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  • VENUE

Program

Thursday October 30, 2025

Bayview Yards, Ottawa, ON

8.10 – 9.00

Registration  and Networking 

9.00 – 9.10

Introduction from the Chair

Welcome remarks by the chair and an introduction to the day.

Heidi Hauver, Former Chief People Officer and Leadership and Culture Mentor

9.10 – 9.35 Fireside Chat:

Aligning Leadership and Corporate Vision to Become an Employer of Choice

What role does HR play in aligning leadership strategy with corporate goals? Hear how an award-winning, top, Ottawa-based, employer has adopted a bold, people-first approach to empower leaders, drive growth and become an employer of choice and how can HR arm top performers with the tools, coaching, and clarity they need to lead with impact?

Michael Johnson, President & CEO, Multiview     

9.35 – 10.15 Engagement Panel

Resilient Teams, Agile HR: practical strategies to help your HR teams thrive 

  • How can HR teams embed agility into their daily practices to better navigate  uncertainty?
  • What steps can we take to create psychological safety to foster resilience ?
  • How can continuous learning and cross-functional development strengthen the adaptability of HR professionals?

Keira Torkko, Chief People Officer, Assent

Ann Clancy, Chief Talent Officer, CHEO

Kiran Hanspal,  ADM, HR, Public Services and Procurement Canada   

9.35 – 10.15 Expert Session

Pay Equity & Transparency: A New Era in Compensation 

  •  Why wage transparency matters in 2025 and how it’s shifting organizational culture
  • Tools and technologies to audit pay equity effectively
  • Legal considerations for wage disclosure and compliance in the public and private sectors
  • Communicating pay structures with empathy and clarity

10.15 – 10.40

Morning Coffee and Networking Break

Time to refuel and continue networking!   

10.40– 11.05 Gold Partner Insights

Benefits, Perks and other Rewards that Matter 

  • What employees want now: financial health, flexibility, and empathy
  • Evolving benefit plans to reflect life-stage and workforce diversity
  • Assessing common concerns being raised with HR leaders - squeezing finances, budgeting/saving in uncertain times, more workplace communication – and finding solutions to address these concerns   

11.05 – 11.15

Recharge break and guided meditation  

11.15 – 12.00 Talent Strategy Panel

From Crisis to Capability: Solving the Talent Challenge

  • Navigating hybrid work fatigue and retention issues
  • Upskilling, reskilling, and internal mobility strategies
  • Immigration and inclusive hiring 
  • Cross-sector partnerships for emerging talent pipelines

Kin Choi, VP of HR, Algonquin College

Pamela LeMaistre, CHRO, City of Ottawa 

Marshia Akbar, Director, BMO Newcomer Workforce Integration Lab

Lisa Nowostawski, Director of HR, Welch LLP

12.00 – 1.00

Networking Lunch Break

It is time for lunch - and you have earned it.  

1.00 – 1.40 Workplace Belonging Panel

From Policy to Culture:  Putting the ‘Belonging’ into DE&I 

  • Going beyond DEI: what belonging means for retention
  • Designing employee networks and peer communities
  • How storytelling drives belonging and inclusion
  • Leadership accountability: who owns belonging?
  • What gets measured gets improved

 Awad Ibrahim, Vice-Provost, ED&I Excellence, University of Ottawa  

Candace Labelle, Senior Director – Talent Programs, Calian  

Neha D’Souza, Chief Operating Officer, Perley-Robertson, Hill & McDougall 

1.40– 2.05 Expert Insights

Human-Centered AI in HR: Unlocking the Opportunity

  • AI in recruiting, L&D, and internal mobility
  • Managing risk and bias in AI adoption
  • Policy, transparency, and trust

2.05 – 2.30

Afternoon Refreshment and Networking Break

Time to refuel and continue the networking! 

2.30 – 3.15 Peer-to-Peer Roundtables

Choose ONE issue and join an employer-only roundtable to discuss  strategies for overcoming challenges and capitalizing on opportunities*

  1. Building Future Leaders: Aligning Talent Attraction, Retention and Development
  2. AI for a More Resilient Workplace 
  3. Strategies for Supporting Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing
  4. Upskilling and Reskilling to Future-Proof Your Workforce 
  5. Reward and Benefits to Attract & Retain Top Talent
  6. Managing Workplace Menopause 
  7. Conflict Resolution – strategies and procedures  

3.15– 3.55 Fireside Chat

Holistic Wellness Practices that Works in Multi-Generational Workplaces

  • What is ‘holistic Wellbeing’ and how can best address all pillars of employee health? 
  • Strategies for shaping policies that address different demographics and priorities 
  • Designing inclusive benefits that reflect new wellness priorities
  • Gen Z’s expectations: purpose, mental health, and work-life integration and how wellbeing impacts recruitment

Donna Burnett Vachon, Director, Change and OD, Hydro Ottawa  


3.55 – 4.20 Closing Rapid Fire Take-Away Session

Enticing GenZ into the Workplace with a Forward-Thinking, People-First, Company Culture

5 short sessions, 5-minute presentations; hear what the trailblazers are doing to stand out in the crowd to win the hearts and minds of GenZ!!  

Nathalie Guthrie, Director of HR, CENGN  

Caroline Bastien, Strategic Workforce Strategy & Culture, Export Development Canada 

4.20 – 4.30

Chair’s Closing Remarks

Top take-aways from the day!

Heidi Hauver, Former Chief People Officer and Leadership and Culture Mentor

* Note: These are employer-only discussion groups and providers will not be permitted to register or attend these sessions

 

 

Program subject to change *Provisional Date

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