Past Event Highlights
The Conference Board of Canada hosts events that bring together thought leaders to discuss topics that matter to Canadians, with a focus on preparing leaders in private industry, non-profit organizations, and government sectors.
Fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange
These events aim to provide individuals or teams with valuable insights and knowledge to enhance leadership skills and keep informed about topical issues.
Event highlights
2014
Year, the Canadian Immigration Summit and the Better Workplace Conference started
3,002
Total number of attendees since 2014 (recurring events only)
91
Total sponsors over the years
Sponsorship benefits
Sponsoring an event offers businesses and organizations an opportunity to increase their brand exposure and reach a wider audience, conduct targeted marketing and direct audience engagement, network and build partnerships with industry professionals, and position their organization as a thought leader.
Previous Events
The Canadian Immigration Summit is an annual event that brings together thought leaders, policy-makers, employers, and non-profit leaders to collaborate on innovative strategies that address the complex challenges and unique opportunities facing Canada’s immigration system.
At the 2023 Canadian Immigration Summit, participants worked alongside key immigration leaders to develop solutions for complex immigration problems, including pathways to permanent residence, resettling refugees, and employers’ capacity to assess skills and experience acquired abroad. They gained insights into refugee and immigrant employment experiences and shared their own experiences and learnings.
Featured speakers at CIS 2023
Wendy Cukier
Founder Diversity Institute and Academic Director, Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub
Fariborz Birjandian
CEO Calgary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS)
John Biles
Acting Senior Director, Settlement Network Resettlement Operations Directorate, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
Rema Jamous Imseis
Representative to Canada, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
115
Past attendees
4.2/5
Were satisfied with this event
Attendees by Job Function
Attendees by Job Title
In 2022, the Canadian Immigration Summit delved into the need to enhance our immigration system, considered pressing issues arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, and emphasized the crucial role of innovation in accelerating the economic and social integration of newcomers and fostering inclusive communities, acknowledging that addressing the vulnerabilities of temporary workers and refugees is paramount to ensuring the stability of immigrant-intensive industries.
Featured speakers at CIS 2022
Arif Khimani
President and COO, MobSquad
Armine Yanlizyan
Atkinson Foundation Fellow, Future of Workers
Debbie Douglas
Executive Director, OCASI
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
410
Past attendees
4.8/5
Were satisfied with this event
Attendees by Job Function
Attendees by Job Title
In 2021, the Canadian Immigration Virtual Summit explored how COVID-19 had impacted the immigration system and the lives of newcomers. It also explored how Canada could leverage immigration to speed up economic recovery while continuing to offer a good quality of life for newcomers from around the world.
Featured speakers at CIS 2021
The Right Honourable Adrienne Clarkson
Former Governor-General of Canada
Corinne Prince
Director General, Francophone Immigration and Official Languages Part VII, Settlement and Integration Policy Branch, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino
Minister, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
469
Past attendees
4.1/5
Were satisfied with this event
Attendees by Job Function
Attendees by Job Title
The Better Workplace Conference addresses various aspects of creating a better workplace, including attracting and retaining top talent, cultivating a healthy work culture, and tackling emerging challenges and opportunities for Canadian organizations.
The 2023 Better Workplace Conference focused on how to attract and retain top talent. Employers discussed their pressing concerns about remote work, labour shortages, employee engagement, and compensation. The event featured trusted Conference Board research and experts from across its areas of expertise.
Featured speakers at BWC 2023
David Burkus
Best-selling author
Dipal Damani
Founder and President, D&D Inclusion Consulting
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa
Physician, change-maker, transformative leadership, advocate for diversity and inclusion
Michael Lifshitz
Founder, Illumabilities
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
613
Past attendees
4.5/5
Were satisfied with this event
Attendees by Job Function
Attendees by Job Title
The 2022 Better Workplace Conference explored the components of a healthy work culture and what a “better” workplace really means, took a deep dive into current challenges, and heard from leaders dedicated to cultivating a healthy and caring workplace culture.
Featured speakers at BWC 2022
Hamza Khan
Future of work expert and author of Leadership, Reinvented
Megan Smith
Head of Human Resources, SAP Canada
Tina Varughese
Cross-cultural communication and diversity expert
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
839
Past attendees
4.4/5
Were satisfied with this event
Attendees by Job Function
Attendees by Job Title
The COVID-19 global pandemic ignited change, uncertainty, and opportunities in unprecedented ways. Our 2020 Better Workplace Conference combined thought leadership, case studies, and engaging discussions to address emerging challenges and opportunities for Canadian organizations. Participants explored ways to create a workplace that is agile in the face of change, actively engages diverse perspectives, and prioritizes physical safety and psychological well-being.
Featured speakers at BWC 2020
Bill Howatt
Chief of Research, Workforce Productivity, The Conference Board of Canada
Camille Dundas
Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, ByBlacks.com
Jamelle Lindo
Emotional Intelligence Leadership Coach, Paradigm People Development Inc.
Ron Tite
Purpose-driven leadership and marketing expert
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
556
Past attendees
4.6/5
Were satisfied with this event
Attendees by Job Function
Attendees by Job Title
Looking to sponsor an event
Connect with our team to learn more about sponsorship opportunities and how your organization can get involved.
In collaboration with The Future Skills Centre and partners
Our Future Skills Centre convening brought together leading experts to examine labour market trends, challenges in skills development, and ways to elevate the quality of work and showcase innovative ideas that will shape the future work environment in Canada. By listening to Canadians in the skills and training community, we gained valuable insights into the skills that will be needed tomorrow.
The 2023 Future Skills virtual event focused on quality of work as a positive contributor to Canada’s future of work and the benefits of improving working conditions, such as wages, benefits, health and safety, autonomy, voice, security, and flexibility. Participants explored the various dimensions of quality of work, learned how organizations are enhancing it locally, nationally, and internationally, and improved their understanding of how governments, policy-makers, industry representatives, and workforce development practitioners can elevate the quality of work.
Featured speakers at FSC 2023
Anton Solomon
Director, Labour Market Development, Government of Yukon
Wessam Ayad
Learning and Development–EDI Manager, KEYS Job Centre
Gladys Ahovi
President & CEO, Foundation for Black Communities
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
707
Past attendees
Attendees by Job Function
Attendees by Region
The 2022 Future Skills Summit brought together leading experts in skills development from across Canada to focus on innovative ideas that will shape our future work environment. Speakers and participants examined major labour market trends shaping the future of the skills ecosystem, as well as skills development challenges and opportunities that impact our economy and various sectors. The event also highlighted new skills training approaches and explored strategies to replicate them across Canadian businesses and institutions.
Featured speakers at FSC 2022
Mohamad Fakih
CEO and President, Paramount Fine Foods
Sareena Hopkins
Executive Director, Canadian Career Development Foundation
Mike Moffatt
Senior Director, Policy and Innovation, Smart Prosperity Institute
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
1,763
Past attendees
Attendees by Job Function
Attendees by Region
In collaboration with The Future Skills Centre and partners
In collaboration with The Future Skills Centre, The Conference Board of Canada talked with Canadians who are actively engaged in the skills and training community, as well as people interested in learning more about skills development and the future of work.
26
Sounding tour stops
1,376
Total participants
The following events are just a small sample of executive, leadership, and partnered events that the Conference Board has hosted. Our executive webinars provide quick access to key lessons in a short, digestible format. See our Past Events page for more details.
In collaboration with our How Canada Performs initiative
As it faces socio-economic challenges, Canada is uniquely positioned to become a leader in sustainable innovation, with its abundance of natural resources and ambitious sustainable development commitments. In this interactive discussion, panelists addressed what it will take for Canada to become a leader in sustainable innovation.
226
Past attendees
Featured speakers at Sustainable Innovation event
Pedro Antunes
Chief Economist, The Conference Board of Canada
Heather McIntosh
Associate Director, Education and Skills, The Conference Board of Canada
Sohaib Shahid
Director, Economic Innovation, The Conference Board of Canada
Alicia Hibbert
Senior Research Associate, Indigenous & Northern Communities, The Conference Board of Canada
Babatunde Olateju
Associate Director, Sustainability, The Conference Board of Canada
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
In collaboration with PwC Canada
In collaboration with PwC Canada, these events focus on the Canadian results of PwC’s Annual Global CEO survey, in which thousands of chief executives around the world take part. The objective of the survey is to identify key trends and patterns in the global economy that affect important management decision-making by business establishment leaders.
Overcoming Today’s Obstacles While Reinventing for the Future
CEOs today are faced with a critical question: How do they balance reinventing their business to succeed in a changing world with the need to manage short-term pressures and challenges?
In its 26th year, PwC’s Global Survey delved into CEOs’ perspectives, focusing on their strategies to stay ahead of long-term threats to their companies, society, and the planet. They also discussed the challenges of managing day-to-day concerns such as high inflation, an uncertain economic outlook, and accessing key talent and skills. Moreover, the survey explored CEOs’ approach to striking a balance between driving current operating performance and adapting their business to meet future demands.
368
Past attendees
Featured speakers at PwC 2023
Kevin Strain
Chief President and CEO, SunLife
Shahrzad Rafati
Founder, Chairperson, and CEO, BBTV
Roger Dall’Antonia
President and CEO, FortisBC
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
Bold Actions for Sustained Outcomes
PwC’s 2022 survey results offered insight into how leaders were navigating the many pressing issues of the day. The geopolitical landscape had changed dramatically since PwC surveyed chief executive officers around the globe in the fall of 2021. At the time, CEOs, including 452 Canadian respondents, exhibited a very bright outlook on what the following year might bring in terms of global growth prospects.
1,398
Past attendees
Featured speakers at PwC 2022
Ireen Birungi
Chief Information Security Officer, Interac
Michael Ward
CEO and Chief Sustainability Officer, IKEA Canada
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
Building ideas into multi-million dollar enterprises from scratch is a momentous feat for anyone to achieve. And while men and women have similar initial business aspirations, they appear to have different approaches, experiences, and challenges throughout their entrepreneurial journeys. The Conference Board of Canada explored these gender differences through research conducted with men and women who lead tech start-ups.
151
Past attendees
Featured speakers at Start-Up Success
Susan Black
President & CEO, The Conference Board of Canada
Lauren Florko
Senior Research Associate, The Conference Board of Canada
Matt Golden
Founder and Managing Partner, Golden Ventures
Lauren Harris
Managing Director, Northleaf Capital Partners
Michelle Scarborough
Managing Partner, Business Development Bank of Canada
Emily Walsh
Lead Investor, Georgian
Some titles and organizations may have changed since this event took place.
Testimonials
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