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Goldy Hyder is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Business Council of Canada (BCC),
a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose membership is comprised of more than 170 chief
executives and entrepreneurs of Canada’s leading and largest companies.

He is a member of the Board of Directors of Open Text Corporation and has a long track record
of service on behalf of several charities and non-profit organizations, including the Coalition for
a Better Future and the Business + Higher Education Roundtable.

A regular commentator in Canadian media on business, politics and leadership, he hosts the
“Speaking of Business” podcast, which features interviews with Canadian innovators,
entrepreneurs and business leaders. He holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy from the
University of Calgary.

Zabeen Hirji

Executive Advisor, Deloitte

Former Chief Human Resources Officer, RBC

Zabeen is a strategic advisor to the private and public sectors as a thought leader in leadership, future of Work, culture, purpose, Ai and work, and diversity and inclusion. She is also a speaker, writer, and media commentator. Now in her Purposeful Third Act, she creates impact by activating her purpose: “to unlock the potential of people and build inclusive prosperity.”

Zabeen had a distinguished career at RBC, culminating as Chief Human Resources Officer for ten years until her retirement in 2017, with oversight for 80,000 employees in 40 countries. She was a member of RBC’s Group Executive Committee, which set the bank’s strategic direction, and held responsibility for brand, communications, and corporate citizenship.

Currently as Executive Advisor at Deloitte, Zabeen advises clients on People and Culture issues key to their transformation agendas and long-term success. She serves as Senior Advisor to Knockri, an Ai -based HR scale-up and sat on the board of Sleep Country Canada until 2023.  Zabeen is Special Advisor to the Clerk of the Privy Council, and Co-Chair of the City of Toronto’s Economic Development Advisory Panel. She is Executive-in-Residence at Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Beedie School of Business, and a member of numerous University advisory boards.  Active in the not-for-profit sector, Zabeen serves on the boards of the Public Policy Forum,  Canadian Club Toronto and Junior Achievement Worldwide. 

Zabeen has received numerous recognitions, including the Canadian HR Awards Ivey Business School Lifetime Achievement in HR Leadership, Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal for Diversity and Inclusion, SFU Outstanding Alumni Award, Catalyst Canada Honours for championing women and minorities in business, Top 25 Women of Influence, 3-time WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women and Hall of Fame inductee, and  listed as a Canadian Who’s Who for over 20 years. She holds an MBA from SFU and an ICD.D designation from the Institute of Corporate Directors

Diana Matheson is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist who was a member of Canada’s Women’s National Soccer Team from 2003-2021. During her career Diana represented Canada over 200 times, played in four FIFA World Cups and three Olympic Games, and earned a bronze medal in both London 2012 and Rio 2016. Diana is perhaps best known during her soccer career for scoring the game-winning goal in the bronze medal against France in the London Olympic Games in 2012. During her time as an athlete, Diana co-founded the Player’s Association for Canada’s Women’s National Soccer team.

Following her playing career Diana earned an EMBA from the Smith School of Business and a UEFA Master for International Players from the Université de Limoges. Matheson co-founded Project 8 Sports in 2022 with the mandate to spearhead the development of women’s professional soccer in Canada, and is now Founder and Chief Growth Officer at the Northern Super League – Canada’s first women’s professional soccer league set to kick-off in 2025.

Russell Reimer

Russell has worked as an athlete advocate over the past two decades and founded Manifesto Sport Management in 2011 with a vision to create social change and to positively influence consumers through storytelling and sport.

Manifesto has become Canada’s leading athlete agency shaping the extraordinary careers of prominent clients including Tessa Virtue, Hayley Wickenheiser, Leylah Fernandez, Meaghan Mikkelson, Mark McMorris, Natalie Spooner and Jon Montgomery.

He recently founded Small Victories, a sport tourism consultancy.

Alyson Walker is a sports, media, and entertainment executive with extensive experience across amateur & professional sports, esports, media production & partnerships and a proven track record in driving revenue, audience growth and data-driven results. Alyson is an athlete at heart, with a team mentality and a strong ability to lead and motivate team members.

Alyson has had an immense impact on the business of sport in Canada and around the globe having delivered significant results for the country’s largest sport brands and properties. Further, Alyson has been instrumental in the advancement of women in sport – on the field of play, in the boardroom and in the commercialization of women’s professional sport in Canada.

Alyson joined global leading sports marketing agency Wasserman as Senior Vice President in the summer of 2024 to lead their Canadian Brands and Properties business to contribute to their exponential growth and global leadership. She was most recently the Chief Commercial Officer at OverActive Media, a global sports, media, and entertainment company focused on building winning and profitable esports franchises and creating unrivalled fan experiences. She was responsible for driving business results and optimizing operations through Global Partnerships, Marketing, Content, Social Platforms, Data Strategy, PR, and events and managing the Corporate Services functions at OAM, including HR, IT, and facilities management. Alyson oversaw the business and fan experience planning for the development of a new performance venue in Toronto.

Alyson was the Vice President of Brand Partnerships & Client Strategy at Bell Media focused on developing content and data solutions for advertisers across Canada’s leading media properties and platforms. Before Bell Media, she led the network & broadcast teams and an enterprise data solution at Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors and Toronto FC. Prior to working in professional sport, Alyson worked in Canadian amateur sport at the Canadian Olympic Committee leading sponsorship sales and service, merchandise licensing and commercial rights management. Alyson was part of the team that brought the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games to Canadians in her role leading digital sales and brand partnerships with Canada’s Olympic Broadcast Consortium. Alyson’s experience in the RBC Capital Markets Generalist Program post-MBA set the foundation for future roles focused on revenue generation and expense management.

Alyson is a Senior Advisor with the Future of Sport Lab, a leading sport tech incubator in Canada, an Advisor with Canadian Women in Sport’s Commercial Women’s Sport Advisory Group and a Founding Board Member of WISE Toronto (Women in Sports and Events). She is also a 5 To Watch Awards judge and a Member of the Global Esports Federation’s Brand, Marketing, Commercial and Communications Commission. Alyson holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a BSc from McGill University. She has also completed courses at Harvard University (Negotiations) and the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth (WISE Executive Leadership Institute). Alyson was recently inducted into the USA Ultimate Frisbee Hall of Fame, after being inducted into the Ultimate Canada Hall of Fame in 2021 – having honed her field skills on the varsity soccer team at McGill University. In 2022, Alyson joined industry leaders to form the Advisory group for Canadian Women in Sports “Commercial Women’s Sport Initiative” to advance professional women’s sport and transform the sport landscape for women and girls in Canada. In 2021, Alyson was named a Woman of the Year by Bay Street Bull for her role in Building the Future of Esports.

Alyson is a business leader, a coach, a mentor and a mom. She has inspired countless Canadian athletes and business professionals through her work and her mentorship and is poised to continue to have a significant impact on the sport community in Canada, creating a legacy for generations to come.

Shelley Kuipers is investing in the world she wants to live in. As an activist in business, entrepreneurship and investment, Shelley likes to take on the status quo, and seek out democratized business models and platforms.

Previous to co-founding The51, Shelley founded crowdsourcing company Chaordix and technology and marketing firm, Stormworks. She was also the co-founder of IOVIA, based in London, UK. Shelley also collaboratively runs her family office Adventure Capital, with her partner and two sons. Shelley has had the opportunity to live and work in Canada, US and the UK, as well as lead commercialisation efforts across global markets.

Shelley has been early-stage investing for more than 20 years. Her investment experience started in oil and gas, but she quickly diversified her investments into the tech sector with a focus on innovation-driven companies across many sectors. To date her family office has made +30 early-stage investments. Shelley supports many founders, and ventures as an advisor, board observer and director.

INDIRA SAMARASEKERA, O.C.

Dr. Indira Samarasekera is a Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP and serves on the Board of Directors of Magna International, TC Energy, Intact Financial Corporation and Stelco. She served for over a decade on the Board of Bank of Nova Scotia. Dr. Samarasekera is on the selection panel for Canada’s outstanding CEO of the Year sponsored by Caldwell Partners and Bennett Jones. She is a member of the TMX Group/Institute of Corporate Directors Committee to Chart the Future of Corporate Governance in Canada. She recently served on Canada’s Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments for the Canadian Senate.

Dr. Samarasekera was the 12th President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Alberta from 2005-2015. She is internationally recognized as one of Canada’s leading metallurgical engineers for her groundbreaking work on process engineering of materials, especially steel processing.

She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2002 for outstanding contributions to steel process engineering. In 2014 she was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in the US as a foreign associate, the professions’ highest honour.

In 2021, Martha and Indira co-authored the successful book “NERVE: Lessons in leadership from two women who went first” and are the co-creators of the podcast “She’s Got Nerve”, which will be launched in Fall 2024. The podcast is focused on conversations with women leaders from the world of academia but aims to help women of all ages and backgrounds with practical advice on how to lead with confidence and resilience.

MARTHA PIPER, O.C., O.B.C.

Dr. Martha Piper was the 11th President of the University of British Columbia from 1997 to 2006 and during this time, was instrumental in establishing the campus in Kelowna (UBC Okanagan). She also was the Interim President and Vice Chancellor of UBC from 2015-16.

Dr. Piper has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Montreal, Shoppers Drug Mart, TransAlta Corporation and Grosvenor Americas Ltd. She has also served as a board member of CARE Canada, the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education, and the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation. She was Chair of the Board of the National Institute of Nanotechnology and served as a member of the Trilateral Commission.

Dr. Piper was appointed an officer of the Order of Canada in 2003 and a member of the Order of British Columbia in 2005.

Meghan Donohoe is a leadership expert, organizational strategist, and thought-provoking facilitator. As co-founder of Pebble, she is at the forefront of reshaping leadership in a world of accelerating change and complexity. Meghan blends her deep expertise in leadership, well-being, culture, and innovation to help leaders shift their mindsets, drive meaningful change, and create more human-centric workplaces. 

With over a decade of experience leading People & Culture strategies and a Master’s in Industrial-Organizational Psychology, Meghan bridges evidence-based research with pragmatic approaches to transform leaders, teams, and organizational cultures. She is currently completing her PhD, focusing on leadership stress and well-being, further strengthening her mission to infuse humanity into leadership practices. 

A sought-after speaker and workshop facilitator, Meghan is known for her ability to inspire and challenge thinking across industries. She has shared her expertise at major platforms such as SXSW 2024, DisruptHR, MESH, and ConvergX. Meghan also co-developed “Leaders for Humanity”, an interactive card game gaining global attention for helping leaders reimagine the future of leadership and shape new strategies for navigating complexity. 

Passionate about transforming the future of work, Meghan’s mission is deeply personal—aiming to revolutionize the workplace for her young daughters so that, 15 years from now, today’s work practices will seem as outdated as smoking on airplanes. 

You can learn more about Meghan by visiting her website and connecting with her on LinkedIn. 

Sabrina Sullivan is a recognized Corporate Futurist, Strategist, and venture mentor with over 15 years of experience nurturing visionary talent and driving transformative change. As the founder of by+by foresight, she helps organizations build foresight capacity and embed future-thinking practices that shape bold, future-focused strategies.

Sabrina’s career spans leadership roles across diverse sectors, including as Strategic Foresight & Partnerships Lead at Foresight Factory, Foresight Fellow at Ford Motor Company, and leading Deloitte’s flagship innovation programs. She also serves as a Venture Mentor for high-growth companies through VMSA and the City of Airdrie and is currently co-developing foresight programming for executives with the University of Michigan and UT-Austin.

Passionate about fostering purpose-led ventures, Sabrina serves on the Advisory Board of Social Economy Ventures, backing diverse, women-led companies. She also co-developed Leaders for Humanity—a thought-provoking game inspiring leaders to reimagine their approach in a rapidly evolving world, now gaining attention and usage from organizations and educational institutions worldwide.

Cristina has over 20 years experience in financial markets and business development and is currently the Managing Director of Cleantech Investments at Canada Growth Fund Investment Management. The Canada Growth Fund is a C$15 billion independent and arm’s length public fund that is helping Canada speed up the deployment of technologies in its efforts to reduce emissions, transform its economy and support the long-term prosperity of Canadians.

Prior to joining the Canada Growth Fund, Cristina specialized in clean technology investment banking at National Bank Financial. While at National Bank, she also helped to develop the bank’s Sustainability Advisory and Finance practice and served as Managing Director in the Energy Investment Banking group. Cristina is a respected advisor with extensive experience in capital markets, corporate finance and business development.

Cristina holds two degrees from the University of Calgary—a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and Bachelor of Arts (Spanish) and is a CFA charterholder. Cristina previously served as the chair for CFA Society Canada’s Advocacy Council.

Gitane De Silva, ICD.D

Gitane is a public policy leader with executive experience at the provincial, national, and international levels and expertise in the areas of energy and environment, intergovernmental relations, and Canada-U.S. relations. She is the Founder and Principal of the consulting firm, GDStrategic.

As CEO of the Canada Energy Regulator from 2020 to 2023, Gitane ensured the safe and efficient delivery of energy to Canada and the world, while also protecting the environment, advancing Reconciliation, and providing relevant and timely energy information and analysis. As Alberta’s Deputy Minister for International and Intergovernmental Relations, Gitane directly served four Premiers and advocated for Alberta’s interests domestically and internationally.

Gitane is a seasoned diplomat and a specialist in Canada-U.S. relations, serving as Alberta’s Senior Representative in Washington, DC, and Canada’s Consul General in Chicago. She promoted trade, investment and energy infrastructure, and was also involved in the negotiations of several trade and environmental agreements.

Gitane is a Special Advisor at Blue Rock Law, a Global Fellow with the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, DC, and a Board Member with the Public Policy Forum.

Gitane is passionate about public policy, gender equality, and dark chocolate. When not working, she can be found spending time with her family outside, reading, or escaping to the Rocky Mountains.

Joanna has over 20 years of negotiations experience in the natural resource, utilities, infrastructure, health care and education sectors. During that time, she has led over $2B worth of acquisitions, divestments, and contract negotiations. She has project managed and negotiated agreements linked to over $1B in capital projects in both Canada and the United States and held senior leadership roles in commercial negotiations, project management, resource development and organizational restructuring. 

Joanna has served as both director and president of volunteer and professional organizations across Canada, whereby her primary objective has been to lobby provincial governments on issues relating to the members she represented, in addition to developing and delivering education and social programs.  

Joanna has a BCOM from St. Francis Xavier University, is a graduate of British Petroleum’s intensive in-house Conflict and Negotiations training course, holds a Graduate Certificate in Project Leadership from Cornell University, and a Graduate Certificate in Negotiations Mastery from the Harvard School of Business. 

Joanna is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Negotiations Collective.

Janine Rogan, CPA, is a passionate keynote and TEDx speaker. She is the Founder and CEO of The Wealth Building Academy Inc., and an award winning CPA. Her mission is to educate and empower women to confidently and profitably grow their wealth, through financial feminism – financial equality for all.  

Janine has been featured internationally by a number of publications and has delivered keynotes to thousands of individuals and companies around the world. She currently sits on the CPA Alberta Education Foundation board, the board of FESA, and the planning committee of the AICPA Global Women’s Leadership Summit. Janine is pursuing her Master’s in Economic Sustainability through the University of Torrens in Australia.  

In spring 2023, Janine released her debut book “The Pink Tax: Dismantling A Financial System Designed To Keep Women Broke” published by Page Two Books. In it, Janine explores the hidden ways that women are held back in our society—from overpriced women’s themed items to the motherhood penalty. It debuted at #1 on Amazon for Feminist Theory books.  

Janine is a University of Alberta alumni, born and raised in Edmonton, Canada. She is currently based out of Calgary where she lives with her husband Andrew, son Theodore, and pup Lazer.  

Danika Kelly is a health and wellness professional and trained socio-cultural scholar in issues around female health and representation. For the past 14 years she’s worked globally focusing on health advancement and knowledge translation in developing economies. Danika has a strong history of leadership excellence in the social innovation space —winning awards and recognition from Telus and The Future of Good, DMZ Woman of the Year, FemTech Analytics, Femtech Focus, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, and more. Danika acts as an advisor on sex and gender equity to the Commonwealth Businesswomen Network and the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs.