Paul Zikopoulos is changing the way audiences are looking at their businesses in terms of sales, obstacles, and potential for growth - and the key ingredient is data! He’s been named an expert on big data by publications such as Big Data Republic, Technopedia, and Analytics Week. He is also included on multiple "experts to follow" lists around the world - including SAP’s “50 Big Data Twitter Influencers”. Paul has been consulted on this topic by “60 Minutes” and advises various universities as they develop their curriculums to match market needs. Paul has won multiple awards for his speaking in part because he has a unique ability to take the often complex world of analytics, big data, AI, data science, machine learning, etc. and reach audiences of all ages and skills levels with the right message. Paul is a Fortune 35 (IBM) Vice President focused on Analytics, an award winning writer (who has published more than 19 books and over 350 articles on various topics) and sits on the advisory board of Women 2.0 - a for profit company committed to close the gender gaps in founding, investing, and workplace leadership.

Mark Bowden is the keynote speaker for organizations worldwide whose work depends upon winning the hearts and minds of others. Mark entertainingly trains any audience in the most cutting edge techniques to stand out, win trust and profit every time they speak. His keynote presentation takes everyone on an exciting and humorous journey to understand how, with the right body language “It’s often not what you say—but how you say it, that gets results!” Expert in human behaviour and body language, keynote speaker Mark Bowden is the creator of TRUTHPLANE®, a communication training company and unique methodology for anyone who has to communicate with impact to an audience. Mark’s highly entertaining keynote speeches and training seminars teach audiences around the world how to use the most influential verbal and nonverbal language to stand out, win trust and gain credibility every time they speak.

The Right Honorable Jean Chrétien is the former prime minister of Canada and is one of the most respected world leaders of the last 25 years. His career spans more than 40 years in public service, and under his leadership, his party won three consecutive majorities in the House of Commons. Queen Elizabeth appointed Chrétien to the Order of Merit, an award given to “individuals of exceptional distinction in the arts, learning, sciences, and other areas such as public service.” He addresses global / geopolitical matters, such as globalization, the economy, security, and social issues.

One of the brightest minds in economics, Matthew Slaughter addresses the near-term challenges facing the economy with an eye on the future. He is a member of the Congressional Budget Office’s Panel of Economic Advisors and was a member on the White House Council of Economic Advisors. Approachable and enthusiastic, he makes practical sense of economic data and shares insights on opportunities, emerging markets, trade, investments, and policy – offering organizations the numbers they need to put the economic situation in the right perspective.

One of the world's most gifted strategic thinkers, Vijay Govindarajan outlines 10 rules for strategic innovators and teaches corporations how to build breakthrough businesses. Cited as "among the world's hottest business gurus" by BusinessWeek, Govindarajan is is the author of Reverse Innovation and Beyond the Idea: How to Execute Innovation in Any Organization. He is sought-after for his international perspective on how to build and lead a global corporation.

Jim Carroll is recognized as the world’s leading futurist, trends and innovation experts, with a massive global blue-chip client list. Over the last 30 years, more than 2 million people have shared his insight at his events. Jim’s global client list gives him a front-row seat to the high-velocity change that is occurring as disruption comes to take hold of every industry and every organization. With that insight, and the customized research that he undertakes for every engagement, he helps to transform growth-oriented organizations into high-velocity innovation heroes! Jim provides high energy keynotes for audiences of 50 to 5,000, as well as intimate, customized strategic planning sessions for CEO/CxO, board, and senior management meetings. He has researched key innovation success factors for dozens of organizations and industries including life sciences, health care, insurance, automotive, manufacturing, agriculture, technology, education, government, consumer products, retail, banking and countless others. He has been invited in by NASA (twice) to share his insight on the future of the space industry; by Disney, to advise on new strategies for creativity and innovation; by the PGA of America for his thoughts on how to accelerate the golf industry; by Pfizer for insight on the future of medical science; by the World Bank for his thoughts on opportunities for economic development; and by the Wall Street Journal for his perspective on disruptive trends. Among countless others... Jim Carroll is an author, with numerous books including Now What?, Think Big, Start Small, Scale Fast;, Surviving the Information Age, The Future Belongs To Those Who Are Fast, Ready, Set, Done: and What I Learned From Frogs in Texas.

Dr. Chitra Anand is an award-winning communications & marketing executive. With over 20 years in the technology industry, she has spent time as the Chief Brand and Communications Officer for Microsoft Canada, Director of Marketing at TELUS Corporation and Director of Operations at Open Text. Projects she guided at Microsoft and TELUS have been awarded IABC Gold Quill Awards, Canadian Public Relations Society Awards of Excellence, the Corporate IT Hero award by the Information Technology Association of Canada and the Business for the Arts Awards.

Captain Larry Brudnicki presentation style is fast paced and interesting, striking a perfect balance between humor and real-life drama, as he tells a true story of leadership, teamwork, courage and risk management strategies. He is the real-life Captain of the Coast Guard ship that performed two dramatic rescues during the worst storm in more than 100 years, which became known as "The Perfect Storm" and inspired the book that was on The New York Times best-seller list and the blockbuster movie.

One of the stars and key investors on ABC's hit show, Shark Tank, Robert Herjavec is one of North America’s most recognizable business leaders. A serial entrepreneur, he has started a number of technology companies that have been successfully acquired. Robert is the founder and CEO of The Herjavec Group—Canada's #1 Security Company and one of the fastest growing technology Companies. In a short 10 years, The Herjavec Group has grown from sales of $400K with three people to over $150 million in revenue and 175 employees. He is a best-selling author of two books, Driven and the newly published Will to Win, which is the current # 1 Canadian book on the Globe & Mail best-seller list.

Ken Burns is a PBS documentary director of The Civil War, Baseball, The West, Thomas Jefferson. He has been making documentary films for more than twenty years and the most notable among his work is the PBS series Baseball. Among critical acclaim, Baseball earned Mr. Burns an Emmy, the Clarion Award, and The Television Critics Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Sports and Special Programming.

After graduating from Harvard Business School, Neil Pasricha spent a decade as Director of Leadership at Walmart, the world’s largest company. While there he wrote the 50-million-hit, award-winning blog 1000 Awesome Things and the New York Times bestsellers The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation which have been on international bestseller lists for over 200 weeks and sold over a million copies. Neil’s research and books on happiness, mindset, and human potential have received attention from Harvard Business Review, The New Yorker, The Sunday Times, CNN, and BBC. Onstage his style is an endangered species: an incredibly rare blend of raw, hilarious, and heartwarming. His high-energy, takeaway-laden, application-not-motivation speeches are often voted tops at any conference or event.

A best-selling author, speaker, and entrepreneur, Polly LaBarre is an inspiring and provocative voice on the big ideas and important questions that will shape the future of organizations, work, and success. As a co-founder and editorial director of the MIX (Management Innovation eXchange), LaBarre puts her passion for making human endeavors more productive, creative, and fulfilling to the test. The MIX is a pioneering open innovation project dedicated to re-inventing management for the 21st century.