
MARCH 5-6, 2024
THE WESTIN HARBOUR CASTLE, TORONTO, CANADA
MARCH 5-6, 2024 | THE WESTIN HARBOUR CASTLE, TORONTO, CANADA
The Leading
Future of Work Event Series
The Future of Work Canada Event launched in 2019 with the core mission to focus on the latest trends & strategies within the Future of Work landscape including: Frontline Workers, Workplace Transformation, HR Technology, Culture, Employee Engagement, Digital Workplace, Learning & Development, Human Resources and Office Space & Design.
Created for senior executives within:
✓ Human Resources
✓ Internal Communication
✓ Change Management
✓ Talent Management
✓ Digital Workplace
✓ Employee Experience & Engagement
✓ Business Transformation
✓ Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
2024 Confirmed Speakers
Deb Craven, President
Longo’s
Patrick Ens, President
Capital One Canada
Janet Joubran, Chief People Officer
KFC Canada (Yum! Brands Subsidiary)
Permpreet Soomal, Chief People Officer, Canada
Capital One
Carmen Spencer, Vice President, People Experience
Sony Music Entertainment
Harpal Sekhon, Global Head of HR Strategy & Ops
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health
Carolyn Meacher, Chief People Officer, Canada & Employee Experience Lead, Americas
dentsu international
Paula Brar, Vice President Human Resources
Brink’s Canada
Darlene Dsouza, Vice President Talent
Compass Group
Steven Fitzgerald, Co-founder and President
Habanero Consulting Group
Mallory O'Connor, Practice Lead of Culture and Transformation
Habanero Consulting Group
Letecia Rose, VP, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging
Canadian Tire Corporation
Corey Daxon, President
Feldman Daxon Partners
Ben Skelton, Vice President
Habanero Consulting Group
Faizal Mitha, Chief Innovation Officer
HUB International
Danielle Sanagan, Interim, Chief Human Resources Officer
Trillium Health Partners
Jodi Szimanski, Associate Director, Communications, Engagement and Digital Experience
University of Waterloo
Day one

09:00am
Chairs Opening Remarks
Steven Fitzgerald, Co-founder and President, Habanero Consulting Group
09:15am
CEO Fireside chat: Leading the way to The Future of Work
- Where are CEOs focusing their attention when it comes to The Future of Work?
- What are they looking for from their leadership team?
- How have CEOs changed their outlook and strategies post-pandemic?
- What are the biggest challenges CEO’s now face?
- How can they inspire the whole organisation and lead authentically?
Moderator: Steven Fitzgerald, Co-founder and President, Habanero Consulting Group
Panelists:
Deb Craven, President, Longo’s
Patrick Ens, President, Capital One Canada
9:50am
Presentation: Solving the hybrid conundrum
- Balancing flexibility with performance and connection.
- Are back to office mandates the answer?
- How are you differentiating the office experience to the remote working experience?
- How can you earn the employees commute to the office?
- Which operating models are best for retaining staff?
- How can organisations achieve real success in this new world of work?
Presented by: Carolyn Meacher, Chief People Officer, Canada & Employee Experience Lead, Americas, dentsu international
10:20am
Presentation: Prioritising Employee Wellbeing
- Creating an environment of trust and psychological safety
- How can employers avoid employee burnout?
- How do you build resilience in your employees and your leaders
- Why employee wellbeing is a business priority that should not be overlooked
- Making employee wellness meaningful, what can you do beyond rolling out apps?
- Creating a culture where employees can thrive.
10:50am
Future of Work Connects
11:10am
Morning Break and Networking
11:40am
Panel session: Emerging talent views on working alongside AI
Seventy-three per cent of employers prioritize hiring employees skilled in utilizing artificial intelligence (AI). However, it can be challenging to find talent with the AI skills required. AI is transforming the workplace and many employers are looking to AI solutions for productivity, automation and workflow improvements. Emerging talent, like co-op students, understand that AI will be integral to their careers. They actively learn how to use AI as a teammate and partner in their tasks. In this session, University of Waterloo students talk about how they are utilizing AI during their industry experiences and how it positively impacts employers. They’ll share their experiences and offer strategies for how co-op students can help your organization embrace AI.
Learning outcomes:
- How emerging talent views AI in the workplace and where they believe they need to build their skill set.
- How emerging talent, like co-op students, can utilize AI in your organization for positive impact and results.
Moderator: Jodi Szimanski, Associate Director, Communications, Engagement and Digital Experience, University of Waterloo
12:20pm
Presentation: From Insight to Implementation – delivering a benefits strategy unique to your organization
The world continues to change at a pace never seen before – the challenges you now face are unique and unprecedented. With preparation and guidance, you can be prepared to usher in the future of work in your organization.
Join Faizal Mitha, Chief Innovation Officer at HUB International, as he dives into the latest insights on how quality employee experiences can be engineered with intent using your own unique employee insights.
During the presentation you will learn:
- About the many factors now and on the horizon which are threatening to impact your benefit plan sustainability.
- How to go beyond standard employee information to meaningful employee insights to create intentional benefits strategies – starting today.
- Evolving your employee value proposition in a way that really moves the needle for your organizational goals.
- Understanding why retention is becoming the key HR challenge in the evolving environment.
- The importance of promoting inclusive benefits and quality employee experiences as part of a total rewards strategy.
Join us as we explore how data driven insights can help you create an employee value proposition via benefit planning- addressing today’s major challenges and helping your organization differentiate itself for success.
Presented By;
Faizal Mitha, Chief Innovation Officer, HUB International
12:50pm
Lunch & Networking
1:50pm
Panel: Elevating the Employee Experience for organisational success
- Creating a positive, diverse and inclusive work environment that values and supports employees.
- Effective communication and engagement strategies to enhance the employee experience.
- Tailoring your employee experience across all of your different demographics
- Measuring the impact of your EX programs - how can you tell how well they are working?
Moderator: Mallory O'Connor, Practice Lead of Culture and Transformation, Habanero Consulting Group
Panelists:
Carmen Spencer, Vice President, People Experience, Sony Music Entertainment
Glenn Zujew, Chief People Officer, Klick
Corey Daxon, President, Feldman Daxon Partners
2:35pm
Presentation: The Future is Data-Driven
- How can organisations leverage data insights to make informed decisions about The Future of work.
- Using data for enhancing employee experience, measuring productivity and performance, diversity and inclusion metrics and much more
- How can you effectively collect data, form current employees and from candidates?
- Ensuring ethical and responsible use of data
Presented by: Permpreet Soomal, Chief People Officer, Canada, Capital One
3:05pm
Panel: Workplace technology to enhance human connection
- Bringing humans and technology together to design great employee experiences that support and include the whole workforce.
- Unlocking creativity and productivity through better use of technology
- The role of tech in connecting and engaging the workforce wherever they work and enabling cross team collaboration
- How can organisations be sure of making smart decisions when it comes to which technologies to invest in and implement?
Moderator: Ben Skelton, Vice President, Habanero Consulting Group
Panelists:
Paula Brar, Vice President Human Resources, Brink’s Canada
Joe Varnell, Senior Director, Digital Workplace, CIBC
3:50pm
Afternoon Break
4:20pm
Collaboration Session
Attendees will have a focus area or business problem to discuss in their groups. This is an opportunity to collaborate and share ideas with your fellow attendees.
The purpose of the session is to share ideas, flex your creative thinking and collaborate to discuss a challenge facing businesses / HR departments today.
5:20pm
End of day one conference sessions
5:20pm - 6.20pm
Networking drinks in the exhibition area
Day Two

09:15am
Chairs Opening Remarks
Steven Fitzgerald, Co-founder and President, Habanero Consulting Group
09:30am
Panel: Investing in belonging through culture, values, and DE&I
- Do your company values and purpose propositions speak to your employees and show them they belong?
- How can organisations ensure leaders are intentional about creating a strong, positive, and inclusive company culture?
- What are you doing within your businesses to create a sense of belonging for all?
- How can you make culture about emotional connection and not about bricks and mortar?
- The importance of strong company values and vision to unite employees.
Moderator: Mallory O'Connor, Practice Lead of Culture and Transformation, Habanero Consulting Group
Panelists:
Michelle Loo, Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, Linde
Janet Joubran, Chief People Officer, KFC Canada (Yum! Brands Subsidiary)
Letecia Rose, VP, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging, Canadian Tire Corporation
10:15am
Presentation: Attracting employees in a dynamic job market
- What recruitment challenges are organisations facing in 2024 and beyond?
- Building and promoting an employer brand that attracts top talent
- Improving the candidate experience
- Leveraging technology to improve efficiency and reach a wider audience of potential candidates.
- Developing robust talent pipelines and seeking new talent sources
10:45am
Presentation: Comptia
details coming shortly....
Presented By: Senior Representative, Comptia
11:15am
Morning Break and Networking
11:45am
Presentation: Attracting employees in a dynamic job market
- What recruitment challenges are organisations facing in 2024 and beyond?
- Building and promoting an employer brand that attracts top talent
Improving the candidate experience. - Leveraging technology to improve efficiency and reach a wider audience of potential candidates.
- Developing robust talent pipelines and seeking new talent sources
Presented By:
Lisa Ritchie, Vice President Talent Acquisition & Total Rewards, Metrolinx
12:15pm
Presentation: Canadian Association for Supported Employment
details coming shortly....
Presented By: Senior Representative, Canadian Association for Supported Employment
12:45pm
Panel: Connect, engage and retain your deskless workers
- How can employers empower and connect with their deskless workers?
- The importance of a digital workplace for non-desk workers
- How can you boost engagement and productivity for Frontline workers?
- Ways to retain your hourly workforce
- Creating a sense of belonging for all no matter where they work.
- Can you implement and maintain a flexible working pattern for deskless staff?
Moderator: Ben Skelton, Vice President, Habanero Consulting Group
Panelists:
Liz Volk, Chief Human Resources Officer, Longo's
Danielle Sanagan, Interim, Chief Human Resources Officer, Trillium Health Partners
1:30pm
Lunch & Networking
2:30pm
Presentation: Navigating continuous disruption and change
- A look at the strategic role of HR in driving organisational change.
- How can organisations combat change fatigue among employees?
- Importance of engaging with all stakeholders on the change journey
- Ways to support employees through periods of uncertainty.
Presented by: Britta Kroupa, Senior Vice President, Human Resources North America, Philips
3:00pm
Presentation: Embracing and predicting future workforce skills
- Understanding the changing technology landscape and its impact on workforce skills.
- Data-driven approaches to skills forecasting.
- Designing training and development programs.
- Fostering a culture of continuous learning and upskilling.
Presented By: Harpal Sekhon, Global Head of HR Strategy & Ops, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Health
3:30pm
Panel: Developing impactful and effective managers.
- What do organisations expect from their managers and leaders?
- A look at how responsibilities and expectations have changed.
- How are employers equipping their managers to lead effectively and engage teams wherever they work?
- What capabilities and skills do managers need to connect with employees?
- Developing management styles that foster an environment of trust, communication and appreciation.
Panelists:
Britta Kroupa, Senior Vice President, Human Resources North America, Philips
Darlene Dsouza, Vice President Talent, Compass Group
Sotos Poulimeno, Director, Global Talent Development Best Practices, Sun Life
4:15pm
End of Day Two
PARTNERS













Prices & packges

Prices & packges
2 DAY PASS
- Two Day Conference Ticket
- Coffee-break & Networing
- Lunch & Networking
- Access To All Session Across The Two Days
- Access To All Session Post Event via the FoW HUB
VENUE
Get to the venue
AIRPORT- TORONTO PEARSON INTERNATIONAL
Turn right on Airport Rd/Regional Rd 7 to exit the airport, Turn left on the ON-427 S ramp, merge and follow south to the Gardiner Expwy. Exit left and follow the Gardiner Expwy east to York/Bay St via Lower Simcoe St. Merge on to Harbour Street, turn right on York Street, left on Queens Quay and right in to the hotel.
PARKING
Off-site parking, fee: 40 CAD daily
Valet parking, fee: 55 CAD daily
Parking spaces subject to availability, height restrictions apply,
ADDRESS
1 Harbour Square
Toronto, Ontario M5J 1A6 Canada

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THE WESTIN HARBOUR CASTLE, TORONTO, CANADA
Please ensure your discounted room booking is confirmed prior to February 2, 2024 as the rates will expire on this date.