Rania Llewellyn

Former Bank CEO, Corporate Director, Senior Executive Advisor

Rania Llewellyn is a financial services executive with more than 30 years of experience in banking, leadership and enterprise transformation. Beginning her career as a part-time teller, she spent 26 years at Scotiabank in increasingly senior roles spanning commercial and corporate banking, including President and CEO of Roynat Capital and Executive Vice President of Global Business Payments. She also launched Scotiabank’s first multicultural banking division, helping position the bank as a leader in serving newcomers to Canada.

In 2020, she made history as the first woman to lead a major Canadian chartered bank when she was appointed President and CEO of Laurentian Bank, where she led a successful strategic transformation. She was recognized as the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s Business Leader of the Year (2023) and named to Maclean’s 2022 Power List.

Today, Ms. Llewellyn leads her own advisory firm, providing strategic counsel to CEOs and senior executives. She also serves as a Senior Executive Advisor to Accenture, working closely with its Canadian financial services leadership team to drive business growth, with a particular focus on payments.

Ms. Llewellyn is Chair of Plan International Canada, part of one of the world’s largest international organizations advancing children’s rights and equality for girls. She also serves on the Board of Directors of Cineplex Inc., the Dean’s Advisory Board at Toronto Metropolitan University’s Ted Rogers School of Management, and private company boards.

A first-generation Canadian of Middle Eastern heritage, she holds a Bachelor of Commerce and MBA from Saint Mary’s University and honorary doctorates from Ontario Tech University and Saint Mary’s University. 

Throughout her career, she has been committed to breaking barriers, championing women in leadership and creating opportunities for the next generation.

Rachel Mielke

Rachel Mielke is a dynamic entrepreneur, accomplished philanthropist, and sought-after speaker whose visionary leadership has left a lasting impact in business and beyond.

Best known as the founder and CEO of Hillberg & Berk, one of Canada’s most celebrated jewellery brands, Rachel transformed her passion for design into a thriving, international company.

Her journey (including Dragons’ Den, commissions for Queen Elizabeth II, and becoming the Official Jewellery Partner of Team Canada) exemplifies the resilience, creativity, and tenacity that define Canadian entrepreneurship. Rachel is passionate about using H&B’s brand reach and platform to amplify voices and causes that support gender equity and women’s empowerment.

Jann Arden 

Renowned Musician | Bestselling Author

Jann Arden is a multi-platinum, award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and author. She has released 16 albums with 19 top 10 singles.

Arden’s accolades include eight JUNO Awards, including Female Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year, 10 SOCAN Awards, and four Western Canadian Music Awards, to name a few. In 2020, she was announced as an inductee into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame joining the ranks of Canadian music icons including Alanis Morisette, Bryan Adams, Barenaked Ladies, Bachman Turner Overdrive, Joni Mitchell, Shania Twain, and many more. Arden has also been inducted into the Canadian Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame, has a Star on Canada’s Walk of Fame, and has been awarded the Order of Canada.

Arden has written six books, the most recent bestseller being her debut novel, The Bittlemores, released November 2023. This comes after her most recent memoir If I Knew Then: Finding
Wisdom in Failure and Power in Aging, which was released October 2020. It followed Arden’s 2017 Canadian bestseller, Feeding My Mother: Comfort and Laughter in the Kitchen as My Mom
Lives with Memory Loss, which spent a combined 44 weeks on he Globe and Mail bestseller lists.

Arden’s original CTV hit series, Jann, was the most-watched new Canadian comedy series of the 2018-2019 broadcast season. Arden, who was also a co-creator, played a fictionalized version of herself. The show’s third season aired in 2021 on both Hulu and CTV Television Network. Other screen credits include guest appearances in Wynonna Earp (Syfy), Private Eyes (Fox), The Detour (TBS), and Workin’ Moms (Netflix).

MIXTAPE, the follow-up to her 2021 album, Descendant, was released January 2025. The album features a collection of Arden’s favourite pop recordings from the nineties by Sia, Seal, Robyn, Chris Issac, including the positive and optimistic song by Des’ree “You Gotta Be” and more.

Whether she is captivating audiences with her heartfelt music, entertaining them with her quick wit, or sharing her written word in a boldly honest voice, Arden is a Canadian original — a brilliant multi-dimensional talent.

Chip Wilson

Lululemon Founder 

Chip Wilson is a serial entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist, best known as the founder of lululemon athletica. His entrepreneurial streak is rooted in his passion for developing technical apparel that allows people to live healthier and more fun lives.

Wilson grew up in Calgary and graduated from the University of Calgary. In 1979, he founded his first company, Westbeach Surf Company, developing his fluency in performance apparel that informs his approach to fabric innovation and functional design.

In 1998, he founded lululemon in Vancouver. After taking up yoga classes, Wilson realized there was a gap in the women’s market for high-quality, technically superior apparel designed specifically for yoga and built a brand that redefined the industry. At lululemon, he championed a culture of a community-driven retail model that prioritized human connection, personal development and physical well-being.

Today, Wilson serves on the board of Amer Sports, the parent company of Arc’teryx, Anta, Wilson and Salomon, invests in emerging athletic brands and real estate.

At 32, Wilson was diagnosed with FSHD, a slowly progressing form of muscular dystrophy, and he has since committed $100 million to research to find a cure. Beyond that, he is an active philanthropist, donating to protect land through B.C. Parks and to educate the next generation of apparel innovators at Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

His book, lululemon and the Future of Technical Apparel, tells the story of building a culture-driven company.

The Honourable Jason Kenney 

The Honourable Jason Kenney recently completed a distinguished twenty-five year career in public service.  In his twenties he built the Canadian Taxpayers Federation into one of Canada’s most influential advocacy groups, serving as its President and CEO.

He was elected to Parliament in 1997, and was re-elected six times with an average of 76% of the vote.  He served in key opposition roles, including Shadow Finance Minister. As a senior member of the Harper government, he led some of the largest federal departments as Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism; Minister of Employment and Social Development; and Minister of National Defence, while chairing the influential Cabinet Operations Committee. The National Post called him “perhaps Canada’s best immigration minister, ever.” In 2016 Jason launched a successful campaign to unite Alberta’s free enterprise parties, going on to win a landslide majority to become Alberta’s eighteenth Premier. His government focused on the successful renewal of Alberta’s economy, while working with Indigenous people to create economic opportunity.

Jason holds two honourary doctorates and was voted “best overall parliamentarian” by his colleagues. He now serves as a Senior Advisor at Bennett Jones LLP, and BMO, is a Senior Fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute, and is a member of several corporate boards.

Ursula Burns

Ursula Burns has extensive international experience in leading large companies that are facing technology sea changes within their industries. 

Burns served as Chairwoman of the Board of Xerox Corporation from 2010 to 2017 and as Chief Executive Officer from 2009 to 2016, after being appointed President in 2007. Burns joined Xerox as a summer intern in 1980 and held leadership roles spanning corporate services, manufacturing, and product development. As CEO, she led Xerox’s transformation from a global leader in document technology to a diversified business services company serving enterprises and governments worldwide. Shortly after becoming CEO in 2009, she spearheaded Xerox’s largest acquisition—the $6.4 billion purchase of Affiliated Computer Services.

In 2016, Burns oversaw Xerox’s successful separation into two independent, publicly traded companies: Xerox Corporation, focused on document technology and outsourcing, and Conduent Incorporated, a business process services company. After retiring from Xerox, Burns was appointed Chairwoman of VEON, Ltd. in 2017. She later served as both Chairwoman and CEO from December 2018 to June 2020, guiding the company through critical compliance and restructuring initiatives.

Burns has extensive experience serving on public company boards, including past roles at Nestlé, American Express, Exxon, Waystar, and Endeavor. She is a Founding Partner of Integrum Holdings LP, a private equity firm, and serves as Non-Executive Chairwoman of Teneo Holdings LLC, a global consulting and advisory firm. She also sits on the Board of Directors for Uber Technologies Inc., Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, and IHS Holding Limited. In addition, Burns serves on several private company boards and provides leadership counsel to prominent community, educational, and non-profit organizations, including the Ford Foundation, the Mayo Clinic, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Corporation, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Appointed by U.S. President Barack Obama, Burns led the White House’s national STEM program from 2009 to 2016 and served as Chair of the President’s Export Council from 2015 to 2016, following her tenure as Vice Chair from 2010 to 2015. She served on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Advisory Council on Supply Chain Competitiveness as Vice Chair from 2022 to 2024. 

Burns holds a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. She is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Royal Academy of Engineering, and the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council.

Her memoir, “Where You Are Is Not Who You Are,” was published in June 2021.

Tessa Virtue 

Five-Time Olympic Medalist and Deloitte Executive Advisor

Tessa Virtue is the most decorated female figure skater in Olympic history, with five Olympic medals — three of them gold. A three-time World Champion and eight-time National Champion, she stands among the most accomplished athletes in Canadian sport.

Beyond the rink, Tessa holds an MBA from Queen’s University and a Master of Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, pairing her elite athletic career with academic expertise in leadership, resilience, and human performance. She is a Member of the Order of Canada, a Member of Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame, and serves as an Executive Advisor to Deloitte.

Today, Tessa draws on her experience across elite sport, academia, and business to help leaders and teams perform under pressure, sustain excellence, and achieve results without sacrificing well-being.