Health and safety is our utmost importance, and in accordance with public health recommendations, IABC/Toronto has made the tough decision to cancel the “Top Six in the 6ix” half-day conference in October, and instead work towards hosting educational sessions in a virtual format over the coming year. Please stay tuned as we continue to plan our professional development programming for the year.
Six unique panels and speakers on topics specifically for communicators in the 6ix
The Broadview Hotel, Thursday March 26, 2020 from 2 to 7 p.m.
Register today to secure your spot! REGISTER NOW
What:
Join your fellow communications industry professionals for an afternoon of professional development focused on six key areas that matter most to Toronto’s communicators.
We’ll be exploring current and emerging trends from leaders in AI, branding, social influencers, women in media and digital transformation – plus a speech from IABC/Toronto’s Communicator of the Year. Each session will include an opportunity for questions and the conference will conclude with a cocktail networking reception.
When:
Thursday March 26, 2020 from 2 to 7 p.m.
Where:
The Broadview Hotel, Lincoln Hall, 2nd Floor, 106 Broadview Avenue Toronto, ON, M4M 2G1
Located on the southwest corner of Broadview Avenue and Queen Street East, entrance via Broadview Avenue.
Transit: Accessible by the 501 streetcar from downtown Toronto or the 504 streetcar from Broadview station.
Parking: Public parking lots are located directly across from and slightly north of The Broadview Hotel. See map.
| 2 to 6 p.m. | Speakers & Panel Discussions: Descriptions below |
| 6 to 7 p.m. | Networking Cocktail Reception |
Note: This seminar counts towards professional development credits to maintain the IABC Communications Management Professionals (CMP) or Strategic Communications Management Professionals (SCMP) certification. Attendees will be eligible for one point per hour of attendance (max. of 4 hours, as the cocktail reception is not eligible). Learn more about these certifications
Please note that the health and wellness of our attendees is our utmost concern and we are monitoring the COVID-19 situation closely. At this time there are no plans to cancel the IABC/Toronto Top Six in the 6ix conference. If you have any questions/concerns related to your attendance, please contact toronto-pd@iabc.to.
2:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.: Registration
Snacks and refreshments
2:20 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.: Welcome Address by IABC/Toronto
2:25 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.: IABC/Toronto Communicator of the Year Award Presentation
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.: Speaker: IABC/Toronto’s Communicator of the Year – Jodi Kovitz, CEO and Founder of #movethedial
IABC/Toronto’s Communicator of the Year (COTY) award recognizes a Greater Toronto Area communications professional whose demonstrated leadership and communications skills drive business results, or have had a substantially positive influence on the community. (IABC)/Toronto has selected Jodi Kovitz, the CEO and Founder of #movethedial, as its Communicator of the Year (COTY) for 2019.
Jodi will discuss how the experience of turning an idea into a globally recognized movement and brand reinforced her belief that we can achieve the unachievable. She will share how we can go out of our way to build genuine and generous relationships with people who are willing to connect with and support us. A book signing of Jodi’s book, “Go Out of Your Way: How One Small Act Can Move the Dial in Business and Life” will follow the talk. Read more…
Jodi Kovitz, CEO and Founder of #movethedial
Jodi is the CEO and Founder of #movethedial, a global movement dedicated to advancing the participation and advancement of all women in tech. Through Jodi’s leadership, #movethedial has attracted more than 100 champions and advisors globally and has engaged more than 50,000 people through the power of storytelling, and is driving substantive, measurable change. #movethedial helps top tier companies attract, advance and retain women in tech through partnerships, a global events platform and a talent acceleration technology platform. #movethedial also consults with companies to help them create holistic diversity and equity strategies to help these companies ensure that their teams are a place where everyone is championed for their differences, and that the products they build are designed for the entire population they serve.
3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.: Panel Discussion: The Future is Now
There is no doubt that, in recent years, Toronto has become a hotspot for artificial intelligence. The top minds in AI research and development have been flocking to the city, with hubs and tech start-ups popping up at a rapid pace.
As this relatively new technology continues to transform our everyday lives, what are the emerging trends? How will they influence and shape our roles as communications professionals? What does the ever-growing prevalence of AI in Toronto mean for the future of our city?
Our panel will discuss these questions and more to deepen our understanding of AI for both our professional and personal lives.
Panelists:
Catherine Riddell, Vice-President, Strategic Communications, CIFAR
Catherine leads CIFAR’s global communications, marketing and public engagement strategies. She manages a team of communication and design professionals who lead communications for the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy. Her team also works closely with CIFAR’s knowledge mobilization, research and advancement departments to sustain and enhance CIFAR’s profile among key stakeholder groups.
CIFAR is a Canadian-based global charitable organization that convenes extraordinary minds to address the most important questions facing science and humanity. Its community of fellows includes 20 Nobel laureates and more than 400 researchers from 22 countries. In 2017, the Government of Canada appointed CIFAR to develop and lead the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy, the world’s first national AI strategy.
Lisa Gibson, Head of Communications, Microsoft
Lisa leads a team of professionals focused on building and protecting Microsoft’s reputation, reinforcing the company as the leader in trust and innovation and driving employee engagement across the country.
With more than 25 years of experience, Lisa has led communications at a number of high-profile retail and technology brands and has built a reputation for solving complex business problems through strategic communications and delivering best-in-class public relations and executive communication programs.
Eirene Seiradaki PhD, Director, Research Partnerships at Borealis AI
Eirene develops outreach strategies and drives collaborative research initiatives between Borealis AI and leading academic institutions worldwide. Eirene’s vision of building world-class industrial research teams in Canada has helped propel the momentum behind Borealis AI’s rapid growth across the country. Her aim is to facilitate state-of-the-art research in machine intelligence by creating opportunities for scientists graduating from Canadian universities to remain and work in the country. During her tenure at Borealis AI, Eirene has established partnerships with several research institutions, such as the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, McGill, University of Alberta, University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, Vector Institute, MILA, Amii, Waterloo.ai, MIT, Washington State University, and more. She works closely with researchers from these institutes to create the right environment for this vision to become a reality. Eirene holds a Ph.D. from the University of Toronto and an M.A. from Princeton University.
Moderator:
Eric Huang, Founder & CEO, Advanced Analytics and Research Labs
Eric has an undergraduate degree in Honors Business Administration, a Master of Science in Analytics from Ivey Business School, as well as an Honors Specialization in Economics from Western University. He has worked in various capacities in consulting, business development, finance, and academia, and has experiences teaching undergraduate and master level students in fun, engaging, and practical ways.
Advanced Analytics and Research Lab (AAARL.CA) is an affordable analytic service provider, consultancy and education shop. The company helps organizations to fully streamline and utilize data to increase productivity, improve insights and ultimately achieve their goals.
3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m.: Breakout Session Part 1: TGIM – Thank God It’s Monday
Hosted by: Barbara Morris-Blake, Founding Partner of Elevate Organizations. See details below.
3:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.: Speaker: The Power of PR
To keep pace in the ever-changing consumer landscape, businesses in Canada have a difficult task at hand when it comes to engaging with customers. In retail specifically, winning requires retailers to take an adaptive, dynamic and dexterous approach…especially when it comes to their communications strategy. Join Canadian Tire’s AVP of Communications, Stephanie Nadalin, as she talks about the pace of change – not only keeping up, but how to break through and win.
Stephanie Nadalin, Associate Vice President, Communications, Canadian Tire Corporation
With her career spanning politics and government to global agency work and now leading external communications for one of Canada’s most iconic retail brands, Stephanie Nadalin has run the gamut of proactive, reactive, strategic and marketing communications challenges.
An expert at juggling priorities and personalities, while maintaining a laser focus on creative, strategic and influential communications, she has built and led teams to deliver highly effective programs and campaigns. Over the years, Stephanie and her teams have earned top industry awards from reputable organizations; a testament to her proven ability to bring teams together, promote innovative thinking and drive growth and strategy forward.
4:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.: Panel Discussion: Doing it for the ’Gram
The last decade gave us the rise of digital and social media and arguably the most notable movement to come from this – influencers. Integrated communications plans pivoted to include influencer strategies and all major brands quickly jumped on board to work with influencers for their authentic voice and personal approach to content creation.
But what does the future of the influencer landscape hold? Is the influencer trend sustainable into the 2020s and beyond? Our panel of industry experts will offer unique insights from various perspectives to discuss what’s next for influencers and share key tips for communicators to continue to work with influencers through the next decade.
Panelists:
Sara Koonar, Co-Founder & President, Platform Media & Management Inc.
Platform Media & Management Inc is home to 38 of Canada’s top-tier influencer talent. With over 2200 campaigns completed, Platform works to streamline the process in which brands and creators collaborate.
Matt Benfield, Lifestyle Content Creator @mr.benfield
Matt Benfield is a lifestyle content creator here in Toronto, originally from North Carolina in the US. His content mainly circles around veganism & sustainability, LGBTQ+ issues, travel, and so much more. His main purpose with his content is to inspire his audience to not only be more sustainable in their daily lives, but to inspire them to live to their full potential – no matter their background.
Carly Ostroff, Fashion & Beauty Writer
Carly Ostroff is a Toronto-based fashion and beauty writer, TV expert and influencer. She writes regularly for publications including S/ Magazine, CBC, Sharp, NUVO, Refinery29 and the Toronto Star. You can find her taping TV segments from coast to coast on shows like Global Morning Show, Breakfast Television, CTV Ottawa, CTV Edmonton and more. Want to follow along? @carlyostroff
Moderator:
Nina Kalos, Executive Vice President & General Manager, Veritas Communications
Nina is an experienced and highly motivated practitioner in public relations and social engagement. In her role, Nina uses her wealth of experience to deliver impeccable client service, building strong relationships with key stakeholders and clients. She truly believes that we are in the people business and everyone is an influencer. Whether she is searching for ways to achieve better results for her clients or driving the team forward in executing national campaigns, she is always eager to take on new challenges. Some of Nina’s experience includes clients like Kimberly Clark, Bayer, Church and Dwight, Revlon and Labatt Breweries of Canada.
4:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.: Breakout Session Part 2: TGIM – Thank God It’s Monday
Hosted by: Barbara Morris-Blake, Founding Partner of Elevate Organizations. See details below.
5:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.: Panel Discussion: New Voices
The last decade brought a women’s movement – what’s been called the fourth wave of feminism – and, with that, a heightened focus on female empowerment and achieving gender balance.
While conversations are being had and changes are being seen, the representation of women in Canadian media remains a challenge. Women continue to be underrepresented and underutilized, particularly as expert sources, in the media.
In 2018, Bloomberg launched New Voices initiative, which aims to build the definitive global database of women newsmakers in business and finance. The initiative recognizes the importance of raising the voices of women by providing media training for women and other diverse executives to boost their presence on Bloomberg’s broadcast airwaves.
This panel brings together the local leaders and success stories of the New Voices initiative to discuss how they are surfacing the issues and working to break down barriers that affect women in media.
Panelists:
Caroline Verboon, Senior Vice President, Cohn & Wolfe Canada , Media Trainer, New Voices Initiative
Caroline has worn many hats and been involved in various aspects of the marketing communications and PR industry — as an in-house PR director, agency executive, and owner of a boutique consultancy. She has gained a wide-ranging perspective by helping over 50 organizations across Canada and the U.S. with a variety of internal and external communications initiatives including executive communications, media and presentation training, brand and reputation management, consumer engagement, product launches and issues management, to name a few.
Caroline also volunteers with Network of Executive Women (NEW), a non-profit dedicated to advancing women and diversity in the CPG and retail sectors. She is also an instructor at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies, where she teaches Foundations of Strategic PR.
Sandra Mergulhão, Executive Producer, Bloomberg TV, Champion, New Voices Initiative
Sandra Mergulhão is the Executive Producer of Bloomberg TV in Canada. She has more than 10 years of experience in the financial news and media industry across Dubai, Mumbai, and now, Toronto. Sandra started her journalism career in Mumbai with CNBC (India) and since then has worked with news organizations including CBC, BNN Bloomberg, and The Motley Fool Canada among others. Sandra is also a Steering Committee member of the UN-Habitat’s Urban Economy Forum.
Mithra Warrier, U.S. Head of Prime Brokerage Sales, TD Securities, Trainee, New Voices Initiative
Mithra’s responsibilities cover the client facing activities of TD Prime Services, which include origination, client service, and capital introduction. Prior to joining TD, Mithra was at Barclays, where she held several roles in prime brokerage including origination sales, hedge fund financing, and Head of Client Service. Mithra is a member of TD Securities Women in Leadership and co-chairs TD Securities’ Minorities in Leadership in the U. S.
Rosalie Wyonch, Policy Analyst, C.D. Howe Institute, Trainee, New Voices Initiative
Rosalie is a Policy Analyst at the C.D. Howe Institute – an independent, non-partisan, public policy think-tank. Beginning in 2018, she became the director of the Health Policy Research Program and leads the C.D. Howe Institute Health Policy Council. Her research focuses on policy issues affecting healthcare in Canada with the goal of identifying policy gaps and misaligned incentive mechanisms to assess potential causes and propose solutions that drive efficiency and value. Rosalie also researches the implications of technology and innovation on all parts of the economy and has written on the topic from an international, human capital, fiscal and tax perspective. In 2018, she was selected as one of twelve participants for pilot phase of the Bloomberg New Voices program to increase diversity in the newsroom.
Moderator:
Rohini Mukherji, Vice-President, Integrated Communications, APEX PR
About two weeks into her PR agency career, Rohini knew that she had been reeled in for the long haul. Lucky enough to work on both the B2C and B2B sides of the business, across sectors including insurance, banking, air transportation, fitness and food & beverage, Rohini has experience working on a vast range of integrated programming that incorporates everything from ‘traditional’ PR to influencer content co-creation to digital media. Her instinct to ‘nerd out’ on the industries in which her clients operate has served her well in building award-winning, integrated programming that is just as effective as it is fun to execute with the team.
5:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.: Speaker: (Un)common Sense
How does design thinking and digital technology impact our roles as communicators and how can we keep up with the ever evolving trends in this space? Jon Finklestein will discuss how, in the age of disruption, (un)common sense goes a long way to make a big impact in an environment of unprecedented noise and competition.
Jon Finklestein, Executive Creative Director, PwC Canada
After over two decades in advertising, Jon decided it was time to tackle more meaningful business problems. Today he helps lead digital transformation using creativity, technology, and design thinking to chart new paths for large organizations and creates programs and business models that have gravitas and permanence.
6:00 p.m. – 6:05 p.m.: Closing Remarks from IABC/Toronto
6:05 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.: Networking Cocktail Reception
Bar service and light hors d’oeuvres
NEW Breakout Sessions
In two short “breakout sessions”, by using the latest research in positive psychology and neuro- leadership, Barbara will show you how you can take control of your happiness at work, and how you can spread that happiness to your colleagues, your friends, and your family. She will host an interactive session that will help you create your own practical recipe for happiness.
Hosted by Barbara Morris-Blake
Barbara is the Founding Partner of Elevate Organizations. Barbara, her team of consultants, are committed to elevating human potential to drive innovation and growth through cultural transformation, leadership development, and talent optimization.
If Rocky Balboa and Pollyanna had a love-child, it would be Barbara. Her direct and focused approach, along with her optimism and empathy, helps her live her dream that everyone achieves happiness at work.
Barbara is also a Certified Professional Coach and a member of the International Coach Federation. She has coached for the Canadian Women’s Foundation, which empowers women and girls to move out of violence, out of poverty and into confidence. She is also a founding member and Program Director for Up With Women, a non-profit organization that partners previously homeless women with business coaches to help them develop in their careers.
Registration Fees:
- $250: IABC member rate (282.50 with HST)
- $100: IABC student and transitional member rate ($113 with HST)
- $350: Non-member rate ($395.50 with HST)
- $200: Student non-member rate ($226 with HST)
For groups of 8 or more, please contact toronto-info@iabc.to with the subject line ‘Top Six in the 6ix Conference Group Purchase’ for available group rates.
For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Cory Fisher, Toronto-pd@iabc.to, 416-854-2598