Lunch with a Leader featuring Kelly Schmitt

May LWAL (2)

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!

Axis Connects: Stampede Round-Up

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SOLD OUT!

Axis Connects & Board Ready Women invite you to join us for an amazing afternoon of networking, snacks and drinks on the open-air patio perched above the lively streets of downtown YYC.

We want everyone to join in on the fun! Bring your male allies, partners, friends and colleagues – everyone is welcome to celebrate with us!

All proceeds from this event will be donated to Wings of Hope Breast Cancer Foundation. Minimum ticket price is $20 (but please feel free to add more – all additional proceeds will be donated).

Tickets includes:

      • direct entry
      • drink ticket
      • snacks
      • access to the Fluor photobooth

Agenda:

    • 11:00am Doors Open + Networking
    • 12:00pm Premier Danielle Smith Remark
    • 12:10pm Reception & Networking

From the c-suite to the boardroom, Axis Connects supports and accelerates the advancement and recognition of gender diversity throughout the Calgary business community. Become a member today [CLICK HERE].

Board Ready Women offers recruitment opportunities, skill-building programs and thought-provoking events to support women with their board career journey.

Career Development Dialogue: Minister Tanya Fir

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Join us for a captivating Career Development Dialogue on the vital topic of Empowering Alberta’s Future: Participation of Women in Alberta’s Economy.

Our esteemed guest, Minister Tanya Fir, brings a wealth of experience and insight to the table. As the Minister of Arts, Culture, and Status of Women, she will delve into key elements of her mandate, particularly focusing on supporting women’s economic participation and leadership.

Recognizing the importance of collaboration in advancing this mandate, we aim to harness the collective expertise and perspectives of our diverse network of female leaders from various industries. Minister Fir will engage in a moderated dialogue, fostering constructive exchanges and offering valuable insights. Additionally, the session will include an interactive Q&A segment, providing an opportunity for participants to further enrich the discussion, gain knowledge, and extend support to Minister Fir’s initiatives. Join us as we unite to empower women and drive positive change in Alberta’s economic landscape.

Seating for this event is very limited, and tickets are expected to sell out rapidly. Don’t delay – secure your spot by registering now!

We hope to see you there!

  • Topic: Empowering Alberta’s Future: Participation of Women in Alberta’s Economy
  • Speakers: Minister Tanya Fir, Jane Fedoretz and Nuvyn Peters
  • For: All Career Levels
  • Location: McDougall Centre, 455 6 St SW, Calgary, AB T2P 4A2
  • Attendance: 100+ Axis Connects Members
  • Ticket Price: $40 (covering lunch)
  • Agenda
    • 11:30AM: Networking
    • 12:00PM: Program Begins
    • 12:05PM: Jane Fedoretz Remarks
    • 12:10PM: Minister Tanya Fir Remarks
    • 12:20PM: Moderated Discussion and Q&A
    • 12:50PM: Closing Remarks
    • 1:00PM: Program ends

Responding to our members’ valuable feedback, it’s evident that there’s a strong desire for increased networking opportunities during our sessions. To address this, we’re excited to announce that for this month’s event, we’ve dedicated time both before and after the presentation for meaningful networking opportunities.

Must be an Axis Connect’s member, membership is free – register at www.axisconnects.com

Minister Tanya Fir

Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women

The Honourable Tanya Fir was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, representing the constituency of Calgary-Peigan on May 29, 2023. On June 9, 2023, Ms. Fir was sworn in as the Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women. Ms. Fir previously served as Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism, Associate Minister of Red Tape Reduction, and as Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women. She was a member of the following committees: Standing Committee on Families and Communities Special Standing Committee on Members; Services Select Special Democratic Accountability Committee Standing Committee on Resource Stewardship

Before serving with the Legislative Assembly, Ms. Fir was employed with Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL) for 16 years as a Human Resources Advisor. Ms. Fir holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Calgary, with a concentration in Management of Organizations and Human Resources. Ms. Fir was the 916th Member sworn into the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

Lunch With a Leader featuring Arun Chandrasekaran

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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.

Only 10 spots available!

Must be an Axis Member to register (here)

  • Date: May 1, 2024
  • Location: The Ranchmen’s Club
  • Time: Please arrive at 11:15am. Lunch will begin at 11:30am.
  • Lunch is included!

About Arun Chandrasekaran

Head of Energy Investment Banking at National Bank Financial

Arun Chandrasekaran has 17+ years of experience in industry. Mr. Chandrasekaran re-joined National Bank as Head of Energy, Investment Banking in August 2016. Prior to re-joining National Bank, Mr. Chandrasekaran worked as a Principal with Stream Asset Financial Management. Mr. Chandrasekaran graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Commerce Co-operative Education degree where he graduated with Distinction.

Lunch with a Leader featuring Rhona DelFrari

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Join Rhona DelFrari this March, 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 (Register here)

  • Date: March 27, 2024
  • Location: The Ranchemn’s Club
  • Time: Please arrive at 11:15am. Lunch will begin at 11:30am.
  • Lunch is included!

About Rhona DelFrari

Chief Sustainability Officer & Executive Vice-President, Stakeholder Engagement

As Chief Sustainability Officer & Executive Vice-President, Stakeholder Engagement, Rhona works to ensure environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations are embedded in the company’s strategy and business plans. Rhona is also responsible for leading the company’s communications efforts and building strong relationships with stakeholders. This includes working with Indigenous community members, government officials and community partners.

Rhona has been with Cenovus and its predecessor company since 2008. She has a combined honours degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Carleton University and an MBA specializing in global energy from the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business.

Career Development Dialogue: Jim Parkinson

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Get ready for an exciting Career Development Dialogue! We’re thrilled to announce that our highly requested speaker, Jim Parkinson, will host our session in March. Jim Parkinson, an advisor, trainer, and professional coach celebrated for his exceptional guidance to business leaders and politicians throughout Canada and the United States, will guide us through a session of Self Advocay.

Jim’s session was voted on of the most informative breakout session at the 2023 Axis Connects Leadership Forum. Due to popular demand, Axis has invited Jim back to give our members the exclusive opportunity to learn from his exceptional expertise in the field.

Seating for this event is limited, and tickets are expected to sell out rapidly. Don’t delay – secure your spot by registering now!

We hope to see you there!

  • Topic: Self Advocacy
  • SpeakerJim Parkinson, Founder of Porter Sloane
  • For: All Career Levels

Responding to our members’ valuable feedback, it’s evident that there’s a strong desire for increased networking opportunities during our sessions. To address this, we’re excited to announce that for this month’s event, we’ve dedicated time both before and after Jim’s presentation for meaningful networking opportunities.

Must be an Axis Connect’s member, membership is free – register at www.axisconnects.com

About Jim Parkinson

Jim Parkinson is an advisor, trainer, and professional coach to many business leaders and politicians in Canada and the United States. He is the principal and founder of Porter Sloane, a communications firm that helps executives and organizations be more persuasive. In the private sector, Jim works with dozens of companies in different industries. In the political sphere, he works with candidates of all stripes, at all levels of government as a speaker coach and media trainer. Jim has designed and delivered executive education programs for business and graduate schools in Canada. He has contributed to two books on business development, sales, and persuasion.

Lunch with a Leader featuring Gina Grandy

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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.

Career Development Dialogue: Joanna Shea

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Persuasion, Influence & Power, with Joanna Shea, CEO, The Negotiations Collective

Get ready for an exciting start to our Career Development Dialogues! We’re thrilled to announce that our highly requested speaker Joanna Shea will launch our 2024 sessions in February.  With nearly two decades of expertise in negotiations, Joanna is set to provide invaluable insights on deploying Persuasion, Influence, and Power techniques in your daily professional life.

Joanna’s session was overwhelmingly voted the most informative breakout session at the 2023 Axis Connects Leadership Forum. Due to popular demand, Axis has invited Joanna back to give our members the exclusive opportunity to learn from her exceptional expertise in the field.

Lunch with a Leader featuring Sippy Chhina

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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.

Blue Monday Networking Event with Tracey Delfs

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Beating the Winter Blues: with Tracey Delfs

Join Tracey Delfs to learn valuable insights and effective strategies to empower you not just to endure but to flourish throughout the winter season. This session will help you understand the science behind seasonal affective disorder and offer guidance on sustaining mental well-being during the colder months. Addressing topics such as self-care and mindset; this session aims to equip female professionals with the tools they need to thrive personally and professionally this winter.