Get connected for professional success in Canada.
2012 IEP CONFERENCE GUEST SPEAKERS
Opening Ceremony Emcees - Anne-Marie Mediwake and Dwight Drummond
Hosts of CBC News Toronto at 5 p.m. weeknights on CBC Television
Anne-Marie was named the GTA's Woman of the Year at the 2011 Consumer's Choice Awards, recognizing the trust she has earned from viewers for journalistic excellence and her community involvement.
Mediwake's portfolio includes prominent roles in CBC’s local, national and international news coverage from Jack Layton’s funeral to The Royal Wedding. Prior to CBC, Mediwake co-anchored Global Television's Toronto flagship newscast. She helmed CTV's 21C and has reported for CTV National News.
Mediwake says her passion for storytelling is rooted in her Scottish-Sri Lankan ancestry.
Dwight has been a journalist for over two decades. A graduate of Ryerson University's Radio and Television Arts program, he has done just about every job in the newsroom.
Dwight is known for his exclusives and has reported from the U.S., Caribbean and Africa. Prior to CBC, he had the lead story on CityNews' Gemini win for best newscast, and a top story for City's Edward R. Murrow win for best newscast.
Dwight has received the African Canadian Achievement Award and other honours. He is a proud Jamaican-Canadian.
Conference Welcome - Christopher Alexander - Chair, PCPI
Christopher Alexander is PCPI Board Chair. He holds a Master in Business Administration from Dalhousie University, a Bachelor of Business Management Degree from Ryerson University.
Christopher is President and CEO of Zhoosh Service Enterprise a consulting company focused on helping small business owners start, grow and optimize their businesses. He is also a Registered Financial Consultant and a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers.
Chris has a passion for his community and does whatever is necessary to see it progress. He believes knowledge is the window to a brighter future in our community.
Opening Remarks - Anton Suphal - Director of Settlement Operations, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
As the Director of Settlement Operations – Toronto & York, Anton provides leadership and direction in the administration of CIC’s settlement programming for the City of Toronto, York Region, Simcoe County, Durham Region, Peterborough and surrounding areas. Prior to this appointment, Anton was the Immigration Manager at CIC St. Clair as well as CIC’s Lead for the Toronto Temporary Foreign Worker Unit. Anton has represented CIC Ontario Region on various national working groups and committees and works closely with service delivery, other government and key association partners across the province.
Before joining CIC, Anton worked with Canadian Heritage and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat in a number of policy and program roles, as well as various positions in the private sector. Anton holds an undergraduate degree from the Richard Ivey School of Business and a graduate degree from the University of Waterloo.
Welcome Remarks - Randy McLean - Acting Director, Strategic Growth & Sector Development, City of Toronto Economic Development & Culture Division
Randy is the Acting Director, Strategic Growth & Sector Development with the City of Toronto Economic Development & Culture Division. His unit is responsible for leading the development of the City’s long term economic competitiveness strategy.
Randy is also a member of the Toronto Community Foundation Board of Directors which produces the annual Vital Signs report card on the health of the city, as well as a past member of the Board of Governors of George Brown College. Randy tries to weave these three elements – community, education and competitiveness – into effective strategies for strengthening communities and building a great city.
Morning Keynote Speaker - Lionel Laroche, Ph.D., P. Eng. - Founding and Principal, MultiCultural Business Solutions
Lionel holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology, USA and a “Diplôme d’ingénieur polytechnicien” from the École Polytechnique de Paris, France.
Over the past thirteen years, Lionel has provided cross cultural training, coaching and consulting services to a wide range of business, government, academic, professional and non-profit organizations in ten countries (Canada, the U.S., Bermuda, Mexico, Peru, Belgium, Switzerland, France, the UK, and China).
Lionel is a thought provoking and educational speaker / facilitator who presented at over 200 conferences and events across Canada and the United States. He regularly teaches at several Canadian and American universities, including the University of Toronto’s EMBA Program at the Rotman School of Business.
He is the author of two books and over 100 publications examining the impact of cultural differences on business at the organizational and individual level. His two books are entitled:
•Managing Cultural Diversity in Technical Professions
•Recruiting, Retaining and Promoting Culturally Diverse Employees
Afternoon Keynote Speaker - Donna Messer - Managing Editor for Entrenomics Magazine
Donna Messer is an author, speaker and coach, an inspiring and passionate motivator, who has addressed thousands of people on three continents.
She is a former broadcast journalist and the author of more than 4,000 articles that have been published in magazines and newspapers around the world. Her book Effective Networking Strategies is a Canadian best seller. She is the Managing Editor for Entrenomics, a magazine for entrepreneurs with economic savvy.
Messer has played a critical and active role in introducing networking training to the curriculum of colleges and universities throughout the Canada, the United States and Europe.
She serves on the Executive Board for Women in Food Industry Management. Donna is also an active Rotarian, and on the board for The United Way of Oakville. She volunteers her time to support charities directed towards improving the status of youth, those with disabilities, women and new Canadians.
As the Afternoon Keynote speaker, Donna will speak to the delegates on "The Power of Leverage - Building and Utilizing Your Network" and inspire them to seek opportunities through effective networking.
Closing Remarks - Rhonda Singer, M. Sc. C.H.R.D., CMF - President, Culture Chemistry, a division of Noanda Enterprises Ltd.
Rhonda is the President of Culture Chemistry, and an associate of Coaching for Action Incorporated. She helps senior management achieve bottom line results through identifying, leveraging and engaging Global Talent. She works with private, educational, and non-profit sector organizations on the implications of the ‘chemistry of culture’: notably, how to optimize productivity, performance and profitability in a global economy.
She conceived and produced the first five of the acclaimed IEP Conferences, and is a frequent speaker on Cultural Intelligence (CQ) and the benefit to Canada’s business community.
Research Presentation - Avril Phillip - Workforce and Economic Development Professionals
Avril is a workforce and economic development professional. An expert on today’s changing workforce and technologies, Avril has helped clients across Canada understand and respond to workforce and technological change, providing crucial information and offering solutions to many problems. She has earned the respect of economists, government officials, analysts and media across the country.
Avril has a degree in Political Studies from Queen's University and has undertaken graduate courses in Public Administration and Political Economy from the University of Toronto.
Research Presentation - Denise Ghanam, PhD (ABD), MBA, CHRP - President, Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario, Windsor Chapter
Denise provides strategic management consulting, drawing on more than twenty years of broad business experience, and her recent teaching roles at the Odette School of Business and Wayne State University in management studies.
Presently, her research work is focused on business strategy, and the impact of human resources on organizational effectiveness. Denise is the President of the Human Resources Professional Association of Ontario, Windsor Chapter and a member of the International Academy of Management and Business.
