Stop being overlooked! How to stand out, take credit, and become a highly engaging leader that inspires others.

A 2017 Ascend report “The Illusion of Asian Success” concluded that Asian professionals were least likely of all racial groups to advance into management and executive levels. Learn how Edmund Chien broke that norm to become a highly sought-after mentor and coach to people of all cultural backgrounds.

Edmund Chien, President, Flow Cap Advisory Inc.

Edmund has 15 years of experience advising high net worth investors in the areas of wealth management and business development. He’s been licensed as an Investment Advisor in both private equity and with BMO Nesbitt Burns. In addition to those experiences, Ed has also been insurance licensed and has built a practice at Sun Life Financial in their career sales force. Ed learned a lot of those principles through the Canadian Armed Forces Leadership school in CFB Petawawa and has close to 10 years of experience in the Canadian Military, serving as a paratrooper, infanteer, combat medic, and boot camp instructor. In addition to his military training, Ed holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Ryerson Theatre School. It is through arts training that one learns the pinnacles of communication which is high-level soft skills and emotional intelligence training. Today, Ed serves as the president of Asians Without Borders (AWB) which helps executives in the Asian community develop soft skills and gain leadership training. Ed’s other charitable work includes serving on the committee of the ROM Young Patron’s Circle, mentoring military veterans transitioning into the workforce, and supporting veteran organizations such as Canada Company, True Patriot Love, and Treble Victor.

Be Bold, Be Different, and Be You – Unlock Leadership Potential.

Imagine a workplace where everyone came to work with the knowledge and excitement, that today and everyday, I can be bold and free to speak my mind about my work and I can be my true authentic self? In this workshop we will demystify what psychological safety is and is not, and why it matters so much in the modern workplace.

Alex Draper, Founder & President, DX Learning Solutions

Alex started life as a school teacher in the UK, studying for a degree in Education at Bristol. After some time, teaching, he decided adult education was his passion and joined ProfitAbility Business Simulations, with headquarters in Oxford, UK. For 13 years he successfully built their business in EMEA and then the Americas, designing, delivering, and consulting with many of the Fortune 500 to help build their leaders’ leadership skills. Alex founded DX Learning in 2015. DX Learning works with CEOs and executives to design and deliver world-class leadership development programs to support culture transformations. He is now a leading force in disrupting the leadership development industry with science-based methodologies that drive leadership self-awareness to solve employee engagement and retention challenges and has delivered programs in the Americas and EMEA.

Priyanka Mehandiratta, Director of Learning, DX Learning Solutions

Priyanka cares about people. This has been made evident by a seasoned career as a trusted partner in the world of talent management for 15+ years. Transitioning into the world of leadership development was a no-brainer.  Priyanka embodies distinct business acumen that mirrors the valuable communication skills and kindness that are central to her teachings and trainings. As a lifelong learner and change agent, Priyanka’s role as the Director of Learning for DX Learning has solidified her commitment to building teams and businesses that seek to make a positive impact. A Certified Training and Facilitation Professional and MBA Graduate she has, in addition to receiving numerous Super Achiever awards, also been accredited by former colleagues as ‘the go-to person from a coaching & learning perspective whose experience has granted her solid trust from her team as well as from clients.

Agile Demystified

What’s all this talk and buzz about Agile? And what does this mean for your workplace and beyond? In this session you’ll learn about how working in Agile can empower and engage teams, drive focus on the customer and deliver value early and often.

Alyza Keshavjee, AVP Agile Transformation, Manulife

Alyza is collaborative, curious and customer-obsessed and leads the Agile Transformation at Manulife Canada. She is a strategic leader with 10+ years of experience executing cross-functional initiatives that deliver sustainable value to customers, employees and shareholders and is passionate about building high-performing teams. Alyza holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and HBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business. Outside of her professional life, Alyza loves cooking up a storm and spending time on a patio.

Samir Abu Ghosh, Agile Coach, Manulife

Samir is specialized in Agile coaching, program and project management and has more than 15 years of consulting and IT experience serving high profile clients in the public and private sectors. He is passionate about helping teams to deliver successful projects and delighting customers with value driven solutions. Outside of his professional life, Samir loves spending quality time with the family, biking and watching movies.

Women of Influence in FinTech

 Fintech – how leaders are disrupting the industry with brilliant ideas and experiences. Join our panel featuring Eva Wong, Keren Moynihan, and Iliana Oris Valiente as they share their stories on breaking the barriers within the financial, entrepreneur, and tech space. Stephania Varalli, from the organization Women of Influence, will moderate the panel and provide our delegates with an invaluable and engaging experience.

Keren Moynihan, Co-founder, Boss Insights

Keren is Co-founder and CEO of Boss Insights, an AI company that predicts private company performance in real-time. With a diverse background as a commercial banker, wealth manager and founder of a triple bottom line startup, Keren is a regular speaker and mentor and has been featured at Thrive Global, Dx3, and TechTO. She is an advocate for efficiency in private markets, data privacy, and creating AI that unites rather than divides society. Keren is often quoted as saying, “Data is the Achilles heel of bias. If you don’t kill your bias, you’re going to miss out on the next big thing.”

Iliana Oris Valiente, Managing Director, Canada Innovation Strategy Lead & Canada Blockchain Lead, Accenture

Iliana, CPA, CA, CBP (Certified Bitcoin Professional) is a Managing Director at Accenture where she oversees both the Canada Innovation Hub and the Canadian blockchain practice, working with clients to support their strategic transformation journeys leveraging the latest emerging technologies. Iliana is widely credited for being a blockchain trailblazer, and was named one of the Top 100 Most Influential People in the industry by Coindesk in 2017. A published author and sought-after speaker, she’s presented at a number of North American and European conferences and events.

Eva Wong, Co-founder & COO, Borrowell

Eva is Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Borrowell, a fintech company that helps people make great decisions about credit. Borrowell is one of Canada’s largest fintech companies, with more than a million members, and offers free credit score and report monitoring, an automated credit coach tools and AI-driven financial product recommendations. Eva was named one of the Standout 35 on the global Women in FinTech Powerlist, and was a finalist for EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year. She was named one of 20 tech start-up founders to follow by Twitter Canada and serves on the advisory board of the Smith School of Business at Queen’s University.

Stephania Varalli, Co-CEO of Women of Influence

As Co-CEO of Women of Influence, Stephania is able to dedicate her time to her passions: creating opportunities for women in the workplace, and using storytelling to drive change. Beginning her career in marketing and advertising, Stephania transitioned to an entrepreneurial life, helping to build Sweetspot.ca, Canada’s #1 site for women. Following the sale of the company to Rogers, she embarked on a freelancing career that took the concept of remote office to a global level. She and her partner took over Women of Influence in 2015, and are excited to be guiding the company through its 25th year.

Innovators Panel – Professionals in Non-conventional role

Innovation is about changing the way we think and implementing something new that adds value.  Learn from three professionals who will share their   remarkable success stories as entrepreneurs and business leaders, and how innovation helped them achieve their goals and succeed in the workplace.

 Jahanzaib Ansari, Chief Executive Officer, Knockri

Jahanzaib is a leader in Transformative HR Technology and is the Co-founder and CEO of Knockri. An Artificially Intelligent Video based Soft Skills assessment tool that diminishes unconscious bias and short lists the best fit talent to interview. Knockri works with fortune 500’s such as IBM and helps Transform their Talent Acquisition function into a competitive advantage. Jahanzaib serves on the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Equality & Inclusion and is invited to share his thoughts on A.I., Future of Work, Unconscious Bias, and Diversity at major events internationally. In 2018, he was named among 22 of Canada’s most promising young HR professionals by HRD Magazine, recognized as Innovator of the Year by Ascend Canada (YEAR) and named to the Forbes Technology Council.

Larry Lau, Founder of Eighty8 Ventures

Larry Lau is a serial entrepreneur and investor of early-stage startups. In 2014, Larry was named a Finalist for Young Entrepreneur of the Year in Ontario and the following year, was awarded Canada’s Top Under 30 Pan-Asian Leader by Ascend & RBC. Having built and successfully exited one of Canada’s leading eCommerce agencies, Larry now dedicates his time in building working with operators to launch new startups across various industries including but not limited to software, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, and more. In addition to founding new businesses, Larry is also an investor and advisor to several fast-growing startups based in Toronto, Vancouver, and Los Angeles. Born and raised in London, Larry is an alumnus of the city’s three major post-secondary institutions: University of Western Ontario (BA Psychology), Fanshawe College (Graduate Program – Marketing Management) and Ivey Business School (Executive MBA).

Moderator: Azam Husain, Manager, TD

Azam Husain currently works in TD Credit Cards, developing acquisition strategy and assisting in planning activities.  A collaborative and inquisitive individual, he is naturally drawn to problem solving and thinking about big picture solutions.  Azam has experience supporting Retail, Phone, and Digital channels; Canadian Banking Operations; and multiple product groups.

Upskilling Your Presentation Skills

Establishing yourself to be a compelling and assertive speaker is vital in the workplace. How does your body language affect how others portray and perceive you? What about your ability to clearly and confidently articulate your message, in small and large groups? Join this workshop to improve your effective communication skills and take that next step to be an engaging speaker.

Jodi Wright, Director, Strategy and Transformation Services, RBC

Jodi joined RBC in 2008 and has held a wide variety of roles across multiple bank platforms. Until recently, Jodi spent 5 years at RBC Global Asset Management, where she brought her passion for financial planning and successful long-term investing to advisors and clients across Canada, as a public speaker and leader of an advisor enablement team. She also led RBC Global Asset Management’s Women and Investing strategy, speaking to hundreds of women nationwide about unique financial challenges and opportunities they face. As of May, however, Jodi moved into a Director role with RBC’s Strategy and Transformation Services team.  In this new position, she now leads a team of internal consultants on project-based portfolio work across the RBC enterprise. Jodi has a Bachelor of Arts degree from McGill University and is a designated Personal Financial Planner. She is a sports enthusiast, and lives in Toronto with her husband and their two young children.

Art of the Possible: Applying Design Thinking

Ever wondered what Design Thinking is really about? In this session you’ll learn about the basics of design thinking through a presentation and group activities. Learn when to apply design thinking, the steps involved in the process and the value that it brings when it comes to problem solving.

Robert Tu, Manager of UX, PwC

Robert specializes in data visualization with an emphasis on user interface development and user experience design. His experience includes understanding client requirements, employing design methodologies and processes to develop relevant and aesthetically impactful solutions. He has worked with various high profile clients in the past including Scotiabank, TD, TELUS, Adidas, ROM, and OCADU. To augment his capabilities as a designer, he draws on his previous experience as an engineer and business development manager to better understand client design issues and challenges.