KEYNOTE SPEAKERS 

Randy Ambrosie
CFL Commissioner (2017- Present)
Grey Cup Champion
Keynote Speaker
Business Leader

In July 2017, Grey Cup Champion and business leader Randy Ambrosie became the new Commissioner of the Canadian Football League. The 54-year-old Winnipeg native’s appointment was approved in a 

special meeting of the league’s Board of Governors. “It’s an honour to be afforded this opportunity to work on behalf of our Governors, our teams and, most importantly, our fans as our league’s Commissioner,” Ambrosie said. “My professional life has been marked by my passion for Canadian football and my passion for building businesses. It’s a dream come true to be able to combine these on behalf of the CFL, which means so much to so many Canadians.”

Randy really has it all. He was a top player who overcame setbacks and injuries to become a champion. And he is a leading executive who has succeeded in the world of business and finance.

Kaleb Dahlgren
#1 Bestselling Author, Crossroads
Inspiring Community Leader & Mental Wellness Advocate

From a young age, Kaleb had no choice but to be resilient. His hockey career was threatened before it started by a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes at 4 years old. Yet Kaleb proved his doctors and coaches wrong by going on to play hockey at an elite level. During his career, he played for the Humboldt Broncos – a team that made national news when their bus collided with a transport truck. The accident took away 16 lives and left only 13 survivors, many of them with lifelong injuries.

Kaleb is one of the survivors.

Once he recovered, Kaleb returned to the ice to play for York University’s varsity hockey team. While at York, he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree graduating as Valedictorian, Magna Cum Laude, and Varsity Athletics Male Graduate of the Year in April 2021. Currently, Kaleb is studying to become a Doctor of Chiropractic.

Kaleb is dedicated to helping others, whether that’s through sharing his story or through his community volunteer work. He is the founder of Dahlgren’s Diabeauties, a mentorship program designed in 2017 to give back to children with Type 1 diabetes. Through this program, he is able to raise awareness, support, and guidance to his community of Diabeauties. Kaleb is also the recipient of: the Canadian Volunteer Award for Emerging Leader of the Prairies, National JDRF Young Volunteer of the Year award, and dozens of other accolades for his community service.

Somewhere in the whirlwind of life, Kaleb found time to become a #1 Bestselling Author for his memoir, Crossroads, the story of his life thus far. As a speaker, he is known for his honesty, his inspiration, and his captivating storytelling.

In the face of insurmountable odds, he shows us that through perseverance you can do anything

Jess Tetu
Serial Entrepreneur + Public Speaker + Philanthropist
Canada’s Top 40 under 40 + 2019 Canada’s Most Powerful Women

Overcoming adversity at a very young age, Jess began her life on her own at the age of 15 years old and through dedication, determination and hard work, has become a national award-winning philanthropist & entrepreneur 

Jess is the sole owner of five Just For You Day Spas in Saskatchewan & Alberta, Founder & CEO of Lia Reese Canada, (Saskatchewan’s Beauty Brand), Founder & CEO of Iconic Betty Jewelry, Founder of Jess Tetu Consulting, and Founder & CEO of 4seventy One Recovery Resources, a not-for-profit charity she created.

She was named one of Canada's Top 40 Under 40, awarded the SK Entrepreneur of the Year Award, honored with the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, and most recently received one of Canada's most coveted awards when she was named one of Canada's Most Powerful Women.

David Beaudoin
Canadian Cheese Ambassador

Born and raised in Québec City, David Beaudoin has always been a cheese lover. As a young man, he travelled the world while working as an entertainer on Cruise Ships, this enabled David to taste cheeses from around the globe. David moved to the Okanagan in 2005, where he turned his passion for cheese into an enterprise and launched his Squeaky Cheese TM and Business.

With a thorough understanding of the industry, he now shares his knowledge and enthusiasm for making, tasting, pairing and experiencing cheese of all kinds. Dubbed ‘The Cheese Poet’ and known locally as ‘The Squeaky Cheese Guy,’ he also works as a consultant with the Dairy Farmers of Canada and educate retailers, deli managers, and upraising cheese-mongers in understanding the benefits and handling practices of working with Canadian cheese. David is proud to be the Canadian Cheese Ambassador with a commitment to help people understand why it is so important to support our very own cheese makers and milk producers. He will sure educate and entertain you with our amazing world class cheeses. Come meet David while being part of this amazing educational cheese experience!   

Margaret Palmer
Speaker/Trainer
TACFORM Training & Development 

With experience spanning more than 25 years and involving thousands of people from more than 40 different countries around the world, Margaret brings a unique perspective and deep understanding to the conversation about what it means to communicate and lead effectively. She believes deeply in the potential and capacity of every human being and emphasizes the need to make sure people feel valued and appreciated. That said, Margaret has little patience for “fluff,” is not big on scripts and formulas in communication, and has, in fact,  been labeled the “least touchy-feely” trainer many have encountered in the field of Leadership and Communication. Margaret’s acclaimed I Care, You Count Principle™, developed through her work over the past two decades, has found success from the 

breakfast table to the battlefield to the boardroom while working with groups spanning multiple sectors from corporate to non-profit to military. She is committed to helping others create possibility one conversation at a time, and her passion and dedication to growing inspired and engaged  communities is infectious. When followed correctly, her Five Practices will open up the possibility of success in  both personal and professional relationships beyond your wildest imagining. 

Margaret holds a Master of Arts degree in Leadership and Training and has completed work towards a Masters in Security, Defence Management and Policy. She is a private pilot, holds a black belt in Taekwondo, and enjoys running, sailing, kayaking, hiking and camping. She currently lives near Calgary, Alberta with her husband Ryan and their daughters Kennedy and Makenna.

Ernie Louttit
Honesty + Integrity + Leadership

Born in Northern Ontario, Ernie Louttit is a member of the Missanabie Cree First Nation, but was raised in a small village of 600 called Oba. As a teenager, Ernie was forced to relocate to attend a remote boarding-high school in order to complete his education, but soon found himself segregated from his siblings due his darker skin. These colonial barriers became too much to bear, and Ernie left school to become a labourer on the Canadian National Railway. After impressing his impossible to please boss on the railroad, Ernie quickly learned that he could achieve things that others found insurmountable. 

In 1979, and at only 17, Ernie convinced his mother to sign the paperwork needed to join the Canadian Armed Forces, where he served honourably for 5 years in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. Ernie went on to become a military police officer and served in that role until his discharge in 1987. His time in the military helped to reinforce Ernie’s belief that hard work and dedication were the keys to success.

Ernie was only the third Indigenous police officer in the history of the Saskatoon Police force when he was hired in 1987. His arrival in Saskatoon coincided with the beginning of an era of tremendous change in both in policing and Indigenous ways of life in Canada. Despite the issues of crime, violence, and dehumanizing attitudes towards Indigenous persons and communities that dominated Ernie’s career, he fought to maintain the understanding that these were residual effects of colonial traumas and systemic injustices.

Over the course of the four books Ernie has authored detailing his time on the police force, readers are taken on a remarkable journey that explores racism, empathy, ambition, corruption, leadership, and so much more.  A resilient and innovative visionary, Ernie’s messages of strong leadership, tolerance, and empathy have inspired countless audiences to lead with understanding and compassion. It is Ernie’s belief that we are all capable of being leaders. Through his effective use of storytelling, Ernie shares dark cautionary tales balanced with more humorous stories, to illustrate that anyone can make a difference.

BREAKOUT SPEAKERS

Martin McInnis
Executive Director
Co-operative Superannuation Society Pension Plan

Martin McInnis is the executive director of the Co-operative Superannuation Society (CSS) Pension Plan, one of Canada’s largest and oldest defined contribution pension plans.  Martin has a strong appreciation for the positive difference that co-operative enterprise makes in the lives of everyday people and their communities. He is proud to be leading the CSS Pension Plan on behalf of more than 300 Canadian co-operative and credit union employers and managing approximately $5 Billion in assets for over 50,000 employee members and retirees.  Martin has a broad range of experience and skills in the areas of strategy, finance, operations, accounting, risk management and information technology. He holds a bachelor of commerce (honours in computer science) from the University of Saskatchewan, is a chartered financial analyst (CFA) charterholder and is a chartered professional accountant (FCPA, FCMA).

Chris Koltek, MBA, CFA
Institutional Client Portfolio Strategist, Portfolio Solutions Group
Canada Life Investment Management Ltd.

Chris is a member of Portfolio Solutions Group (PSG), a division of Canada Life Investment Management Ltd. PSG is responsible for the management and oversight of The Canada Life Assurance Company’s target date, target risk and other specialty asset allocation funds.

A member of PSG since 2021, Chris is imbedded with PSG’s investment team and acts as the central source of product knowledge for the asset allocation funds, supporting internal and external stakeholders.

Chris brings over 23 years of investment industry expertise to the table, having joined PSG after 11 years with Canada Life as a Private Wealth Counsellor providing advanced planning and multi-class asset allocation portfolio expertise by developing customized investment portfolios for high-net-worth families and business owners.

Chris is a CFA charterholder and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from University of Manitoba.

Janet Salter, CFA
Vice President and Portfolio Manager, Portfolio Solutions Group
Canada Life Investment Management Ltd.

Janet Salter is vice president and portfolio manager, with Portfolio Solutions Group (PSG), a division of Canada Life Investment Management Ltd. PSG is responsible for the management and oversight of The Canada Life Assurance Company’s target date, target risk and other specialty asset allocation funds.

A member of PSG since 2021, Janet’s responsibilities include portfolio management and risk management of the asset allocation funds as well as focused responsibilities to oversee and advance glide path design.

Janet brings over 25 years of portfolio management expertise to the table, having joined PSG from Portico Investment Management, the fixed income division of GLC Asset Management Group Ltd.  Her experience and expertise spans active and passive fixed-income strategies, including customized mandates for pension plans and financial institutions. 

Janet is a CFA charterholder and holds an Honours Bachelor of Mathematics degree from the University of Waterloo.

Deron Waldock
Lead Partner
McCarthy Tetrault

With equal measures of creativity and pragmatism, Deron delivers successful business outcomes at the leading edge of the complex and evolving pensions industry.
- Assists and advises Canadian and US clients on a variety of legal and governance issues within the compliance and regulatory requirements space
- With more than 25 years’ experience in the design, administration, operation, and compliance of pension plans, clients count on him to deliver results and find creative approaches to their pensions and benefits challenges
- Provides strategic legal advice to employers on pension plans, profit sharing plans, registered retirement savings plans, welfare benefits plans, retirement compensation arrangements, and other areas of executive compensation
- Member of the Board of Governors and sits on the Audit and Finance Committee of St. Jerome’s University (a liberal arts university associated with the University of Waterloo
- Recognized as a leading lawyer in pensions & benefits by Chambers Canada and The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory, and in pensions by The Legal 500 Canada

Kelly Snowden
Director of Pension Administration
Public Employees Benefits Agency

Kelly is the Director of Pension Administration at the Public Employees Benefits Agency in Saskatchewan. She has dedicated the past 15 years to fostering the financial wellness of more than 100,000 active and retired pension plan members. Kelly is passionate about her work, both in leading the teams that provide the day-to-day administrative services and lifelong support to plan members, and also through her role in the senior leadership team that determines strategic direction and innovative solutions for members.

Kelly holds a Master’s Certificate in Public Policy Analysis, a Pension Plan Administration Certificate (PPAC) and a certificate in Advanced Trust Management Standards (ATMS).

Jennifer Katzsch
Regional Vice-President, Business Development and Client Relations, Western Canada
Desjardins Insurance

Jennifer leads the Business Development and Client Relationships teams in Western Canada along with the national Education and Transition team. Jennifer is responsible for the overall client satisfaction and new business opportunities in Western Canada. 

Jennifer works closely with her teams to develop innovative solutions and strategies that enhance the client  experience and ensures our clients, as well as their plan members, are getting the most out of their group savings plan.

For over 20 years, Jennifer has worked with a wide variety of clients, including large multinational corporations  and clients with defined contribution, defined benefit plans and savings plans.

Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and a post-graduate diploma in Human  Resources Management from Sheridan College.

Meghan Propp
Partner
Lawson Lundell LLP

Meghan is a partner in Lawson Lundell’s Pension and Employee Benefits Group. She works with boards of trustees and other administrators and sponsors of pension and benefit plans in the private and public sectors across a wide range of industries in British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Meghan advises on issues that arise in the day to day administration of plans, as well as assisting with larger projects such as plan mergers and reorganizations. This includes the interpretation and amendment of plan texts, trust agreements and policies, negotiating plan related contracts and compliance with pension standards legislation, tax law, human rights law and privacy law.

Jeffrey Boutilier
President
Ascent Strategy

The founder and driving force behind Ascent’s rise as a leading customer experience design studio, Jeffrey is a passionate and creative leader trusted by trusted brands and market leaders.  He provides thoughtful advice and strategic insight across a wide range of industries and organizational challenges.  With a clientele spanning governments, non-profits, academia, and multinational companies, Jeffrey continues to be a sought-after partner to tackle particularly difficult challenges, build consensus and agreement in difficult circumstances, and – most importantly – drive strategic execution that generates real results.  Jeffrey’s reputation for consistent outcomes, building broad support, and his willingness to be a challenging partner, have established him as a trusted advisor to Western Canada’s business leaders. 

Tami H. Dove
Director, Member Experience
Co-operative Superannuation Society / CSS Pension Plan

As the Director, Member Experience, Tami worked with the CSS stakeholders to launch a member experience framework and strategy designed to empower members to make decisions based on timely, relevant, and personalized information. Member experience is a multi-faceted discipline with several key objectives – one of which is engaging members and clients in their benefit program(s) and financial success.  Believing in the power of empowering people to make informed decisions, Tami has been serving people within the financial services industry for over 20 years. As a coach and mentor to those she works with and those she serves, Tami has worked in the credit union system in member services, financial planning, and management, and with the Government of Saskatchewan and the Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan in pension administration, member education and engagement, pension regulation, financial services policy, and research.  Her experiences include working in insurance, mutual funds, corporate risk and strategic management, information technology and data management, and human resources.  Tami believes in lifelong learning and has obtained several credentials and designations in her field, including a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® designation, a Masters of Business Administration (MBA), the Pension Plan Administration Certificate (PPAC), the Project Management Professional (PMP®), and the Retirement Plans Associate (RPA) designation.

Mark Mervyn, FSA, FCIA
Pension Actuary, Partner
AON

Mark is a partner and qualified actuary who leads Aon’s Vancouver retirement team and provides consulting services to his clients in British Columbia and across North America.

Mark is the lead consultant and valuation actuary for both public and private sector clients. Since 2001, he has partnered with clients to bring them solutions to manage and address the challenges they face as sponsors of retirement, OPEB, workers’ compensation, long-term disability, and other benefit arrangements.

Mark is a graduate of Simon Fraser University with a Bachelor of Science in actuarial mathematics.
He is a Fellow of the Canadian Institute of Actuaries (FCIA) and a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA).
Mark is a member of the BC regional council of the Association of Canadian Pension Management and actively engages in discussions with the BC Financial Service Authority and the BC Ministry of Finance on pension related issues.

Shelley Russell
Vice President
AON

Shelley joined the Aon Health Solutions team in 2021 where she is responsible for partnering with organizations to develop inclusive, employee-centric health strategy.
Shelley draws from more than 20 years of experience partnering with plan sponsors to maximize organizational health and wellbeing. This included roles with the insurer – as an account executive in the large case market – and the plan sponsor – where Shelley was responsible for health strategy and stakeholder relations for a large health benefit trust.
Shelley graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BScN) and maintains registration with the College and Association of Registered Nurses of Alberta (CARNA). Shelley also serves on the CBPI Northern Alberta Executive Committee.

Caralee Chorney
Disability Management Consultant
Manulife

Caralee has over 15 years of Disability Management experience; from Case Manager, Associate Manager, and Program Manager, where she had overall accountability for service deliverables, client governances, and daily Disability Management program oversight.    She has a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from York University and is a Certified Athletic Therapist.    

As a Disability Management Consultant at Manulife for over 8 years, Caralee provides trend recommendations and analysis, builds client relationships, and acts as liaison between Manulife’s Sales and Disability Operations teams.    Her collaborative style and extensive disability management knowledge are a valuable resource for clients and advisors as a link between the client experience and disability management. 

Ryan Duesing
Partner
Mercer Canada

Ryan Duesing is a Partner and Canada Placement Leader for Mercer Marsh Benefits Canada working with clients and insurer partners. Ryan re-joined Mercer in 2022 after spending a year with Manulife Financial where he worked as a Corporate Account Executive. Prior to his time with Manulife, Ryan was with Mercer for 14 years.

Ryan has over 29 years of experience in the benefits industry, consulting on a wide range of group benefit advisory services to clients, focusing on strategies to support their human resources and business goals within traditional and flexible benefit plans. He is experienced in the design, underwriting, marketing, benchmarking, financial management, auditing, cost containment strategies, and implementation of comprehensive group insurance programs in both the private and public sectors. He has also assisted clients with union negotiations and the development of collective bargaining strategies and participated in the merger and acquisition planning and integration of benefits programs for organizations.

Ryan attended the University of Regina, majoring in economics. He has completed a number of courses in the Certified Employee Benefits Specialist program and has obtained his life license from the Insurance Councils of Saskatchewan. 

Tim Kane
Chief Executive Officer
myHSA

As a founder of myHSA, Tim has extensive experience in the industry – a graduate of Mount Royal  University’s Insurance program, completing his Associate of the Insurance Institute of Canada and growing a successful insurance brokerage firm from eight employees to a team of 30. While running his insurance brokerage, a group benefits—BKI Financial Strategy—he set out to transform the paper-burdened HSA administration process. 

With establishing a core concept and software, Tim saw the potential to disrupt the market with a digital spending account platform, leading to the sale of BKI Financial and launch of myHSA.

Kenzie Bergeron
AVP, Sales
Saskatchewan Blue Cross

Kenzie has spent the last 15 years in the Financial Services industry supporting individuals, families, and businesses as they navigate products and services that protect their health & wellbeing, as well as their finances. She has worked for Insurance carriers, Brokerages, Indigenous Leaders, and most recently in 2022, joined insurance provider Saskatchewan Blue Cross, as their Assistant Vice President of Sales. In 2022, Kenzie won CBC’s Future 40 award, which recognizes individuals in Saskatchewan making a difference for the betterment of our community. Kenzie has a keen focus on giving back, supporting our communities, mentoring, and investing in Saskatchewan businesses while focusing on business strategies to incorporate diversity, equity, and inclusion for all. 

Garry Derenoski
President & CEO
Bridges Health

Garry Derenoski is a business executive, entrepreneur, and innovation leader in the area of work disability prevention and return to work planning.  He has spent the last 26 years in the private healthcare sector, developing and providing innovative solutions to employers to mitigate time loss, short term, and long-term disability claims with employers, lifeco’s, insurers, and WCB.

Prior to founding Bridges Health in 1997, Garry spent 18 years in automobile and bodily injury insurance.  During his tenure with the crown corporation he was the transition team lead on the provincial strategy that changed tort to no-fault insurance over a span of four years.

Garry has dedicated his working career to the prevention and early intervention of injury and illness.  During his time in public insurance, he identified a need to assist injured individuals with early enhanced rehabilitation, focusing on timed appropriate care, education and support. 

Through Garry’s vision and leadership, Bridges Health has rewritten the standards of illness and injury management through the development of multiple award-winning stay at work and return to work programs both in the technology and human talent realms.

Hanif Hemani
Managing Director
Express Employment Professionals

Hanif Hemani is the President of Hemani Management Group Inc., a management consulting firm, specializing in Performance Management, Human Capital Planning, Sales Management and Engagement. He is also the Managing Director of Express Employment Professionals, a Professional Staffing and Recruitment firm.

He has over 25 years of sales, marketing, and management expertise in diverse industries ranging from Big Pharma, to Staffing & Recruitment. He has held positions in Sales Management, Learning & Development Management, Regional Marketing Management, and National Brand Management to name a few.

In a Gallup Engagement survey of over 70,000 employees of Pfizer Inc., the team led by Hanif, ranked in the top 10th percentile of Pfizer globally. He believes that employee engagement is the cornerstone of business success.

Under his leadership, Express Employment Professionals is currently top ranked on Google, and also #1 ranked on both YELP and ThreeBestRated.ca

He has been a featured speaker for: John Gormley Live, Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, Trauma in the workplace conference, Saskatchewan Aviation Council and numerous Webinar presentations.

When he isn’t networking or involved in assisting community and charitable organizations, you can likely find him at the golf course (in the summer) or out and about discussing politics, business and sports, usually over a nice Cabernet.

Caylee Stewart
Senior Customer Success Manager
TELUS Health (formerly Life Works)

Caylee Stewart is a Senior Customer Success Manager, based out of Regina, SK.  Caylee has been with LifeWorks (now TELUS Health) for over 8 years, and works with their key client partners across the country on their wellbeing services and initiatives.  For past 8 years Caylee has supported TELUS Health’s largest organizations in the oi and gas, retail, financial and public sector verticals, and has had the opportunity to work alongside these organizational partners as their workplace mental health and wellbeing needs have shifted and evolved over time.