CALGARY SUMMIT SPEAKERS
Anne-Marie Pham - CEO at 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.
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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. She was a member of the City of Calgary's Anti-Racism Action Committee from October 2020 to October 2023.
Bina Kamath - CEO & Founder, Orion's Reach
Bina conceptualized and created Orion’s Reach-during the pandemic in 2020. Orion’s Reach is a federal non-profit organization based on a mentorship model. The concept is unique in that it matches multiple mentors to a mentee to provide maximum benefit. The program is inclusive in terms of accepting all individuals for an all-encompassing mentoring program. She is a seasoned and versatile human resources leader with over 20 years’ experience and a passionate dedicated entrepreneur.
All of her philanthropic efforts have been directed to empowering, influencing, and energizing women. Her mantra is “be bold, be the voice and the change you want to see”. She received top mentor award for 2019-2020 from CCIS and similarly by Women in Leadership Foundation for her outstanding contribution and dedication. Bina was featured in 2019 & 2020 Know Book Calgary as one of top female leaders. As a board member, she participated in Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) virtual think tanks with UN Women and International Performance Institute of Canada. Her 20+ years’ experience and knowledge in HR has been instrumental in designing and formulating mentorship programs for many non-profits.
Bina’s position as CEO and Founder of Orion’s Reach enables her to leverage her extensive network and experience to mentor and coach aspiring and established leaders, entrepreneurs. She is one of the panelists on Grizzly Den - a panel of successful business leaders working together to provide professional career development and guidance to Canadian job seekers She is also a member of WEKH (Women Entrepreneurs Knowledge Hub) where she advocates for women as entrepreneurs as a part of federal government initiative to close the gender gap. She is also a voice at the Natural Supports Leadership Table as part of Connections First to build sustainable communities when it comes to forming meaningful relationships that optimize positive growth and development for all. Bina is a coach and mentor to several non-profits and educational institutions in Calgary and across Canada.
During her free time, she loves to travel, paint and spend time with her family including her two Bichon puppies
Deborah Green- Leads Indigenous Workforce Development, Indigenous Awareness at Suncor Energy as a Senior National Specialist
Deborah Green (Gopher) is a proud Nehiyaw Iskwew (Cree woman) from the Kawacatoose and Piapot’s First Nations in Saskatchewan. Her journey began many years ago with the history of her ancestors, and the intergenerational impacts of Canada’s history with Indigenous Peoples, within her family. She experienced barriers to fair opportunities, racism, intergenerational trauma, and wanted to make her life’s work dedicated to drive change for future generations.
Deborah has 20+ years’ experience in Diversity and Indigenous HR solutions, keynote and panel speaking, and extensive community advocacy. She has developed and integrated workforce diversity strategies, policies, and processes, fostering inclusive work environments, and ensuring leader accountability within corporate, oil and gas, education, and private consulting industries. Deborah has an extensive network within Canada, and is established and recognized as an authentic, humble subject matter specialist, and role model in the Indigenous Community, and within mainstream society. She is the recipient of the Urban Society for Aboriginal Youth “Changemaker” Award and was gifted an “Equao” Award from the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women. Her passion is evident in the changes she has driven from seeing pride in Indigenous youth, equitable Indigenous employment in Canada, and the education and awareness of all Canadians about the true colonial history of the country.
Deborah leads Indigenous Workforce Development, Indigenous Awareness at Suncor Energy as a Senior National Specialist, where she is responsible for the governance, advocacy, and thoughtful development of applicable Workforce Development projects, programs, and practices for Suncor. Her role includes working in collaboration with Indigenous communities to understand community needs, share Suncor recruitment and employment program information, and identify opportunities to strengthen candidates’ employment readiness. Deborah provides Indigenous employment insights and advice to Suncor leaders and teams, manages internal programs, and fosters relationships and collaboration opportunities with external organizations. She is co-chair and leads Suncor’s Indigenous employee network, Journeys. Her contributions in the network include leading and advising the company on cultural awareness activities through storytelling, sharing her lived experiences as a Nehiyaw Iskwew, advising leaders on Indigenous knowledge to guide and incorporate Indigenous worldviews and ways of knowing and into company processes and programs. “A place to call home” within the corporate environment, Deborah is committed to Indigenous employees to thrive and take pride in who they are.
Deborah uses her voice, empowers others, and takes action in her advocacy work for Missing, Murdered, Exploited Indigenous Peoples; is part of an Indigenous Women’s Hand Drum Group “Sings Many Songs Women” and is entrenched in many Indigenous community and urban gatherings, social justice events, celebrations, and ceremony.
Edna Howard, VP (Canada) of Chevron's Global Indigenous Employment Network | Local & Indigenous Content Advisory, Chevron
Tansi! My name is Edna (Delorme) Howard, and I proudly identify as a Métis woman. My ancestral lineage weaves together Iroquois, Beaver, Chippewa, and Sekani tribes with European fur traders who journeyed westward alongside the North West Company and Hudson’s Bay Company during the 18th century. Fluent in both ‘Nehiyawewin’ (Cree) and English, I wholeheartedly embrace my diverse heritage.
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Generations of my family tended the land in the Athabasca Valley for over a century until the tragic Jasper Exodus of 1904. Government decisions forcibly displaced our community to create Jasper National Park. The subsequent industrial and residential development in the Grande Cache area brought both adversity and resilience. Substance abuse, suicide, and the enduring legacy of colonization have indelibly marked every Indigenous person in Canada, including myself.
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My life’s purpose centers around building bridges of understanding. I firmly believe that dialogue and practical pathways can lead to reconciliation and inclusion across our nation. After serving in the non-profit sector and a post-secondary institution, I transitioned to the Oil & Gas Industry. Here, I champion Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles through Local & Indigenous Content initiatives. My educational journey spans fields such as Office Administration, Business Administration, Certificate in Aboriginal Employment Development, and Commercial and Contract Management – Advanced Practitioner.
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In 2019, I joined Chevron Canada as the SCM Local and Indigenous Content Advisor. In this pivotal role, I actively support and lead increased participation of local and Indigenous services in our operating areas. Recently, I assumed the position of VP Canada for the Global Indigenous Employee Network. Our mission? To enhance cultural fluency among Chevron employees, open doors, and create pathways for Indigenous employees to leadership positions. Additionally, I participate in and lead other diversity and inclusion activities dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace culture.
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Thank you for allowing me to share my story. Let’s continue working together toward a more equitable and harmonious future!
Gurjit Mann Toor - Principle at PnG Ventures Inc, Co-Owner/PM at PnG Builders, Owner/Artist at @closet.art.studio
Qualifications - BSc Computer Science, Project Management Professional (PMP)
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Gurjit is always on the lookout to expand her horizons and use her experiences to build breadth, perspective and foresight into both her personal and professional life. She has gained valuable lessons from growing up surrounded by entrepreneurs, finding herself as the only woman in computer science lecture theatres, being the only person of color in most of her corporate meetings, and starting businesses in construction, fitness, speaking, coaching, fine arts… and counting!
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Whether it's about building fluidity and inquisitiveness into your life, navigating the unpredictable behaviors of those in your circle of influence, or finding the powerful lesson behind every "adversity" that you think defines you, she offers some interesting and unconventional perspectives.
Heather Thomson - Executive and Leadership Coach | Author | Speaker | WIL Alberta Chapter Chair.
Heather is an executive and leadership coach, and the founder of Bold and Brave Coaching and co-owner of Lumilead Inc. Through Lumilead's partnership with WIL National, she plays a vital role in empowering leaders as a co-creator and facilitator for the Authentic Leadership Program offered by WIL.
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Heather is also a published author. She co-wrote "Mind The Gap: Navigating Your Leadership Journey" and recently released "The Leadership Playbook," a daily planner designed to provide leaders with actionable insights.
As the WIL Alberta chapter chair since 2021, Heather leverages her extensive experience to foster growth and development within the organization. She lives in Sherwood Park with her husband and daughter, where she is committed to her family, a core value that guides her work and life.
Dedicated to promoting authentic leadership and continuous learning, Heather is passionate about empowering individuals and organizations to thrive in today’s dynamic business landscape.
Joanna Shea - CEO and Co-Founder of the Negotiations Collective.
Joanna has over 18 years of negotiations experience in the natural resource, utilities, infrastructure, health care, and education sectors. During that time, she has led over $2B worth of acquisitions, divestments, and contract negotiations. She has project-managed and negotiated agreements linked to over $1B in capital projects in both Canada and the United States and held senior leadership roles in commercial negotiations, project management, resource development, and organizational restructuring.
Joanna has served as both director and president of volunteer and professional organizations across Canada, whereby her primary objective has been to lobby provincial governments on issues relating to the members she represented, in addition to developing and delivering education and social programs. Joanna has a BCOM from St. Francis Xavier University, is a graduate of British Petroleum's intensive in-house Conflict and Negotiations training course, holds a Graduate Certificate in Project Leadership from Cornell University, and a Graduate Certificate in Negotiations Mastery from the Harvard School of Business.
Joanna is the CEO and Co-Founder of the Negotiations Collective.
Karen Cheng, P.Eng
Vice President, Enterprise Architecture and Distinguished Engineer
Kyndryl Consult Canada
Karen Cheng is a Distinguished Engineer at Kyndryl Canada with over 26 years of experience in IT enterprise architecture and technology planning. Known for her technical breadth and collaborative leadership style, she effectively builds bridges between technical and business stakeholders to achieve common goals.
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In her previous roles, Karen led the design of the core, cloud native automation platform that supports infrastructure services delivery for hundreds of Kyndryl clients today. She was also instrumental in deploying the Kyndryl operational data lake and AIOps analytics. She is a strong advocate for data driven decision making and actionable insights.
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In her current role as Vice President in the Cross Practice Enterprise Architecture domain under Kyndryl Consult, she advises clients on complex IT transformations, with an integrator mindset towards technology, people, process and business outcomes.
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As a licensed Professional Engineer, Karen enjoys being an active industry mentor, encouraging students to pursue careers in STEAM fields, and coaching technical talent within Kyndryl to foster innovation and community.
Lana Bentley MSW, RCSW
Director, Organizational Strategy
YWCA
Lana is YW Calgary’s Director of Organizational Strategy. Prior to joining YW, Lana worked with Alberta Health Services where she spent most of her time working in child and adolescent mental health. She currently teaches part-time at Mount Royal University and the University of Calgary. Lana shares her time as a board member with Youth Central Calgary, the Calgary Black Chambers, and the Alberta College of Opticians.
Liz Punch - Director of Recruitment TinyEYE Therapy Services, Co-Founder & CEO Leading Talent, Work Life Wellness Coach
BA Hons Human Resources Management, Certified Wellness Coach
Liz is a heart-centred leader with over 25years of experience in Talent Acquisition & Marketing, spanning financial services, executive search & healthcare. Liz is an advocate for diversity, equity inclusion & belonging in the workplace, advancing women's careers through her non-profit work with Dress for Success, Women in Leadership, Kelowna Women in Business, and now Leading Talent.
Maya Kanigan, BComm
Founder and President, Women in Leadership Foundation
Co-Founder of Leading Talent Agency
For the past 23 years, Maya Kanigan has been creating and directing solutions to advance women in leadership and empower the next generation. In 2001, she founded the Women in Leadership Foundation (WIL), a national, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing women in leadership positions and creating a platform to promote diverse & inclusive workplaces. WIL’s award winning, 5-month Mentorship Program matches emerging women leaders with mentors from diverse industries from the business community to build confidence, develop leadership skills, and propel career advancement. WIL has chapters in Toronto - US, Ottawa, Montreal, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Okanagan, Victoria, and Vancouver and Atlantic Canada.
From 2004 to 2010, her work with WIL was centred around delivering labour market projects through studies on the attraction, recruitment and retention of women with partnerships with the federal and provincial governments, and industry and corporate sectors. And from 2003 to 2012, she led the creation of 13 Indigenous Women in Leadership Forums, partnering with Squamish Nation and other Indigenous communities across Canada.
In 2015, Maya co-founded Leading Talent, Canada’s premiere provider of gender equality, DE&I recruitment solutions, specializing in the attraction, retention and placement of women into leadership roles nationally and internationally.
Maya holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Victoria. In 2007, Maya was awarded a scholarship to participate in the Rotman School of Management’s Judy Project – a development program for high potential leaders. In 2015, she was awarded the Gustavson School of Business 25 ‘Alumni to Watch’ honour from the University of Victoria.
Maya is a proud mother of one, daughter Bella, and enjoys time with family, friends and her dog Roxy, along with running, hiking, tennis, and gardening.
Megan Wickens - Business Development and Operations, Orion’s Reach
Megan is an experienced leader in talent development with 15 years of creating solutions for organizations around the world including developing strategic and complex talent programs. She is currently the Global Head of AI Operations for a global staffing firm, and is passionate about the transformative potential of AI technology and the impact it will have on the world of work. Megan has proven herself as a visionary leader who dreams big and values creativity and innovation. But Megan doesn't just talk the talk when it comes to valuing employees, she walks the walk by prioritizing mentorship opportunities. She understands that investing in team members' growth helps everyone achieve collective success.
Megan is so excited to be a part of the Orion's Reach team where she can help organizations and individuals realize their potential through mentorship.
Roxanne Hodgson - Manager, Indigenous Relations, Dexterra Group
Roxanne Hodgson is a Metis woman with over 20 years of experience, specializing in surface land management, Indigenous business and workforce development, project management, and community engagement.
As Dexterra Group’s Manager Indigenous Relations, Roxanne is responsible for contributing to the development and execution of internal and external Indigenous Relations strategies to support the business needs of the Horizon North division as part of the Dexterra Group Inc.
Roxanne has been recognized for her unique approach in maintaining robust relationships based on mutual trust, while ensuring optimal delivery with sustainable solutions. She demonstrates effective leadership and communication skills, combined with an unwavering enthusiastic attitude that fosters influential and sustainable relationships within the industry, and in Indigenous and multicultural communities.
Roxanne has a deep appreciation and understanding of the unique concerns that face Indigenous peoples and communities. She has developed specific processes and protocols to best address these concerns while building bridges and maintaining positive, mutually beneficial relationships among affected stakeholders by employing clear, concise, and consistent communication strategies.
Outside of the office, Roxanne's passion lies in sustainable gardening, canning and her beautiful three granddaughters. She nurtures her garden, harvests her crop to can and preserve, and generously shares with respected Elders and close friends. Known for her adventurous spirit, she enjoys experimenting with new recipes and delighting her unsuspecting friends with her culinary creations. Additionally, Roxanne grows her own sweetgrass and sage, contributing to her morning smudging rituals. Overall, Roxanne enjoys sharing in her joy of gardening and always makes sure she has enough to go around.
Saawan Logan - Founder and CEO, North Water Canada
Saawan, was the youngest of 3 siblings was born in Fiji and moved to Canada from Australia. She is the woman who makes it all happen. She turns her dreams into reality, with persistence, drive and her super charged energy. Her sense of adventure spans globally for both work and leisure. She has worked across Asia Pacific, Australia and more recently, Canada. In her travels, the only thing she never came across was Canadian water on international shelves. After spending majority of her career in oil and gas, she ventured into entrepreneurship and started North, Canada’s entry into the premium bottled water market. North is water elevated. Water of the highest quality served in reusable aluminium bottles. It is a pledge to end plastic pollution while making North synonymous with the Canadian Rockies.
North went operational in 2020 and has since expanded its distribution network across Canada. North Water is sourced from the Canadian Rockies and is naturally high in alkaline. North Water is currently carried in 5-star hotels, private jets, major retailers like Whole Foods Canada and more recently on movie production sets like the Last of Us.
Amongst Saawan’s many favourite things to do, spending time in nature, travelling and cooking top the charts. Saawan is involved in the community and is always looking at taking on volunteer initiatives where she can make a difference. She believes in hearing everyone out and providing meaningful opportunities for everyone.
Shabeena Habib - Vice President, People & Culture, Amii
As Amii’s Vice President of People and Culture, Shabeena champions a people-first strategy, fostering an environment where teams thrive and human connection is paramount. With over two decades of senior leadership experience spanning diverse industries like not-for-profit, hospitality, retail, and social services, Shabeena is recognized for her dedication to operational excellence and collaborative leadership.
Drawing from her background in Foods and Nutrition from the University of Alberta, Shabeena's career evolved towards her true passion: cultivating exceptional workplaces. For Shabeena, the essence of her career lies in nurturing meaningful relationships between people and their work, a vital element in driving organizational success.
Recognized for her innovative approach to work-life integration and commitment to ongoing learning and development, Shabeena is a driving force behind Amii's unique and rewarding workplace culture. Her leadership is marked by authenticity, creativity, and an unwavering belief in the power of a purpose-driven, people-focused strategy to foster a culture of innovation and growth.
Shannon Mayer, Leadership Coach and HR Consultant, Creative Impact Consulting
Shannon’s career has spanned over the past 25 years in Human Resources Management and Consulting roles, specializing in Human Resources Strategy, Leadership Development, and Performance Improvement. She hails from a full-time career in the Alberta, Canada energy industry, a highly dynamic industry where this valuable experience to think critically and navigate rapid change informs her coaching and consulting work today. She knows from her experience that the corporate environment is a complex and forever journey.
Shannon partners with small–mid-sized organizations to create people programs that helps them to achieve bottom line results, improved people development, performance, and belonging. As a Leadership and Performance Coach, Shannon works with Mid-Senior Level leaders to help them achieve their leadership and business results by improving their personal and team performance and productivity, influence, relationships, and communication effectiveness. Her value stems from her ability to build trust and rapport with her clients, identify their strengths and develop new skills and behaviors for sustainable change. In addition, being a previous Ex-pat, she works with international Ex-pats to help them succeed in their new environment.
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Shannon is a learning leader by staying current with industry trends and evidence-based theories on whole person wellness, peak performance principles, and workplace success. Certified in Human Resources Management from the University of Calgary, Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University, she holds the Professional Certified Coach accreditation with the International Coaching Federation (ICF) and other certifications in Group Coaching, Hogan 360, DISC and Predictive Index assessments.
Shelley Kuipers
Co-CEO, General Partner - The51
Shelley Kuipers is investing in the world she wants to live in. As an activist in business, entrepreneurship and investment, Shelley likes to take on the status quo, and seek out democratized business models and platforms.
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Previous to co-founding The51, Shelley founded crowdsourcing company Chaordix and technology and marketing firm, Stormworks. She was also the co-founder of IOVIA, based in London, UK. Shelley also collaboratively runs her family office Adventure Capital, with her partner and two sons. Shelley has had the opportunity to live and work in Canada, US, Germany and the UK, as well as lead global commercialization efforts across markets in the US,
UK/Europe, SE Asia/Australia and Africa.
Shelley has been early-stage investing for more than 20 years. Her investment experience started in oil and gas, but she quickly diversified her investments into the tech sector with a focus on innovation-driven companies across many sectors. To date their family office has made +30 early-stage investments.
Shelley’s most notable investment was Solium, which was acquired by Morgan Stanley in 2019 for $1.1B. Shelley supports many founders, and ventures as an advisor, board observer and director, including Bobbie Racette Founder and CEO of Virtual Gurus.
Sylvie Croteau-Willard
Event & Project Manager
Cultural, Immersive and Inclusive Experience Specialist
Sylvie is an inclusive experience designer who develops plans for sensory-friendly accommodations for events and organizations. She has experience in, project management, interior design, education and energy work. Her skill set has enabled her to gain a deep comprehension of how physical, social, and energetic environments affect an individual's well-being. Sylvie creates environments of belonging by creating holistic plans that tackle inclusion through stakeholder engagement, training, communications, and the implementation of accommodations.
Upon receiving a recent diagnosis of giftedness and ADHD, Sylvie has pursued a thorough understanding of neurodiversity. In addition to this, her lived experiences as a Franco-Albertan settler, an expat growing up in Asia, being married into a Chinese immigrant family, and of enduring decades of chronic pain have given her a personal understanding of the layers of diversity involved in inclusion work.
Tara Langan - Owner, CAREER TLC
With a background in Human Resources and a recent ADHD diagnosis, Tara has
established herself as a key voice in advancing normalizing neurodiversity in workplaces on LinkedIn as well as a keynote speaker. With several presentations including taking the stage at DisruptHR she is proudly inviting a call to action for workplaces to embrace neurodiversity and mental health.
Taking the lead on advancing neurodiversity in industry, she has recently partnered with Athabasca University to develop a getting started continuing education program: Neurodiversity in the Workplace training program for leaders, HR professionals, and teams.
Tara's approach is centered on offering a universal human centric approach to the human experience. She is authentic and real and has fun with her audiences along the way.
THALIA ASPESLET
MANAGER, INDIGENOUS AND COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Born of Métis and European settler descent and raised in what are now known as Grimshaw/Peace River/High-Level Alberta, home to Duncan, Woodland Cree and Dene Tha First Nations, Lubicon Lake Band and the Cadotte Lake Métis Nation as well as the traditional Territories of Treaty 8 member Nations and the Métis Nation of Alberta Region #6, she grew up in the heart of the northern oil and gas development of the province.
Thalia is honoured to serve in the role of Managing Indigenous and Community Relations which will include initiating, maintaining, and developing Explore’s ongoing relationships with Indigenous communities. Utilizing Explore’s current momentum, she will continue the growth of these successful partnerships. Thalia has spent the last 12 years in the oil & gas industry as a processing and interpreting geophysicist, external relations advisor, community liaison officer, and consultation & regulatory advisor for new license applications in Alberta. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Geophysics from the University of Calgary and in 2020, obtained her P.Geo, APEGA (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists) designation. Giving back to community is a passion of hers. Now that her son has entered into university she has found herself volunteering with the Board of Directors for First Nations Power Authority and as a coach for Indigenous Youth through Calgary Youth Justice Society’s In-The-Lead program, in partnership with miskanawah, based out of Moh’Kinsstis (Calgary). As a way to reconnect with herself, she spends time with her family being a swim parent, hiking in the mountains, camping and participating in outdoor sports.
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.
123-456-7890