Yadvinder S. Rana

Yadvinder holds a Doctorate in Business Administration in Cross-Border M&A negotiations from the Edinburgh Business School, an MBA from the Manchester Business School, and a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He is an Adjunct Professor of Cross-Cultural Negotiation at the Catholic University in Milan, and at the Bologna Business School, and delivers negotiation workshops in companies and leading International and Italian Universities and Business Schools such as CUOA Business School.

He gained a significant international experience between 2004 and 2010 as Africa, Asia & Pacific Sales Director for a global company leader in the luxury goods sector, managing commercial and marketing organizations in China and India, and establishing the company presence in China, India, Japan, S. Korea, Southeast Asia, Middle East. Previously, between 1997 and 2003, he worked for Fiat Group in Pennsylvania – USA, London – UK, and Lyon – France leading cross-functional teams implementing post-M&A integration strategies (Case and New Holland, Iveco and Renault V.I., Fiat-GM JV).

Michelle Ryckman

Communication, Healthcare, Strategic Planning

Michelle Ryckman has extensive experience in the development and execution of treatment presentation protocols for dental offices. Her approach is simple, no-pressure and comfortable and has proven to yield incredibly high case acceptance. It focuses on communication with patients and building structured relationships. Ms. Ryckman has lectured extensively throughout North America and Europe on the development of an orchestrated customer journey as the cornerstone of case acceptance. Ms. Ryckman is currently responsible for helping other dentists within our community with the development and implementation of strategies for practice growth.

Rob Adams

Rob Adams is a passionate and innovative leader who uses outside-the-box thinking to leverage success. He is a unique leader, having served as both a multi-term Mayor and Warden on the political side and as a Chief Administrative Officer leading some of Canada’s fastest-growing municipalities. Rob is also a proven business executive as he ran the operations of several technology software companies and inspired his team to achieve the Profit 100 Canada’s Fastest Growing Companies rankings 2 years in a row. Rob is the founder and CEO of a private consulting firm, specializing in strategic plans, service delivery reviews, council-staff relations and high-performance team training. 

Beth Janson

With a career spanning over two decades in the film, television, and cultural sectors in the US and Canada, Beth Janson has consistently driven innovation and development in the industry. A seasoned executive who has served as COO of the Toronto International Film Festival and CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, she now brings a wealth of experience and expertise to her own strategic consultancy, Penn Road Advisors.

A champion of inclusivity, Beth was the founding director of the Rent the Runway Foundation’s Project Entrepreneur program, a groundbreaking initiative launched in partnership with UBS, offering women the tools, training, and networks needed to build scalable and economically impactful companies.

Beginning in 2002, she worked for more than a decade to build the Tribeca Film Institute. Under her leadership, TFI became an important resource and support for filmmakers through programs such as Tribeca All Access (Bloomberg Philanthropies), the Gucci Tribeca Documentary Fund, and the IWC Filmmaker Award. TFI’s work in the emerging sector of multi-platform, XR and VR storytelling was trailblazing and included launching the TFI New Media Fund, the first fund in the US for new media projects; TFI Interactive; and Tribeca Hacks.

Beth’s career journey has always had storytelling at its centre, whether as Programming Director of the Newport International Film Festival or through roles at the Public Theater (George C. Wolfe, Producer) and HBO Documentary Films under Sheila Nevins. Her contributions were recognized with an Emmy nomination in 2017 for her work as Co-Executive Producer on “Meet the Patels,” and in 2020, she received the Crystal Award for Outstanding Achievement in Business from Women in Film & TV Toronto.

Beth is a proud alumna of York University, where she earned her BFA Honors. In 2015, she was one of two non-profit leaders in the US to receive a Ford Foundation fellowship to attend the Owner/President Management Program at Harvard Business School. Her commitment to transformative leadership and impactful contributions continues to shape the industry landscape.

Stephanie Tavitian-Guthrie

As Director of the Wealth Learning team for BMO Wealth Management, Stephanie Tavitian-Guthrie is responsible for leading learning that enables BMO’s wealth professionals to be successful in their new and existing roles. Guiding a team of design, development and delivery professionals with a focus on learner experience first is evident in her approach – consultative leadership, human centered design and a commitment to elevate learning. She has over 27 years’ experience in the financial industry in various functions and roles ranging from sales leadership through to client experience and for the last 15 years she has led learning delivery, design and development teams within the company. Her personal passion for coaching is deeply entrenched in how she lives, works and volunteers as a certified Co-Active coach.

When not working, you are certain to find her volunteering with her daughter’s swim club and cheering loudly so her daughter can hear her from the water!