Ottawa Talent Summit 2023

Ottawa's annual conference devoted to attracting, developing, and retaining top talent!

Returning for its fifth year, this jam-packed half-day event will focus on the massive disruption to talent: work in a post-pandemic world, employee engagement and wellbeing, EDI, the impact of technology, inflationary pressure on compensation, and generational change.

It seems everything is shifting at once. Get your bearings on what is happening and how to adapt.

This year's Talent Summit will feature an engaging keynote presentation by Stephen Harrington, Partner, Human Capital at Deloitte, expert panelists, and an interactive session that will invite attendees to contribute to important conversations about the future of work.

Who should attend?

• Business owners and executives
• Managers
• Human resource professionals
• HR consultants
• Educational partners from post-secondary institutions
• Employment Services

• Learn about emerging trends and how you can leverage them to grow your business
• Network with fellow business and community leaders
• Create new opportunities and contribute to important conversations about our future

11:30 ‒ Registration & Networking

12:00 ‒ Lunch

12:30 ‒ Opening Keynote by Stephen Harrington: The Great Re-Imagination - Competing for Talent in a Post-Pandemic World

Experiments with hybrid work, the threat of global recession, large-scale Baby-boomer retirements, and the relentless impact of new technologies led by Generative AI – how do we compete for win for talent in the midst of these changes? Join Deloitte’s Workforce Strategy expert Stephen Harrington as he covers the myths and realities of current landscape, featuring recommendations for how to tackle 5 big shifts that can turn challenge into opportunity.

1:15 ‒ The CEO Perspective on Talent

Award-winning speaker and bestselling author Craig Dowden (PhD Psychology) will moderate a panel with three CEOs of the Year: Kevin Ford of Calian, John Sicard of Kinaxis and Kathryn Tremblay of Altis Recruitment. Getting ready for a frank assessment about what’s happening in terms of talent and get valuable information on how these Ottawa’s top business leaders are reacting.

2:00 ‒ Health break

2:15 ‒ HR Crowdsourcing: Let’s Work Together to Find Solutions!

Priya Bhaloo, COO, TAG HR, will lead three mini-workshops on Recruitment, Engagement and Productivity. This is your chance to network with other attendees and, most importantly, dig into the big overarching challenges in HR today. Attendees will gather in small groups to help identify strategies to adapt to HR’s disruption. The goal is for attendees to have concrete ideas to help their organizations.

3:45 ‒ Afternoon Wrap-up

4:00 ‒ Best Places to Work Awards Cocktail

Conference attendees get admission to the VIP awards cocktail for Best Places to Work 2023. This annual awards program celebrates the top-10 recipients based on engagement and other criteria. Network with these award-winning companies, enjoy a complimentary cocktail and hors d’oeuvres. The awards cocktail will take place on the exhibition floor of the Best Places to Work Career and Training Expo, located on the third floor of the Shaw Centre

​Your ticket ​also includes a VIP ticket to the Best Places to Work 2023 awards cocktail at 4:00 pm.

Note, the Talent Summit conference will coincide with a first-ever career and training expo on the third floor of the Shaw Centre. More information here: www.bestplacestoworkottawa.ca

Speakers:

Stephen Harrington, Partner, Human Capital, Deloitte



Stephen is Deloitte’s National Lead – Workforce Strategy, and has been a writer and speaker on the future of work since 2011. With 20 years’ experience in Consulting, Stephen leads transformations in workforce strategy that enable our client’s people to feel personal purpose and impact, as the business drives improved results. Stephen is co-author of the Intelligence Revolution, a recent paper covering implication of the future of work in Canada. He has lead multiple projects in the last few years helping clients build new frameworks and capabilities to stand up future-ready workforces.

Craig Dowden, PHD


Craig Dowden is an award-winning speaker who delivers interactive, evidence-based workshops that translate the science of leadership, team, and organizational excellence into everyday practice. He is a Charter Member of Forbes Speakers, a highly select group of 20 individuals from around the world who are "best-in-class" in their respective areas of practice. Craig has a PhD in Psychology with a specialization in Business and is a Certified Positive Psychology Coach.

His latest book, A Time to Lead: Mastering Your Self... So You Can Master Your World, was written with Alan Mulally, the legendary former CEO of Ford Motor Company and Boeing and Sarah McArthur (co-Editor in Chief of Leader to Leader magazine). Internationally renowned executive coach, Marshall Goldsmith, wrote the Foreword. It made the bestseller lists for both the Wall Street Journal and USA Today while also hitting #1 in 8 different categories on Amazon.

Craig has been a regular contributor to, and featured expert in, top-tier leadership and business publications including Forbes, Fast Company, the Financial Post, the Huffington Post, Financial Times, the Globe and Mail, and Psychology Today. His webinars and in-studio sessions for the Financial Times were endorsed as follows: “Craig combines professional wisdom with factual case studies and research-driven data to deliver lectures that are engaging, informative, and entertaining. These workshops encompass the best form of professional development.”

Kathryn Tremblay, CEO, Altis Recruitment

Kathryn Tremblay is a Canadian entrepreneur and staffing enthusiast with over 30 years of experience specializing in the human aspect of human resources. As CEO and co-founder of Altis Recruitment and Altis Technology—two specialized brands that together form one of Canada’s largest independent recruitment firms—Kathryn has dedicated her entire career toward the betterment of the staffing process. 
 
With offices in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver, employers from coast to coast have come to rely on Kathryn’s firm for recruitment services, thought leadership, and consultative HR support across industries and disciplines. Kathryn has been named the CEO of the Year (2021) by Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade and recognized for running one of Canada’s Best Managed Companies (Platinum Club Member) by Deloitte. She has also received Women Business Enterprise certification from WBE Canada.
 
A champion of people, Kathryn regularly serves as a career ambassador to new Canadians, is an avid mentor to women in the workforce and early-stage entrepreneurs and provides one-on-one coaching to support young women in achieving their academic dreams. She is also a proud supporter of many community-minded organizations and initiatives.
 
Kathryn holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Ottawa and is fluent in French.
 

As Chief Executive Officer of Calian, Kevin Ford focuses on enabling the management team to execute the company’s four-pillar growth framework of customer retention, diversification, innovation and continuous improvement. This unrelenting focus has taken the company to the next level, with revenues exceeding the half-billion-dollar mark in 2021. It’s one milestone on the journey to becoming a billion-dollar, proudly Canadian company.

Named CEO of the Year by the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce and Ottawa Business Journal in 2017 and EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019, Kevin attributes his success to teamwork, integrity and commitment. These values, combined with Kevin’s enthusiasm for Calian technology and talent and his passion for diversity and inclusion, help him to future-proof the business.

Kevin is fully invested in the growth of the company, playing a key role in the 18 successful acquisitions Calian has made since 2012.

“Through a combination of strategic acquisitions, innovative solutions and diversification, we continue to increase our customer base in Canada and expand into new international markets.”

Kevin was promoted to Chief Executive Officer in April 2015. Prior to becoming the CEO of Calian, Kevin served as the Calian Business and Technology Services Division President for more than four years. Kevin worked in professional services for more than 30 years, including 11 years at IBM as a Partner in Global Business Services. He also contributes to numerous charitable organizations, sits on the board of the Ottawa Hospital Foundation and a member of CADSI’s Board of Directors since 2016 and served as Chair of the Board from October 2019 to 2023. Kevin has coached hockey and most recently led the charge to save a legacy live music venue in Ottawa.

John Sicard, CEO, Kinaxis

John assumed the role of President and Chief Executive Officer of Kinaxis in January 2016. With nearly 30 years’ tenure at Kinaxis, John first started at the company as a key contributor to the architecture and development of Kinaxis’ supply chain management solutions in early 1994, and has since held a number of senior management roles in development, professional services, business consulting, sales, marketing and customer support. Prior to his current appointment, John was Chief Products Officer, overseeing all aspects of the product life cycle, including product vision and strategy, design and development, product management and quality assurance. In 2020, John was named CEO of the Year by the Ottawa Board of Trade and Ottawa Business Journal.
 
Before joining Kinaxis, John held senior software architect and management positions in research and development at FastMAN Software Systems, Inc (also known as Promira before being purchased by Manugistics), and Monenco Agra.
 
John earned a Bachelor of Computer Science, from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, with a strong focus on software architecture and UI Design. He is also a graduate of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program.
 
John lives in Kanata North with his wife and two sons, and furry Havanese Kenji. He looks forward to cruising to exotic and culturally rich places with his family, and never gives up an opportunity to relax in his favorite location – Sardinia, Italy. As a life-long drummer, John has a passion for music and enjoys producing music as well as playing with his band, Open Channel D.

Priya Bhaloo, COO, TAG HR

Priya Bhaloo is a dynamic and passionate businesswoman born and raised in Ottawa. She is COO of TAG HR, Ottawa’s leading professional services supplier to the Federal Government and private sectors. Helping clients build strong and successful teams that ensure top results, TAG HR specializes in Information Technology and Professional Consulting. TAG HR’s critical success factors have always been: nurturing and cultivating relationships with its clients. Their corporate mantra is that customer services exceeds all else.  

Priya also serves as an executive board member of the Ottawa Board of Trade, and is the President of the Ottawa Chapter of the Association of Canadian Search, Employment and Staffing Services (ACSESS). In addition, Priya is an advisory committee member to Public Services and Procurement Canada’s Temporary Help Advisory Committee helping change the way the federal government does business. She is also part of the National Association of Canadian Consulting Businesses.  

In her free time, (what’s that?) Priya can be found listening to audiobooks and podcasts, spending time with her family and friends. Priya continues to call Ottawa home, along with her husband, two children and two dogs!