These are the people you want to hear speaking about topics that are relevant today.
Rise of the Humans: How the Robots are Making Your Creativity More Valuable
President and Narrative Lead, Curious Public
President and Narrative Lead Lloyd Rang is one of Canada’s top speech writers, having written for business leaders as well as celebrities. He has also been a pundit for TV and print and has written for big publications like the Toronto Star, Forbes and The New York Times. With plenty of experience writing for the government, Lloyd certainly knows a thing or two about crisis comms, making him the perfect person to lead a discussion on the topic using real-life examples.
Announcement Coming Soon!
Founder, Camp re:Connect | CEO & Media Director, Orchestra Marketing
Jocelyn’s entry into the digital and experiential marketing space dates back to the same year Facebook launched their Events platform. In her two decades in the industry she has had a front-row seat to all digital marketing innovations. Jocelyn has been at the helm of major campaigns at Orchestra for the past 14 years and as an agency leader, Jocelyn advises and educates clients and other industry professionals on the adoption of new tools, technologies and protocols to improve their marketing initiatives.Specializing in data, user experience planning, and digital strategy, she has worked with national and international brands such as CAMH, Humber Polytechnic, University of Toronto, Manulife Real Estate and the Foundation for Global Sports Development. She has also acted as a mentor for startups via VentureLab, Futurpreneur and more.
Get to the “Why”: Social Values + Empathy Mapping for Smarter Marketing
VP, Strategy & Insights, Environics Research
For over 20 years, Michele has advised clients across industries on marketing, brand, reputation, and stakeholder engagement strategies. She helps organizations connect more meaningfully with customers and stakeholders through a deep understanding of people and their motivations. A trusted advisor to leading global companies and organizations, she designs bespoke research programs that turn insight into action. Her expertise includes multi-country, multi-stakeholder, mixed-methodology studies, with research experience in more than 100 countries across audiences ranging from consumers and youth to government, media, academia, executives, and B2B professionals across a spectrum of industries.
Get to the “Why”: Social Values + Empathy Mapping for Smarter Marketing
SVP, Market Strategy, Environics Research
Susan is a strategic research leader focused on how changing human values are redefining what people expect from brands, institutions, and each other. She helps organizations move beyond surface-level insights to uncover what truly drives behaviour – and turn that understanding into more meaningful, future-ready strategies. With over two decades of experience across corporate retail, agency, and consultancy environments, Susan advises corporate and non-profit organizations on brand, product, and marketing strategy across sectors including tourism, culture and entertainment, technology, education, and consumer goods and services. Her expertise in values-based research connects deep human insight with practical business impact, helping organizations navigate complexity, adapt to societal shifts, and build stronger connections and relevance. Susan is an experienced speaker and facilitator, with engagements spanning conferences, leadership forums, webinars, and national media. She holds an MBA in Marketing and Strategic Management from the Schulich School of Business.
The Visible Leader: How Marketing & Agency Leaders Build Presence Without Being Everywhere
Content and Brand Strategist, Daniel Does Consulting & Clarity Content
Daniel is a marketer, educator and award-winning founder obsessed with community, brand and impact. He helps founders and leaders turn their expertise into content that builds brand and drives demand through his studio, Clarity Content. Daniel is a Certified Brand Strategist, a professor at OCAD University, and a member of the Canadian Marketing Association and RGD. In 2026, he was named one of The Peak’s Emerging Leaders for Entrepreneurship. Founded in 2013, his first agency was acquired in 2021, where he led brand strategy until 2024.As an advocate for social good, Daniel founded The Good Growth Company to help organizations upskill their teams and scale their missions, and for two decades, his nonprofit ACCESS has funded and mentored youth-led initiatives. He is an active member of the entrepreneurial ecosystem, speaking through Founder Institute, Startup Canada and more.
This is Culturally (In) Appropriate: Black Influence in Advertising
Brand, Content and Cultural Strategist, Little Kernel Communications
June Findlay is a multitalented communications professional with 15 years of media and advertising experience. Throughout her career, she's created campaigns for clients like The Lincoln Motor Company, raised over $12 million for UNICEF's 2017 #ActionRohingya relief campaign through strategy work, and held leadership positions at dentsu, WPP and The YMCA of Greater Toronto. A sharp writer, insightful marketing maven and the founder of Little Kernel Communications, she’s also a sought-after speaker empowering audiences to make meaningful life changes. A woman whose words and impact transcends industries and borders, June has spoken for notable institutions like University of Toronto, Toronto Metropolitan University, National Forum for Voluntary Organizations (Sweden), and more.
Rebrand, Refresh, Reinforce: A Practical framework for brand transformation
Partner & Creative Director, Borealis Creative Agency
Sarah Wilby is a creative leader known for translating smart brand strategy into meaningful, effective design. Whether developing integrated campaigns or guiding teams and clients through complex creative challenges, she brings a thoughtful, grounded, and collaborative approach to every project. She is currently Partner and Creative Director at Borealis Creative Agency, following a career at several leading branding firms.
Her award-winning work spans many of Canada’s most recognized brands, including BMW Canada, BMO, RBC, Rogers, WestJet, LCBO, Maple Leaf Foods, and Manulife. She has also led major branding and identity initiatives for organizations such as Ontario Tech University, Downsview Park, Soulpepper, the Manitoba Museum, and Alectra. Her experience bridges broadcast, print, digital, and social, as well as full rebrands and identity system development.
Working across a wide range of sectors, Sarah has developed a strong ability to quickly understand client needs and translate them into creative work that resonates. She is also an active mentor within the design community, supporting emerging talent through portfolio reviews, internships, and one-on-one guidance. Her work has been recognized by leading award programs, including the ADCC, CMA, and Applied Arts.
Truth Isn’t Trending: Disinformation, Misinformation, and the Fight for Trust
Chief Communications Officer, City of Toronto
Julia is the Chief Communications Officer for the City of Toronto, the fourth largest municipal government in North America. She has more than 25 years’ experience in the communications, marketing and public relations fields and has worked with some of the most iconic brands over her career, including the Olympics, Bell, Sony, Dell, and Telus to name a few.
She’s worked in various sectors including telecommunications, healthcare, consumer goods, electronics, corporate finance, pharmaceutical and insurance. Julia has won over 25 awards in the past 5 years for her work in communications, change management, media relations, corporate social responsibility, and leadership. She is a regular guest speaker and mentor with both the Canadian Public Relations Society and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) and holds several national and international mandates within IABC. She has also served as part-time faculty member at Lambton and Fanshawe colleges.
Truth Isn’t Trending: Disinformation, Misinformation, and the Fight for Trust
Senior Digital Content Advisor, City of Toronto
Ashalea Stone is a Senior Digital Content Advisor with the City of Toronto, bringing nearly 20 years of experience across promotions, CRM, brand and social media content creation. She leads the social media content strategy for the City, shaping how platforms, channels and communities are built and sustained combining audience insight, performance data and research to inform channel strategies, storytelling, standards, and real‑time execution during high‑stakes moments that demand speed, accuracy and public trust.
Ashalea has led social media strategies across multiple business areas, including municipal elections, city operations, severe weather and emergency communications, and large‑scale city events such as real‑time communications during Blue Jays postseason runs and oversight of City of Toronto and Host City social media channels during Toronto’s World Cup moments.
She is also co‑chair of TOnow, the City of Toronto’s women’s network, supporting a community of more than 2,500 members.
The Great Trends Debate
Production Manager, Orchestra Marketing
Carley leads Orchestra’s content department, overseeing social media and content strategies for clients across industries including healthcare, finance and CPG. With a deep understanding of digital platforms, emerging social trends and consumer behaviour, she develops integrated strategies that bring brands to life through compelling organic and paid content.
With 10 years of experience spanning digital marketing, content and experiential, Carley brings a well-rounded perspective to building brands and creating meaningful connections with audiences. Her experience across both strategy and execution has allowed her to translate big-picture brand objectives into engaging, measurable programs. She is currently an Ivey MBA Candidate, Class of 2027, expanding her expertise beyond marketing into broader business and strategic leadership.
The Great Trends Debate
Digital Marketing & Creatives, Orchestra Marketing
Raph brings his international marketing experience to his role as Account Supervisor at Orchestra Marketing. He oversees a portfolio of key clients, guiding them through the marketing process and recommending ways to take advantage of opportunities the market provides. His credentials include a BA in Communication Arts and a Certificate in Creative and Digital Advertising Strategy.
The Art & Science of Persuasion
Head of Programmatic Media, Google and Co-founder of Captivate
Ben Wise and Darren Chiu are the co-founders of Captivate, providing tactical tools to help you increase your powers of persuasion. They are sought after speakers on the psychology of persuasion and have appeared at industry events, conferences and corporate training programs.
Beyond Captivate, Ben Wise is a 15 year advertising industry veteran who has held successive sales and leadership roles at Google, where he is currently the Head of Programmatic Media. Ben is active in his community where he serves on the Board of the Daily Bread Food Bank and advises multiple startups on sales and go to market strategy.
The Art & Science of Persuasion
Strategy Lead, Google and Co-founder of Captivate
Darren is a Strategy Lead at Google, helping brands across all industries develop best in class marketing strategies. With over 12 years of industry experience, Darren’s passion for communication doesn’t stop at the world of business and sales. In his spare time, Darren moonlights as a comedic storyteller, stretching his creativity and perspectives beyond the boundaries of his professional life. As a recognition of his dedication and expertise, Darren was selected as an Emerging Leader in Advertising & Sales by The Peak in 2023.
The Innovation Illusion: Why the Future of Influencer Marketing is Still Human
COO at Shine Talent Group.
Manar El Mugammar is the Chief Operating Officer at Shine Talent Group, where she oversees operations and finance for the global creator agency. With over 15 years of experience in operations and a practical approach to scaling teams, Manar focuses on the foundation that drives successful campaigns. In this session, she’ll share her balanced take on AI: explaining how brands can use it to optimize workflows and refine pitches, without losing the human authenticity that actually drives results.
The Innovation Illusion: Why the Future of Influencer Marketing is Still Human
Head of Talent, Shine Talent Group
Amy Pearson is Head of Talent at Shine Talent Group, where she leads the talent management team for the global creator agency. With over a decade and a half of experience across brand strategy, retail, and creator partnerships, Amy has a front-row seat to what actually makes influencer marketing work and what quietly kills it. She works daily at the intersection of human creativity and an increasingly automated industry, and brings to this conversation a practitioner's perspective on where technology serves the work and where it gets in the way of the thing that matters most: genuine audience trust.
Building Niche Canadian Brands
CEO, Plain: Language
Anthony is a media leader with over two decades of experience helping brands drive measurable performance across Canada and the U.S. As CEO of Plain: Language, he's built an agency around a simple idea: cut through the noise, deliver results, and never hide behind jargon. Grounded in business education from the University of Manitoba and Rotman School of Management, he brings strategic, financial, and creative discipline to every campaign, guiding clients through the full evolution of digital media, from search and social to programmatic, with an unrelenting focus on transparency, media efficiency, and real ROI.
That same critical thinking extends into his own ventures: as CMO of The Den, he's building ad tech and member monetization models inside a niche streaming industry, and as co-founder of Saunder, he's applying performance marketing to a portable sauna lifestyle brand built with innovative partners and born out of a fishing trip his two best friends.
Beyond his work, Anthony serves on multiple boards and committees, including The WRENCH (Treasurer), CARAS/The Juno Awards (Chair, Album Artwork & Design Committee) and former co-owner of the nationally recognized music venue and bar The Good Will Social Club.
The Pitch Competition
Social Media & Communications Manager, Haventree Bank
Amanda Fraser is a marketing and communications professional with 10+ years of experience in brand strategy, content marketing, and social media across B2B and B2C industries. She is passionate about connecting with fellow marketers, share ideas, and exploring innovative ways to create engaging customer experiences.
The Pitch Competition
Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Haventree Bank
Eric Plaskacz is a marketing and communications professional with 15+ years of experience in growth marketing, digital media, and analytics. Having worked across agencies, publishers, and brands, he specializes in brand positioning, performance marketing, and leveraging data-driven strategies to drive business growth and measurable results.
The State of Media Buying: What's Actually Changed
President of Empathy Inc.
Mo Dezyanian is the president of Empathy Inc., an ad agency working with brands that want to be culturally relevant. He has spent his career helping other ad agencies build profitable media businesses. And he’s built an impressive brand portfolio that includes Canadian Tire, Popeyes, Bosch, Mattel, Liberal Party of Canada and many more.
As the kid who skipped cartoons to watch the commercials, his passion for the industry runs deep. Currently, he is inspiring the next generation of media planners and buyers as the lead developer for the Chartered Marketer program and as an instructor at the University of Toronto. He is frequently called upon as an expert for commentary on consumer trends by the Washington Post, the National, the Globe and Mail, and many more.
The State of Media Buying: What's Actually Changed
Managing Director of Cultural Intel
Rahul Sethi is a research and insights leader specializing in media consumption, audience behaviour and Canada’s cultural diversity. As Managing Director of Cultural Intel, he helps brands, agencies and media organizations understand how culture, identity and immigration shape engagement with content, platforms and advertising.
Previously, Rahul was Vice President of Research and Development and Consumer Insights at Vividata, where he led national studies on cross-platform media use, digital behaviour and multicultural audiences. He has also taught Data Communication at the University of Toronto and regularly speaks on media, demographic change and audience behaviour.
The State of Media Buying: What's Actually Changed
Vice President, Marketing & Donor Experience at Plan International Canada
Indresh Kohli is Vice President, Marketing & Donor Experience at Plan International Canada, where he leads marketing, digital and donor experience for one of Canada's largest international development organizations.
Over a 20+ year career, Indresh has built and transformed brands across Canada and globally, leading marketing at organizations including Dr. Oetker, Reckitt, Kraft Foods and PwC Strategy&. He has led significant marketing and media investments, partnered with leading media and creative agencies, and helped organizations navigate the evolution from traditional mass media to today's data-driven, omnichannel marketing landscape.
He has led award-winning campaigns, accelerated growth across multiple consumer categories, and now applies that experience to help grow support for children's rights and gender equality through Plan International Canada.
Indresh is passionate about the intersection of brand, media, technology and consumer behaviour, and regularly contributes to the Canadian marketing community as a speaker, mentor and industry judge.
The State of Media Buying: What's Actually Changed
Marketing Director - International, Hard Rock Digital
Ira Kates is Marketing Director, International at Hard Rock Digital, bringing 18 years of digital marketing experience across paid search, paid social, ATL, shopper marketing, and go-to-market strategy. Throughout his career, he has helped establish the role of digital within Canada’s evolving brand landscape, guiding household names like Mazda, Toyota, Lexus, HSBC, BMO, Telus, Unilever and Walmart through the shift from traditional marketing to true omnichannel strategy.
Before marketing, Ira spent over 14 years cooking professionally, including taking over a restaurant out west at just 20 years old. Two truths and a lie: he once travelled to the UK to forge an axe with a master smith, he cooked dinner for Mario Lemieux at a restaurant called The Octagon, and he was a contestant on a national cooking competition show. He’ll tell you which one’s false if you catch him between sessions; when he’s not chasing his two young kids (7 and 5) or elbow-deep in his next hobby.
Leadership Is Not Bestowed. It's Built. Lessons from 17 years of Marketing Mentorship
President of AMA Toronto
Nicole Gradilone (Hrinco) is President of AMA Toronto, the Toronto chapter of the American Marketing Association and one of Canada's oldest marketing communities. Founded in 1946, the chapter is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year and is entirely volunteer-powered. Nicole leads the chapter behind the Mentor Exchange, now entering its 18th season, and Canada's Marketing Hall of Legends. She believes marketers become leaders through experience, contribution, and community, and that most big breaks start as ordinary conversations.
Leadership Is Not Bestowed. It's Built. Lessons from 17 years of Marketing Mentorship
CEO of Be Found Online
Steve Krull is the chief executive officer of Be Found Online, a digital marketing agency where he and his teams have been helping businesses with online visibility for more than 15 years. As CEO of BFO, Steve excels in 'unleadership' (his word). Steve also believes in giving back and supporting the next generation of marketers. He does this through teaching at DePaul University, where his is an adjunct professor and through his participation in AMA Chicago, where he sits on the board, supporting initiatives geared toward making the chapter accessible and beneficial for students and junior marketers.
Steve believes in collaboration and leading by example; remaining vulnerable and open to new ideas, accepting feedback... and doing good things.
From Followers to Fans: Building Direct Fan Relationships in a Post-Algorithm World: Why the future of fan engagement isn't reach, it's relationship
Board Member, Co-Chair, VP Programming & Innovation, AMA Toronto
Matt Di Paola is a transformation leader who helps organizations navigate change and growth at the intersection of brand, technology and culture. Over three decades, he has advised global brands including Netflix, Google, Audi, Destination Canada, Four Seasons, Gatorade, RBC, M&M's, P&G and Unilever, leading award-winning work that has earned five Cannes Lions, as well as Effies, LIAAs, FAB and CMA Best in Shows, and honours as Agency of the Year at three different agencies.
He has also built agency business lines around turning fandom into direct consumer relationships, communities and revenue for his clients — from leading the social media business for Netflix North America, to work with Pedigree and Whiskas showing how simply acknowledging a customer's pet breed boosted engagement, to loyalty work with Winners proving that deepening relationships with existing shoppers outperformed new-customer acquisition. He currently advises Raine Maida (Our Lady Peace) on Fandrop, giving artists and sports teams direct, first-party data-owned relationships with fans at live events, and is advising a well-known film studio in LA on building a CRM platform to own its influencer relationships rather than lose that data to third-party platforms.
A recognized voice in marketing, innovation and culture, Matt has spoken at SXSW (three times), the Vancouver International Film Festival, TechToronto, Climate Week TO, the Skoll World Forum and the Banff World Media Festival. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the American Marketing Association (Toronto Chapter) as VP, Programming and Innovation, and previously served on TIFF's Digital Advisory Board and as an ex-officio member of TIFF's Board of Directors.
He is currently SVP, Marketing & Innovation at BIMM, where he focuses on helping organizations drive growth through digital product design, applied AI and CRM experiences.
ROLL FOR ALIGNMENT: Navigate Media Dungeons and Defeat Creative Dragons
Founder & ECD Motion at Pomelo Studios
Jason is a veteran storyteller and impact entrepreneur with over two decades of expertise in animation and video creative. As the founder of Pomelo Studio Inc. (est. 2019), he is on a mission to democratize commercial motion design, animation, and video production. By leveraging high efficiency and low overhead, Jason leads Pomelo to deliver equitable, high-impact creative that is accessible to brands and agencies of any scale. At the core of his work is a singular objective: transforming complex brand narratives into irresistible visual stories.