Technology

Henry Kim is a professor of operations management and information systems and director of BlockchainLab at the Schulich School of Business at York University. The Lab is engaged in projects with the Canadian Government, United Nations, NIST, Don Tapscott’s Blockchain Research Institute and various start-ups and companies. Prof. Kim has written about, or advised on, blockchain applications in supply chain, minerals mining, agriculture and insurance. Moreover, for 25 years, his primary research has been in enterprise modelling using AI-based ontologies.

As an adjunct professor at the Schulich School of Business, Hjalmar Turesson teaches AI and natural language processing. Throughout his career, he has worked on both sides of the fence between natural and artificial intelligence. His Ph.D. research focused on the relationship between language, a compositional system, and the collective computations of billions of simple, interconnected biological neurons. His current area of interest is the application of artificial neural networks and natural language processing to automate tasks that were impossibly labour-intensive only a couple of years ago. Hjalmar Turesson holds a Ph.D. in Neuroscience and Psychology from Princeton University, an M.Sc. in Behavioral and Neural Sciences from the International Max Planck Research School at the University of Tübingen, and a B.Sc. in Biology from Lund University.

Isik Bicer, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Operations Management and Information Systems at the Schulich School of Business, York University. His current research focuses on analyzing the impact of operational factors on financial parameters (e.g., stock price, capital structure, and return on assets) and designing operational strategies to ensure high customer-fulfillment rates in economically feasible ways. He uses methods from corporate finance, quantitative finance, and optimization theory to address these challenges. His research has appeared in the Financial Times listed journals such as Production and Operations Management and the Journal of Operations Management. He is also a member of Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Operations Management. Prior to joining the Schulich, he was a faculty member at the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, the Netherlands; a postdoctoral researcher at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Switzerland. During his doctoral studies, he was a member of the OpLab team at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland and collaborated with the US Department of Commerce for the development of a cost assessment tool. He also has an industry experience in pharmaceutical and finance industries and a consulting experience on the projects related to digital transformation and operational performance assessment. Before moving to Canada, he has worked and lived in the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Turkey.

Izabella was a Business Solution Architect with IBM Global Services, working on multiple large-scale, strategic initiatives from concept to implementation. She has over 20 years of experience working in client services and success for enterprise clients in Telecommunications, Financial Services and Airlines. Featured in Your Turn, a book about 150 successful women in Canada, dedicated to empowering the next generation of female leaders, Izabella is a Bronze Stevie Award winner for Female Executive of the Year in 2018 and was named one of Canada’s top women in FinTech by Digital Finance Institute in 2019. Izabella is the Board Chair of Peerscale, a leadership organization for technology executives. Izabella holds an Honours B.Sc. in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence from the University of Toronto and was awarded a patent for catalogue-driven order management for rule definition.

Jaason is the Vice-President of Research and Leadership Development at the Canadian College of Health Leaders (CCHL). He is a TEDx and keynote speaker, publishes in international peer-reviewed journals and the Globe and Mail, and gives interviews for CBC national news and CTV news. Jaason was an invited expert consultant for the International Hospital Federation (IHF) and a WHO symposium on pandemic recovery. His model of leadership in a crisis is the theoretical basis for a recent $450,000 CIHR grant. He earned a PhD from the University of Cambridge and three postgraduate degrees from the University of Toronto and Cambridge.”

James is a senior Health IT executive and strategist. As a design thinker who loves tackling complex problems for large and small organizations, James brings over 20 years of experience as a business strategist, product manager and marketer to leadership positions. He has dedicated his career to solving problems within the healthcare ecosystem, having developed the skills to bring creative solutions from ideas to prototyping to launch. He is an expert in all forms of digital media and digital strategy, finding novel ways to engage with targeted audiences to drive the commercialization of groundbreaking products and services. Having worked in both tech companies and innovation/design agency, James has led product management, sales and operations at innovative healthcare technology firms in both the United States and Canada, and helped launched products and services in Europe and globally, contributing to awards for both product and customer satisfaction. Through his work with clients including the US Department of Defense, the White House, McKesson, Bumrungrad International Hospital in Thailand, Cerner, Allscripts, UCB Pharma, Novartis, Athenahealth and Siemens, he is acutely concerned with cultural issues in strategic decision-making. A published and award-winning author, in his free time, James co-created a YouTube channel and blog, which has garnered over 400,000 followers, 10+ million views, and a bestselling book sold globally. He produced and managed business development, digital marketing, media and audience engagement for that brand. He's also written for innovation and tech publications, produces an award-winning health industry podcast and is regularly interviewed on podcasts in the digital health and strategy spaces. James holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University, and a Masters of Business Administration in Healthcare from Baldwin-Wallace University.

Marketing

Jane-Michèle Clark, an MBA program instructor at the Schulich School of Business and 10-time nominee for Canadian Woman Entrepreneur of the Year. Jane-Michèle has more than 30 years’ experience on both client and agency sides, developing highly effective business strategies, integrated marketing campaigns, customer retention and employee engagement programs for B2B and B2C companies in multiple sectors, in dozens of industries, in Canada, the US, Caribbean and Middle East. As part of this tenure, she has helped start-ups grow into multi-nationals and worked extensively with blue chip clients in the automotive, banking, grocery, hotel, manufacturing, tech, travel and telecoms industries. One of her passions: Communicating her experience and knowledge. Jane-Michèle was the keynote speaker at the 2016 World Congress on Marketing and has appeared in multiple TV programs, including a January 2019 episode of The Agenda. For more than 20 years, Jane-Michèle has been teaching marketing-related subjects at Schulich School of Business (SSB) and her students benefit from her highly-interactive teaching approach and her use of real-life case examples. As a result, she has been nominated multiple times for the SSB Teaching Excellence Award. In addition, she is a Strategy Field Study Chair, the i/BBA Case Competition Program Director and Program Director for the Schulich ExecEd’s Master Certificate in Marketing Communications Leadership.

Explorer, award-winning downhill skier, best-selling author and entrepreneur, Jeff MacInnis achieved a four-hundred-year-old impossible challenge when he led the first team to sail the Northwest Passage. This epic journey covered 4,000 kilometres over 100 days in an 18-foot boat–using only the wind and a dream as the sources of power. The expedition survived one of the harshest environments on the face of this planet, through an ice-choked passage that has claimed more lives than Mount Everest. Jeff has been involved in numerous grueling challenges including the Eco-Challenge, the World Championships of Expedition Racing, watched by over a billion people. He led his team through 500 km over nine days through dense rainforest, ancient caves and some of the most beautiful coral reefs on the planet. Using extraordinary footage, Jeff illustrates what it takes to go to the extreme and succeed. As a world-class speaker on teamwork, leadership and excellence, he has inspired, coached and motivated over 500 audiences in nine countries.

Lean Six Sigma

Jeff is a highly accomplished Lean and Six Sigma professional with significant experience leading continuous process/product improvement and excellence initiatives. He has trained and coached individuals and senior leaders on Lean Six Sigma methodologies and process improvement projects, as well as educated and directed teams of employees to achieve successful business transformation and cultural change.

Coaching and Collaboration, Communication, Diversity and Inclusion

Chief Executive Officer, Diversity Advantage International Director/Coach/Facilitator A seasoned communications strategist and facilitator, credentialed executive and leadership coach, and diversity and inclusion specialist, Jennifer works with executives, senior teams and business units in defining, developing and delivering integrated business strategies and solutions. She helps leaders effectively build business capacity and best practices, fully engage talent and diverse stakeholders, and optimize key relationships. Her diverse body of work encompasses the private, public and non-profit sectors from Fortune 500 companies, large international organizations and major Canadian corporations to entrepreneurial enterprises. Her distinguished career, of more than 25 years, spans the nexus of business, communications, education, training, broadcasting, media, and public relations, with clients in the automotive, retail, financial, insurance, entertainment, healthcare, pharmaceutical, hospitality, government and professional services fields. Jennifer is at the forefront of significant initiatives to effect transformational change and create new leadership paradigms that elevate individual, organizational and socio-economic outcomes and impact. A thought leader and engaging keynote speaker, Jennifer also is the creator and champion of the unique, award-winning B.O.L.D. program (Broadening Opportunity Through Leadership Diversity & Inclusion).

Jenny do Forno has over 20 years of experience creating talent strategies and programs that build award-winning cultures. She is currently the Chief People Officer at TouchBistro, a startup that has raised $319.6M in total. Jenny brings a depth and breadth of experience, which covers both large enterprise organizations and startups – supporting throughout multiple funding rounds, debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, and beyond. Prior to joining TouchBistro, Jenny worked in several HR leadership roles at top executive search firms, as well as companies like Moneris Solutions and Info-Tech Research Group. Previously, Jenny spent the last several years as part of the founding team at Canadian fintech startup Nest Wealth and continues to work with startups to build their people, practices, and strategies to accelerate business.

Strategic Leadership

Dr. Jill Birch is a leadership advisor, keynote speaker, author, and researcher. She is CEO of BirchGrove Inc., where she helps organizations achieve their strategy by applying the practices of relational leadership. Jill has spoken to 1000s of leaders around the world. Her presentations reflect the leadership concerns we all have today – to achieve organizational goals through self-awareness, empowerment, and compassion. Her new book, “Leadership 4.0: Practice Makes Perfect” will be published in 2023. Jill holds a Ph.D. from Griffith University in Australia where she studied relational leadership. Her M.A. from the University of Toronto focused on how CEOs learn to lead and how they learn to learn. She is also a Certified Association Executive.

Change Management, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Strategic Leadership

Jim Harris is one of North America’s foremost authors, management consultants, thinkers and speakers on disruptive innovation, change and leadership. He has 25-plus years’ experience as a management consultant and facilitator of strategic planning sessions for executive teams. He speaks internationally at more than 50 conferences a year, on topics including disruptive innovation, engaging employees, innovation and creativity, customer relationship management (CRM), creating learning organizations, environmental leadership and creating common organizational mission and vision. His latest book Blindsided! Has been published in 80 countries worldwide and is a number-one international bestseller.

Communication, Marketing

John Dalla Costa specializes in ethics and integrity designed specifically to allow business in both the public and private sectors and also non-government groups to adopt the practices and plan for the future. John is the founder of the Centre for Ethical Orientation, a Toronto-based consultancy working with business, the public sector and non-government groups to foster ethical excellence in operations and outcomes. The author of four books published internationally, John has spoken at conferences around the world including the Bilbao Conference on "Business as Calling" in Spain, the Vienna Peace Summit in Austria, the London Form in the the Global Business Forum at the United Nations Millennial Summit in New York. John’s articles have appeared in the Financial Post Magazine, the Report on Business Magazine, Marketing Magazine (Canada and the UK), and the International Herald Tribune.

John Moscardelli is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) with 20 years’ experience in the healthcare industry. Having worked with some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies, he has led finance teams that successively enhanced organizational performance. John’s career stretches well beyond finance, with stints in information technology, sales & marketing as well as supply chain. He has consistently been recognized for exceptional performance throughout his career and uses his vast business experience to connect classroom theory with workplace realities. John currently lectures at one of Canada’s leading business schools in the field of finance and accounting. His focus is with post-grad international business students, helping to develop these young professionals to achieve their maximum potential. Along with his accounting designation, John holds an Honours BA in Economics from York University as well as an MBA from the Schulich School of Business.