Speakers

Geneviève Binet is the Assistant Deputy Minister of Public Affairs at the Department of National Defence (DND). Prior to joining DND in 2023, she spent 16 months in the Emergency Preparedness and COVID Recovery Secretariat at the Privy Council Office (PCO) supporting the government in transforming, with partners, how it mitigates, prepares for, responds to, and recovers from emergencies, and playing a significant leadership role in supporting the work of the recent Public Order Emergency Commission. Before joining PCO, Ms. Binet was the Vice President and the Director General of the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA) Chief Transformation Officer Branch, where she played an integral role in providing leadership and stewardship of the CBSA’s transformation program and its journey towards building the Border of the Future. She also worked in CBSA’s Information, Science and Technology Branch, where she led the development of corporate applications and a renewed culture in the IT sphere. She joined the CBSA in 2018, after 8 years in progressively increasing executive roles at the Canada Revenue Agency, including in Public Affairs, federal-provincial affairs, and as Chief of Staff to the Commissioner of Revenue. She joined the federal public service after a career in the market research industry.

She has a degree in Business and Anthropology from Carleton University, and a master’s Certificate in Innovation Leadership from York University’s Schulich School of Business. She is passionate about government transformation, public affairs, culture change and being a servant leader.

Carl was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister at Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) in 2016. He has been a proud member of APEX since 2006, when he first entered the executive ranks.

Carl began his career with National Defence in Human Resources with a focus in Labour Relations. He became a successful negotiator at TBS and proceeded to lead the Collective Bargaining program. His journey continued with him leading the Governance, Program and Policy Sector and working on many transformation initiatives. He then went to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to implement the new RCMP labour relations regime.

Carl brings a strong leadership background and experience in change management, negotiation, strategic planning, program development, people management, relationship management and stakeholder engagement. Carl is very excited to take on the role of APEX CEO, and to further lead the APEX vision toward an executive community with elevated wellness, elite leaders and extraordinary impacts through partnerships.

Christiane Fox was appointed Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, effective January 27, 2024.

Prior to her appointment, Christiane held several deputy minister roles across the public service. She was the Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada from July 2022 to January 2024, the Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services Canada from September 2020 to July 2022, the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs from November 2019 to September 2020, and the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth from June 2017 to November 2019. She is also the Deputy Minister Champion of the Federal Youth Network.

Christiane has also held several positions at the Privy Council Office, including Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Communications and Consultations; Director of Operations, Policy, in the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Relations Secretariat; and Director General of Communications.

Christiane started her career as a communications advisor at Industry Canada (now Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada), where she worked in communications and in science policy. She also spent a year with the Competition Policy Review Secretariat as Director of Communications and Consultations.

Christiane has a B.A. in Mass Communications and Psychology from Carleton University and is a graduate of the University of Ottawa’s Master’s Certificate Program in Public Administration.

Arun Thangaraj was appointed Deputy Minister of Transport on February 20, 2023.

Before joining Transport Canada, Arun was the Associate Deputy Minister at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, following two years as the Associate Deputy Minister at Transport Canada.

Before these roles, he was Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer at Global Affairs Canada and was the Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the former Canadian International Development Agency. He also brings experience and knowledge on transportation issues, from his time at the Canadian Transportation Agency from 2002 to 2011.

Arun received the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for his contribution to the federal public service and to his community. He has served on various governance boards and is a sessional lecturer in the School of Public Administration at Carleton University.

Arun is a Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Carleton University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Ottawa, and an Honours BA in Political Science from the University of Toronto.

John Hannaford was named the 25th Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet on June 24, 2023.

Prior to becoming Clerk, John served as Deputy Minister of Natural Resources Canada, from 2022 to 2023, where he helped advance some of the government’s signature clean energy initiatives.

He contributed to the public service for the preceding two decades representing the Canadian government on key international files, from free trade to foreign and defence policy.

After graduating from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, with a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in history, he earned a Master of Science in international relations at the London School of Economics, before completing a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Toronto.

John joined the federal public service’s Department of Foreign Affairs as a newly minted lawyer in 1995, working on a range of issues including maritime jurisdictions, environmental law and trade.

His following career included being Deputy Minister of International Trade at Global Affairs Canada from 2019–2022, after having served in several high-profile senior leadership positions in the public service, including:

– Foreign and Defence Policy Adviser to the Prime Minister (2015–2019);

– Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet of Foreign and Defence Policy in the Privy Council Office (2012–2015); and

– Ambassador of Canada to Norway (2009–2012).

John’s first act as Clerk was to launch a broad discussion on public service values and ethics to ensure the civil service is equipped to serve Canadians’ changing needs in today’s dynamic and increasingly complex environment.

He believes the values of the public service are the cornerstone of our democracy and the compass to ensure “the peace, order and good government” it provides remain relevant and real to every Canadian, every day.

He is married to Anne Lawson. Together they have two adult children.

Called one of the most inspirational TED speakers in the world, Drew Dudley is on a mission to redefine leadership. With more than five million views, his TED talk “Everyday Leadership (The Lollipop Moment)” proved that leadership is not a characteristic of an elite few, but one that lives within us all. Through his high-energy talks, Dudley shares practical and actionable insights on creating cultures of leadership that lead to higher levels of pride, productivity, happiness, and retention. He empowers audiences and equips them with the tools needed to make a difference, at home and work.

Dudley is the founder and Chief Catalyst of Day One Leadership, where he has helped organizations around the world increase their leadership capacity. His clients have included such dynamic companies as McDonald’s, JP Morgan Chase, the United Way, and more than 75 colleges and universities.
Prior to founding Day One, Dudley spent eight years as the director of one of Canada’s largest leadership development programs at the University of Toronto, and served as a national chair of one of Canada’s largest youth charities, which mobilized 35,000 volunteers to raise $1 million dollars annually in support of Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

Dudley’s passion for personal leadership has inspired millions of people worldwide to embrace the belief that leadership is something that we all can and should aspire to. He has been featured in The Huffington Post, Radio America, Forbes.com, and TED.com, where his talk was voted “one of the 15 most inspirational TED talks of all time”. TIME, Business Insider, and Inc. magazines have all named his talk one of their “10 speeches that will make you a better leader”.

A bestselling author, Dudley’s first book This is Day One: A Practical Guide to Leadership That Matters debuted at #6 on The Wall Street Journal bestseller List and has gone on to become an international bestseller.

Described as one of the most sought-after, engaging, thought-provoking, and truly transformative speakers and scholars in her field, Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe is a multi-award-winning education and psychology instructor. She specializes in resiliency, navigating stress and change, wellness in the workplace, and optimal performance both at home and work. Her keynotes, grounding in global research, share accessible and practical strategies that help foster resiliency and wellness within ourselves and others.

Hanley-Dafoe’s work is inspired by personal experience. She learned resiliency from the ground up as someone who has experienced significant obstacles throughout her life. This, combined with more than 18 years of university teaching and research experience, makes Hanley-Dafoe’s work both accessible and relatable while providing realistic and sustainable strategies for understanding and practicing everyday resiliency and wellness.

Hanley-Dafoe is the bestselling author of two books: Calm Within the Storm, which won a 2022 Silver Nautilus Award, and her most recent, Stress Wisely: How to Be Well in an Unwell World

Dr. Ailish Campbell was appointed Ambassador of Canada to the European Union in October 2020. In this role she leads diplomatic representation to the EU and strategic engagement of Canada’s second largest trade and investment partner. Ailish joined Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada in 2002 as a trade negotiator in the WTO Doha Round. During her time as a federal public servant, she has held successively senior executive roles in economic, finance, and international policy including at the Privy Council Office and Industry Canada. In the private sector, Ailish was vice president of international and fiscal policy at the Business Council of Canada from 2013 to 2015. In 2015, she returned to public service and became general director of economic development and corporate finance at Finance Canada, where she led the development of the federal budget on innovation policy, clean technology, and defense. From 2017 to 2020 she served as chief trade commissioner of Canada and assistant deputy minister, leading Global Affairs Canada’s team of trade commissioners in over 150 locations worldwide. Under her leadership, the Trade Commissioner Service expanded its services to high growth companies and established a range of new digital services to small business to promote the use of Canada’s global network of free trade agreements. In this role, Ailish was also responsible for financial Crown corporation governance, including Export Development Canada. Ailish has served on not-for-profit boards, including the Banff Forum where she remains on the global advisory board. She holds a Doctorate in International Relations from the University of Oxford, an M.Sc (Econ) from the London School of Economics and a B.A. (Hons) from Queen’s University, Canada. She has been designated a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. In 2020 she earned her ICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Ailish is a Fellow of the 2021 class of the Finance Leaders Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.

Ambassador Emmanuel Kamarianakis (BComm, University of Calgary, 1993) joined External Affairs and International Trade Canada in 1993. In Ottawa, Mr. Kamarianakis was a foreign and defence policy analyst in the Privy Council Office from 2006 to 2008 with responsibility for Latin America and the Caribbean and was chief of staff to the deputy minister of international trade from 2008 to 2010. He has served abroad in Mexico as counsellor (commercial), in Greece as senior trade commissioner, in Iran as third and second secretary (commercial) and in Rome as minister-counsellor (commercial) at the Canadian embassy. He was also consul general of Canada in Dubai from 2015 to 2018. Mr. Kamarianakis was most recently director general of investment, innovation and education at Global Affairs Canada’s Headquarters.

Ambassador Tamara Mawhinney joined Global Affairs Canada in 1993. She began her career as a Cabinet Liaison Officer and then as a Lawyer within the International Trade Law Division. Assignments overseas included Mission of Canada to the UN in New York (1995 to 1998), Embassy of Canada to France, Paris (2001 to 2006 and 2013 to 2014), and Mission of Canada to the European Union in Brussels where she served as Political section head from 2007 to 2012. After serving for 2 years as Advisor to Mme Michaëlle Jean, Secretary-General of La Francophonie in Paris, she returned to Ottawa in 2016 to lead the UN Security Council campaign team. Ambassador Tamara joined Canada`s Mission to the UN in Geneva in the summer of 2018 as Deputy Permanent Representative.

Prior to joining Global Affairs, Ambassador Mawhinney completed her Articles of Law with the firm of McCarthy Tétrault in Toronto and Ottawa and remains an Attorney and Member of the New York State Bar.

Ambassador Mawhinney has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in History and Literature from Trinity College, University of Toronto (1987) and a Bachelor of Laws degree from University of Toronto (1991). She also has a Certificate of Political Studies (Certificat d’Études Politiques) in European politics and Law from Paris Institute of Political Studies (Institut d’Études Politiques, France, 1998) and a Diploma in French and EU Public Administration, Management and Law from École Nationale d’Administration (France, 2000).

Throughout her career in business management and psychology, Dr. Pelletier has spearheaded the dialogue on the crucial issues of leadership resilience and work performance. Drawing on her extensive background in corporate, insurance, governance and public sectors, she brings an international perspective and unique expertise on leadership. She is a practicing leadership psychologist and executive coach with over 20 years of experience and holds a Ph.D. and an MBA from the University of British Columbia. Marie-Helene is a Member of the Global Clinical Practice Network of the World Health Organization, and past Director on the boards of the Canadian Psychological Association and the International Association of Applied Psychology. She has presented and authored and co-authored a number of industry and academic publications and has won numerous academic and industry awards. In 2024, Dr. Pelletier published her award-winning book, The Resilience Plan: A Strategic Approach to Optimizing Your Work Performance and Mental Health.

Peter Mansbridge is one of Canada’s most respected and recognizable figures, having spent 30 years as CBC News’ chief correspondent and anchor of The National. He joined the CBC in 1968, where, over the course of five decades, he covered almost every major Canadian and international event.

From the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the 9/11 terrorist attacks to Olympic Games, federal elections from 1972 to 2019.  Peter is also the bestselling author of four books: Mansbridge: One on One; Extraordinary Canadians; Off The Record and his latest, How Canada Works.

After retiring from the CBC in 2017, Peter now serves as the president of Manscorp Media Services, where he develops documentary films, and hosts one of Canada’s leading political podcasts, The Bridge. He is also Senior Counsel at Spark Advocacy in Ottawa, and the Honourary Colonel of Canada’s Special Forces Regiment.

And finally, Peter is Chancellor Emeritus of Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, and a Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto.

Amber is the President of AmberMac Media, Inc., an award-winning content development agency, an award-winning podcaster, and a bestselling author. She is also the co-host of the weekly emerging technology radio show and podcast #TheFeed on SiriusXM.

In 2024, Amber was named one of DMZ’s Women of the Year for driving innovation and progress in the Canadian tech industry. In 2022, Amber joined the board of directors at GFI (TSXV: PEAS), a plant-based farm-to-fork food and ingredients company. In 2021, Amber was named one of the Bay Street Bull Women of the Year for her leadership in the technology sector.

In 2010, she wrote the national bestselling business book Power Friending (Portfolio: New York) and in 2016, she co-wrote the Amazon bestseller, Outsmarting Your Kids Online.

Amber has keynoted more than 500 events around the world and has moderated sessions with: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau; German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, former FBI Director James Comey; business coach Tony Robbins; famed astronaut Chris Hadfield; and many other notable leaders.

Motivated by her passion to correct societal “isms” like racism, sexism, and classism, Risha Grant’s personal mission is to show the subtleties and values of diversity, equity, and inclusion and the impact they create. In her no-holds-barred style, she teaches audiences about unconscious bias, micro-aggressions, and other actions that perpetuate discrimination and inequality, and empowers them to foster more inclusive spaces, both at home and work.

The founder and CEO of Risha Grant LLC, an award-winning diversity consulting and communications firm, Grant is an internationally renowned diversity, inclusion, and bias expert. She’s been featured in Forbes, Harvard Business Review, HR News, The Financial Times, Glamour, Bloomberg Media, Black Enterprise, among other local, national, and international media. Grant is also the author of That’s BS! How Bias Synapse Disrupts Inclusive Cultures and the Power to Attract Diverse Markets and Be Better than Your BS.

Grant uses honest, humourous, and vulnerable storytelling to motivate audiences to embrace radical acceptance while honouring diversity, equity, and inclusion without evoking feelings of judgement or assigning blame. Past clients have included Google, Levi Strauss, Nestle Purina, Xerox, YouTube, Procter & Gamble, Discover Card Financial Services, Samsung Electronics America, US Airforce, US Navy, Intuit, and Harvard University, to name a few.

In recognition of her work, Grant has received numerous honours, including being named one of the “Top 10 Most Powerful Women Leaders in HR” by PeopleHum; one of the “40 Top Women Keynote Speakers” by Real Leaders; one of Engagedly’s “Top 100 HR Influencers” for three consecutive years; and Entrepreneur of the Year. She has also been awarded the NBA OKC Thunder Changemaker Award and the Inclusive Leadership Award.

Sébastien Sasseville empowers leaders to lead with purpose and inspires organizations to embrace change, remain engaged, and win at the long game. An endurance athlete, his extraordinary accomplishments — which include summiting Mount Everest and completing the mythical Sahara race and the toughest ultra-cycling event in the world — are made even more impressive by the fact that he lives with type 1 diabetes. Having held diverse sales roles in several Fortune 500 companies, Sasseville marries his business experience with his extensive inspirational achievements to deliver dynamic messaging on change management, leadership, teamwork, resilience, purpose, and motivation.

Through tackling the world’s toughest challenges and continuously setting new goals, Sasseville made a powerful discovery — what we think is possible can always expand. It starts by setting an impossible goal, taking that courageous first step, and then focusing on that “impossible” goal one step at a time.
Supported by powerful imagery, awe-inspiring stories, and unique accomplishments, Sasseville’s keynotes emphasize the importance of agility when it comes to change and transformation. When we face a challenge, he says, we must accept that we don’t have all the answers at first. But by taking a first step and allowing the experience to unfold, we can often find the answers in the journey. His keynotes also illustrate the importance of putting the mission first when leading a team, as when the mission is more important than individual success, he says, this is how we build an army.

Fully bilingual, Sasseville has been featured in several media outlets including CBC, TSN, The Huffington Post, CTV, Global TV, Radio-Canada, and countless newspapers. He has also spoken to hundreds of audiences across North America helping them to create enthusiasm about business transformation, build resilience, and evolve to win. Past clients have included RBC, Pfizer, Sobeys, Bell, SAP, L’Oréal, KPMG, and Hewitt.

Rick Hansen, C.C., O.B.C. is a Canadian icon who has dedicated his life to awakening the world to the potential of people with disabilities. He is best known as the “Man In Motion” for undertaking an epic 26 month, 40,000 km journey around the world in his wheelchair. The Man In Motion World Tour was fueled by Hansen’s two original dreams of a world without barriers for people with disabilities and a cure for paralysis after spinal cord injury.

Hansen is a three-time world champion, nine-time Pan Am gold medalist, and six-time Paralympic medalist. He is the Founder of the Rick Hansen Foundation, an organization committed to creating an inclusive world where people with disabilities are living to their full potential.

For over three decades, Hansen and his team have been focused on the removal of barriers. Currently, he and the Foundation are rethinking how people of all ages and abilities access spaces where we live, work, learn and play. The Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification™ (RHFAC) is the only program that rates, certifies, and showcases accessible building based on their level of meaningful access for persons with mobility, vision, and hearing disabilities. To date, more than 1,350 sites across Canada have been rated through the program.