Peter Dinsdale
President & CEO, YMCA Canada

Peter Dinsdale has worked and volunteered for service delivery and political advocacy organizations on a local, regional and national level. Mr. Dinsdale obtained a Bachelor of Arts – Political Science and Native Studies and a Master of Arts – Interdisciplinary Humanities in 1997 from Laurentian University.

He previously was the Chief Executive Officer for the Assembly of First Nations, the past Executive Director of the National Association of Friendship Centres and previously a member of the YMCA Canada Board of Directors.

In 2018, Peter became a recipient of the Order to Ontario. Peter is married with two children.

Leanne Hall
CEO, Creative Fire

Dynamic and innovative CEO overseeing Creative Fire, one of Canada's only Indigenous Strategy, Consulting, Engagement, Communications and Design Professional Services Firm. Advisory Portfolio includes: Reconciliation Action Plans, ESG/Sustainability, Indigenous Engagement, Nuclear, Mining, Energy, Real Estate, Financial Services, Public Sector, Retail Industries. Innovated Canada’s first Reconciliation Action Plan consulting practice creating a new corporate reporting cycle in Canada. Diversity, Inclusion and Equity Champion.

Led the National Deloitte Indigenous Practice and a Partner in the Risk Advisory providing professional services across the country for Corporate Canada, Indigenous Communities, Indigenous Economic Development Corporation and their private businesses. Former mining executive with Noront Resources overseeing ESG, Sustainability, CSR and Human Resources creating award winning corporate programs. ...

Recognized as one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women 2013 by WXN in the Trendsetter and Trailblazer Category.

Currently completing the Institute of Corporate Directors (ICD) Directors Education Program and the ESG Global Competent Boards Program.

Committed to building trusting and long-term relationships.

Member of the Board of Directors for: First Mining Gold

Past Board Member: Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB), Mining Association of Canada (MAC), Board of Governors, Wilfrid Laurier University, Mining Industry Human Resource Council (MiHR), Women in Mining Canada (WIM Canada), Pine River Foundation.

As mother of two Cree teens, my passionate efforts to support Indigenous communities are an intrinsic part of her personal and professional life. Show More

Deborah Flint
President & CEO, Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA)

Deborah Flint is a vision-driven, Canadian-born business leader with over 25 years of experience in the international aviation industry. Ms. Flint is currently the President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA), operator of Toronto Pearson International Airport, Canada’s largest airport and the sixth-most connected airport in the world.

Under Ms. Flint’s dynamic leadership, Toronto Pearson has been named “Best Large Airport in North America serving more than 40 million passengers” by Airports Council International (ACI) World for five years in a row.

Ms. Flint conceived of Toronto Pearson’s globally accredited Healthy Airport program and led the GTAA, along with some 400 companies operating at Toronto Pearson, in the development and evolution of the airport-wide program focusing on passenger and employee health. As a result of the Healthy Airport program, Toronto Pearson has been recognized as having the best hygiene measures of any airport in North America for two years in a row. ...

Due to the lengthy closure of the Canadian aviation sector, Ms. Flint is facing head-on dynamics while simultaneously driving a vision of a modernized airport system that the public and government understand and can champion. To create the “airport of the future,” Ms. Flint has inspired her teammates with a championship team mentally, encouraging Toronto Pearson employees to be results-driven, nimble, collaborative, innovative and inclusive.

Ms. Flint is passionate about making bold business and infrastructure moves to fulfill her future vision. As the Aviation Director of Oakland International Airport, Ms. Flint delivered a decade-long quest for airport rail with a $480 million Airport Rail Project for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system (BART).

Following her tenure at Oakland International Airport, Ms. Flint was named Chief Executive Officer of Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA), one of the largest passenger and cargo airports in the world. During her time at LAWA, Ms. Flint implemented a $15 billion airport modernization plan, including the largest public works contracts in the city’s history for Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to serve over 100 million passengers.

Ms. Flint is a member of the ACI World Governing Board, a Board Liaison for the Air Cargo Committee at ACI-North America (NA), a Board Liaison for the Safety and Technical Standing Committee at ACI-NA and an independent Director on Honeywell’s Board of Directors. She formerly served as a Director on the Federal Reserve Bank (San Francisco Branch), a Chair of the National Academy of Science’s Airport Cooperative Research Program and as a Director of the Airport Minority Advisory Council.

Ms. Flint has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from San Jose State University in California. Show More

Marie Lemay
President & CEO, Royal Canadian Mint

Marie Lemay was appointed President and CEO of the Royal Canadian Mint in January 2019. With 20 years of service in senior government leadership positions, she has an extensive background in public policy. Prior to her appointment, Ms. Lemay served as Deputy Minister and Deputy Receiver General for Canada at Public Services and Procurement Canada, managing 12,000 employees and a $6 billion budget.

Ms. Lemay also served as Deputy Minister and President of the Canada Economic Development Agency for Quebec Regions, which promotes the long-term Economic development of the regions of Quebec. In 2012, she was Associate Deputy Minister at Infrastructure Canada, the main department responsible for federal efforts to enhance Canada's public infrastructure.

From January 2008 to 2012, Ms. Lemay was the CEO of the National Capital Commission, where she led a change in culture to one of openness and transparency, including the introduction of public Board meetings. ...

She was also the CEO of Engineers Canada where she led a number of international initiatives and oversaw several mutual recognition agreements.

Ms. Lemay is a member of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec and of Professional Engineers Ontario, as well as a Fellow for both Engineers Canada and the Canadian Academy of Engineering. She is a member of the Richelieu Hardware Ltd. Board of Directors. Show More

Christa Dickenson
President and CEO, Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC)

Christa Dickenson is an executive leader with a proven track-record engaging and collaborating across private, not-for-profit and public sectors. Now leading the Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC) as president and CEO, she has three decades of experience spanning film, cable television, interactive digital media, technology, telecommunications, and the public sector. Her strong sense of mission has been to the benefit of Telefilm Canada, Interactive Ontario, Rogers and CTV News. An accomplished tri-sector leader, Ms. Dickenson possesses an unparalleled talent for meaningful change management coupled with a strong business acumen. In addition to a professional background spanning both the creative and business sides of the screen-based industries, Ms. Dickenson has a BAH and a Master of Fine Arts in Film Studies. In 2022, she was nominated for the APEX 2022 Leadership Excellence Award in public service by colleagues and superiors in recognition of her contribution and dedication to serving Canadians.

Graham Sher
CEO, Canadian Blood Services

Graham is the Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Blood Services, the agency charged with managing Canada's national blood, plasma, stem cell, and organs and tissues programs in all provinces and territories across Canada, excluding Quebec. He has been with Canadian Blood Services since it began operations in September 1998, when he joined as its first Vice President Medical, Scientific & Clinical Management. He was appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer in June 2001. In this capacity, Graham continues to lead Canadian Blood Services through an extensive, multiyear Transformation journey which has seen the organization diversify its product and service offerings, drive innovation and knowledge creation, and pursue a relentless strategy focused on business excellence and value creation. Graham is a recognized expert in transfusion medicine and science, is widely published in this field and regularly sought after as a speaker nationally and internationally. ...

He sits on a number of blood system and health care related advisory bodies, and has provided consulting support to other countries in the transformation of their blood systems. Graham is a founding member and the current Chair of the Alliance of Blood Operators. He was the first international director on the Board of the AABB, and served as its president in 2013-14. He served on the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) board from 2012-22, serving as Chair from 2016-22. He sits on the C.D Howe Institute’s Health Policy Council.

Beyond blood system governance, Graham has a passion for health system design, management and governance, health system transformation, and is active in several areas of health system performance improvement. He also has achieved Director’s Certification from the Institute of Corporate Directors.

In September 2015, Graham was named as one of the 20 most powerful physicians and medical leaders in Canada. He received the AABB President’s award in 2018. In December 2021, he was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada.

He is happily married and has three wonderful sons. Graham is constantly struggling to find more time for his other passion in life: photography. In 2013 Graham led a successful climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro, in a fundraising effort that raised over $600,000 toward Canada’s umbilical cord stem cell bank. Show More

Deirdre Freiheit
President & CEO, Shepherds of Good Hope, and Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation

Deirdre Freiheit has been President & CEO of Shepherds of Good Hope and Shepherds of Good Hope Foundation since 2014. SGH is a dynamic, innovative organization that cares for the needs of adults experiencing homelessness who live with mental health challenges, substance use disorders and trauma. SGH welcomes everyone without judgement and offers shelter and supportive housing services to all genders. SGH operates the largest shelter in Ottawa and the only one serving all genders around the clock. Shelter services are unique in that they include 24/7 diversion services in partnership with Ottawa Police Service, Ottawa Paramedic Service and OC Transpo. Healthcare and harm reduction services are offered 24/7 on site in the shelter and in our supportive housing programs, in partnership with Ottawa Inner City Health. SGH also operates 5 supportive housing residences across the City of Ottawa, with two more currently under construction. ...

Deirdre and her team have positioned the organization to be a part of the solution to ending chronic homelessness by offering a diverse portfolio of shelter services and supportive housing options for individuals who face barriers to obtaining housing. SGH continues to expand its supportive housing portfolio from east to west across the city of Ottawa, with the goal of providing permanent housing to more individuals than are currently experiencing homelessness in our shelter. Our organization is on track to achieve this goal by 2023.

Deirdre is also CEO of SGH’s Foundation whose purpose is to achieve annual multi-million dollar revenue targets to support programs and services offered by Shepherds of Good Hope.

Deirdre has been a leader in the not-for-profit sector for 30 years. She is a former Board Director of Ottawa Inner City Health and is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa. She was also a member of Health Canada’s Expert Committee on Substance Use in 2021.

Other previous roles include Executive Director of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada and CEO of the Canadian Lung Association. Both involved raising funds for health research, advocating for health policy changes and increased funding for health research and developing long term sustainable partnerships.

Formerly, she was a member of the Institute Advisory Board for Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a lay reviewer on the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada’s research grant review panel. Deirdre is a passionate advocate for marginalized populations. She is a graduate of Atlantic Business College in New Brunswick, where she was raised. She and her husband reside in Ottawa and have two grown children. Show More

Michael Tremblay
President & CEO, Invest Ottawa

Michael Tremblay joined Invest Ottawa & Bayview Yards as President and Chief Executive Officer in March of 2017. Prior to joining Invest Ottawa, he was the Vice President of Public Sector for Microsoft Canada from April 2007. In 2020, Mike was appointed to the Board of Directors for both organizations.

Mike has 37 years of sales, marketing, operations and general management experience, with considerable experience serving public sector clients. Mike has also held senior executive positions with SAP, Fujitsu Consulting, JDS Uniphase, EDS Systemhouse and Digital Equipment Corporation – principally across Canadian, American and Latin American markets. ...

He has an MBA from Concordia University in Montreal and is a graduate of Computer Technology from Algonquin College. Michael completed the Directors Education Program and is ICD.D certified with the Institute of Corporate Directors where he is a member of the Ottawa Chapter Executive. Mike has served as a director with the Institute on Governance (2017-2020) and the Canadian Council for Aboriginal business (2005-2007). From 2004-2017, Michael served as a member of Algonquin College’s Board of Governors and served as Chair of the College’s Foundation Board. Show More

Nathalie Fagnan
President & CEO, Héma-Québec

Nathalie Fagnan began her career at KPMG before moving into the services sector. She spent more than 20 years with Publicis Groupe, the third-largest communications group in the world. She rose through the ranks to hold multiple senior management positions (CFO and COO) in the Quebec, Canadian, and American markets. She then spent two years at the largest chartered accountant firm in Quebec, Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton (RCGT). For nearly four years, she has been President and Chief Executive Officer of Héma-Québec, where she helps lead the team in its daily mission to save lives while ensuring the organization’s sustainability. ...

Deirdre and her team have positioned the organization to be a part of the solution to ending chronic homelessness by offering a diverse portfolio of shelter services and supportive housing options for individuals who face barriers to obtaining housing. SGH continues to expand its supportive housing portfolio from east to west across the city of Ottawa, with the goal of providing permanent housing to more individuals than are currently experiencing homelessness in our shelter. Our organization is on track to achieve this goal by 2023.

Deirdre is also CEO of SGH’s Foundation whose purpose is to achieve annual multi-million dollar revenue targets to support programs and services offered by Shepherds of Good Hope.

Deirdre has been a leader in the not-for-profit sector for 30 years. She is a former Board Director of Ottawa Inner City Health and is currently Chair of the Board of Directors of the Alliance to End Homelessness Ottawa. She was also a member of Health Canada’s Expert Committee on Substance Use in 2021.

Other previous roles include Executive Director of the Health Charities Coalition of Canada and CEO of the Canadian Lung Association. Both involved raising funds for health research, advocating for health policy changes and increased funding for health research and developing long term sustainable partnerships.

Formerly, she was a member of the Institute Advisory Board for Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a lay reviewer on the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada’s research grant review panel. Deirdre is a passionate advocate for marginalized populations. She is a graduate of Atlantic Business College in New Brunswick, where she was raised. She and her husband reside in Ottawa and have two grown children. Show More

Éric Martel
President & CEO, Bombardier

Éric Martel was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer, Bombardier in the spring of 2020. Since then, he has been a driving force behind Bombardier’s successful repositioning as a company purely focused on business aviation. Under his leadership, Bombardier is evolving its industry-leading portfolio of business jets and expanding its service footprint around the world while delivering strong financial results. He is deeply committed to the company’s Environmental, Social and Governance strategy, notably its goals of increasing diversity and the number of women in management positions, and shaping a more sustainable future for business aviation. Mr. Martel is also a member of Bombardier’s Board of Directors. ...

Prior to his appointment, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of Hydro-Québec since July 2015. From 2002 until 2015, he held positions of increasing responsibility within Bombardier, including President of Bombardier Business Aircraft, President of Bombardier Aerospace Services, Vice-President and General Manager of the Global and Challenger platforms and he also worked at Bombardier Transportation from 2002 to 2004 as Vice President of Operations for North America. Prior to joining Bombardier, Mr. Martel worked for various other high-profile multinational companies, such as Pratt & Whitney, Rolls Royce, Procter & Gamble and Kraft Foods.

Mr. Martel holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Laval University and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Concordia University in 2019. He was elected as a Fellow to the Canadian Academy of Engineering in 2022.

Mr. Martel has been actively involved with Centraide of Greater Montreal for over 20 years, and co-chairs the fundraising campaign of the Fondation de l’Institut universitaire en santé mentale de Montréal. He is also a member Board of Directors of the Corporate Angel Network. Show More

Nathalie Morin
President, Polystyvert Inc.

Nathalie Morin holds a degree in engineering from Polytechnique Montréal, as well as an MBA from UQAM, and is the current president of Polystyvert Inc. She was previously the company’s CTO.

Nathalie has held numerous positions with increasing responsibility in operations management, project management, and supply chain management.

Early in her career, she was a production and technical services manager at MDF La Baie, before moving on to a project management role at Roche Ingénieurs Conseils, where she stayed until 2011. She was then recruited by Enerkem, where she worked for several years and held different management positions to become general manager of projects and construction. ...

From 2016 to 2017, Nathalie acted as director of operations for Scotts Canada. She then spent three years in Rio Tinto’s aluminum division as general manager of power operations before joining the Polystyvert team in 2021.

An authentic and strategic manager with more than 20 years of experience in operations optimization and profitability as well as project and investment portfolio management, Nathalie has never shied away from an opportunity to make a difference in the organization she was involved with. Show More

Luc Rodier
CEO, Guillevin International

With its nationwide distribution network, Guillevin ranks among Canada's largest distributors of electrical material. It is also a major distributor of safety products and equipment as well as industrial supplies. Its knowledgeable employees working in more than 150 Profit Centres in key locations across Canada ensure Guillevin's success by distributing a wide variety of products from selected world-class manufacturers.

For the last 5 years, Luc Rodier has been leading the transformation of Guillevin while supporting significant growth as the CEO of the company. With a passion for people and operations leading a company like Guillevin is without a doubt an incredible opportunity. Leading a privately owned company of this size and with financial capacity to realize its ambitions is a unique luxury. This gives the organization speed and agility few other have. ...

Previously Luc has spent 15 years with Canada’s largest hardware retailer until the group was sold to US interest in 2016. Starting as regional manager he was quickly promoted to regional Vice President and then Executive Vice President Operations. His ability to rapidly identify opportunities and mobilize a team to execute solutions and turnaround financial performance is what he was known for.

After graduating from UQAM's School of Management with a bachelor’s degree in urban planning, he soon started to redirect his career in industries where he had natural ability. Business was always in his blood and his degree helped him develop his critical planning expertise and deeper comprehension of complete ecosystem. Show More

Victor Cui
President and CEO, Edmonton Elks

Born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Victor Cui is the President and CEO of the Edmonton Elks Football Club – one of the flagship franchises in the Canadian Football League and 14-time Grey Cup champions. Cui was announced as the Club’s president on January 25, 2022 and brings a wealth of global sports experience to the hometown team he grew up cheering for.

Prior to his homecoming with the Elks, Cui rose to prominence on the global sports scene with mixed martial arts promotion ONE Championship. Cui served in a variety of roles with ONE, beginning as a co-founder and the company’s first CEO in 2010. Cui went on to become ONE’s CEO International and led multiple areas of the company’s global business. He also served as CEO of ONE Elite Agency, managing some of the world’s biggest MMA athletes and celebrities.

Over his decade-plus run with ONE, Cui played a central role in growing the company to become Asia’s largest sports media property, with broadcasts to more than 150 countries. Thanks in part to Cui’s leadership and vision, the company held a total valuation of more than $1 billion (USD) as of January 2022. ...

Before co-founding ONE, Cui worked with Asia’s top sports broadcaster ESPN STAR Sports in Singapore, serving as the company’s senior director of event management.

Cui’s other sports experience is extensive, as he previously worked on: the Commonwealth Games, the Sydney Olympics, the PGA Tour Bell Canadian Open Championship, the LPGA Tour BMO Women’s Open, the X Games Asia, the World Series of Pool, World Futsal and the creation of ESPN’s Martial Combat.

Personally, Cui is a graduate of the University of Alberta where he served as Students’ Union Vice President Internal while studying political science. He is a dedicated husband and father, and lives with his wife, two children, and parents in Edmonton.

Cui is a proud member of the Canadian Filipino community, with his parents moving to Edmonton from the Philippines in the 1970s. Cui and his brother’s first introduction to sport came in the form of boxing – their father’s favourite sport. Cui went on to become fascinated with martial arts, specifically taekwondo. Both he and his wife are black belts in the sport, a passion they have passed down to their son and daughter.

In addition to his professional and family commitments, Cui is an active member of the Edmonton community. He serves as a mentor for the University of Alberta’s ThresholdImpact Mentoring Service (VMS), helping develop Alberta’s next generation of entrepreneurs through guidance and support. Cui also serves as a board member for the Parkinson’s Association of Alberta – a cause which is close to his heart after his father was diagnosed with the disease. Show More

Lindsay Dodd
CEO, Cashco Financial

Lindsay Dodd is Chief Executive Officer of Cashco Financial, a private company working to bring one million Canadians on a path to financial health. He is also Managing Partner of Sprout Fund LP, an early-stage technology investment fund located in Alberta.

He is the former CEO of Savvia Inc., a technology-advisory firm acquired by CompuVision Systems Ltd. in 2016. Before launching his company, Lindsay was a Partner with the international IT consulting firm of Sierra Systems. He has also held senior IT management positions with companies such as PCL Construction and ATB Financial.

Lindsay is currently Past Chair of the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation Board of Trustees, a Director with the Edmonton Elks Football Club, and is a member of the Edmonton Executive Committee of the Institute of Corporate Directors. He holds Board positions with two private companies and is the former Chair of the Board of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce. ...

He is a member of the A100, an angel investor with Valhalla Angels, and a mentor with the VMS group of the University of Alberta.

Lindsay holds the ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors. He earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree with distinction from the University of Alberta and a Master of Business Administration from the Richard Ivey School of Business at Western University. Show More

Justin Riemer
CEO, Emissions Reduction Alberta (ERA)

Justin Riemer is CEO of ERA, an Alberta-based, board-governed, not-for-profit corporation with a mandate to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and grow Alberta’s economy by accelerating the development and adoption of innovation technology solutions. To date, ERA has invested $830 million in 230 technology projects worth $6.6 billion.

Previously, Justin provided leadership to the federal government’s regional economic development agency in Alberta and held several senior positions at the Government of Alberta and Alberta Health Services. For more than 25 years, he has achieved results in regional economic development, industry expansion, investment attraction, and innovation.

He is passionate about supporting the advancement of sectors vital to the diversification of Alberta’s economy, having served in leadership roles to deliver initiatives at both the federal and provincial levels related to value-added energy, health innovation, clean technology, and inclusive economic development. ... Most recently, Justin led the Alberta region of Prairies Economic Development Canada in delivering unprecedented levels of relief and recovery programming to individuals, businesses, and organizations impacted by COVID-19.

Justin holds a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Carleton University, and a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science. Justin is married and the proud father of two young men. Show More

Bob Espey
President and Chief Executive Officer, Parkland

Following Bob’s appointment as President and Chief Executive Officer in 2011, Parkland’s enterprise value has grown from $750 million to over $10 billion. Over 60 strategic acquisitions have positioned Parkland as a leading international consolidator of convenience and fuel marketing businesses with operations in 25 countries.

With a network of over 4,000 retail, commercial and food locations, Parkland has developed powerful supply, distribution, and trading capabilities to accelerate growth and business performance. Parkland’s portfolio of consumer and commercial brands, including JOURNIE™ Rewards, ON the RUN, Ridgeline, Pioneer, Sol, Ultramar, and M&M Food Market, coupled with its culture of customer service has created a solid platform for organic growth. Parkland is rapidly developing expertise to seize opportunities through the energy transition with carbon and renewables trading, solar power, renewables manufacturing and ultrafast Electric Vehicle charging. ... Prior to Parkland, Bob worked internationally and domestically as a consultant and in senior leadership roles in start-up and mature businesses across the technology, manufacturing, marketing, and consumer goods sectors. Bob graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) from the Royal Military College of Canada and served as a Commissioned Officer in the Canadian Navy. After leaving the Navy,

Bob continued his education with a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Ontario. Bob is a senior advisor to EnZinc, an advanced developer of metal air battery technology, a board member of Boyd Services Group (TSX:BYD) and past Chair of the Canadian Fuels Association. Show More

Nick Dean
President, The Keg

Nick Dean is responsible for leading the efforts of senior executives to execute and develop current and long-range objectives, strategies and policies for the organization. His direct reports include operations, people and culture, marketing, corporate services and franchising. Mr. Dean joined The Keg in 2019 as President. Prior to that, Mr. Dean was the President and CEO of KBS Canada, The Keg’s advertising and communications agency for over 20 years. Mr. Dean attended the University of Western Ontario where he received his Masters in Business Administration (MBA) and McMaster University where he received an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree.