Featured Speakers

     Clara Hughes, Opening Keynote

“Being a champion is not just about winning,” says six-time Olympic medalist Clara Hughes. Believing that actions off the track define us as much as those on it, Hughes inspires people toward success in all areas of their lives.

Hughes is the only Canadian to have won medals in both the Summer and the Winter Olympics: in the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, she received two bronze medals in cycling; and over the course of three Winter Olympic Games, she received four medals—one gold, one silver, and two bronze—in speed skating. In addition, she served as the Canadian flag bearer for the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games’ opening ceremony, and represented Canada with distinction at the London Summer Olympic Games in 2012, before retiring as an Olympian.

In 2014, Hughes yet again figured prominently in the eyes of Canadians as the national spokesperson for Bell Let’s Talk, a campaign designed to end the stigma of mental health issues. Undertaking “Clara’s Big Ride,” Hughes completed a 110-day national bicycle tour through every province and territory in Canada, beginning in Toronto in March and ending in Ottawa on July 1. As part of the ride, she covered 12,000km and visited 95 communities along the way.

Over the course of her distinguished career, Hughes has won countless awards and accolades. She was named Female Athlete of the Year by Speed Skating Canada; she received the International Olympic Committee’s Sport and Community Trophy; she was honoured with a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame; she was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame; and she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada. Hughes sits on the International Board of Directors for Right To Play, a global organization that uses the transformative power of play to educate and empower children facing adversity. She holds honorary doctorates from the University of Manitoba and the University of British Columbia.

 Kate Davis, Luncheon Speaker

A speaker, comedian, writer, mother and actress, Kate Davis has the unique ability to find humour in any situation and offer creative solutions to defuse the frustrations in the home and workplace. Kate’s generous insight and outspoken character, provides a powerful combination to help organizations empower their staff with effective tools for managing stress and sustaining motivation. Theatrically trained in England, Kate returned to Canada to a successful run on Canadian stage. From the theatrical stage to the many stages of motherhood, Kate found her newest passion at an open mic one night at a local comedy club. Now, a five-time nominee at the Canadian Comedy Awards and star of her own hour-long comedy special on CTV and the Comedy Network, Kate has appeared on Breakfast Television, Star TV, Toronto 1, Prime, WTN, TVO and CBC Radio One, “The Debaters”. As well Kate was at the Winnipeg Comedy Festival, Just For Laughs 42 and the Hubcap Comedy Festival. Kate tours globally with her comedy and speaking which has allowed her to open for President Bill Clinton and Barbara Walters to name a few. During the 2008 season of Last Comic Standing, Kate’s sense of humour endured and carried her into the finals. Kate also was thrilled to be the Spokesperson for Mattel Toys Canada for their 2012 Holiday Season. Purpose met destiny when Kate created her successful “Balancing Life with Humour” keynote a hit with corporations globally and her “Parenting with Humour” keynote. Both explore the positive effects humour. From the corporate world to the bedtime story, Kate’s insight and vision reveals the healing thread of humour and how it can be utilized throughout our lives. Kate newest Keynote “Innovation through Connectivity” teaches us how we can establish, culture and keep connected to our clients, work and purpose but most importantly to ourselves which leads to a more prosperous and fulfilling life. An engaging speaker, Kate’s presentations focus on bringing a sense of humour into the workplace, the home and ultimately the balance of both. Kate has performed and lectured for organizations such as the YPO, YEO, Canadian Management Centre, BDO, DFK, Sunnybrook Hospital, the Faculty of The University of Toronto and many more.

  Giselle Kovary, Plan Sponsor's Breakfast

As a managing partner and co-founder of n-gen People Performance Inc., Giselle helps clients build strategies and programs that target, motivate and engage a multigenerational workforce. She is a sought after resource to industry leaders across North America, in both the private and public sectors.
With over 17 years of experience in learning and development, she has devoted the last 12 years to researching the impact that generational differences have on organizational performance. Giselle has created solutions and programs that focus on five practice areas – sales & customer service, leadership, team building, Gen Y and HR. She has presented to international audiences, has written numerous whitepapers, and co-authored two books: Loyalty Unplugged: How to Get, Keep & Grow All Four Generations and Upgrade Now: 9 Advanced Leadership Skills. As a multigenerational workplace expert, she is regularly quoted in national newspapers, trade magazines, radio and television.
Giselle has a Master’s degree in communication studies from the University of Windsor. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management, the Provincial Partnership Council and the Marketing & Communications Committee for Habitat for Humanity in Toronto.

  Peter Loewen, Breakfast Speaker

Peter Loewen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. His research is mostly related to the political behaviour of citizens and politicians, and has been published in leading journals of political science, economics, and general science. In addition to his academic work, he writes a regular column for the Ottawa Citizen and advises clients on measuring and shaping public opinion and political behaviour. His past and current clients include Elections Canada, the Globe and Mail, the CBC, Toronto Board of Trade, and the Mozilla Foundation. Finally, he maintains an interest in two data companies: Saywall partners with media organizations to produce data about their audiences and Labour Analytics models web-scraped labour and economic data for several commercial banks.

     Sal Guatieri, Breakfast Speaker

Sal Guatieri is a Senior Economist and Director at BMO Capital Markets, with two decades experience as a macro economist. With BMO Financial Group since 1994, his main responsibilities include analyzing and forecasting the U.S. and Canadian economies, housing markets, interest rates and exchange rates. He is a regular commentator on economic and financial market trends to the media. Prior to joining BMO, Sal worked at the Bank of Canada, contributing to the staff’s quarterly economic projection and analyzing foreign exchange markets. Sal received his Masters degree in Economics from Queen’s University in 1990. He was Secretary for the Toronto Association for Business and Economics from 2000 to 2010.