SESSIONS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 16

JONATHAN BOWNESS

Solutions Consultant,
Ricoh Canada

Moderator

JOHN LUSINK

President & Broker of Record,
Right at Home Realty

SANJEEV PATEL

Vice President Finance,
Right at Home Realty

Canadian Finance leaders have never had to face more complex challenges and responsibilities – and that trend didn’t evaporate when we rang in 2021. This year promises to be full of formidable obstacles – and amazing opportunities!

Join us in our discussion with senior leadership from Canada’s largest real estate brokerage, Right at Home Realty Inc, as we delve into their proven system of success in targeting and investing in digital transformation once step at a time to gain operational efficiencies and greater accountability while increasing data security and driving top-line growth.

JEFF SHICKELE

Chair 2021 Interchange

GEORGINA BLANAS

Executive Director

DAVID YAGER

Author & Writer,
Energy Policy Analyst

SCOTT CALVER

CFO
Trimac Transportation Group of Companies

CORY JANSSEN

President and Co-Founder,
AltaML

ALYSSA LEFAIVRE

Senior Manager, Business Development
AltaML

In this session we will discuss:

• What exactly is AI/ML and why is it happening now?
• When is AI/ML a fit, and how do you even take a first step towards a project?
• And, most importantly: how do we embark on an AI/ML strategy where we can actually get ROI?

No jargon, no geek-speak – just a basic look at artificial intelligence, machine learning and what they can do for business.

MARTY MURRAY

Director of Business Performance Improvement Practice,
Protiviti

Moderator

BRETT BOURGON

President and Founder
B Inspired

KUMBI CHADENGA

Associate,
Bridging Finance

GERALD HUESCH

Senator, CEO, Founder,
Global Leadership School

WINNIE LEUNG

Chief Financial Officer,
Moneris

DR. CHARLES PELLRIN

Former Director Astrophysics,
NASA

Best in class finance organizations can no longer be one dimensional. This session will discuss the benefits of leading a 4-D finance organization which emphasizes behavioural strength in four dimensions; relationships, collaboration, strategy and execution. The session will kick off with a video interview from Dr. Charles Pellerin, former director of NASA’s Astrophysics division, leader of the Hubble Space Telescope, and creator of 4-D Leadership. Our panel has a wonderfully diverse blend of experience that will discuss the importance and benefits of creating finance organizations that excel in these four dimensions.

A review of critical issues facing our private company members in the areas of Private Company Mergers & Acquisitions, Multi-Generational Family Businesses, Private Company Finance and Entrepreneur Successions through the introduction of your new FEI Canada’s Private Company Committee with its over 25 national volunteers.

DRUVA SUTHAR

DIRECTOR, SECURITY SOFTWARE & SERVICES,
IBM Canada

Moderator

CHIEL HENDRIKS

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE,
Google

COLIN MOONEY

Chief Digital Officer, Business Transformation,
Robert Half

GREG WOLFOND

Founder & CEO,
SecureKey

• How do companies safely work and suport clients anywhere?
• What role does AI and ML play in digital transformation? What are the risks and benefits?
• As companies transform, how do you ensure privacy and manage digital identity safely?

NORM FERGUSON

2020 FRANK S. CAPON DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD WINNER

Each year, Financial Executives International Canada (FEI Canada) recognizes a member who has made significant contributions to advocating and improving FEI Canada.

The Frank S Capon Distinguished Service Award seeks to identify and reward an FEI Canada member who has had a significant impact on FEI Canada over the years. It is the highest award that FEI Canada gives to a volunteer.

Join us as we honour a distinguished, very deserving Capon Award Winner at the Tuesday, February 16 social networking event.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM LUNCHEON SEMINAR

Sponsored by:

The Changing Role of Finance Leaders in Today’s Environment

BRIAN SIEKES

Marketing Director,

Sage Intacct

Moderator

SCOTT SETTERSTEN

Chief Financial Officer, 
Ultra Beauty

TANYA YAKHNIS

Chief Financial Officer,
Tandem Family of Companies

With today’s ever-changing environment, business leaders need the insights of their finance leaders now more than ever. This goes beyond building financial reports, and can encompass everything from strategic planning, navigating government stimulus plans, and even providing consulting services to your customers.

Finance leaders that have successfully evolved to meet these challenges have been able to increase profits by up to 20%. But how?

In this session, we will cover:

• Evolution of the CFO – from data management to analysis
• Components of a great finance leader – thinking beyond the numbers
• Things to know and have under your control – people, technology and strategy
• Being a leader in today’s environment – accelerate in the new norm

Sustainability and the finance industry

SEAN CLEARY

Executive Director
Smith School of Business,

Queens University

Moderator

ANDREW CHISOLM

Director,
Royal Bank of Canada

MARGARET GUNAWAN

General Council & Chief Compliance Officer,
BlackRock Canada

CRAIG STEWART

Vice-President, Federal Affairs,
Insurance Bureau of Canada

3:20 PM – 4:20 PM CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Session 1: The Inclusion and Ethics Imperative

ALEXANDER AMONETT

Global Leader of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

MARSH

In 2020, BLM sparked the largest global civil rights movement in history, creating an unprecedented appetite and commitment to creating a more diverse and equitable market and industry practices.  As our client base and communities within which we do business grow more diverse, we know it’s critical that we’re elevating our roles in the diversity and inclusion agenda.

In this interactive presentation, we will dive into some of the more complex issues around DE&I for Executives and Senior Leaders. This presentation will boost your fluency around this topic, identify potential risks and barriers, and learn practical ways to overcome them.

OBJECTIVES

• Understand the diversity, equity and inclusion imperative and why it’s so difficult to talk about
• Build capability in responding to complex situations and conversations around DE&I
• How to overcome your own biases and build inclusive leadership capabilities
• Feel confident in your own fluency and sharing your inclusion story

3:20 PM – 4:20 PM CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Session 2: The COVID-19 Pandemic – A Watershed moment for workplace mental health and employee financial wellbeing

PAULA ALLEN

Global Leader and Senior Vice – President Research and Total Wellbeing

Morneau Shepell

TERESA SMITH

Strategy Consultant Manager

UKG

JAMIE GROSSMAN

Managing Principal

Cresa

• A discussion of the Canadian Mental Health Index, a monthly measure of the state of mental health, and the Financial Wellbeing Index, which is a quarterly measure of the financial wellbeing of working Canadians, the impact of current pandemic business strategies and the mitigation of burnout
• Learn why understanding the whole employee is the key to a positive employee experience
• Define and understand the psychological contract and its implications on Business Leaders and your workforce
• Identify strategies to foster employee well-being leading to organizational success
• Build cultures of faith and trust in remote locations with employees
• Identify the new workplace strategy

3:20 PM – 4:20 PM CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Session 3: Cyber Resillience – Plan for the When, Not the If

BILL ROSS

Business Executive

Vercerta Inc.

Moderator

ANDREW LEMKE

Cyber Resilience Lead, North America

IBM

The year 2020 has reminded us of the critical interdependencies and systemic risks that are presented to us all. The World Economic Forum highlights cyber security risk as one of the top-5 risks to all organizations worldwide and the cost of cyber security attack has been rising dramatically. This talk will discuss a “cyber resilience” approach that focuses on planning for the worst case cyber security scenario and being able to recover quickly and predictably.

4:25 PM – 5:30 PM CLOSING KEYNOTE ADDRESS
CANADA’S CFO OF THE YEAR™ PANEL

Sponsored by:

Managing through Covid-19 and the evolving role of the CFO

These Canada’s CFO of the Year™ winners will share their story of how these major Canadian Corporations managed through COVID-19. They will discuss how their organizations and business models had to pivot, the impact on their corporations both financially, internally and publicly and where they are nine months later. This session will touch on the role of the CFO in today’s challenging times and how this role had to evolve to manage through a world pandemic. We have read about it in the news every day. What does it take to be a leader at the helm so that recovery can be accomplished.

5:30 PM – 5:45 CLOSING REMARKS