Alistair Croll

Co-founder & Chair, FWD50

Alistair makes early-stage companies improve their go-to-market strategies, and works with some of the world’s largest firms on business model innovation. He also helps governments understand the impact of technology on society, ethics, and resiliency. As an entrepreneur, Alistair co-founded Coradiant; the Year One Labs accelerator; and a variety of other startups. He has also launched and chaired some of the world’s leading conferences on emerging technology, including Startupfest, Strata, Cloud Connect, FWD50, Bitnorth, Scaletech, and more. Alistair is the author of four books on technology and entrepreneurship, including the best-selling Lean Analytics, which has been translated into eight languages and is in its tenth printing in China. He speaks internationally on topics such as data science, innovation, scaling startups, digital government, AI, and applying critical thinking to technology. A graduate of Dalhousie University, he has also been a visiting executive on data science and critical thinking at Harvard Business School.

Jennifer Pahlka

Author of "Recoding America: How Government Fails in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better"

Jennifer Pahlka works on making government work for people in the digital age. She is the founder and former executive director of Code for America and served as U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2013–2014, where she founded the United States Digital Service. She also co-founded United States Digital Response, which helps government respond to the Covid-19 crisis with volunteer tech support. She received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and was named by Wired as one of the 25 people who has most shaped the past 25 years. She served on the Defense Innovation Board for four years. Her book Recoding America came out in June 2023. Jennifer is a graduate of Yale University and lives in Oakland, California.

Rob Butler

Canada Free Agent: Senior Marketing Advisor, Global Affairs Canada

Rob Butler is your go-to collaborator for down-to-earth networking, and he's a real-deal connector of people across all levels of Government and in the private sector. As a Free Agent Senior Advisor in the Trade Commissioner Service (TCS) at Global Affairs Canada, his current priorities include: · Leading crucial engagement sessions within the extensive trade commissioner network that fosters dialogue, shared insights, and strategic partnerships that drive the TCS's mission forward. As part of the deliverable, Rob will continue to evaluate various platforms to bolster the implementation of the TCS engagement plan. · He is leading a digital development project to modernize the TCS's analytic and reporting capabilities. · He will also support the DXP in an advisory role, a digital evolution project for the TCS. · And help design and leverage technology and multimedia to pioneer the design of innovative supporting collaboration tools for the Trade Commissioner Service. These tools enable the TCS to seamlessly connect with stakeholders, especially during international tradeshows, and foster meaningful interactions. In his previous role in the Office of the Chief Information Officer at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, he launched the Federal Digital Credentials Community, targeting folks working in the digital credential space in the Government of Canada. It's this knack for building communities and facilitating meaningful conversations. Rob continues to co-lead and support initiatives such as LeadersGC and OneTeamGov Global. He has also established a federal community for employees on X through @HiCommunities. Drawing on his intuition and experience, Rob understands the power of collaboration and the importance of implementing micro-actions to drive transformation and create tangible change. Rob is open to connecting and collaborating with individuals across the Canadian Government, FPT, and international organizations; Rob is just a direct message away. His commitment to working in the open and fostering connections aligns with his mission to positively impact the civil service. Alums of: · Office of the Chief Information Officer - Digital ID, Digital Credentials (Treasury Board of Secretariat) · Deputy Minister Office of Public Service Accessibility (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat) · Benefits and Delivery Modernization (Employment and Social Development Canada) · Office of the Chief Information Officer - Digital Enablement (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat) · Transformation (Shared Services Canada) · The Policy Community Partnership Office (Canada School of Public Service) · The HR Council (Employment and Social Development Canada)

Tom Loosemore

Partner, Public Digital

Tom Loosemore has been at the centre of some of the most significant and consequential projects of the internet era. A pioneer in digital ways of working since the 1990s, Tom wrote the BBC’s first internet strategy in the 2000s, and founded and scaled the UK’s Government Digital Service in 2010s. He then led wholesale digital transformation of the Co-operative Group, the UK’s largest consumer cooperative. In 2015, he co-founded Public Digital to bring his unique insights to help organisations adapt to and thrive in the digital world, and has since advised the senior leaders of many globally important organisations.

Jacqueline Lu

President & Co-Founder, Helpful Places

Jacqueline helps organizations build new nervous systems that use tech and data. She leads Helpful Places, a social impact enterprise advancing the adoption and stewardship of Digital Trust for Places and Routines (DTPR.io), an open-source communication standard to increase transparency, legibility and accountability for digital technology in the built environment. Helpful Places’ work with DTPR was recently highlighted in the American Planning Association’s 2023 Trend Report for Planners, Thomson Reuter’s Context and Cities Today. Jacqueline’s experience spans public, private and non-profit sectors. As Data Lead at Mozilla Foundation, Jacqueline led the development and implementation of their data strategy. As Director of Digital Integration at Sidewalk Labs, she led incorporating innovation objectives, technology policy and data ethics into the company’s approach to urban development projects. As the inaugural Director of Data Analytics at the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, she developed the agency’s data strategy, developed the open data program and founded its first data science team. Jacqueline also spearheaded the largest participatory street tree mapping project in U.S. history, culminating in the NYC Tree Map, a digital platform for the collaborative management of NYC’s urban forest.

Ryan Androsoff

CEO & Founder, Think Digital

Ryan Androsoff is the Founder and CEO of Think Digital, a consultancy focused on helping public sector organizations to adapt and thrive in the era of digital disruption. He is also the host of the Let's Think Digital podcast that explores how technology is transforming government. Ryan is an international expert on digital government with a passion for public sector entrepreneurship and more than two decades of experience working with government and international organizations in Canada, the United States, and Europe. Ryan is also an Associate with the Institute on Governance where he leads their digital leadership programs. An experienced and dynamic presenter, Ryan has delivered hundreds of presentations over the past decade on various aspects of digital government and public sector innovation and has received numerous awards and recognitions for his leadership and expertise in digital transformation. Ryan was a Co-Founder of the Canadian Digital Service, a startup organization within the federal government launched in 2017 with the mission of helping government design, prototype, and build better digital services. Previously, he had been a Senior Advisor in the Government of Canada’s Treasury Board Secretariat since 2010, where he worked on initiatives to improve digital service delivery capacity across the federal government and led efforts to modernize how public servants communicate and collaborate online. Ryan also served as a member of the OECD’s Digital Government Team in Paris, France where he was involved in projects that included digital governance reviews in Northern Ireland and Slovakia as well as open data and digital capacity building in the Latin American, Middle Eastern and North African regions. Ryan is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he earned a Master in Public Policy degree, with research focused on the impacts for governments of new digital technologies. Ryan also has an Honours degree in Public Affairs and Policy Management from Carleton University in Ottawa.

Sean Boots

Former federal public servant, Open government program manager | Government of Yukon

From 2016 to 2023 Sean Boots worked at the Canadian Digital Service (CDS). He previously worked as a product designer with VOTO Mobile, a Ghana-based social enterprise focused on empowering under-heard communities, as a developer at Global Affairs Canada working on the Travel.gc.ca website redesign, and in a variety of other technology and policy roles. He rejoined the federal government in fall 2016 to help launch CDS as a new digital service delivery initiative. Sean has played a core role in building the culture of CDS, equipping colleagues with modern equipment and software, and launching and scaling services including GC Notify and COVID Alert. His work on COVID Alert through 2020 and 2021 included a number of federal government firsts related to security, privacy, and working in the open. He led the development and writing of CDS’s two major strategic publications, Beginning the Conversation and Roadmap 2025. In 2022 he was a Public Servant-in-Residence with Carleton University, analyzing trends in federal government contract spending and publishing policy recommendations to improve the government's procurement practices. Sean is a co-founder of Ottawa Civic Tech, studied Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa, and enjoys working at the intersection of technology and public policy. He writes about government technology efforts at sboots.ca.

Meghan Hellstern

Facilitator & Trainer, Think Digital

Meghan Hellstern takes complex challenges and turns them into radical ideas and practical solutions grounded in peoples’ needs. Drawing upon a tool belt of innovation approaches, facilitation tactics and human-centred design methods, she leads teams to expand their notions of what is possible. She has worked with organizations like various parts of the Government of Canada, the Dais (formerly the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship) at Toronto Metropolitan University, Code for Canada, MaRS Solutions Lab, and the City of Toronto to create meaningful and long-lasting change over the last 15+ years. In her spare time, she can be found organizing growth retreats for her community and friends, sharpening her mindfulness practice, and DJing in The Junction area of Toronto where she lives.

Dorothy Eng

Executive Director, Code for Canada

Dorothy helps organizations and institutions use science and technology to solve problems. She is passionate about lending not only her voice, but her hands, to develop tech-based solutions that create meaningful change in our communities. ****** Dorothy aide les organisations et les institutions à utiliser la science et la technologie pour résoudre des problèmes. Elle est passionnée par le fait de prêter non seulement sa voix, mais aussi ses mains, pour développer des solutions technologiques qui créent des changements pertinents dans nos communautés.

Melissa Tullio

UX Designer, Code for Canada

Melissa is a design practitioner with experience in human-centred research and innovation methods. She holds a Master of Design from OCAD University and has worked for 15+ years in both public and private sector organizations. She’s driven to solve meaningful problems for people and make the services we depend on work better for everybody.

Daphnée Nostrome

Director, Service Experience Design and Delivery, Benefits Delivery Modernization | Service Canada

Daphnée is a change leader with 20 years of experience building products and driving the adoption of innovative digital practices. Currently, she is enabling modern service delivery practices, so teams can develop inclusive and accessible government services. Past speaking engagements include Policy Ignite, GovConnect, NYC[x] Innovation Fellows program (Mayor’s Office of the Chief Technology Officer), FWD50, Haiti Tech Summit and Diversity in Digital Services (Canadian Digital Service).

Xiaopu Fung

Director, Product Design, Digital Credentials | Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

A service design and delivery leader who cares deeply about diversity and inclusion, Xiaopu currently leads the design of single sign-on for the public to access Government of Canada's services online. She's passionate about enabling agile and human-centred product management and design practices and previously ran an innovation lab for the Ontario Government.

Ebony Sager

Director Digital Strategy, Ontario Digital Service

With over 20 years of experience as a digital strategy leader Ebony, currently a Director in the Ontario Digital Service, has a wealth of stories to share about the challenges and rewards experienced when working to change the culture of service delivery in the government, motivating innovative teams and striving to solve the right problems that will improve user experiences. Ebony has provided leadership for key digital transformation files like digital assessments, partnerships, and most recently digital credentials.

Pooja Warier Hamilton

Chief Partnerships Officer, Apolitical

Pooja is Chief Partnerships Officer at Apolitical, a global network and learning platform with a mission to help build 21st century governments that work for people and the planet. Prior to Apolitical, Pooja was the Founding Managing Partner of Conduit Connect, an impact investing platform for investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders. She was also the co-founder and CEO of UnLtd India, an incubator for social entrepreneurs. Pooja has been recognised as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, an Aspen India leadership fellow and a TED India fellow.

Robyn Scott

Co-Founder & CEO, Apolitical

Robyn Scott is the co-founder and CEO of Apolitical. Prior to Apolitical, Robyn co-founded OneLeap, an executive education company, and a Southern African non-profit teaching coding to vulnerable youth. She has written an acclaimed memoir and is an ambassador for the Access to Medicine Index, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a Gates Scholar. She has a BSc in Bioinformatics from Auckland University and a Masters in Bioscience Enterprise from Cambridge.

Aaron Snow

Fellow, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation

Aaron Snow a Fellow at Georgetown University’s Beeck Center for Social Impact and Innovation. A 2013 Presidential Innovation Fellow, in 2014 Aaron co-founded and then led 18F, the US government’s in-house technology and design consultancy, and was the first Deputy Commissioner of the government’s Technology Transformation Service. In 2018, he became the first CEO of the Government of Canada’s Canadian Digital Service. He has twice been named one of the “World’s 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government.” Before entering government service, Aaron developed software and managed product development for small and large enterprises, and co-founded Daring Software, building the back-end for its flagship Arro shopping app. An honors graduate of Harvard College and Columbia Law School, he serves on the Advisory Board of FWD50.

Nele Leosk

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador at Large for Digital Affairs | Department of Digital and Cyber Diplomacy, Estonia

Nele Leosk, PhD, serves as the Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, being responsible for the development and coordination of Estonia’s digital diplomacy. Over the past twenty years, she has advised political and public sector leaders in digital governance and digital economy in more than forty countries in Central and Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe, Middle East, Central Asia, and Africa. Apart from government work, she has experienced the life of private sector, international and inter-governmental organisations such as the UNDP, OECD as well as academia. As a promoter of an open and inclusive digital society, Nele is the member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Technology Policy, GovStack lead for Estonia, Chair of the Digital Cooperation and Diplomacy Network, and member of several networks on women in tech. Nele holds a PhD in Political and Social Sciences from the European University Institute (EUI), Italy. She is a former Fulbright-Schuman grantee at the National Centre for Digital Government at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and at the Governance Lab at New York University, USA. She lectures on legal aspects of information society and technology (foreign) policy.

James Duncan

Co-founder & Principal, Stance Global

James is one of the founders of Stance, a boutique consultancy that focuses on helping organisations to understand how they can make themselves better at what they do. Prior to founding Stance, James was a civil servant in the Government Digital Service, in charge of the Public Services Network and developed the strategy for the UK’s Crown Hosting Service. James spent 15 years as a technologist and entrepreneur before joining government at companies like Joyent, Canon Europe & Fotango. He worked on javascript & Node.js before it became well known, holds multiple patents for cloud computing, and mentored startups at the Canadian startup incubator, FounderFuel. He talked to Australia’s Digital Transformation Office, and the United States Digital Service at their inception, and speaks regularly about technology issues that affect everybody. In 2008, he contributed to the book “Collective Intelligence: Creating a Prosperous World at Peace”.

Jorge Lopez

Vice President and Distinguished Analyst, Gartner

Jorge Lopez is a Vice President and Distinguished Analyst at Gartner, where he founded the Gartner practice for digital business research, the CEO Survey as well as the Board Director Survey. He advises hundreds of global public and private sector clients annually on ways to practically execute on and achieve their mission-critical priorities. He is currently leading research on the Industrialization of Space. In addition to his leadership in these key strategic domains for growth, Mr. Lopez enables IT leaders to drive stronger digital government organizational performance through: Applying Artificial Intelligence – How public sector organizations can build a future with AI by embedding it into autonomous operations. Preparing for the industrialization of space – How government regulatory agencies, public markets and private firms can work together to build enormous value on Earth and in space. Innovating disruptively – How visionary organizations can build and execute their leading and disruptive visions to fuel growth in economic uncertainty.

Victoria Thibeau

Head of Management Consulting and Solutions, Application Services, Fujitsu North America, Inc.

As Head of Management Consulting and Solutions, Victoria focuses on driving a business focused approach to digital transformation. Throughout her career, Victoria has helped organizations drive innovation and efficiency through the enablement of technology. She is a senior executive with more than 24 years’ experience in several industries in both private and public sector managing complex operations, and transformational projects. Victoria leads a team of very senior, highly respected consultants and architects that drive solutions for clients to achieve their desired business outcomes.

Kris Lovejoy

Global Practice Leader, Security & Resiliency | Kyndryl

Kris Lovejoy, an internationally recognized leader in the field of cybersecurity and privacy, is the Kyndryl Global Practice Leader for Security and Resiliency. Kris comes to Kyndryl from EY, one of the world’s leading professional services organizations, where she was the global consulting cybersecurity leader and responsible for the organization’s multi-billion-dollar security practice. Prior, she was the founder and CEO of BluVector Inc., an AI-powered sense and respond platform that was acquired by Comcast in 2019. Kris was also general manager of IBM’s Security Services division, where she led teams that built end-to-end security programs for IBM’s global clients. She also served as co-chair of IBM’s Women’s Diversity Committee. Kris holds U.S. and EU patents in areas around Risk Management; named one of "The 10 Most Iconic Leaders in Enterprise Security, 2022" by CIOLook, received the Change-Maker Award by The Cyber Guild, and the Cyber Express named Kris #4 on “The Top 10 Guardians of Cyberspace for 2022”. Prior, Kris was named the Consulting Report’s “Top Consulting Leader” for 2021, Consulting Magazine’s “Top Woman Technology Leader” in 2020; and has served as a member of the World Economic Forum’s cybersecurity committee.

John Houweling

Director Data, Analytics & Visualization Services, Corporate Services | Regional Municipality of York

John is a thought leader who is passionate about making a positive difference helping organizations “put their data to work”. He loves working with his team to generate ‘aha moments’, change perspectives and create new possibilities using data. Over his career, John has frequently demonstrated how organizations can share data to break down silos, transform services and eliminate costs. This pioneering work helped put York Region at the forefront of governments deriving insight from their trusted data. In 2011, John joined York Region as Director of the GIS Program, and evolved the team to become corporate leaders in data and analytics. In 2019, John and his team developed a 4-year Data and Analytics Master Plan to help guide the Region to become a data empowered organization. John was instrumental in developing an Analytics Playbook for public sector organizations interested in building data and analytics capacity. In 2020, York Region was selected out of 350,000 organizations world-wide as the recipient of the Esri President’s Award for its innovation and collaboration in the use of geospatial data. He has given presentations to numerous federal, state, provincial and municipal governments from across North America interested in a pragmatic approach to building data and analytics muscle. Prior to York, he spent 15 years as Esri Canada’s Ontario Region Director helping build new markets and awareness for a burgeoning, data intensive technology. Prior to ESRI he worked in the Ontario public sector where he developed the framework for what is now Land Information Ontario – the province’s data sharing portal.

His Excellency Saeed Al Mulla

Executive Director, Customer Experience Affairs| Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi

His Excellency Saeed Al Mulla is a prominent figure in the domain of public service transformation, embodying the principles of innovation and collaboration. He currently leads the groundbreaking Abu Dhabi Program for Effortless Customer Experience, uniting over 60 government entities to streamline public services for effortless access and use. This pioneering vision started while he was the Executive Director of Customer Experience at the Abu Dhabi Executive Office, which is responsible for overseeing Abu Dhabi’s strategic and executive plans. The wide scale implementation continues under his leadership at the Department of Government Enablement which has a dedicated Customer Experience Affairs division. Prior to this, Saeed held leadership roles at the Abu Dhabi Digital Authority (ADDA) and was a driving force behind the Dubai Government's service improvement initiatives like the “Hamdan Bin Mohamed Program for Smart Government” and "City Makers". With nearly two decades of experience and a background in service design and facilitation, Saeed has been at the forefront of transforming more than 300 government services, leading to savings exceeding half a billion dirhams (over USD $136 million), to date. Saeed holds an MBA from Kwansei Gakuin University in Japan and a BSc in E-commerce from Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE.

Dr. Wafa Snaineh

President, Gov. Design Academy, Board Member | The International Foundation for Customer Experience in Government

Dr. Wafa Snaineh is supporting several whole-of-government CX transformation programs in the Middle East region and worldwide. As the Chief Editor of GovCX Journal, she is leading cutting-edge research in the field and collaborating with a number of leading government officials to support advancing the CX profession in the public sector including Singapore, Estonia, Denmark, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the USA. In 2006, Dr. Wafa was recognized by The European Centre for Total Quality Management in the UK among the top 10 global CX thought leaders, and in 2009 as the first Arab with the highest academic credentials in the field. She is currently working with academics from University College London to further advance the research on competencies of front-line staff and their role in the CX transformation process. Dr. Wafa is the lead author of the Dubai Model for Government Services. She played a founding role in the Dubai Model Centre and in developing the Hamdan Bin Mohammed Program for Smart Government. She is the architect of City Makers, the design lab by the Government of Dubai and the first of its kind in the Middle East region. She is currently supporting the Abu Dhabi Government in its ambitious CX transformation agenda. Additionally, Dr. Wafa authored the Service Delivery Standards across the government omni-channels in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and contributed to the definition of its digital transformation assessment method. Dr. Wafa is the President of Gov. Design Academy based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and a board member at The International Foundation for Customer Experience in Government. She has a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Jordan University, a post graduate degree in Research Methods, a Master’s degree in Performance Management, a post graduate diploma in Research Methods and a PhD in Customer Experience Management from the University of Bradford, UK.

Mirko Kleiner

Thought Leader, Lean-Agile Procurement

Mirko Kleiner, a seasoned thought leader and practitioner, initiated a global movement in Lean-Agile Procurement seven years ago. He's also a serial entrepreneur who founded the Lean-Agile Procurement Alliance - The Global Certification Body, y-o.blue and co-founded flowdays.net, an Agile consultancy in Switzerland and Germany. Through his dynamic leadership, consulting, and speaking engagements, Mirko continues to inspire professionals and organizations worldwide to embrace agility, innovation, and adaptive practices to help them achieve greater impact, faster together. Learn more about Mirko and the work he's doing at https://www.mirko-kleiner.com/ and https://www.lean-agile-procurement.com.

Aaron Reich

Chief Technology Officer, Avanade

Chief Technology Officer Aaron Reich is responsible for Avanade’s technology strategy, driving innovation across the business and incubating emerging technologies to bring them to clients across the globe. He manages Avanade’s global R&D function, oversees Avanade’s participation in the startup ecosystem and drives our responsible technology approach and digital ethics practice, including for our client work with generative AI. Aaron joined Avanade in 2012 and most recently served as the company’s Emerging Technology Lead . Under Aaron’s leadership, Avanade has embraced and scaled emerging technology capabilities including the reality continuum, 5G, digital twin, open source, robotics, and OpenAI, working closely with multiple product engineering teams at Microsoft. Prior to Avanade, Aaron worked across the high-tech, non-profit and telecommunications industries. Aaron holds a Bachelor of Arts in business from the College of William and Mary and currently resides in Seattle. He grew up spending too much time on his family’s Apple IIC computer, which led to his love of technology and its ability to make a positive difference in people’s lives. In his free time, Aaron coaches and mentors start-up entrepreneurs and has served as President of the board of The Healing Center in Seattle. Aaron was an avid runner before twin boys came along and he looks forward to getting back on the trails.

Catherine Luelo

Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Catherine Luelo is a Deputy Minister at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Chief Information Officer of Canada. Since her appointment as CIO in July 2021 she has ardently assumed her responsibilities and has been pro-actively sharing her plans and priorities to deliver on the Government of Canada’s commitment to better serving Canadians in a digital age. Ready for the challenges that lie ahead, Catherine’s vision for continued collaboration and efforts to the GC’s modernization was released in the form of the Government of Canada's Digital Ambition – a solid foundation for the ever-evolving digital transformation of government. Prior to her appointment as CIO in July 2021, Catherine was the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Air Canada, where she was responsible for the Information Technology systems that support and enable Air Canada’s global business. In this role, she additionally led innovation in the artificial intelligence space while managing the security and reliability of Air Canada’s worldwide systems in an operational landscape that substantially shifted during the global pandemic. From 2001-2017, Catherine held senior management and executive roles at major Canadian companies, including Enbridge Inc., WestJet Airlines Ltd., and TELUS Communications. Catherine holds an MBA from Athabasca University in Alberta and a BSc from the University of Alberta. In June 2022, she was appointed to the MaRS Discovery District Board of Directors – North America’s largest innovation hub – located in downtown Toronto. In line with her deep interest in cleantech, she also became a member of the Climate Economy Strategic Council – advocating the importance of cleantech adoption to lead in the climate economy. Catherine is a proud mother of two children and is a fierce advocate for mental health. In March 2020, she was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation and participates regularly as a panelist and speaker on Mental Health in the workplace. ***** Catherine Luelo est sous-ministre au Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada et dirigeante principale de l’information (DPI) du Canada. Avant sa nomination au poste de DPI en juillet 2021, Catherine était première vice-présidente et chef des Affaires informatiques à Air Canada, où elle était responsable des systèmes de la technologie de l’information qui appuient et permettent la tenue des activités mondiales d’Air Canada. Dans le cadre de ce rôle, elle a, en outre, dirigé dans le milieu de l’intelligence artificielle, tout en gérant la sécurité et la fiabilité des systèmes mondiaux d’Air Canada dans un paysage opérationnel qui a considérablement évolué pendant la pandémie mondiale. De 2001 à 2017, Catherine a occupé des postes de direction et de gestion au sein de grandes entreprises canadiennes, notamment chez Enbridge Inc., WestJet Airlines ltée. et TELUS Communications. Catherine est titulaire d’une maîtrise en administration des affaires de l’Université Athabasca (Alberta) et d’un baccalauréat en sciences de l’Université de l’Alberta. De 2018 à 2021, elle a servi au sein du conseil d’administration de Scale AI, la supergrappe d’intelligence artificielle (IA) basée à Montréal qui aspire à accroître l’avantage concurrentiel du Canada à l’échelle mondiale en matière d’IA. Elle a également été membre du conseil d’administration de Creative Destruction Labs, ainsi que présidente de la Table ronde consultative de l’industrie sur les tests et le dépistage de la COVID-19 et sur la gestion des données relatives à la maladie, table ronde mise sur pied par Santé Canada. Fière mère de deux enfants, Catherine est également une fervente défenseure de la santé mentale. En mars 2020, elle a été nommée au conseil d’administration de la Fondation du Centre de toxicomanie et de santé mentale (CAMH) et, elle participe régulièrement à des tables rondes et donne des exposés sur la santé mentale en milieu de travail."

Anna Hirschfeld

Director, Public Digital

Anna leads digital transformation programmes which deliver real human impact. She is an experienced leader who builds and scales teams to solve highly complex problems. This includes working with governments and public agencies to transform their services so they are human-centred, secure and efficient for both civil servants and citizens. Clients she has supported include the governments of Nova Scotia and British Columbia, UK Research and Innovation, and Homes England. As Interim Executive Director at the Nova Scotia Department for Cyber Security and Digital Solutions, Anna reset and then led a large-scale transformation to deliver a new digital vehicle and driver licensing service. This involved founding and scaling new multidisciplinary teams, creating a transformational roadmap, designing new end-to-end services, and introducing new governance structures across three government departments. Prior to joining Public Digital, Anna was Senior Product Manager on the Universal Credit programme, successfully taking it from proof of concept to a scaled live service supporting six million people. This was the biggest transformation in the UK benefits system since the founding of the Welfare State. Anna is a leading expert on digital identity. She worked with GOV.UK Verify to integrate it with Universal Credit, and now sits on the OECD panel helping to draft the Recommendation on the Governance of Digital Identity.

Andrew Greenway

Partner, Public Digital

Digital strategy leader and author Andrew Greenway has been a prominent champion for transformative digital approaches in large, complex organisations worldwide. Andrew brings a great depth of experience having worked in five UK Government departments, including the UK’s Government Digital Service. During this time, he was responsible for some of the most significant digital developments, such as leading the team that delivered the world’s first digital service standard and running a prime-ministerial review into the application of the Internet of Things. Having co-founded Public Digital in 2017, Andrew continues to share his knowledge and lived experience of digital government and institutional reform with senior leaders of high-profile global organisations, whilst writing for international publications and co-authoring two books on the subject.

Lucas Cherkewski

Government of Canada

Lucas Cherkewski (he / him) is a technologist and policy advisor. He helped the Canadian Digital Service grow through pivotal years, embedding in initiatives with many federal departments and advising on the organization’s strategy, including legislative change. He now supports multidisciplinary review teams, interpreting sophisticated technical concepts for policy and legal advisors. He has also been a long-time member of Ottawa’s civic tech community, whether as co-organizer of meetups or collaborator on open data research projects that increase awareness of what government does. Commended for various projects over the years, he was most recently recognized by the Canadian Open Data Society as Open Data Leader of the Year for his work on an accessible, user-friendly interface to the transcripts of the Public Order Emergency Commission.

Vanessa Thomas

Government of Canada

Dr. Vanessa Thomas, CIPT (all pronouns), is an award-winning technologist, designer, and researcher with a background that spans computer science, mathematics, privacy engineering, human security, peace building, leadership, feminist studies, and public policy analysis, amongst other topics. During their career, Vanessa has been privileged enough to live and work in Ecuador, Bolivia, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and a couple of provinces in Canada. While Vanessa has worked for the Government of Canada since 2019, they have also maintained a presence in academia. Vanessa teaches part-time with Carleton University's School of Information Technology and sits on the Advisory Board for the National Research Council’s Digital Technology Research Centre; they have also published over a dozen peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.

Martha Edwards

Lead Service Designer, BC Public Service

Martha is a service designer with 12 years experience working in user-centred design and research roles in all levels of government in Canada, plus the Government Digital Service in the UK. She has spent most of that time working in the tech space on problems like digital identity, cybercrime and Brexit.

Angelica Quirarte

Federal Partnerships Director, Tech Talent Project

Angie leads the Federal Portfolio for the Tech Talent Project where she helps federal agencies tackle issues around service delivery and supports tech executives navigate the federal government and hiring. She has led and supported complex statewide initiatives for the State of California including managing the Civil Service Improvement Initiative, championing open data and implementing policies and programs for open source, domain name registry, web standards, and web accessibility. She was part of the strike team that led transformations across the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and led the “Alpha” team of CA.gov which developed a new approach to building multidisciplinary digital teams that deliver and focus on impact at scale. Angie served as an appointee of Governor Gavin Newsom as Deputy Director of the Office of Digital Innovation which she helped establish in 2019. She supported COVID19 digital response in partnership with the Governor’s Office, Department of Public Health, Department of Technology, and others. Angie also served under Governor Jerry Brown and coordinated initiatives around hiring, procurement, and technology. She focuses on bridging effective collaborations with public servants and government leaders in order to deliver digital products and services. Angie is also the founder of NxtGov.

Skaidra Puodžiūnas

Director of Ontario Relations, Council of Canadian Innovators

Skaidra (sky-dra) currently serves as the Director of Ontario Relations at the Council of Canadian Innovators, a collective representing more than 150 domestic high-growth technology-intensive companies. Founded in 2015 by Canada's most successful technology CEOs, CCI aims to amplify their voices in the public policy development process around innovation, countering the dominance of foreign multinationals and other entities not focused on Canadian economic growth. Skaidra has previously held a range of digital transformation roles across the Ontario Government. Most recently she served as a Team Lead in Ontario’s Office of the Chief Corporate Information Officer (OCCIO), a hub connecting 4,000 Information and Information Technology specialists who work in partnership with ministries across the Government of Ontario to develop, deploy and maintain technology solutions within the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. Previously she served as a Senior Advisor at the Ontario Digital Service, directly supporting Ontario’s first Chief Digital and Data Officer and Ontario’s first Minister Responsible for Digital Government. She also managed Medium.com/OntarioDigital – a blog on digital, the Ontario Government and all things in between. Skaidra is an active co-organizer of Civic Tech Toronto, a volunteer-led community open to anyone with an interest in solving civic and social issues and a connector in the global Lithuanian diaspora. Labas/Bonjour!

Gulsanna Mamediieva

CEO, Digitality.GovTech Center of Excellence

Gulsanna Mamediieva is a CEO at Digitality.GovTech Center of Excellence, Brussel`s based non-profit aimed to enhance digital transformation of public sector. Gulsanna led the strategic planning, European and NATO integration of Ukraine's digital sector as Director General for European and NATO integration at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine in 2019-2023. She and her team have launched the development and further successful implementation of the strategy of integration of Ukraine into the Digital Single Market of European Union. It comprises many components: electronic communications, roaming, e-services, online safety, privacy, open data, digital skills, innovation, trust and identification services, e-commerce, economic empowerment, countering the digital divide, etc. Since February 2022, she also has been working on international technical assistance to support Ukraine's digital resistance to Russia’s invasion. Gulsanna served as a member of the Council of Europe's Committee on Artificial Intelligence, Eastern Partnership Countries' Harmonization Digital Market Coordinator for Ukraine, and as Ukraine's representative in other international organizations Currently Gulsanna is a visiting fellow at the McCourt School for Public Policy at Georgetown University, a Fisher Family summer fellow at Stanford University. Gulsanna holds a Master's degree in Information Technology Law from the University of Tartu, Estonia, and is pursuing a Ph.D at Carleton University, Canada.

Uchenna Moka-Solana

Founder & President | MokSol Impact LLC

Uchenna Moka-Solana, Founder and President of MokSol Impact, is an accomplished executive leader with a remarkable 15+ year journey in organizational transformation, digital consulting, and product strategy and development. Her expertise spans diverse sectors, including public, non-profit, and private, where she consistently fuels innovation and delivers transformative solutions. As the first Chief Technology Officer at Color Of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization, Uchenna left an indelible mark. Her visionary "OneCOC" framework integrated all organizational departments, nurturing a culture of shared goals and prioritized initiatives. Uchenna's leadership catalyzed a cultural shift, fostering cross-functional collaboration, transparency, and a shared vision. This transformation enhanced the organization's agility, paving the way for greater impact. During her tenure as Acting Executive Director at 18F, Uchenna displayed exemplary leadership amidst global challenges including a pandemic, and a presidential election and transition. Her strategic acumen refined the organization's vision, delivering value to partners, stakeholders, and the American public. Her financial and operational prowess revived the agency’s cost recoverability. As Director of Product at 18F, Uchenna oversaw the practice of end-to-end product and service delivery in collaboration with federal government agencies, improving outcomes for the American public. She also initiated and published a federal government best practices guide for product managers. Prior to that, as a Delivery Principal at ThoughtWorks, a global technology consultancy, she ensured successful project delivery and transformation for Fortune 500 clients. However, her commitment to leveraging technology for positive change extends beyond her professional roles. She helped establish and scale the Pan Africa operations of ThoughtWorks, and launched initiatives like the first BlackGirlsCODE chapter in Africa and the Coded In Braam software development capacity-building program. Uchenna holds a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University, specializing in tissue and material engineering. Her extensive research endeavors in diabetes at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Medicine mirror her dedication to advancing healthcare through innovative research and technology. Today, through MokSol Impact, she leverages her extensive experience to drive transformative team and cultural shifts, advocate community-centric design, and harness technology for lasting, positive social change.

Anthony Pitfield

Senior Go-To-Market Lead for Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning | AWS Canada

Anthony Pitfield is the Senior Go-To-Market Lead for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at AWS Canada. Building on 10+ years of experience, he works with organizations across Canada and Latin America to develop and launch their AI and ML services. Previously, Anthony was a senior managing consultant at IBM, focused on applying machine learning and artificial intelligence to IoT, Edge, and digital operations.

Neil Bouwer

Visiting Professor of Practice, Max Bell School of Public Policy

Neil Bouwer is a Professor of Practice at the Max Bell School and the former Vice-President of the Innovation and Skills Development Branch at the Canada School of Public Service. He has also served as an Assistant Deputy Minister at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the Privy Council Office of Canada; and in executive positions at the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, Human Resources and Social Development Canada and the Business Development Bank of Canada. He has also worked at the Department of Finance and Western Economic Diversification Canada, and has Economics degrees from McGill University and St. Thomas University. For many years Neil actively supported the Government of Canada policy and data communities, the Advanced Policy Analyst Program and the Free Agent HR Program. Neil is excited to bring his many years of Public Service experience to his work at the Max Bell School of Public Policy.

Chantal Smith

Founder Associate, Exponential

Chantal Smith is a social scientist and research associate focusing on AI’s intersection with geopolitics, policy and deep tech at Exponential View. With a Master’s degree in Economy, Risk, and Society from the London School of Economics, she has dissected the social impact of emerging technologies like quantum computing. Chantal’s expertise in AI prompting reaches hundreds of thousands of leaders who turn to Exponential View to understand how their organisations need to adjust to the pace of change. With diverse experiences, ranging from policy research at the Embassy of Switzerland in Denmark to academic roles at EPFL, her multidisciplinary approach brings a nuanced understanding of the risks and opportunities posed by AI in today’s world. Chantal will be presenting a hands-on workshop focused on the techniques and insights of prompt engineering with generative AI tools.

Jessica van Onselen

Director of Marketing and Communications, Apolitical

Jessica is a communications strategist and entrepreneur. Prior to joining Apolitical, she was founder and managing director of BrightGuide Ltd, specialising in dynamic communications to support transparency and good governance. She has spent almost two decades working with governments and the private sector on communication and partnerships in Africa, the UK and the United States. She studied at the University of the Witwatersrand and Wits Business School in South Africa.

Kimberley Hutchinson

Senior Analyst, Digital Academy at the Canada School of Public Service

Kimberley Hutchinson is a learning design lead and mind mapper at the Digital Academy at the Canada School of Public Service. She has worked for Canada’s public service since 1996 for a number of departments in the Yukon Territory and in Ottawa, including the Public Service Commission, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Department of Fisheries and Oceans, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and Women and Gender Equality. Kimberley is from London, Ontario and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Education. She is passionate about learning, ideas, equality and inclusion.

Richard Amos

Global Transformation Strategist, Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Richard is a Global Transformation Strategist with over 25 years of experience and success in transformational strategy development. He is experienced in building vision and leading change that enables business outcomes. Richard has a demonstrated proficiency at solving challenges and cross functional solution delivery. In addition to strategy development, he has directed large technology organizations and has significant experience in risk assessments for information security, business continuity and physical security. He has utilized his experience across many industry verticals to develop sustainable transformation strategies.

Nitin Vengurlekar

Chief Technology Strategist, Government & Education, Oracle

Nitin Vengurlekar is the Chief Technology Strategist for Oracle Government and Education, with Thought Leadership, Sales Enablement, and Full stack implementation architect, as the primary responsibilities. Nitin is recognized as a premiere thought leader within the Data Management community and is a well-known technologist in the areas of Multi-Cloud Strategy, Building Data Resilient Ecosystems, and High Availability Solutions.

Karen Hay

Digital Transformation Lead for Health Industry, Go-To-Market Strategist | Salesforce Public Sector

Karen Hay is a Digital Transformation Lead for Health Industry; Go-To-Market Strategist, Public Sector with Salesforce. Previously, she spent more than 20 years in the public sector in Canada. As the Director of Public Health IT Solutions, Karen led Ontario’s technology response to the COVID-19 pandemic, developing and implementing new provincial systems for case and contact management, vaccine administration and appointment booking. Karen holds an honors B.Sc. in microbiology and immunology and an M.Sc. in medicine/community health and epidemiology from the University of Saskatchewan. She was the 2019 recipient of Digital Health Canada’s Leadership in Digital Health Award.

Andee Pitman

Human-Centred Design Lead, Treasury Board Secretariat

Andee Pittman is a human-centred designer with a focus on building capacity and co-designing solutions. Sustainability, decolonization and social justice are lenses they include when designing solutions for today and the future. Andee joined the civic tech community through the Code for Canada Fellowship (winning the CIO Community Award for ""Embracing the Digital Mindset"") and stayed in government to demonstrate the power of listening, prototyping, testing, iterating and asking the tough questions. Previously they developed and delivered design education at RED Academy and started a design practice called Teal Strategies to work with social entrepreneurs to build their business in alignment with their values. Andee is currently working in the Office of the Chief of Human Resources Officer (OCHRO) and leading design research and co-design processes to improve the experience of self-identifying as an equity-deserving employee.

Rim Khazall PhD.

Senior Strategic Advisor, Canadian Border Service Agency

Senior Strategic Advisor with a rich background in shaping government policies and fostering innovation. Currently serving at the Canada Border Service Agency, Rim thrives in translating strategic visions into actionable plans.A scientist by training training, Rim has a vast experience in engaging internal and external stakeholders for research, collaboration and outreach purpose in various communities. Her affection for data, statistics and research are a direct result of her educational background, Rim holds a Ph.D in Neuroscience alongside a Diploma in Health: Science, Technology & Policy from Carleton University.

Katy Lalonde

Assistant Deputy Minister of Digital Innovation and Product, Ontario Digital Service (ODS)

"Katy Lalonde is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Digital Innovation and Product at the Ontario Digital Service (ODS), supporting teams that are building an ecosystem of digital products that make it easier for people and business to interact with the Government of Ontario, including Ontario.ca, Notify and the province’s Data Catalogue. Katy was a founding member of the Ontario Digital Service and has previously held the roles of Director of Product, Director of Digital First and Chief of Staff (Executive Advisor) to the Chief Digital and Data Officer. Her expertise is in digital and product strategy, in the leadership and operations of digital organizations inside government, and in organizational design to support empowered, multi-disciplinary teams."

Phillip Bland

Global Government Advisor, Qualtrics

Phillip leads Public Sector strategy for Qualtrics across Asia, Pacific, Japan and Canada. Phillip is passionate about citizen experience and the way Public Sector can serve its customers and employees. As one of the first certified XM professionals in the world, his role at Qualtrics supports the Public Sector XM community by providing thought leadership and working with Government Customers and Qualtrics teams to deliver innovative outcomes to citizens. Phillip held a number of senior leadership roles in New South Wales Government. In that time he established a whole-of-government experience management team, delivered foundational citizen research panels, voice of customer programs and real-time insights initiatives. Phillip led Service Design and customer insights on bushfire recovery programs, Covid-19 support services, identity recovery for homelessness, inclusive design for non-digital and remote communities, small business optimisation and post pandemic reskilling. As a transformation manager and implementation lead, he delivered over 50 contact centre implementations including new teams and lines of businesses as well as delivering best practice training programs on customer excellence and frontline customer leadership.

Stefanie Couture

Partner, Workforce Consulting | PwC Canada

As a Partner for the Workforce of the Future Consulting practice, Stefanie works with Federal Government leaders to build tailored people and organization solutions to achieve their strategic vision. She works with multidisciplinary teams to solve complex issues for clients including organizational transformation, creating culture change, improving the performance of the workforce, developing and upskilling talent, and managing people through change.

Alec McCauley

Chief Executive Officer, Thrive Health

"Alec steers Thrive Health’s strategy, direction, and operations, working continuously to optimize our relationships with customers and partners while ensuring all company pursuits align with our platform vision and goals. He ensures all employees have the tools, resources, and support needed to produce effective work and continue to grow in their careers. Prior to Thrive, Alec spent 10+ years in product and software development leadership, working at start-ups, enterprise consulting services and in the public sector. Notably, he held various senior consulting roles at FreshWorks Studio, and served as CIO for West Island College in Calgary. His diverse skill set enables him to align technology, business strategy, and creative innovation together to drive towards Thrive’s mission and mandate. Alec is passionate about growing leaders from within, giving Thrivers the opportunity to tap into their leadership potential and provide constant avenues for advancement across the organization, regardless of how and where team members are distributed. When he’s not leading the business, Alec spends time traveling to places he loves, particularly Vancouver Island and Southern California."

Elizabeth Dussault

Director, Channel Experience, Benefit Delivery Modernization | Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)

Elizabeth Dussault is an experienced public servant with 18+ years of experience. Currently serving as Director, Channel Experience team within the Benefits Delivery Modernization (BDM) program at ESDC. She is developing and fostering a user-centered design and delivery methods through understanding, setting standards and identifying opportunities for the continuous improvement of client and employee experiences. She continues to play a key role in reshaping and providing practical enablement for the GC Digital Standards. She cultivates an environment that empowers digital teams to thrive and ensures that delivered products meet the needs of the people in Canada. Elizabeth has honed her expertise in several fields, including digital service delivery, service design, product and project management, identity management, and regulatory and policy development. Previously, she was A/Director for the Youth Digital Gateway, where she played a crucial role in policy development and implementation, championed agile and product management practices and successfully launched the Youth Digital Gateway. In addition, Elizabeth is a dedicated advocate for accessibility, committed to fostering inclusivity. She previously served as Co-Chair, ESDC Employees with Disabilities Network, where she tirelessly raised awareness of disability issues to dismantle barriers.

Amy Kirtay

Digital Investment Office, Office of the Chief Information Officer | Government of British Columbia

"Amy Kirtay is the Director of Digital Strategy with the Government of British Columbia's Digital Investment Office. The Digital Investment Office sets cross-government digital strategy and policy and manage the government's technology-related capital investment portfolio. She leads a team that works on executing innovative strategies and policies to guide the province towards modernization and transformation of programs and services. Amy has over 15 years of public service experience focused on digital in the social services, finance, and information technology sectors. Amy is a communications professional that specializes in supporting digitally enabled organizations work through issues and practices. She’s passionate about the promotion of an insights-driven approach to addressing organizational challenges and is motivated by the desire to foster the development of digital champions. To support this objective, she has conducted research on the competencies, skills, and traits needed for successful digital leaders in the public service and how post-secondary institutions are cultivating these through their learning offerings. Amy is enthusiastic about continuous improvement and a life-long learner. She has a BA in Professional Communications from Royal Roads University, an MA in Communications and Technology from the University of Alberta and has completed the Digital Transformation in Government Executive Education program through the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University."

Hillary Hartley

Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Digital Response

"As USDR’s CEO, Hillary sets the strategic vision for the organization and helps oversee all operations. Hillary most recently was the Chief Digital and Data Officer and Deputy Minister for the provincial government in Ontario, Canada. Hillary was previously the head of the Ontario Digital Service, joining the province in April 2017 as Deputy Minister Responsible for Digital Government. She also served as Deputy Minister of Consumer Services, which included the government’s retail services operation (ServiceOntario), and programs focused on consumer protection. Prior to coming to Ontario, Hillary was the Deputy Executive Director of 18F, a digital services agency in the U.S. federal government, and was a Presidential Innovation Fellow in 2013. She has worked with governments across jurisdictions for twenty-five years, serving as a director at NIC Inc., an organization that helps governments deliver programs and services online."

Stig Parfrey

User Research Operations Lead, US Digital Response

Stig is the User Research Operations Lead at USDR. In this role, he is responsible for growing and strengthening the user research practice. With over 7 years of experience in building research ops practices and supporting researchers in the tech industry, Stig is dedicated to driving positive impact in government through the power of user research.

Long Dinh

Service Design Project Lead, City of Seattle

Long is a research-driven designer ready to inspire equitable and empowering solutions. His role focuses on user experience and service design, using applied methodologies to engage with Seattle residents, local communities, and city departments. Long began his professional career as a UX researcher and has worked in private and public sectors to inform digital apps and programs. He is passionate about integrating the end user’s voice in the design process and is driven to make complex problems easy to understand and feasible to break through. Long holds a B.S. in Human Centered Design & Engineering from the University of Washington.

Tamara Srzentić

Fmr Minister of Digital, Media & Public Administration, Montenegro | Tech ambassador, entrepreneur & scholar

"With over 15+ years of experience in government reform, policy and digital transformation leadership Tamara has developed a global reputation for introducing the culture, practices and technologies of the digital era to help governments better serve the public. She currently serves as the Minister of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media of Montenegro. Previously, over the past two California administrations Tamara championed the course for the priority policy initiatives and digital service and public transformation strategies for the world’s 5th largest economy. Under Tamara’s leadership California State government reshaped policies and standards, propelled public private partnerships, saved money, improved services and built lasting capability for innovation and digital service delivery. Tamara is passionate about empowering leaders in government, and driving culture change by introducing mindset, practices and modern digital delivery skills, building teams highly skilled in human centered design, iterative product delivery and empathetic group facilitation. She has built two startups for the state of California, recruited and cultivated world-class technology talent, and developed critical partnerships that changed how the government delivers services to public. In 2017 she founded Office of Innovation at California at California Health and Human Services that was responsible for driving innovation for 13 state departments of 30,000 employees with an annual budget of roughly $160 billion, providing critical healthcare and social services to nearly one-third of all California residents. Creation of this office validated an impetus to scale capacity to drive innovation for the entire state government. Tamara was a part of the core team that worked on establishing a permanent innovation agency at the GovOps level – Office of Digital Innovation – that focuses on improving the usefulness, reliability, and user experience of California’s most important digital services. Tamara has consulted on civic tech, tech policy, public administration reform and digital transformation with leaders around the world and spearheaded digital service/innovation communities of practice, workshops and trainings in California, Western Balkan and European countries. Tamara lived, studied and worked on 3 continents and is fluent in Montenegrin, English and French. She received her undergraduate degree at California State University, a tri continent international MBA at Temple University, École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées (which took place in Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing) and a masters with Temple University, Philadelphia."

Wyatt Tessari L'Allié

Founder & Exec. Director, AIGS Canada

Wyatt Tessari L'Allié is the founder and executive director of AI Governance & Safety Canada, a leading civil society voice on the governance of advanced AI. A former engineer, filmmaker and climate advocate, he has spent the last 8 years researching and writing about the risks and opportunities of AI, and is the author of the book "A Path Forward This Century".

Amanda Bernardo

A/Director, Change Management and Service Design, Enterprise Transformation | Shared Services Canada

As a transformation leader in the federal public service, Amanda specializes in driving change that aims to improve citizen and employee experiences and enhance government operations. She brings nearly a decade of experience in public policy, project management, change management, and stakeholder engagement, with a proven track record of successful project delivery. The ladder half of her public sector career to date has focused on implementing complex digital solutions while focusing on the people side of change. She possesses a unique talent in understanding and translating the distinct challenges faced by government departments and agencies, and developing customized strategies that align people, technology, and processes with business needs - bridging the gap between complex technical jargon and business objectives to ensure successful project outcomes. When Amanda is not working, she is a passionate volunteer, community builder and advocate, supporting causes such as mental health.

Riley Ohler M.Ed

Service Designer | Client: Government of Alberta Seniors, Community and Social Services, J5 Design

"After the sudden loss of his son Colin in 2018, Riley focused on his three main values of Love – Connection – Community as a way to continue living and adapting to the new world this loss created. With a difficult lifelong journey ahead, Riley began where he was most comfortable with empathy, allowing him to fully embrace the ambiguity of loss, unique ways of healing and the authenticity to the grief process. In his pursuit of his values Riley has embarked as a Service Designer with J5 Design in Calgary Alberta. There he consults with clients to bring creativity to some of society’s biggest challenges. His main portfolio of work is within the Government of Alberta. In the past year Riley has released two high profile projects to help Albertans, including the Affordability Payment Portal serving over 500K users, and Shelter Exchange an app to better understand shelter occupancy and capacity. Understanding and living through grief and traumatic loss gave Riley the ability to be adept at even the most intense government deadlines while focusing on the user and human side of our work. Riley continues to pursue lifelong learning opportunities and as a former educator in a Calgary Jr. High School he completed his Masters of Education in Design learning in 2021. He even has three fun children’s books related to his passion for Agriculture."

Matt Jukes

Head Coach, Digital by Default Academy

"Matt is a veteran public service product person who has been stumbling through his career since the late 1990s - an era where he was proud to call himself a Webmaster. These days he is best known for doing a weekly newsletter consisting of digital jobs in UK public service, blogging like it is 2003 and having a seemingly endless supply of laptop stickers to share out. Until recently he was Head of Product for the Department for Business and Trade in the UK and currently he is working on the launch of the Digital by Default Jobs website while also supporting the Local Digital initiative at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities."

Dr. Alexis Wichowski

Columbia University School of Professional Studies

"Dr. Alexis Wichowski works, teaches, and writes on technology, government, and power. She currently serves as Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies as well as Program Director for the MS and Executive MS Technology management and affiliate faculty with Columbia's School of International & Public Affairs, where she's been teaching as an adjunct for over a decade. Her public service work focuses on technology in government, agency communications, and technology policy. Recent roles include Deputy Chief Technology Officer for the City of New York, Associate Commissioner for NYC's Department of Veterans' Services, and various roles within the US Department of State and the US Mission to the United Nations. Past life work includes disaster relief, literary translation, media impact research, indexing, coding, theater production, and pretzel vending. Alexis Wichowski holds a Ph.D. in Information Science from SUNY Albany and a BA in Chinese from Connecticut College, completed in three years."

Honey Dacanay

Director-General, Digital Policy | Office of the Chief Information Officer, TBS

"Honey is a digital transformation leader with significant experience leading public sector renewal and reform initiatives in the Governments of Canada and Ontario. In 2019, she was named one of Apolitical’s “World’s 100 Most Influential People in Digital Government.” In addition to co-teaching Digital Transformation in the Public Sector at McMaster University, Honey is a Director-General, Digital Policy with the Government of Canada and a member of Public Digital's global network of experts. Some of her projects include: advancing implementation of Canada's digital standards and Policy on Service and Digital; designing and overseeing Canada's first agile governance pilot; developing a data-driven approach to modernizing Canada’s income security programs; leading development of an introductory digital curriculum for 289,000+ Government of Canada public servants; leading teams that developed and enshrined Ontario’s digital service standards in landmark legislation, the Simpler, Faster, Better Services Act, 2019."

Dr. Liz Christie

a/Senior Policy Analyst, Public Health Agency of Canada

Dr. Liz Christie holds a PhD in Cognitive Science, and is an avid community volunteer. During her years in academia, she used her background in Linguistics and Cognitive Science to hone her skills in making complex topics understandable to a wide audience. Now in public service, she works to increase transparency in how PHAC uses data by focusing on what people need to understand to make better decisions about community health.

Benjamin Bergen

President, Council of Canadian Innovators

Benjamin Bergen is the President of the Council of Canadian Innovators, a national, non-partisan business council for the 21st century economy, led by over 150 CEOs of Canada’s fastest growing homegrown technology scale-ups. CCI is focused on optimizing the growth of Canada’s innovation-based sector, and Benjamin leads the execution of its ambitious economic development agenda.

Teresa D’Andrea

Public Services & Procurement Canada, Government of Canada

"The intersection of service design, digital innovation, and enterprise strategy is where Teresa planted her flag, pushing the borders on what a digital-first, data-driven organization can accomplish while ensuring that technology’s evolution is driven by compassion and serves the average user. Internationally recognized for her leadership in managing digital service solutions at scale, and a winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for public service innovation, Teresa champions the power of service design and data in driving meaningful change and shaping public services for the better. Currently the Chief Transformation Officer for Enterprise Pay Operations at Public Services and Procurement Canada, Teresa has over 25 years of experience in both the private and public sectors and is an accomplished public speaker and leader in the field of data and technology."

Jamie Joyce

Department Director, Internet Archive

Jamie Joyce is the department director for the U.S. division of Democracy's Library at the Internet Archive. Democracy's Library is an effort to collect as much municipal, state, and federal government documents, datasets, research, records, and publications as possible, in the U.S. and internationally. Before being hired to run the program, Jamie lead a small team to perform a rapid landscape analysis on the field of government documentation; diagnosing over 70 ways our knowledge management in the U.S. is challenged, broken, or not linked. Jamie has consulted with numerous government leaders as well as leaders across the GLAM sector to gain such insights.

Andrea Mills

Executive Director, Internet Archive Canada

Andrea Mills is the Executive Director of Internet Archive Canada. Andrea joined the Internet Archive in the spring of 2006. In her role as Executive Director, Andrea is responsible for coordinating Internet Archive efforts in Canada, with a focus on building a Canadian Digital Library by and for Canadians. Andrea's personal approach is centred on accessible reading formats and free, equitable access to public and government information for all.

Dea De Jarisco

Senior Product Director, Digital Talent Careers | Government of British Columbia

"Dea has been with the BC Government for 7 years. She found her way in the tech and digital talent space in 2018 and has been highly engaged in building the right conditions for teams to thrive in the creation of modern services that citizens want and need. Her team is highly focused on attracting, recruiting, and retaining Digital Talents across the BC Government to enable modern service delivery."

Blair Neufeld

Executive Director, Product | Government of Alberta, Technology & Innovation

Blair’s role as Executive Director, Product, is to re-imagine how government delivers services to Albertans by designing and developing products with small agile teams. This involves defining new practices for design, performance measurement and partnership with ministry programs while recruiting expert practitioners to build the new organization.

Isa David

Manager, Digital Talent & Leadership | Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Government of Canada

"Isa is Manager of Digital talent Development in the Office of the Chief Information Officer at Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. She is passionate about supporting the federal government in attracting, retaining and developing the diverse digital talent it needs to deliver excellent services to Canadians. She has over 15 years of experience in digital government and corporate training and currently leads a team responsible for the Government of Canada’s first Digital Talent Strategy. Outside of her work, Isa volunteers much of her time as Team Lead of Emergency Response Services for the Canadian Red Cross in Quebec. "

Kent Aitken

Digital Academy, Canada School of Public Service

Kent has been working in public sector technology and innovation since 2009 as a practitioner, researcher, advisor, and executive. He’s currently the Director of Learning Products at the CSPS Digital Academy, a learning organization designed to support digital capacity and initiatives across the Government of Canada. He previously led public and stakeholder engagement on Open Government, and adds experience from sojourns outside of government, including the Prime Ministers of Canada Fellowship at the Public Policy Forum to study and advise on governance in the digital age, and the OECD to work with countries around the world on public sector innovation.

Fernanda Araiza Guzmán

User Experience Leader, Mexico City's Digital Agency for Public Innovation (ADIP)

Bachelor degree in Political Science and International Relations from Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económicas (CIDE), with experience in administrative modernization and digitization of procedures and services. She currently holds the position of User Experience Leader at Mexico City's Digital Agency for Public Innovation (ADIP).

Anna Wong

Director, Digital Talent Development |Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Anna is currently the Director of Digital Talent Development at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat where is focused on developing and upskilling digital talent across the Government of Canada. As a first generation Chinese Canadian, Anna is passionate about designing and delivering better government services so that more people can benefit from all that Canada has to offer. She lives for opportunities to build and empower teams to do good government – from scaling pilots to become products and services, simplifying systems and structures, to raising the bar on digital literacy and business acumen.

Ramy Nassar

Founder, 1000 Days Out | Author, AI Product Design Handbook

Ramy Nassar (he/him) is the founder of 1000 Days Out and author of the upcoming AI Product Design Handbook. With nearly 25 years experience in technology and as former Head of Innovation for Mattel, he leads presentations and workshops focused on AI and emerging technology & disruption and strategic foresight with organizations around the world. Ramy previously served as Head of Retail Innovation for Mattel, successfully launching and leading the organization’s first Innovation Lab. He has led AI-focused workshops & strategic foresight initiatives with organizations including TD Bank, Rio Tinto, Genome Canada, Interac, Apple, Air Canada, Facebook, New Balance, Telus, CIBC, and the Federal Government of Canada. Ramy teaches an AI + Design Thinking course at NTNU in Norway and in the Master’s of Engineering, Innovation & Entrepreneurship program at Toronto Metropolitan University. Ramy is an award-winning speaker & facilitator at international events including World Usability Congress, IxDA, FITC, AI Everything, AI Business Summit, and World Mobile Congress. He is fluent in English, French, and German.

Christine Lau

Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat, Government of Canada

Christine Lau is a dedicated leader with a passion for digital policy and client-centered initiatives. She has spent the last two years serving as the A/Director and Manager of Service Policy at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, where she has honed her skills in service policy and measurement and stakeholder engagement. Christine's journey began in program evaluation at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC). Since then she has held various roles in the public sector, including Manager of Service Partnerships at ESDC and Assistant Director of Passport Program Planning and Modernization Initiative at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. She is proud of her ability to develop sustainable enterprise solutions that meet client expectations and to build consensus with diverse stakeholders to achieve common objectives.

Alexander Howard

Director , Digital Democracy Project

Howard, an internationally recognized digital governance analyst and open government advocate at E-PluribusUnum.org, now leads a new digital democracy project. He is the former deputy director of the Sunlight Foundation, the Washington Correspondent for O’Reilly Media, a columnist for TechRepublic at CBS Interactive, senior editor at the Huffington Post and TechTarget, and has held fellowships at Harvard and Columbia University.

Marie-Ange Gravel, PhD

Environment and Climate Change Canada, Government of Canada

Marie-Ange Gravel is a manager at Environment and Climate Change Canada. She and an interdisciplinary team lead the Government of Canada’s approach to cumulative effects through partnership and collaboration. Their work focuses primarily on providing policy, technical and scientific support to a number of cumulative effects initiatives, including the Open Science and Data Platform. Dr. Gravel has been with Environment and Climate Change Canada since 2014, working on numerous environmental files such as species at risk protection and management, regulatory development and environmental assessments. She has a PhD in Biology from Carleton University, where her research focused on freshwater systems across North America.

Sean Power

Executive Officer & Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Indigenous Centre for Cumulative Effect (ICCE)

Startup founder. Indigenous executive. Focused on entertainment, AI, data, and gaming. Internationally published author (translated in 9 languages). Former member of MTV, Coradiant (acquired, BMC), Akoha, PostRank (acquired, Google), CoTweet (acquired, ExactTarget -> SalesForce), Dishcrawl (acquired, Dinner Lab), The Coveteur or Repable. Currently CEO & Co-Founder at SOMMS.AI, and part-time Executive Officer & Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Indigenous Center for Cumulative Effect.

Delta Flood

Impact Assessment Coordinator, Matachewan First Nation

Delta is an Anishinaabe Kwe from Matachewan First Nation. She currently resides on her First Nation and has been working for them for two years. One thing she is proud of is using Epicollect5 to create a Land Use Gathering App which allows users to gather information in the field and submit their data when they have access to the internet. Data collected will enhance both the TK values collection and monitor any Cumulative Effects seen by her community. She has found a way to use her ‘techie’ skills to help protect her First Nation’s lands.

Aura Cifuentes

Digital Government Expert and Scholar, Columbia Institute for Global Politics

Aura Cifuentes is a global leader in public innovation, digital transformation, and open government, with over eight years of experience in senior management roles in government, academia, and the private sector. As Colombia's former digital government director, Aura was a driving force behind many governmental initiatives aiming to foster the modernization of the public sector. She previously served as director of Colombia's Observatory of Transparency and Anticorruption and on the Public Innovation Team of the National Planning Department. She has been recognized as one of “31 influential young women in Colombian politics” by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Wom-en Foundation, while Apolitical and the WEF named her as one of the 50 most influential people navigating disruption in the world, in recognition of her work during the pandemic. Aura holds a BA in government and international relations from Externado University and a master in public affairs from Sciences Po Paris.

The Honourable / L’honorable Anita Anand

President of the Treasury Board | Government of Canada

"The Honourable Anita Anand was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Oakville in 2019. She has previously served as Minister of National Defence and as Minister of Public Services and Procurement. Born and raised in rural Nova Scotia, she moved to Ontario in 1985. Minister Anand is a devoted leader with a proven record of service. In her Oakville community, she has served on the Board of Directors of the Lighthouse Program for Grieving Children, the Oakville Hospital Foundation, and Oakville Hydro Electricity Distribution Inc. Minister Anand has worked as a scholar, lawyer, and researcher. She has been a legal academic, including as a Professor of Law at the University of Toronto, where she held the J.R. Kimber Chair in Investor Protection and Corporate Governance. She served as Associate Dean and was a member of the Governing Board of Massey College and the Director of Policy and Research at the Capital Markets Research Institute, Rotman School of Management. She has also taught law at Yale Law School, Queen’s University, and Western University. Minister Anand has completed extensive research on the regulation of financial markets, corporate governance, and shareholder rights, and has appeared regularly in the media to discuss these topics. In 2015, she was appointed to the Government of Ontario’s Expert Committee to Consider Financial Advisory and Financial Planning Policy Alternatives. She has conducted research for Ontario’s Five-Year Review Committee, the federal Wise Person’s Committee, and the Task Force to Modernize Securities Legislation in Canada. In 2019, the Royal Society of Canada awarded her the Yvan Allaire Medal for outstanding contributions in governance relating to private and public organizations. Minister Anand holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Studies from Queen’s University, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Jurisprudence from the University of Oxford, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University, and a Master of Laws from the University of Toronto. She was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994. Minister Anand and her husband, John, raised their four children in Oakville."

The Honourable / L’honorable Terry Beech

Minister of Citizens’ Services | Government of Canada

The Honourable Terry Beech was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Burnaby North—Seymour in 2015. He has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (B.C.), as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, and as Parliamentary Secretary for Science. Minister Beech is an accomplished and experienced entrepreneur, educator, and advocate. He entered public service in 1999 when he was elected as a city councillor in Nanaimo, British Columbia. As an adjunct professor at Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia, Minister Beech was co-author of The In-Credibility Factor, which highlights Canada’s ability to be a global leader in innovation and entrepreneurship. He founded the tech company HiretheWorld.com, an international community of professional web and graphic designers, and was a co-founder of Twinbro, a non-profit organization that has helped over 25,000 students obtain millions of dollars in scholarships and financial aid, with a particular focus on disadvantaged students. Minister Beech studied public administration at Capilano University. He holds a Bachelor’s degree with a joint major in Business and Economics from Simon Fraser University, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Oxford. He was named one of Maclean’s Top 30 Under 30 in 2004, one of Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40 in 2013, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. He was also selected as an Action Canada Fellow, a program for emerging leaders in public policy. Minister Beech is currently raising his family in Burnaby North—Seymour with his wife."

Barbra Webber

Head of Digital Learning and Frameworks | Central Data and Digital Office, UK Government

Barbra has a BSc in IT and Computing from the Open University and a background as a specialist leader of education for secondary school computer science both of which ignited a love of learning and all things digital. Barbra is head of digital learning and the capability framework for the UK Government Digital and Data profession. Barbra designed and developed the DDaT Essentials framework for government senior leaders to understand digital, data and technology and led the government team on the Digital Excellence programme for senior leaders and the learning design of the One Big Thing data learning moment for over half a million civil servants.

Dr. Morgan Kahentonni Phillips

Indigenous (Kanien’kehá:ka) Research Consultant

Morgan Kahentonni Phillips is a Kanien’kehá:ka woman (Wolf Clan) from the Kanien’kehá:ka Territory of Kahnawake and a citizen of the Haudenosaunee/Six Nations Iroquois Confederacy. Dr. Phillips holds a BA Honours in Anthropology, an MA in Social & Cultural Anthropology from Concordia University in Montreal, and a PhD from the Department of Integrated Studies in Education (DISE) at McGill University. She is currently a Research Associate in the Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology at McGill, and an Indigenous Research Consultant. Her research expertise includes Indigenous health and well-being, resilience, community-engaged research, Indigenous research methodologies, program evaluation, and decolonizing pedagogy. Morgan has a solid background in qualitative research, knowledge of her culture, and fully supports collaborative partnerships with community.

John Cousens

Managing Director, Public Sector Canada | Google Cloud

"John Cousens is the Managing Director of Public Sector, Canada with Google. John is a Cloud industry veteran with experience in two cloud computing start-ups. He has over 20 years of senior management experience, with previous technology leaders. John has a passion for innovation, customers and hockey; all powered by an entrepreneurial heart. John sits on the board of directors of Technation. A native of the Ottawa valley, John is married to an amazing wife with two children that inspire him daily."

Peter Near

Field Chief Technology Officer, VMware Canada

Peter Near is VMware Canada’s Field Chief Technology Officer, a thought leader on topics including cloud adoption, application modernization, and infrastructure security. As part of the Canadian Enterprise technology landscape for over twenty years, Peter has advised senior technical leaders in multiple industries, participated on national advisory committees, and has shared insights on news broadcasts across the country. He is passionate about leveraging emerging technology to drive forward Canada and Canadians.

Brad Greyeyes-Brant

Senior Consultant, Daniel J. Brant & Associates

Mr. Greyeyes-Brant is a Cree-Mohawk entrepreneur, consultant, and FN advocate with over 20 years of work in the Indigenous economy spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors in Canada. His education includes a BA from Carleton University, a MA from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, and executive education from Harvard Business School. Mr. Greyeyes-Brant was CEO of the first Indigenous nutraceutical corporation in Canada, and currently serves as a director of the Red Feather Foundation in addition to consulting work for clients such as the First Nations Financial Management Board, and the Office of the Commissioner of Indigenous Languages.

Eyra Abraham

Founder & CEO, Lisnen

"Eyra Abraham is the Founder of Lisnen, a startup changing the landscape of adaptive technologies for people with hearing loss using AI. Her mission is to leverage tech to positively impact people with a disability to gain equal access at home, at work, and in our community. Eyra is one of several committee members to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities at both the federal and provincial levels and a steering committee member for Start Access, an initiative on AI equity with the American Association of People with Disabilities. Her impact has garnered attention for her work, winning Canada’s Top 100 Black Women to Watch 2019. Eyra has a M.Sc. from Bournemouth University and a B.Sc. from McGill University."