Category: Lunch With a Leader – Past

Join us for an engaging Lunch with a Leader event featuring Katherine Emberly, President & CEO of STARS, a transformational leader with over two decades of executive experience. Katherine is known for her dynamic communication skills, strategic leadership, and unwavering commitment to delivering critical care to the most vulnerable. Her expertise spans across multiple sectors, making her an inspiring mentor for aspiring leaders.

 

Only 10 spots available! Registration opens Sept 19 @ 9am.

Must be an Axis Member to register (Register here)

• • • Date: October 3, 2024
    • Location: The Ranchmen’s Club
    • Time: Please arrive at 11:15 am. Lunch will start at 11:30 am.
    • Lunch is included.

 

KATHERINE EMBERLY

President & CEO, STARS

Katherine is a transformational leader and dynamic communicator with over two decades of executive experience. As President & CEO of STARS, she is accountable for the alignment and direction of the organizations’ strategy, as well as building on critical external stakeholder relationships with government, donors, and key partners. Katherine and her team have a singular focus – delivering critical care to the most vulnerable and sickest people wherever and whenever needed. They achieve this goal by being values and purpose driven.

Prior to joining STARS, Katherine spent the last twenty years with Shaw Communications, progressing through more senior roles until she spent the last five years as President, Business. Having grown with and across that organization, Katherine is a champion of building talent and providing opportunities to stretch, grow and learn.

Katherine is also committed to giving back to the community that has provided so many opportunities for her, and she sits on the boards of Alberta Blue Cross, Calgary Economic Development and Axis Connects.

Katherine is ICD.D certified, has completed the Harvard Executive Leadership program, and is a graduate of the University of Alberta.

Join us for an exceptional “Lunch with a Leader” event featuring Heather Culbert, a trailblazing leader whose contributions have profoundly shaped Calgary’s community landscape. Heather is more than a leader—she is an innovator and change-maker who has dedicated her life to advancing the causes that matter most to our city.

After nearly three decades in the oil and gas industry, Heather transitioned from her executive role to focus on enhancing our community. Over the past decade, she has made a lasting impact by serving as Chair of SAIT’s Board of Governors, co-chairing the Promising Futures Campaign, and founding pivotal initiatives like Board Ready Women, Axis Connects, and the Calgary Influential Women in Business (CIWB) Awards. Through these efforts, Heather has tirelessly championed the advancement of women on local boards and in Calgary’s business community.

Heather’s commitment extends far beyond these roles. As a trustee for the Alberta Cancer Foundation and past chair of United Way of Calgary and Area, she has consistently demonstrated her dedication to philanthropic leadership. Currently, she serves as Chair of the United Way World Leadership Council, continuing her mission to drive positive change.

One of Heather’s most significant undertakings is her work as co-chair of the OWN.CANCER campaign, where she leads efforts to raise over $250 million for the new Arthur JE Child Comprehensive Cancer Centre. Thanks to her leadership, $225 million has already been secured, bringing us closer to opening a facility that will revolutionize cancer treatment and improve survival rates across Calgary and Alberta.

This lunch is an invaluable opportunity for those aspiring to board leadership or seeking to make a meaningful impact in their careers. Heather’s extensive experience and passion for community enhancement make her the ideal mentor for anyone looking to become board-ready or take the next step in their professional journey.

Don’t miss this chance to learn from one of Calgary’s most influential leaders and gain insights that could transform your path to leadership.

• Date: June 20, 2024
• Location: The Ranchmen’s Club (McPherson Room)
• Time: Please arrive at 11:00am. Lunch will begin at 11:30am.
• Lunch is included!

Agenda
Welcome & Leader Introduction (15 minutes):
Networking and Discussions/Lunch (40 minutes):
Closing Remarks and Conclusion (5 minutes):

Registration Opens June 7 @ 9am!

Join Kelly Schmitt this May, at The Ranchmen’s Club for Lunch with a Leader. This program is designed to provide Axis Connects members with valuable opportunities to gain insights, mentorship, and network with senior professionals in various industries. We aim to inspire and empower our members by exposing them to diverse perspectives and experiences.

Only 10 spots are available!

Must be an Axis Member to register (Register here)

• Date: May 28, 2024
• Location: The Ranchmen’s Club
• Time: Please arrive at 11:15am. Lunch will begin at 11:30am.
• Lunch is included!

About Kelly Schmitt

Chief Executive Officer, Benevity Inc.

Kelly is the CEO of Benevity, a leading provider of global corporate purpose software, providing the only integrated suite of community investment and employee, customer, and nonprofit engagement solutions. Powering the goodness programs of many iconic brands such as Apple, Google and Nike, Benevity has processed over $13 billion in donations and 65 million hours of volunteering to 430,000 nonprofits worldwide.

Prior to taking on the CEO role in February 2021, Kelly was Benevity’s President and Chief Financial Officer, overseeing the company’s go-to-market activities and industry-leading risk, vetting and donation disbursement services. Kelly has over 20 years of experience in growth company finance and operations, and recently received the Calgary Influential Women in Business Award (Large Enterprise) and was named an AACSB Influential Leader for her impact in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging area.

Kelly is passionate about childhood learning and development, serving on the board of the Calgary Science Centre and supporting causes that empower women and children.

Connect with Kelly on LinkedIn!

Join Arun Chandrasekaran this May, at The Ranchmen’s Club for Lunch with a Leader. This program is designed to provide Axis Connects members with valuable opportunities to gain insights, mentorship, and network with senior professionals in various industries. We aim to inspire and empower our members by exposing them to diverse perspectives and experiences.

Join Gina Grandy this February, at The Ranchmen’s Club for Lunch with a Leader. This program is designed to provide Axis Connects members with valuable opportunities to gain insights, mentorship, and network with senior professionals in various industries. We aim to inspire and empower our members by exposing them to diverse perspectives and experiences.

Only 10 spots available!

Must be an Axis Member to register (here)

• Date: February 29, 2024
• Location: The Ranchmen’s Club
• Time: Please arrive at 11:15am. Lunch will begin at 11:30am.
• Lunch is included!

About Gina Grandy

Dr. Gina Grandy is Professor and Dean for the Haskayne School of Business at University of Calgary. Prior to her current role she served as the Dean for the Hill and Levene Schools of Business at University of Regina. She has also held the roles Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Programs, Research Development Program Lead, and the RBC Women in Leadership Scholar. Gina was the lead for the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH) in Saskatchewan – a national network coordinated by Toronto Metropolitan University.

Gina is the co-editor of two books and her award-winning research on leadership, gender and women’s experiences at work, stigmatized work and case writing has been published widely. Gina is a trained leadership and performance coach and is an emotional intelligence certified facilitator. Gina has designed and facilitated leadership development programming, for both aspiring leaders and those holding leadership positions. She has a particular interest in women’s leadership development. She has worked for eight universities located in Canada, United Kingdom and Ukraine. Over the past 25 years Gina has consulted for a diverse range of not-for-profit, public and for-profit organizations across Canada in strategic analysis, planning, implementation and leadership development.

Join Sippy Chhina this January, at The Ranchmen’s Club for Lunch with a Leader. This program is designed to provide Axis Connects members with valuable opportunities to gain insights, mentorship, and network with senior professionals in various industries. We aim to inspire and empower our members by exposing them to diverse perspectives and experiences.

Only 10 spots available! 

Must be an Axis Member to register (here)

• Date: January 18, 2024
• Location: The Ranchmen’s Club
• Time: Please arrive between 11:30-11:45am. Lunch will start at 11:45am.
• Lunch is included.

About Sippy Chhina, CPA, CA, CMA, ICD.D:

Sippy is a recently retired Partner from Deloitte Canada LLP (“Deloitte” or “the Firm”), she also served as a Director on Deloitte’s Board and as a Vice Chair for the Firm. With over 23 years of leadership experience in professional services, Sippy has served Canadian and Global businesses, including 9 years in various executive management and operational roles, Sippy has had the privilege of being in many Boardrooms advising both Directors and members of the C-Suite on a variety of matters as a qualified financial expert. In her professional career she has either been the lead audit partner, a quality assurance partner, or the lead advisory partner serving some of Deloitte’s largest public company energy sector clients. Her experience includes companies operating in sub sectors such as oil and gas, power, renewables, and related infrastructure across North America, South America and Africa. She has also been the lead audit partner for investees of large Canadian and US private equity and pension funds operating either directly or through infrastructure investments in the energy and related services sector. In her client facing role she has provided services with respect to audits, securities offerings, IPOs/MBOs, M&A transaction advisory, corporate structuring, business model design, master data management, supply chain, and ESG with a focus on energy transition and decarbonization strategies. Sippy is known for growth-focused leadership, her strength as a strategic advisor, her ability to lead transformative change, to simplify complex issues which coupled with her stakeholder-centric approach, have helped her successfully advise and guide organizations through ever evolving market, regulatory and stakeholder expectations.

In addition to her client responsibilities, Sippy served for seven years on the Board of Deloitte. Deloitte Canada/Chile employs 17,000 people and generates $3 billion in annual revenue. Sippy co-chaired the board’s Strategy, Ethics & Risk Committee as well as the Audit Quality Committee and has previously served on the Compensation Committee. In her role as a board member and committee member, she has provided oversight on matters related to Deloitte’s enterprise risk framework, strategy, related risks, and measurement KPIs. She has been on the board through an executive team transition, participated in tabletop exercises with respect to cyber threats and has been an active member of the board during an actual cyber breach. Her committee responsibilities have also included executive compensation, internal audit, as well as the oversight of Deloitte’s compliance with regulation. In each of these situations, Sippy brings a pragmatic, fact-based, inquisitive approach to supporting the Board in fulfilling its governance responsibilities.

Sippy has consistently held leadership positions within Deloitte. Most recently she was a member of Deloitte’s Energy, Resources & Industrial (ERI) executive team as well as the National Sector Lead for Audit & Advisory Services. Sippy was also a part of the national Audit executive team. ERI represents approximately 20% of the annual revenues of the Firm and has delivered double digit revenue growth year over year. Previously Sippy was Managing Partner of the Prairie Region Audit & Advisory practice, providing her with deep understanding of the complexities of leading a highly regulated business.

Outside of Deloitte Sippy has served as Chair of the Board of the Calgary Petroleum Club and as a board member of the Mount Royal University Foundation. She currently serves on the board of Board Ready Women. Sippy has her CPA designation and has completed the Institute of Corporate Directors Director Education Program. In 2023 she was recognized as a Calgary Influential Women in Business (CIWB) and was an award recipient in the professional services category.

Sippy enjoys mentoring, reading, gardening, painting, culinary challenges and time with family and friends. She is fluent in English, Hindi, and Punjabi. She currently resides in Calgary, Canada with her husband and has two adult children.

Join Dawn de Lima this November, at Bridgette Bar for Lunch with a Leader. This program is designed to provide Axis Connects members with valuable opportunities to gain insights, mentorship, and network with senior professionals in various industries. We aim to inspire and empower our members by exposing them to diverse perspectives and experiences.

Only 10 spots available!

Must be an Axis Member to register (here)

Lunch is included.

About Dawn de Lima:

Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services at TC Energy

As Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services, Mrs. de Lima provides strategic and functional leadership for human resources, information systems, aviation and facilities services. She also serves as the Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer for the Company.

Prior to joining TC Energy, Mrs. de Lima served as Chief Shared Services Officer on the executive leadership team with TransAlta Corporation, responsible for leading Business and Operational Services, Information Technology, Data and innovation, Supply Chain Management, Corporate Security and Facilities. Mrs. de Lima has also held progressively senior positions in Human Resources, overseeing Executive Compensation, Talent and Culture, Leadership Development, Corporate Communications and Stakeholder Relations.

Mrs. de Lima currently sits as the Chair of the Board for Junior Achievement Canada and the Co-Chair for SHEInnovates Alberta, a United Nations project to advance the progress of women in innovation.

She holds a Master of Business Administration from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Calgary.