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What’s Next? From Full-Time Leadership to your Purposeful Third Act – Session 1

Date: May 12, 2026
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Offered in partnership with Purposeful Third Act (P3A).

The series will explore how to leverage a lifetime of strategic insight and networks to build a meaningful ‘portfolio’ of engagement – ranging from board service and advisory roles to civic leadership – and the societal benefit that ensues from leveraging leadership capital. Participants will be encouraged to view this transition as a period of active discovery, exploring how to align their skills and interests with new opportunities for impact and personal fulfillment.

The Mindset Shift

This session sets the context for rethinking the transition from a full-time leadership role.

Drawing on insights from longevity research and shifting career patterns, it will explore how this stage of life is evolving—from a defined endpoint to a more open and extended period of contribution.
Through a combination of expert perspective and lived experience, participants will be introduced to the concept of a Purposeful Third Act and the idea of a more flexible, “portfolio” approach to work and engagement.

The discussion will:

  • Expand how participants think about this next phase of life and career
  • Surface common questions and considerations leaders reflect on during this transition
  • Highlight why continued engagement matters—for individuals, organizations, and society
  • Normalize the fact that this stage is often exploratory and does not need to be fully defined upfront

The session is designed to move participants from a narrow or traditional view of retirement toward a broader sense of possibility and direction.

Event Details

Date & Time: May 12, 2026, 13:00 to 14:30 ET

Audience: All Public Service executives across Canada and internationally are invited to attend APEX’s learning events

Cost: Free

Language: This event will be bilingual. Simultaneous interpretation will be available via Wordly, an AI-based interpreting service.

Platform: Participants will attend our virtual event via Teams webinar. A meeting link will be sent once you are registered.

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Resources

PowerPoint Presentation

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Meet the Panelists

Moderator: Zabeen Hirji
Founder, Purposeful Third Act Movement
Public & Private Sector Advisor | Board Director | Speaker
Former Chief Human Resources Officer, RBC

Zabeen Hirji is a strategic advisor to business, government, academia, and NGOs, and a thought leader in leadership, culture, purpose, the future of work, AI + human skills, and inclusion. She built a distinguished career at RBC, culminating in 10 years as Chief Human Resources Officer until her retirement in 2017.

Now in her Purposeful Third Act, she strives to create impact by activating her purpose – “to unlock human potential and build inclusive prosperity.” As Founder of the Purposeful Third Act movement, she champions this chapter as one defined by impact, learning, and joy. Her goal is to build an ecosystem that helps leaders design personalized Third Acts – leveraging their crystallized wisdom, skills, and social capital to make an impact that matters.

Her current business roles include being an Executive Advisor at Deloitte Canada, and a Senior Advisor to Knockri, an AI-enabled recruitment platform. She is Chancellor-Designate of Trent University and an Executive-in-Residence at Simon Fraser University’s Beedie School of Business. Zabeen was also Special Advisor on Public Service Renewal and values and ethics to the Clerk of the Privy Council, and Co-Chair of the City of Toronto’s Economic Development Advisory Panel.

Active in the not-for-profit sector, Zabeen serves as a Director on the Board of the Public Policy Forum, Junior Achievement Worldwide and Canadian Club Toronto. Zabeen’s honours include appointment to the Order of Ontario, the Governor General’s Meritorious Service Medal, the Canadian HR Awards Lifetime Achievement Award, and an honorary Doctorate of Laws from Trent University.

Learn more about Zabeen on her website or follow her on LinkedIn.

Simon Chan
Stanford Center on Longevity

Simon Chan is a strategic advisor to boards and senior leaders navigating one of the most consequential shifts of our time: the extension of human life and its impact on work, retirement, and the broader life course. His work challenges organizations to move beyond incremental adaptation, guiding them to fundamentally rethink how people contribute, transition, and create value across longer, multistage lives.

As Founder and CEO of Adapt with Intent, Simon partners with pension plans, financial institutions, public-sector organizations, and higher-education leaders to embed a longevity lens into strategy, talent, and governance. He helps leadership teams surface where legacy systems are misaligned with today’s lived realities and design forward-looking models that reflect how people actually live, learn, and work over time.

Bridging global research with real-world application, Simon serves as a Global Ambassador for the Stanford Center on Longevity, translating cutting-edge insights into practical strategies for institutions. He brings nearly two decades of executive experience across strategy, innovation, and workforce transformation, including senior leadership roles at Manulife Financial and leading future of work initiatives at Communitech. He advises Fortune 500 organizations on how to respond to demographic change and unlock new avenues for growth and relevance.

Simon also serves as Chair of the Board of Governors at Wilfrid Laurier University. He is a columnist for Advisor.ca, with perspectives that have appeared in Forbes and Kiplinger Personal Finance.

He is widely recognized for helping leaders connect emerging signals with future implications, equipping organizations to redesign work, retirement, and human capital systems for an era defined not by aging, but by longevity.

Denise Amyot
Former President/CEO of Colleges & Institutes Canada and of a Federal Crown Corporation
Corporate Director, Executive Coach, Leadership Training in Canada & International, Connector, Speaker, Consultant, Entrepreneur

Denise is an experienced consultant, board member, and executive coach with a global footprint across nonprofit organizations, governments, startups, and post-secondary institutions. Her work spans Burkina Faso to Canada, China to Spain and Jamaïca to Qatar; offering strategic guidance rooted in senior management expertise at different levels and different types of organizations and in emotional, cultural and transitional intelligence.

Thao Pham
Chair, Board of Directors, Canadian Air Transport Security Authority (CATSA)
Board Director, Mobilité Infra Québec and of the World Wildlife Fund – Canada

A former deputy minister with the Canadian government, Ms. Pham has extensive leadership, executive management and governance experience. Her areas of expertise are in transportation, infrastructure, sustainable development, and crisis management. She last served Deputy Minister, COVID-19 Recovery, and Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations) in the Privy Council Office where she coordinated the federal government’s response to the global pandemic, and provided advice to the highest level of government on wide-ranging domestic economic, environmental and social issues. Prior to that, Ms. Pham was Associate Deputy Minister of Transport Canada. She also held senior executive positions in many federal departments and agencies, including Infrastructure Canada, Environment Canada and Canada Economic Development Agency for Quebec Regions. She has led large-scale complex national programs and operations involving multiple stakeholders, and major projects including the multibillion-dollar Samuel-de Champlain Bridge project in Montreal.

Ms. Pham is an honorary senior fellow at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs. She holds a M. Sc. in Environmental Sciences from Université du Québec à Montréal and a B. Sc. in Biology from McGill University.

Neil Bouwer
Professor of Practice, Max Bell School | Former Vice-President, Innovation and Skills Development Branch, CSPS
Former Assistant Deputy Minister at TBS, NRC, CFIA and the Privy Council Office of Canada

Neil Bouwer 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.

Neil Bouwer est l’ancien vice-président responsable de Direction générale de l’innovation et du perfectionnement des compétences à l’École de la fonction publique du Canada. Il a récemment mené à bien l’examen des programmes d’innovation en entreprise. Il a aussi agi comme sous-ministre adjoint au sein du Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada, de Ressources naturelles Canada, de l’Agence canadienne d’inspection des aliments et du Bureau du Conseil privé. Il a occupé des postes exécutifs au Centre d’analyse des opérations et déclarations financières du Canada, à Ressources humaines et Développement social Canada et à la Banque de développement du Canada. En outre, il a travaillé au ministère des Finances Canada et à Diversification de l’économie de l’Ouest Canada. Il est titulaire de diplômes d’études universitaires en économie de McGill University et de St Thomas University. Pour plusieurs années Neil appuyait activement la Communauté des politiques du gouvernement du Canada, la Communauté des données du gouvernement du Canada, le Programme avancé pour les analystes de politiques et le Programme d’agents libres. Neil est excité de mettre ses nombreuses années d’expérience dans le service public au service du Max Bell School of Public Policy.

Frédérique Tsaï-Klassen
Founder, The Iron Network
Co-Founder, Power Shift – Women Redefining Leadership in Canada

Frédérique Tsaï-Klassen is a strategic advisor with 30 years of experience across federal politics, diplomacy, and entrepreneurial leadership. She most recently served as Chief of Staff to two federal ministers and previously held senior roles including spokesperson to Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Over the course of her career, she has supported six federal ministers, one Prime Minister, and one Governor General.

She has also held senior roles in Canada and abroad, including Director of Strategic Communications at Global Affairs Canada, Director of Communications at the Canadian Embassy in France, and Special Advisor at the International Energy Agency, working on major domestic and international policy files.

Frédérique is a Partner at Prospectus Associates, where she advises corporate, nonprofit, and public sector clients on strategy, positioning, and stakeholder engagement—helping them navigate complexity, clarify direction, and advance their priorities.

She is also Co-Founder of Power Shift — Women Redefining Leadership in Canada, a platform exploring how leadership, systems, and power are evolving across sectors at a time of significant national transformation.

In 2022, she founded The Iron Network, a cross-sector initiative that brings women together through curated workshops, coaching, and intergenerational dialogue. Through this work, she supports both emerging and senior professionals, with a focus on leadership development, career transitions, and evolving professional paths.

Frédérique founded and operated a successful restaurant in Ottawa for 10 years and remains actively engaged in her community.

She holds an Executive Master’s in Public Management from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Ottawa.

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