SPEAKER INFORMATION
KEYNOTE
Steve Cadigan
He led the development of LinkedIn’s legendary company culture and successfully hired world-class talent in the shadows of Google, Facebook, Apple, and Twitter — all of which offered more money and “cooler” benefits.
In 2013, Cadigan formed his own firm, taking the lessons learned from his corporate experiences and offering them to leaders and organizations around the world. In an era where digital transformation and disruption is the “new normal”, he shows companies how offering employees growth and development opportunities and building a dynamic culture is their greatest competitive advantage.
Cadigan has been recognized by both The Wall Street Journal and Fortune magazine for building world-class teams. He is frequently featured in the media as a talent expert and is a regular guest on Bloomberg West and CNBC and a regular contributor to Forbes.
Future of Work | Talent Strategist | Company Culture Expert
Today’s digital world requires a new strategy for building great teams. For 30 years, Steve Cadigan has been at the forefront of global talent strategy and company culture. He is best known for scaling LinkedIn from a team of 400 to 4000 in just 3.5 years. Having worked in five different industries in three different countries and led dozens of acquisition integrations across the globe, Cadigan’s unparalleled expertise helps leaders build winning talent solutions to compete in an increasingly complex digital economy.
When Cadigan joined LinkedIn in 2009, they had no talent brand and were seen as a relatively boring professional network. As their VP, Talent, he catalyzed the executive team and the entire company to join him in building what is still considered one of the most dynamic and sought-after organizations in the world.
PANELISTS
Dr. Ryan Todd
headversity, Psychiatrist and CEO
Dr. Ryan Todd is a psychiatrist at Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta, where he has seen and treated thousands of individuals who have a mental illness as a result of trauma, medical or surgical illness. Dr. Todd believes mental wellness can be learned and practiced by everyone, and that technology is a vital resource in helping bridge the gap between demand and mental healthcare today. This belief fueled his desire to start headversity, a mental wellness tech company where he acts as CEO. Through headversity, Dr. Todd envisions building a culture of mental wellness in the Canadian workforce through mobile, micro, and measurable training.
Detroit Pistons, VP, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Stefen J. Welch serves as Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) for NBA's Detroit Pistons. A Detroit native, Welch focuses on the team's strategy to attract and acquire diverse talent, professional development opportunities for employees and identifying strategic business initiatives with the community. Previously, Stefen led DEI for national retailer Saks OFF 5TH and the country's largest mortgage lender, Rocket Mortgage. Stefen's unique take on local and national initiatives has led him to various panels and conversations regarding DEI, including the Black Fashion Movement, Deloitte Bersin IMPACT Conference, Center for Automotive Diversity Inclusion and Advancement (CADIA) Rev Up Conference and Detroit Policy Conference. To promote life as a Detroiter, Welch has blogged for the Detroit News' - DVoice.
Stefen J. Welch, MCD
He has also appeared on Huffington Post Live as a guest panelist covering various topics in the Motor City. In 2011, Welch was recognized by Oakland University (Rochester, MI) for his community involvement, receiving the Oakland University Alumni Association Community Service Award. Welch was also recognized by DBusiness Magazine's 2021 class "30 in their Thirties" issue. Welch earned a Bachelor of Arts from Oakland University (Rochester, MI), a Masters of Community Development from the University of Detroit Mercy (Detroit, MI) and a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion certificate from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY). Currently, he is enrolled in the Executive MBA program at Howard University (Washington, DC).
Leigh-Ann Ing
OMERS, Director, Global Wellness and Benefit Strategy
Leigh-Ann is the Director, Global Wellness and Benefits Strategy at OMERS/Oxford. The well-being mandate, under Leigh-Ann’s accountability, is a key element in creating a rewarding employee experience as part of the OMERS/Oxford People Strategy. Leigh-Ann is responsible for the development and execution of the newly launched 2025 Global Wellness Strategy, as well as delivery of an enhanced benefits strategy. Leigh-Ann has more than 18 years of experience in the health and productivity field working with employers from all sectors and various industries. She has developed organizational health and wellness strategies with populations ranging from 100 to more than 80,000 lives. Leigh-Ann specializes in the transformation of organizations’ approach to managing health from a treatment model to a prevention model. She has been successful in helping employers build healthy work cultures by developing strategies to contain/prevent absence and illness.
Leigh-Ann holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences from the University of Western Ontario. She also earned a Graduate diploma in workplace wellness and health promotion from Centennial College. Prior to joining OMERS/Oxford, Leigh-Ann has held roles with Mercer Canada, Sun Life Financial, Vale Canada Ltd., the Government of Ontario and the Canadian Cancer Society.
Anne-Marie Pham, MPA
Anne-Marie has a master’s degree in public administration (MPA), a BA in Sociology and a senior HR Professional certification with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She is also a certified administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory (Tool).Anne-Marie is a wife and mother of two, as well as an avid community leader, supporting civic participation, mentoring and leadership development especially among immigrants, visible minorities, women and youth. In 2013, she received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee award for her community service. Anne-Marie is a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF), a Crown Corporation dedicated to working towards the elimination of racism and all forms of racial discrimination. As of October 2020, Anne-Marie is a member of the City of Calgary's Anti-Racism Action Committee.
Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion
Anne-Marie Pham has worked with diverse communities and workplaces for over 25 years. She has a deep understanding of issues and opportunities related to diversity and inclusion, and specializes in mobilizing, educating and sharing the latest research and promising practices on equity, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Anne-Marie brings a unique set of skills and perspectives having worked as a diversity and inclusion lead for Spectra Energy and the City of Calgary, and as a trainer and facilitator for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. She has provided dynamic presentations, training and consulting services to clients from a wide range of industries in the business, public and non-profit sectors.
Evan Rand
United States Hockey league, Vice President of Hockey Administration
Evan Rand is the VP of Hockey Administration at the United States Hockey League (amateur development league) where he heads hockey business operations and development. Prior to the USHL, he spent 8 years at the NHL league office where he worked in operations and digital media. He is a board member with KEEN Chicago, who provides free recreation to youth with disabilities) and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management where he focused on corporate innovation and new ventures.
Cal Beyer, CWP
Holmes Murphy, VP, Workforce Risk and Worker Wellbeing
Cal Beyer, CWP is Vice President of Workforce Risk and Worker Wellbeing for Holmes Murphy. Beyer has 30 years as safety/health and risk management professional. He co-launched the mental health & suicide prevention initiative in US construction industry in 2014 while working for a contractor in the Pacific Northwest. He serves with the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention since formation in 2010; Executive Committee since 2016 . He serves on Lived Experience Advisory Committee of the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) and Advisory Groups for Youturn Health and MindWise Innovations. He is a former member of Expert Advisory Group for Center for Workplace Mental Health. Beyer was recognized by Engineering News-Record (ENR) as a Top 25 Newsmaker for 2016. He is the recipient of Mental Health Advocacy for Industry by National Association of Home Builders in 2022. He is a regular contributor for various industry publications and a frequent speaker at industry events.
Lianne Clarke
Cowan Insurance Group, VP Wellness and Disability Solutions
As Principal, Vice President Wellness & Disability Innovation and Growth, Lianne is accountable for the strategic priorities, initiatives, innovation and growth of our Return to Health® wellness and disability practice. Joining Cowan in 2015 as a senior benefits consultant, and later moving into the role of Practice Lead, VP Wellness & Disability Operations, Lianne’s passion for wellness and devotion towards clients’ needs has made her an exceptional mentor to her colleagues and contributed significantly to the success of our wellness and disability practice. In Lianne’s current role, she works closely with our Wellness & Disability operations to ensure practices and product offerings align with the increasing complexities of workplace health and disability.
In addition to her role in Business Development, Lianne continues to use her extensive industry knowledge in wellness and disability to help organizations identify their organizational health risks and develop targeted wellness, stay-at-work, and disability program initiatives that reduce absenteeism rates and costs, and improve overall employee health. With over 25 years of group benefits, disability, wellness, and absence experience in a variety of roles, Lianne was a recipient of the 2018 Well-Being 100™Award, recognized by the Corporate Health and Wellness Association (CWHA) for delivery of exceptional innovation and positive change. She has also been involved with the Economic Round table for Mental Health, and a speaker at industry events. Lianne holds both a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Education degree, and her MHCC Mental Health First Aid certificate. She has also completed the Certified Excellence Professional Program in Quality and Healthy Workplaces.
Mike Court
Senior Vice President, HSEQ & Sustainability at Graham Group
Mike has a proven track record of leadership in developing, implementing, and enhancing HSEQ management systems and teams. Mike has over 30 years of Construction and HSEQ experience in the Commercial, Infrastructure, and Industrial construction industry and the Oil & Gas Energy sector. Prior to focusing on HSEQ, Mike was a Journeyman Carpenter, Superintendent, and Project Manager. Mike's vast experience covers the front line to executive leadership
Mike has a diploma from the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Occupational Health and Safety, an Executive Leadership program from Queen's University, and a Sustainability Executive Certificate from NYU Stern school of business.
Dr. James Aw
OMERS, Chief Medical Officer
Dr. James Aw, Chief Medical Officer of OMERS where he provides medical expertise on health and wellness for employees, plan members, portfolio companies and investments in healthcare. In addition, he is part time faculty in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University (2011-present). He has 20+ years of experience in corporate health and occupational medicine including disability management, critical incident planning, infectious diseases in the workplace, industrial hygiene, wellness and disease management programs. Previously, Dr. Aw was the Chief Medical Adviser at Scotiabank (2006-2017) and the CMO of Medcan (2004-2019) where he oversaw the physician team and medical operations and currently continues as a senior medical consultant with an active primary care clinical practice in Toronto.
Dr. Aw is also a Board Member of League which is a platform technology health company. His clinical research interests are in preventive medicine and global health. Dr. Aw is a past executive committee member with the McLaughlin Centre for Genomic research, University of Toronto (2016-2019) and co-founder and board member of Naweza, a non-profit organization focused on chronic disease prevention, mHealth technology and research in Africa. Dr. Aw has a Doctorate of Medicine (M.D.), School of Medicine degree from the University of Ottawa, and a post graduate degree in Occupational Health and Safety from McMaster University.
Russ Greenspan
headversity, Chief Technology Officer
Russ guides the product and engineering team at headversity, bringing over 20 years of experience as a leader at Ed and Health-Tech companies. Previously, he built digital learning platforms as CTO at PresenceLearning, the leading provider of live, online special education services, and The Princeton Review, the test prep and college admissions company. Before that Russ led engineering at Tutor.com, creating software that has delivered over 20 million live, one-to-one homework help sessions.
Russ holds a B.A. from Duke University and an M.S. in Computer Science from the University of Illinois.
Anila Lee Yuen
Centre for Newcomers in Calgary,
President and CEO
Since joining CFN, Anila has grown the agency by $12M, adding nationally recognized programming such as LGBTQ+ refugee supports and indigenous education for newcomers. She co-chaired the Calgary COVID Care Table, where she led the civil society response to assist over 50,000 vulnerable Calgarians.
Anila is the Chair Ag Media at the Calgary Stampede, member of International Women's Forum and enjoys training in martial arts. She lives in Calgary with her husband Stefan and their puppy named Sith.
Sona Khosla
Benevity powers purpose-driven solutions for more than 940 companies around the world, including iconic brands such as Microsoft, Blackrock, PayPal, Intel and Levi Strauss. It has processed over $10 billion in donations and 43 million hours of volunteering time to support 326,000 nonprofits worldwide.
Benevity, Inc, Chief Impact Officer
Sona Khosla is Chief Impact Officer at Benevity, Inc., the leading provider of global corporate purpose software. At the helm of Benevity Impact Labs, an incubator and resource hub, Sona and her team bring cutting-edge data, research, insights and best practices to help organizations and individuals maximize their impact and authentically live their purpose. She is responsible for infusing impact into Benevity’s business and culture and overseeing the company’s own impact and inclusion initiatives.
As the host of Benevity’s podcast, Speaking of Purpose, Sona is a frequent guest on shows and in the media discussing topics such as building purpose-driven brands, authentic employee and customer engagement, corporate giving trends and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.
Kevin Westgarth
National Hockey League, VP Hockey Development & Strategic Collaboration
Kevin Westgarth graduated from Princeton University in 2007, earning a degree in Psychology and playing hockey for the Tigers all four years. Following his college career, Westgarth played in the NHL for the LA Kings, Carolina Hurricanes, and Calgary Flames, highlighted by being a part of the 2012 Stanley Cup Champion LA Kings. During those playing days, he was heavily involved in the NHLPA, particularly negotiating the CBA that was agreed upon in January 2013. Westgarth finished his hockey career with a season with the Belfast Giants of the EIHL and joined the NHL in 2016. Initially getting involved in many initiatives for the league, he saw the value that collaboration could provide to players and leagues, creating a role to strengthen relationships and expand hockey's positive impact by working closely with developmental leagues.
Samantha Coker
Apache Industrial Holdings
Chief Human Resources Officer
Samantha Coker is a leader in Human Resources management with over 16 years of experience in the construction, field services and professional services industries. She has a passion for delivering value and results to the business, providing opportunities and resources for employees to live a better life, and leading a team of accomplished and talented HR professionals. Prior to joining Apache Industrial Holdings as Chief Human Resources Officer, Samantha held senior HR leadership roles with both domestic and international responsibilities.
Samantha holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in Psychology from Southeastern Louisiana University. She is a certified HR Project Manager and holds both her SHRM-CP and SPHR certifications. Samantha currently sits on the Board of Directors for HR Houston. In her free time, she enjoys travel and time spent outdoors with her husband and daughter.
Dr. Beverly Adams
Vice-Dean of the Cumming School of Medicine
Dr. Beverly Adams, MD, is Vice-Dean of the Cumming School of Medicine. She completed her medical degree at the University of Saskatchewan and her residency training at the University of Alberta. Dr. Adams' leadership career began in 1994 as the Director of the Clinical Teaching Unit at FMC and proceeded to receive progressive promotions to Clinical Medical Director; Residency Program Director; Section Chief; Academic and Clinical Department Head; Associate Dean, Professionalism, Equity, and Diversity; Senior Associate Dean, Education prior to becoming the Vice-Dean. As a psychiatrist, Dr. Adam's is involved in cutting edge research for treatment resistant OCD with MRI-guided Focused Ultrasound, early psychosis and clinical trials in schizophrenia and OCD.
Kirby Redwood
BA, MA, MBA
Kirby Redwood is Saulteaux-Cree from Cowessess First Nation and has called Moh'Kinsstis his home for over 50 years. He has been involved in the social services sector as a professional and volunteer since 1988. He has served in areas of children services, justice, adult education and social services. Holding a BA in Justice Studies, MA in Leadership, and an MBA, Kirby values the role of formal education and the possibilities this path offers in relationship to his traditional ways of being. When we respectfully parallel Indigenous worldviews to Western worldviews we create opportunities for ethical space to emerge, and from there we open the doors to personal and community wellness.
Through Royal Roads University, Kirby also obtained Graduate Certificates in Executive Coaching (2012) and Change Management (2016). Since that time, he has worked to create and encourage a coaching culture within his workplace and community. Kirby is motivated daily by Peter Drucker’s words; “The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths that make the weaknesses of an organization become irrelevant… [and] culture eats strategy for breakfast”.
As the Lead Oskâpêwis (cultural helper) of Miskanawah, Kirby takes great pride in being part of a learning organization that contributes to community as a social change agent and creates opportunities for the voices not always heard… to be heard. Kirby’s passions are his desire to make positive change within himself and the community he works and lives in. With a focus on strengthening and changing the narratives and perspectives of Canada’s Indigenous peoples, to one’s that more accurately reflect who we are as Turtle Islands first peoples.
The Chain Reaction
Tahira Jamani is a global Mindfulness & Emotional Intelligence Facilitator, and Founder of The Chain Reaction. She integrates a unique strategic perspective of human performance & motivation into her sessions.
Tahira was trained at Berkeley University in the Search Inside Yourself (SIY) Program and is a certified teacher of this course. SIY is the Mindful based Emotional Intelligence Program developed at Google by leading experts in neuroscience, business and psychology. Tahira has 10+ years of practicing and studying mindfulness and meditation.
She's worked with organizations such as GoDaddy, Generis Group, Indigo Books, the University of Calgary, and Bow Valley College.
Fun fact: Tahira has a former life in human resources and business operations. After hitting burnout she took to a personal exploration of mindfulness and experienced many benefits - this led to her career change and the impactful work she does now.
Tahira Jamani
Jason Gotwalt
headversity, VP of Growth
MODERATORS
Beth Gignac
headversity, Vice President, Social Impact
Robb Kerr
Calgary Hitmen Calgary Sports and Entertainment Group -
Manager, Business Operations
Retired from Sportsnet and Sportsnet 960 the FAN (2003-2018) as a broadcaster and talk show host after 26 years in media. The 2019 recipient of the Alberta Sports Hall Of Fame Bell Memorial (Media) Award, and 3 time Hockey Calgary Volunteer award winner.
Board member of Sport Calgary, Kidsport Calgary, and Flames Sports Bank. Member of the board of the Active City Collective project in Calgary. Supported the creation and current lead volunteer for HEROS Hockey’s SuperHEROS program. Event organizer of Flames Sportchek Summer Development Camp, Hockey Inspires Leadership Day, and Brian Burke's Targets For Kids.
Son of Marg, husband of Frankie, father of Jenn and Austin, and hunting partner of Dolly.
Hon Doug Schweitzer, ECA, QC
Schweitzer is a Senior Advisor at Deloitte and a former Cabinet Minister in the Government of Alberta. He provides strategic leadership on projects related to Deloitte’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications industry group, which is one of the world’s largest pools of deep industry experts, supporting companies of all shapes and sizes as they scale, modernize, and thrive in a digital world.
During his time in office, he led the development of Alberta’s successful economic Recovery Plan to build on Alberta’s strengths and diversify its economy. In addition to coordinating industry strategies across Government, Schweitzer was directly responsible for developing provincial strategies for: technology and innovation, aerospace and logistics, manufacturing, film and television, pharmaceuticals and life sciences, and tourism.
He represented the constituency of Calgary-Elbow and served as the Minister of Justice and Solicitor General, as well as Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation. He was also the Deputy Government House Leader and chaired or was a member of the Legislative Review Committee, Jobs and Economy Cabinet Committee, Priorities Implementation Cabinet Committee, Families and Communities Cabinet Committee, Emergency Response Cabinet Committee and Treasury Board. As Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation he was responsible for Alberta’s international offices and numerous Crown Corporations including: Invest Alberta, Alberta Innovates, Alberta Enterprise Corporation and Travel Alberta.
Prior to becoming an elected official, Schweitzer was a partner at a leading law firm. He lives in Calgary and is active in his community having been involved with numerous charities.
Catriona Le May Doan O.C.
Catriona Le May Doan was the fastest woman on ice. After carrying the Canadian flag into the 2002 Olympic Winter Games opening ceremony (her fourth Olympics), Catriona defended her Olympic title with a Gold medal performance in the 500 metre event, becoming the first Canadian individual to defend a gold medal at any Olympic games. She held the World Record in the 500m for 10 years. During her career Catriona broke 13 World Records.
In 1998, at the Nagano Olympic Winter Games, Catriona won her first Olympic Gold medal in the 500m in Olympic record time, then added an Olympic Bronze Medal in the 1000m event. She finished the 1998 season first overall in the World Cup standings in both the 500m and 1000m events. In 1999 Catriona’s domination in the speed skating world continued when she finished first overall in the World Cup standings for the 500m event.
Catriona’s accomplishments have earned her the 2002 Lou Marsh Award as Canada’s Athlete of the Year and she is a three-time recipient (1998, 2001, 2002) of the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award for Canadian Female Athlete of the Year award.
Catriona has covered five Olympic Games and co-hosted the primetime show Countdown to Beijing. She joined the CTV Olympic broadcast team for the Vancouver 2010 Games, which earned her a Gemini for Best Sports Analyst. Catriona continued her work with CTV, as co-host of Olympic Morning for the London 2012 Games. She was one of four athletes to light the cauldron at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony. She was the position of Lead, Athlete Mentor for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games working closely with the Olympic team, and is the Chef de Mission for the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games.
Catriona was given three honorary degrees, and was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Committee’s Sports Hall of Fame and appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada – one of Canada’s highest honours.
Catriona has been a board member with VANOC, Winsport, Calgary 2026 BidCo, Red Deer 2019, and still actively involved in the Canada Games Council as Vice Chair, Special Olympics Canada, Canadian Sport Institute Calgary, Winsport, and various other charity organizations.
Catriona is President and CEO of Sport Calgary in helping to advance amateur sport in Calgary.
Catriona lives in Calgary with two children, Greta and Easton.
CEO Round table Participants
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Nancy Chadwick
Vice President, HSE Graham
Nancy was born and raised in Saskatchewan where she continues to reside with her husband and two boys.
Nancy attended Ryerson University in Toronto where she studied Occupational Health and Safety and Advanced Safety Management.
Early in her safety career, Nancy conducted HSE audits, evaluations, and training for various sectors including construction, oil and gas, and manufacturing. Nancy founded her own HSE training company early in her career before moving to work with client, Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (SCSA). During this time, she formed a relationship with Graham, eventually making the leap to joining Graham in 2007.
As her career progressed, Nancy held roles within the Industrial and Infrastructure sector as Regional HSE Manager and later Director, HSE. Currently Nancy is the Vice President, HSE for the Industrial, Maintenance and Turnarounds and Infrastructure West portfolios within Graham where she leads a team of 95 managers and HSE field coordinators.
Nancy has always felt that participation in the safety community is essential to help grow the Graham brand. As a member of the Women in Occupational Health & Safety, Canadian association of Women in Construction, Womentorship, SaskPolytechnic Occupational Health & Safety Practitioner Curriculum Advisory Committee, Canadian Society of Safety Engineers (Board Member), and the Saskatchewan Construction Safety Association (Past Board Member), Nancy continues to support industry growth with respect to HSE. The construction industry is supported by her recognition as the Safety Practitioner of the Year, SCSA.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
Joelle Tomlinson
CTV Morning News
Joelle Tomlinson is the main host of CTV Morning Live Calgary – covering local, national and international news on a daily basis. Her passion lies in interviewing, capturing stories and connecting with people around the globe.
She is a highly sought-after emcee and host, and is passionate about a number of topics – most significantly the opioid crisis and empowering diverse and marginalized voices within the community.
When she’s not behind an anchor desk, Joelle enjoys long-distance running, teaching spin classes, hiking, reading, writing, time with friends and family -- and the magic of a local coffee shop.
Joelle was named the Western Association of Broadcasting’s Leader of Tomorrow in 2017.