Throughout her career, Jenny’s success is attributed to her passion and determination to drive success within a business. Having held Board positions and senior executive roles, coupled with her experience as a disciplined engineer, Jenny possesses the characteristics of a visionary mentor who encourages organizations to take the road less travelled within a strong governance framework. She guides executive teams to envision and realize opportunities and solutions for their business that few others can. She is fiercely driven by business success and lives and breathes progressive excellence in herself and motivates and inspires executive teams. 

John Comacchio is the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Teknion Corporation, where he is responsible for providing enterprise-wide technology vision, leadership and management. He is a member of the Leadership Team and the Executive Committee. Previously, John was a Principal at KPMG Consulting, General Manager US Interactive Toronto, the Information Technology Officer at Nissan Canada, and a member of the Nissan North America CIO Council. John sits on a series of Advisory Boards, bringing external strategic insights into view through his expertise, skills, and knowledge. A believer in sharing direct experience and effective leadership skills, he is passionate about mentorship and developing the next generation of digital leaders who will be fully capable of meeting the complex challenges and expectations of our times. John holds a Master of Business Administration, Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario.

A celebrated industry presence, Naveen brings extensive business and technology knowledge related to both the Public and Private Sector. He has received several awards and has been quoted in the Financial Post, National Post, by Don River, Inc., and others. 

Naveen’s advisory portfolio includes Business and Technology Strategy, Governance, Service Management, Enterprise Architecture, and Sourcing. A recognized leader in business transformation, Naveen has helped numerous organizations to enable innovation through technology. Using practical approaches, he successfully introduced new and emerging technology and ideas to address organizational needs.

In addition to his executive leadership training from Cornell University, Naveen has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Instrumentation & Electronics and a Master’s degree in Computer Science.

Jonathan Landon‘s firm specializes in technology-infused accelerated innovation, emerging technology research, and digital strategy enablement, while also advocating to influence Canada’s commercialized innovation output and the creation of sustainable next generation organizations and middle-class jobs. 

Prior to founding Connectiv, Jonathan spent the majority of his career at Kimberly-Clark Corporation where he held various positions with global accountability including IT Strategy, Innovation & Architecture, e-Commerce, Infrastructure, Computer Security, and Business Intelligence., Jonathan has implemented technology in over 50 countries and played key roles in a diverse range of projects ranging from starting up a business in China to divesting a $2 Billion global Health Care business and moving it onto a set of cloud-based services.

Jonathan Serves on the Salvation Army’s Technology Advisory Council, as an expert consultant for DoGood and on the Toronto Chapter Board of Directors for the CIO Association of Canada 

Kin Lee-Yow has over 25 years of experience in the technology field.  He started his career at Royal Bank of Canada where he was part of the team that launched the Bank’s online system.  He led the technology team that built the retail internet presence at Sears Canada.  At Moneris Solutions, he was the head of Infrastructure and support services and the General Manager for their white label ATM Gateway services. In March 2012, he joined CAA South Central Ontario. 

Currently, Kin is the CIO of the CAA Club Group which is an merger between CAA South Central Ontario and CAA Manitoba. During this period, Kin has successfully lead his team through several large technology implementations such as SAP, Avaya telephony system, Guidewire property & casualty system, and the replacement of the Emergency Roadside system.

Kin is a graduate of the University of Waterloo in Computer Science and Information Systems.  He completed his Executive Master of Business Administration at Kellogg (North Western University) and Schulich (York University).

Michael Lin Chief Information Officer, Travelers Canada Michael Lin is an experienced executive with over 25 years of leadership in information technology and cybersecurity for large enterprise organizations. Currently he serves as the Chief Information Officer and head of Strategic Planning and Execution at Travelers Canada, a leading property and casualty insurance provider. In his role as CIO, Michael is responsible for leading the technology function and collaborating with business and international partners to develop and implement solutions and security programs that support the company’s long-term objectives, with a particular focus on enhancing technology and innovation capabilities across the organization. Prior to his current position, Michael was the Senior Vice President and CIO at Lifeworks, a human resources technology company providing consulting, outsourcing and wellness services. There he oversaw software engineering cybersecurity, infrastructure, and technology strategy globally, which included product research and development and the establishment of an AI center of excellence. Before joining Lifeworks, Michael held various leadership positions at CIBC, Aviva, IBM and 724 Solutions. Additionally, Michael is an active member of several organizations, including being on the Board of Directors for Facility Association and serving as the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Center of Study of Insurance Operations.

Laura Money is Executive Vice-President, Chief Information & Technology Innovation Officer of Sun Life Financial. In this role, Laura oversees all aspects of Information Technology including strategy, architecture, infrastructure, development and applications. She is passionately committed to advancing digital transformation and innovation to support Sun Life’s Clients and business partners.

Prior to Sun Life, Laura held senior IT roles at a major Canadian bank. In these roles, Laura led the technology development and support of corporate functions and enterprise-wide capabilities and transformations, working with diverse teams to support Clients and business partners. She also oversaw and delivered the initiatives required to transform key client processes across all channels.

Laura has over 30 years of experience in Canadian, American and British Financial Institutions, having worked with Accenture in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K., and in several executive business and technology roles at two Canadian banks.

Laura graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in Industrial Engineering, earned an MBA from INSEAD and recently completed the Rotman/ICD Director’s Education Program to earn her ICD.D designation.

Laura serves as board member for Canadian Cancer Society – Ontario, Vice President of the University of Toronto Schools Alumni Association, and is on the Board of Opera Atelier. Laura represents Canada internationally as a member of Age Group Team Canada for Standard Distance Triathlon. She is also an avid marathon and ski mountaineering racer. Laura has three children and lives with her husband in Toronto.

Dave joined CIBC in 2011 in a strategic advisory role within Technology and Operations before becoming Senior Vice-President, Business Support & Strategic Initiatives within Retail and Business Banking. He took on his current role in Technology in September of 2011.

Don Tapscott is arguably the leading thinker of the digital age over the last four decades. He is co-author with his son Alex of the best-seller Blockchain Revolution and has authored 16 widely read books about the digital age.  He is Co-Founder of the Blockchain Research Institute, a global think tank in five continents exploring the next generation of technology and its impact on business in the world. Don is a member of the Order of Canada and in 2019, then ranked as the 2nd most influential Management Thinker by Thinkers50, joined Professor Christensen, Michael Porter, Peter Drucker and others in the Thinkers50 Hall of Fame. He is an Adjunct Professor at INSEAD and Chancellor Emeritus of Trent University in Ontario where he served as Chancellor 2013-2019. 

Joanne Boucher has been both a Vice President and General Manager and is now a seasoned Management Consultant/ Principal Consultant, IT Solutions. Joanne’s focus for over 20 years has been on Information Technology.

Joanne enjoys working with organizations to transform, streamline and upskill their most precious resource, the teams within those companies. Joanne’s goal is to deliver distinct flexible resource solutions to meet and exceed the requirements of her clients, consultants, and candidates by understanding their goals and challenges, by leveraging technology and by respecting the intrinsic value of each person she comes in contact with.

Joanne’s consultative approach enables her to be proactive in forecasting clients’ needs and ensuring projects are delivered on time and on budget. Joanne’s ability to conduct research on organizations and conducting thorough needs analysis with her clients enables her to understand what a company’s objectives and challenges are and assist them by finding the right individuals for leadership roles, a project team, contract resources or full-time employees to contribute to a company’s success.

Joanne believes that the relationships developed in resourcing are lasting and works with both consultants/candidates and clients to assist them in their journey.

3 main areas of focus:

– Executive search: CTO’s, CIO’s, Vice Presidents, Directors and Managers

– Business Consulting, i.e., Change Management, Assessments, Infrastructure/Security, Audit, Compliance etc.

– Nearshore (same time zone) teams we can build in South America at a fraction of the cost

Martin is a results driven C-Level Executive and Business Leader with extensive experience across Manufacturing, Consumer Goods, Food, Automotive, Transportation and Insurance industries, delivering value globally in large Fortune 100 corporations and privately-owned companies. He focuses on high quality business outcomes which result in customer satisfaction and return on investment.

Martin has been the CIO for 10+ diverse companies, coupling a strategic focus with tactical management, and has delivered $multi-million value across multiple industries. He has also successfully driven Industry 4.0 / Operational Intelligence Strategy to increase manufacturing efficiency and reduce costs.

He is a regular presenter at conferences and webinars on subjects including Digital Transformation, IT Strategy, Organisational Change Management, and Industry 4.0. Martin holds an MBA with Distinction from Warwick Business School and a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science with Mathematics from Kings College London.

Ben Draper has over 25 years’ experience with various industries and government agencies with a strong focus in the financial, insurance and technology sectors.

Ben’s impressive career has focused on high performance teams and organizational results within the information technology arena, including IBM, Zurich Insurance, HSBC and Validus Holdings. Ben has deep international expertise in the U.S., Bermuda and U.K. He has successfully demonstrated his ability to ‘simplify the complex’ and produce creative business driven IT solutions.

Keith Gordon is the Chief Information Security Officer for Ally Financial. In his previous role, he was the Information Security and Risk Management Executive for Ally where he was responsible for Strategy, Innovation and Security Architecture; Data and 3^rd party Security, Cyber Analytics and User Behavior Analytics for Information Security as well as Enterprise Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity.

Prior, Gordon worked at Bank of America in Global Information Security where he held roles as the Business Information Security Officer as well as leading the Cyber Threat Intelligence and Customer Protection (CTICP) team. Gordon began his career with Bank of America in 2003 supporting Consumer Banking Technologies where his focus was technology risk, security and fraud. In 2010, Gordon was appointed the Security, Fraud and Identify executive where he developed and managed authentication, security strategies and product development for Consumer Banking. His teams led the effort to define and build the enterprise standards for application security, vulnerability management and compliance, resulting in the bank\’s Enterprise Cyber Security strategy.

Gordon left Bank of America in 2012 to take on a role as Enterprise Information Security and IT Risk Management executive at Capital One. He returned to Bank of America in August 2014 as the Business Information Security Officer.

Keith graduated from Anderson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing and Mathematics. He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Michael Issaev is a senior IT executive with experience in leading technology teams in a variety of industries at companies ranging from start-ups to large international corporations. Throughout his career, Michael has been successful with digital technology transformation, realigning IT with business strategies, completing major expansion and system implementation projects, introducing modern technologies and methodologies such as agile, cloud, AI, business intelligence, mobile, and social networking.

Michael’s expertise spans a number of industry sectors, including supply chain, retail, travel, manufacturing, SaaS, financial services, and marketing.

Currently, Michael is the CTO at Patient News, a leading healthcare marketing company. 

Thierry is an IT professional focused on delivering value through technology. As an Enterprise Architect at Manulife, he contributed to planning and launching modernization programs for Group Benefits and Retirement Services totalling $500M, created a new agile Architecture Governance model, spearheaded tooling and process improvements for application portfolio management and co-drafted a global improvement roadmap for observability and monitoring. In addition to specific programs, Thierry participates in cross-segment executive bodies where cybersecurity and technology direction is set for the entire company. He is also an AI enthusiast and likes to learn about science advancements, history, and foreign cultures.

Prior to Manulife, Thierry held leadership roles in small high-tech companies in Montreal and Ottawa serving the Telecom and Retail sectors, such as Eftia OSS Solutions, Optimal Robotics and Radialpoint. In even earlier days, he did contract work in other industries, including financial services, nuclear research operations and industrial, shop-floor computing.

Thierry has a Computer Engineering degree and an MBA from universities in the Montreal area. During his studies, he spent one semester as guest researcher in applied AI at Stanford University’s Center for Integrated Facilities Engineering.

Marc Lijour is the Vice-President leading Capacity and Innovation Readiness initiatives at the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC). Marc started his career as an Educator, teaching Mathematics and Computer topics in several countries. He played a leading role at the Ontario Ministry of Education during the revision of the Technological Education curriculum and the launch of the Ontario e-learning Strategy.

In recent years, Marc worked in the private sector for IT companies leading the 4th Industrial Revolution, such as Cisco Systems, Savoir-faire Linux, and ConsenSys. He worked closely with startups and large organizations alike to create exponential business value driving economic and social growth. Marc is passionate about new technologies and helping people and organizations innovate. He contributes to several industry program advisory committees for leading postsecondary institutions in Canada.

Marc holds degrees in Mathematics, in Computer Science, and in Management (MBA in Technology and Innovation). He serves on the board of multiple not-for-profit organizations in the Tech industry, such as La French Tech Toronto, TechConnex, ColliderX, and the Toronto French Business Network.

Samantha has recently returned to the UK from Canada. She was recognized last year as Canada’s CIO of the Year in the Public Sector category, for the work she and her teams have done to lead digital transformation. Samantha leverages technology to streamline processes and modernize business models, while driving digital service excellence and directing innovation.

She has more than 25 years of experience in IT leadership roles in government and the private sector. Samantha has served on the Ryerson University IT Business Management Program Advisory Council, the CIO Association Toronto Chapter Board of Directors and the Toronto CIO Governing Body. She is a past board chair for Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention and a past board member of the Institute for Citizen-Centred Services. Samantha holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) and a PhD from Queen\’s University in Belfast.

Gerry McNamara joined Korn Ferry in 2013 as Senior Client Partner in the Global Information Officers Practice. Based in New York, Gerry works with a wide range of clients across multiple industries to include consumer, retail, technology & services, industrial, healthcare and financial services. Over the past few years, he has placed CIOs at The Home Depot, Microsoft, American Express, Whirlpool, United Airlines, and Johnson & Johnson to name a few. His expertise is in understanding the needs of his client and recruiting world-class technology & operations executives to solve business problems and lead transformational change. Prior to joining Korn Ferry, Gerry spent 18 years with a leading executive search firm where he held multiple leadership roles including leading the Global Information Officers Practice and also serving as an Office Managing Partner. Earlier in his career, Gerry McNamara spent over 15 years in information technology with IBM, where he held several high-level sales, marketing, service and operations positions. Gerry brings to Korn Ferry an in-depth understanding of management and leadership anchored in his experience within the technology & operations arena, which began in 1981. Before embarking on a corporate career, Gerry held the rank of Captain in the United States Marine Corps. Gerry holds a master\’s degree in human resources management from Pepperdine University, and a bachelor\’s degree from Mt. St. Mary\’s University. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Marine Corps Officer Candidate School. Recently, Gerry completed a program on Executive Leadership at Harvard Business School. For his expertise in information technology & operations leadership, Gerry is frequently quoted in industry trade publications including CIO magazine, Computer World and CIO Decision. Gerry is a surviving passenger of US Airways Flight 1549 which made an emergency landing on New York’s Hudson River on 15 January 2009. He is frequently called upon to speak to leadership teams about his personal experience during the crisis and the successful rescue of all aboard.

Shyam Oberoi is the Chief Digital Officer for the Royal Ontario Museum where he oversees the Museum’s digital and technology strategy.  Before coming to the ROM, he was the Director of Technology and Digital Media at the Dallas Museum of Art, where he led the Museum’s digital and technical initiatives with responsibility for media creation, gallery interactives, technical services and mobile experiences. Previously, Shyam spent nearly a decade at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, where he was responsible for the Museum’s collection information services, digital asset management and related metadata and multimedia initiatives.  He is frequent presenter at museum and technology conferences including SXSW, American Alliance of Museums, Museum Computer Network (MCN), and has led a number of cross-institutional collaborative technology projects; most recently, he is a member of the Digital & Data Task Force for Ontario’s data strategy.  He has a B.A. in Computer Science from Manhattan College, and an M.A. in English from New York University.

Peyman Parsi is the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Blanc Labs and responsible for leading the technology aspect of strategy, delivery, automation, product engineering, and consulting practice at Blanc Labs. Prior to joining Blanc Labs, Peyman led the Global Technology as Chief Technology Delivery Officer at TMX for several years. As a member of the TMX Executive Operating Committee, he was responsible for technology delivery and operations of mission-critical equity/derivative trading, data distribution and analytics insights, issuer services listings, and the clearing settlement platforms.  

In 2018, Peyman led a strategic change program to transform all TMX product engineering functions to the Agile delivery at scale. This transformation resulted in significant organizational values of inspiring performance culture, faster time to market products, delivery execution agility, top talent development, cost optimization, operational excellence, innovative solutions, and business growth client-centric business outcomes. Peyman’s leadership in Agile and Digital Transformation has been recognized by ITWC as he has been named as one of the finalists for the “Canadian CIO of the Year” ITAC award in 2019. Under his leadership, TMX launched the award-winning Quantum XA state of the art trading platform, its next generation of ultrafast high-performance equity trading platforms in 2014.  

 Before joining TMX, Peyman assumed software delivery leadership positions at SS&C Technologies building applications for the Banking and Insurance industry in Financial Services. Prior to that, Peyman managed a software development consulting firm for 7 years. 

Peyman holds an MBA from Edinburgh University UK and a Bachelor’s Degree in Electronics Engineering. Peyman completed the Executive Leadership program at Rotman business school of management at the University of Toronto.

Sime Pavlovic is the Chief Information Officer for the Niagara Health (NH), responsible for the Information, Communications and Technology strategy and implementation within our Regional Hospitals and growing network of community based services.

Sime has been instrumental in introducing an Innovation Framework to NH, which is putting Niagara at the forefront of digital health across the province. He and his division are leading the drive in creating a future where patients and their families receive the best care where needed.

Prior to joining NHS, Sime has held various senior executive roles as a strategic, client-focused leader. He has a lengthy track record of measurable successes directing and planning the execution of high-priority healthcare and information technology initiatives for the private and public sectors including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Government Service, and eHealth Ontario.

Sime’s goal has been simple – implement strategies that advance digital health innovation to improve the delivery of services for healthcare providers and their patients.

Lisa Porlier leads the Technology Sector in Canada. She is based in Toronto. Lisa joined Russell Reynolds Associates in 2004 from the University of Toronto where she was the Executive Director of the Capital Markets Institute, a policy institute focused on providing rigorous research guidance to policy makers on the competitiveness of the Canadian Capital markets. Previously, Lisa worked in investment banking with Scotia Capital Inc., for nine years. As a director and relationship manager, she led the firm\’s technology practice, working in mergers and acquisitions, public and private financings and corporate finance advisory. Lisa is past President of Women in Capital Markets, and Chair of the Heather L. Main Memorial Scholarship, where she has played an instrumental role in developing and implementing internship programs for women graduates of business schools. Lisa received her B.B.A. (with honors) from Wilfrid Laurier University and her M.B.A. from the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Yasemin Sezer is an experienced Technology Executive who established her brand as a strong leader with delivery excellence. She has 30+ years of experience focusing on Banking, Insurance and Wealth Management industries. In 2019 she was awarded Top 100 Powerful Women in Canada for Science and Technology. She is a Board Director at CIO Association of Canada, an influential member at various Technology Advisory Committees and governing bodies and supporting Universities/Science institutes. She is leading Women@Capco Canada and pioneered Women4Women in her former organization supporting career progression for Women in Technology. She has BSc in Electric/Electronic Engineering and known for her strong leadership and people skills.

Bobby Singh, CISO and Global Head of Infrastructure, is responsible for delivering secure and highly available common technology services across TMX. As a member of the executive leadership team, Bobby is defining TMX\’s cyber security and technology vision and strategy, to advance the organizational agenda. He is responsible for TMX\’s information and IT systems and services, as well as all aspects of security, governance, risk, and compliance. He represents TMX in key forums focused on critical infrastructure, network evolution, intelligence, and availability. He has broad expertise in developing and implementing security programs for public and private sector organizations. Prior to joining TMX, Bobby has held positions at TD Bank, Rogers Communications and eHealth, where he designed multi-year technology and culture transformation programs. He received his MBA from University of Pittsburgh and holds CISSP, CISM, CISA and CPA designations.

Kevin has over 27 years of experience leading IT in some of the world’s largest Pharmaceutical companies (GlaxoSmithKline, Novo Nordisk) and has a strong track record of accomplishments. He made the move to the manufacturing industry in 2011 as a way to round out his skill set by identifying and solving the problems of a new sector.  Kevin is currently the Vice President, Business Technology for the Econo-Rack Group of Companies (Konstant, RediRack, Econo-Rack and Technirack) and recently became part of the Toyota family when his organization merged with the Raymond / Johnston group of companies in August of 2015.

Andrew Vezina is the CISO of Equitable Bank.  He has spent the last decade working in security leadership roles at BMO and CIBC, and prior to that spent several years working in various privacy and security roles in healthcare, retail and government sectors.  Andrew’s areas of interest include innovation, digital transformation, and organizational dynamics.

Madeleyne is a senior IT Executive with more than 20 years of experience in various global and domestic leadership positions. Formerly as CIO for Procter & Gamble Canada, she led the Global Business Services and Information Technology strategy (including Business Analytics, Consumer Solutions, Financial Services, Employee Services, Supply Chain, and Real Estate) for the Canadian Market reporting directly to the CEO of the P&G Canada business (over $3 billion in annual sales).

Eric Whaley is a business technology executive with a history of leveraging technologies and building inspired teams to renovate and propel businesses to the next level of growth and expansion. He has deep experience in business strategy development, risk identification and mitigation. He is recognized for leadership in identifying goals, and instituting methodologies and approaches for collaboration. Eric enjoys keeping connected to the startup community and emerging technologies through his work; through partnerships with educational institutions; and through participating in community forums. Eric is currently the CIO at Wolseley Canada. With his teammates at Wolseley Canada, he is growing the business through innovation, improved customer service, and leveraging technologies. Prior to Wolseley, Eric held CIO roles within some well-known financial institutions in Canada. He is currently on the Board of Directors at Community Innovation Lab. Eric enjoys spending his free time with his family, playing sports and keeping abreast of disruptive technologies and the impacts they have on business. He was an Auxiliary Police Officer in Halton Region where he served from 2013 to 2016.