Not just another mic

Sukran (Shuky) Balaban is a Learning & Development consultant and facilitator with over 17 years of experience designing and delivering learning programs across corporate environments. Through her consultancy, Well-Instruct, she focuses on helping individuals and organizations transform expertise into structured, impactful learning experiences. Her work centers on enabling Subject Matter Experts and L&D teams to support real-world capability-building through practical, work-embedded learning approaches.

Shuky has worked with global organizations including Cisco, Marsh McLennan, KPMG Canada, Citi Group, Facebook, and Red Hat. She is also an active contributor to the Learning & Development community through her work with I4PL, Shift Facilitation, and Insync Training.

Bianca Baumann is an enterprise workforce transformation executive, international keynote speaker, and co-author of Think Like a Marketer, Train Like an L&D Pro. With 15+ years leading capability strategy across Fortune 500 organizations - including Kraft Heinz, Citrix, and Novo Nordisk - she has impacted more than 150,000 employees globally. She advises C-suite leaders on skills-based operating models, leadership capability architecture, and AI-enabled workforce strategy.

A featured speaker at ATD, DevLearn, Learning Technologies, and LEARNTEC, where she also serves as track curator, Bianca's central argument is that workforce capability is a business strategy - not a training program.

Caroline Berglund is the founder of Talk Talk, a leadership and communication company focused on helping people say what needs to be said at work. With over 20 years of experience across corporate and consulting environments, she works with leaders and teams to build the human skills that actually drive performance, especially in high-pressure, high-stakes environments. Known for her candid, practical, and often humorous approach, Caroline specializes in psychological safety, communication, and leadership development.

Her work challenges the impact of our on-demand culture on how we connect, speak, and lead. She has partnered with organizations across industries, including law firms, financial services, and public sector teams, and is the author of 365 Must Know Talks of All Time. Caroline is on a mission to help people feel safe enough to speak, because that is where real learning, leadership, and transformation begin.

Rashmi Biswas, co-owner of Lake and Associates Canada, is a leadership strategist, workplace learning expert, and skilled facilitator with a career spanning Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. With a master's degree in human resource management and a postgraduate certificate in adult education, facilitation, and training, Rashmi bridges theory and practice, sharing over two decades of cross-sector insights with clients in her role with Lake and Associates. Rashmi works with senior leaders across public and private sector organizations, in nonprofit, complex, mission-driven environments, and has provided consulting services across Canada, in South America, Asia, and the Middle East.

Rashmi is a program facilitator with OISE at the University of Toronto and currently serves as vice-chair of the Board of Governors for Niagara College.

Her work sits at the intersection of accessibility, neurodiversity, and corporate learning, helping organizations move beyond compliance toward learning experiences that better support diverse ways of thinking and working. Donna Boucher is a Digital Accessibility Specialist, Instructional Designer, and Neurodiversity Coach focused on inclusive, practical workplace learning design. She supports organizations in improving how learning is created, delivered, and assessed, with a focus on accessibility, cognitive diversity, and real-world performance.

She has delivered sessions on inclusive instructional design, accessible assessment, and neurodiversity for corporate and professional audiences, using an interactive, learner-centred facilitation style that brings participants into real-time discussion of learning design challenges. Donna is also a cognitive tester with Fable, contributing to accessibility testing for enterprise clients. She co-develops and delivers learning initiatives focused on digital accessibility and neurodiversity through MindsetDEI.

She brings applied practice and lived experience to translating complex learning challenges into actionable design strategies.

Kate Bowers works from the basis that all good learning comes from practice, so her work focuses on making learning practical, insightful, and fun. She is a facilitator and learning designer with over 17 years of experience leading workshops, guiding strategic conversations, and creating results-oriented learning programs. In her current role as co-founder of Action/Insight, she works in partnership with her husband’s technical expertise to make AI approachable for leaders and their teams.

Kate holds a BA from the University of Toronto, along with certificates in Learning Design, Life Coaching, and Applied Positive Psychology. Outside of work, you’ll find Kate wrangling her three young children, planning parties in the park for her neighbourhood, or trying in vain to make flowers grow in her shady Hamilton, Ontario garden.

Hannah brings her 25 years of experience helping learning professionals create and implement formal training programs for leaders, their teams to build a learning culture. She bridges the gap between formal training and learning embedded in the DNA of teams. Her latest book, Into the Hands of Leaders: Employee Growth through Learning, is focused on the importance of employee and team development and the critical role leaders have in creating a team culture of learning.

Hannah has received two learning design awards from the Institute for Performance and Learning (I4PL). 2021 - Redesign for Online: Process, template, and support2019 - Risk Management elearning and facilitated program with her client, Shad CanadaShe was also the Director of Sales Training for North America at Foresters Financial in Toronto for several years. Hannah holds an M. Ed., BA.SC. and CTDP.

Ginine M. Capozzi is the president and founder of KnowledgeForce Consulting, where she delivers Training Reimagined® learning solutions that create sustained behavior change. With 20+ years of experience and more than 125 client partnerships - including numerous U.S. Fortune 500 companies - she blends instructional design, neuroscience, coaching, and business strategy to create engaging, results-driven learning experiences. Ginine is an ICF-Certified Coach trained in the Co-Active coaching model, a Gamification Master Craftsman, Brain by Design Certified, and a contributing author to GameChangers: Learning Experience Design Done Right.

A sought-after speaker and facilitator, she has presented at GamiCon48V, ATD chapter events, leadership conferences, and regional learning and development programs.

M.Sc., M.Ed., Ph.D., Curriculum in Higher Education. David has held positions in educational research at Simon Fraser University, Toronto Metropolitan University, and currently at Ontario Tech University as an Adjunct Professor of Computer Science and Game Design. He is currently an interprofessional educator at Pallium, the leader in medical training for palliative care across Canada.

He is also conducting research on VR and End of Life Anxiety, and supervising graduate students in the field of No-Code VR platform building. During his career he has held positions as faculty, academic dean and program coordinator, and pioneered the first use of serious games for the UN and the WHO. Over the past decade he has been designing cinematic learning for Baycrest Health Sciences in the field of gerontology and dementia care.

He is also a permanent member of the Toronto Metropolitan University Computational Safety team.

Shawna Cole is a learning and organization development strategist and the founder of Workplace Edge, where she helps organizations turn human skills into measurable capability. With 15+ years of experience across learning, talent, and organizational effectiveness, she works at the intersection of capability building, communication, social-emotional learning, and systems design. Shawna's work helps organizations move beyond competency models and training events to create the conditions that make critical skills usable in practice.

She focuses on translating complex human-centred capabilities into observable behaviours supported by learning, talent, and culture systems. A sought-after speaker and strategic advisor, Shawna is known for connecting practical design with broader organizational impact. Her work equips leaders and learning teams to build trust, improve transfer, and strengthen the human capabilities that drive performance in complex environments.

Keka DasGupta is a global keynote speaker, 50x award-winning brand strategist, and founder of Art of Life-ing. Trusted by iconic brands including Nike, Disney, Johnson & Johnson, American Express and Mercedes-Benz, Keka has spent more than two decades shaping brand strategies at the highest level. She managed PR for IKEA, and then served as Vice President of PR at the Canadian arm of global advertising agency DDB.

Through this work she uncovered a powerful human truth: when people operate on autopilot, even the strongest brand strategies break down. Today Keka takes the stage globally to close that gap. Through Art of Life-ing, her high-integrity practice, she guides audiences out of performative work and back into mastery, helping them shed external edits, rebuild self-trust and lead from the inside out.

Keka's work has been featured on TED.com, Harvard Business School, Fast Company and The Globe and Mail.

Philippe Desrochers is a people-focused leader dedicated to team development. With over 20 years of experience, he designs learning and talent programs that drive three key outcomes: performance, engagement, and leadership accountability. A multiple award winner in learning, talent, and workforce development, Philippe brings recognized innovation to his field.

He is also an advocate for mental strength and emotional resilience. Philippe holds an M.A. in Organizational Development and Leadership and a BComm in Finance. He lives in Ottawa with his family and their dog, Hazel.

David Donaldson, CTDP, MCATD, PMP, CMP, PRP, has more than 30 years of experience as a facilitator, consultant and trainer, helping individuals and organizations perform through change. He has facilitated and coached at all levels across multiple sectors, building leadership agility and practical capability. After an entrepreneurial start to his career, David discovered his passion for learning and development, and has dedicated his work to helping others grow.

David has worked as both an internal and external trainer and consultant, and serves on the faculty at Schulich Executive Education. He brings together adult education, change management, organizational development, leadership development and resilience to help create meaningful shifts in mindset and behaviour. He is known for highly engaging, interactive sessions that challenge conventional thinking while giving participants practical tools they can use immediately.

Corey Gill is a Professor and Program Coordinator in Human Resources at Durham College, where he helps prepare future professionals for a workplace being transformed by artificial intelligence, automation, and rapid technological change. With more than 30 years of business experience, Corey’s work focuses on the intersection of human capability, organizational development, and responsible AI adoption. As a Generative AI Consultant with Durham College’s Centre for Teaching and Learning, Corey works with educators, organizations, and community partners to build practical AI literacy, foster human-centred innovation, and navigate the opportunities and risks of emerging technologies.

Corey is the author of Raising AI: The Human Impact on Artificial Intelligence, which explores through storytelling how our decisions, behaviours, values, and biases shape the AI systems we create and interact with. His concept of Intentional AI challenges individuals and organizations to move beyond simply using AI and toward leading with AI, recognizing that human choices ultimately determine its impact on work, learning, leadership, and society. A TEDx speaker, educator, and advocate for ethical innovation, Corey brings a balanced perspective to conversations about AI, focusing less on hype and more on helping people develop the skills, mindset, and judgment needed to thrive alongside intelligent technologies.

Richard is a Director at BrightCarbon, a presentation and eLearning agency. He enjoys helping people create engaging content and communicate effectively using visuals, diagrams, and animated sequences that explain and reinforce the key points, which is supported by plenty of resources and tips at www.brightcarbon.com

Doug is a Personal Productivity Expert and AI Adoption Specialist who helps busy professionals and leaders create the strategic capacity they need to succeed in today's fast-changing work environment. For over 25 years, Doug has worked with large organizations to help knowledge workers strengthen focus, elevate decision-making and build resilience in highly demanding roles. His work now integrates practical AI applications into personal productivity, helping individuals and teams not just learn AI, but use it to reclaim time, increase value and future-proof their careers.

Doug's sessions are known for being highly engaging, immensely practical and immediately applicable. He combines deep experience in productivity science with real-world AI use cases to help leaders and aspiring leaders move from reactive overload to focused, energized performance. His clients include Rotman Executive Programs, BMO, IMF, Samsung, The Globe and Mail, PwC, Johnson & Johnson, the Regions of Waterloo, Halton and Durham, TMU and Western University.

Tisha Parker Kemp is a talent development executive and adult education professional with nearly 25 years’ experience in the end-to-end management of training programs, including 20+ years in the online learning space. Her audiences are typically professionals, executives, and business owners. She inspires people to learn new skills using proven strategies and current and emerging evidence-based methodologies for teaching/learning.

Tisha is the Founder and Principal of shiftED Academy Inc., an award-winning training and consulting organization anchored in Halifax. Recognized for her leadership, she was also a finalist for Halifax Chamber of Commerce’s 2021 Business Leader of the Year Award and has been nominated for the 2024 Atlantic Business Magazine’s 25 Most Powerful Women in Atlantic Canada Award.

Chelsea Kerr, Chief Product Officer, is an experienced product leader specializing in AI-driven product development. Chelsea has published research on technological tools for startup acquisition and brings deep expertise in design, digital accessibility, and product development for complex software solutions.

Arman is a senior instructional designer in the operations administration division at Canadian North Airlines, where he leads the design and development of innovative and effective learning and performance enhancement solutions, including AI-powered L&D initiatives. He has more than 20 years of experience creating engaging, learner-centric, and accessible courses using a wide range of tools and technologies and has crafted learning strategies across various sectors. His e-learning work has earned several awards for development, design, and delivery.

Arman holds a PhD in Genetics from McGill University and a master's degree in Instructional Technology from Concordia University.

Jason Lewis is Senior Partner at Shift Facilitation Inc. He is a facilitator, designer, speaker, coach, and consultant. He brings a unique perspective to train-the-trainer and facilitation skills training through his expertise in improv theatre, innovation, and change management. He is known for his work challenging leadership teams around the world to level-up their strategic and creative capacity.Jason has been crisscrossing North America and Europe working with leaders for the better part of 15+ years.

Along the way he has been certified in Design Thinking at IDEO and mastered the human-centered collaboration toolkit. Through this work, Jason has had the honour of designing and hosting global summits for his clients that serve their 150+ top-tier leaders.An accomplished speaker at industry conferences, Jason is no stranger to engaging a crowd. His natural strengths in front of an audience are amplified by the depth of his experience on the improv stage and his work as a founder (and now Board Member) of the The Kinkonauts theatre company in Calgary, Alberta.Catch up with Jason and what he’s up to on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jason-lewis-a9047b2/ and check out his work at ShiftFacilitation.com.

Gilda is a learning leader and engineer with over fifteen years of experience in higher education, curriculum architecture, and custom eLearning design. As Director of Operations at Artha Learning Inc., she oversees delivery across the portfolio and architects complex learning solutions. Her engineering background brings a systematic, analytical approach to design, and she leads Artha’s application of generative AI to client projects.

She is driven by a simple motto: create value and positively influence the lives of others.

Justin Matheson is the founder of Rift Education and the creator of the Rift Methodology, a game-based learning framework that uses commercial off-the-shelf video games to build essential workplace skills. With a Master's in educational technology and two years of documented practice, Justin has turned what looks like play into measurable professional development outcomes. His approach ditches scripts and simulations in favour of real conflict, real decisions, and real reflection, just inside a game.

Sessions have an average rating of 4.5/5 from attendees, high skill transfer confirmation, and strong engagement from non-gamers. His work aligns with the EU-funded MEGASKILLS project, a Horizon Europe initiative validating commercial video games for soft skills development across six countries. Justin has presented at EduTECH Houston, I4PL and Toronto and keynoted the Missouri Esports Conference and is on a mission to make game-based learning a credible tool for L&D professionals everywhere.

Bruce has a passion for helping his clients achieve their professional development goals. Bruce Mayhew is a corporate trainer, keynote speaker, executive coach, and the author of his book The Path of an Inspired Leader. With a career dedicated to professional development, Bruce has built a trusted reputation for empowering individuals and organizations to realize their full potential.

He specializes in helping executives and teams refine their leadership approach, communicate clearly and express their values while adopting complementary strategies that enhance engagement, pride in their work, communication, and team success. Bruce’s career began with more than eleven years at Scotiabank, where he contributed to the launch of the national debit program, merger integration initiatives, and innovative corporate marketing strategies, while also developing and facilitating sales training across the country. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Bruce is an active community volunteer and has recently retired as a SPIN instructor, reflecting his passion for both wellness and service.

Olga Novikova is a Toronto-based learning, performance, and organizational transformation leader with more than 20 years of experience spanning Crown corporations, financial services, national associations, and global technology companies. Her work focuses on helping organizations prepare their leaders, cultures, and capability systems to thrive in the age of AI and continuous transformation. Olga has recently led enterprise AI-readiness initiatives using the Prosci/ADKAR methodology and served as a program lead for a large-scale culture transformation at a leading insurance company.

Her work focused on future-of-work mindsets: clarity, emotional intelligence, curiosity, adaptability, and courage. She has helped embed these mindsets and related capabilities into how leaders manage, communicate, and navigate change amid rapid AI adoption. As the founder of NovaShift Advisory Inc., Olga coaches senior leaders and their teams through periods of reinvention and transformation, helping them build the clarity, focus, adaptability, and speed to insight needed to navigate a rapidly changing world.

Olga holds a CHRL, CEC (Certified Executive Coach), and Prosci certification, as well as an Honours Bachelor’s degree in Social Psychology. She is fluent in English, French, Russian, and Belarusian.

Tracelle Palmer is a visionary Learning and Development leader with over 10 years of experience driving growth across technology, entertainment, and telecommunications for organizations like Ubisoft, Samsung, and Bell. Currently serving as Director of Learning Technology at Public Services Health and Safety Association, she specializes in the intersection of human-centered design and AI innovation to build scalable, technology-forward learning ecosystems. An expert in instructional design and leadership development, she has a proven track record of leading high-performing teams and optimizing digital platforms (LMS) to foster cultures of curiosity that drive measurable organizational impact.

Her background in instructional design, combined with certifications in business process improvement and leadership coaching, makes her a strategic partner in fostering organizational cultures of curiosity. Tracelle is dedicated to bridging the gap between human potential and business success through intuitive, data-driven learning tools.

Moe Poirier is founding Partner at Shift Facilitation Inc. He is a facilitation skills training expert and is best known for his work upskilling training teams around the world to level up their impact on the people and organizations they serve. Moe's new book The Five Personas of Facilitation: Elevate Your Training Delivery Strengths Style published by ATD Press was released in September 2026. Before Shift was born in 2015, Moe spent the better part of 20 years as a contract facilitator delivering leadership coaching and team performance programs.

Along the way he was a partner in two boutique consultancies that focused exclusively on leadership development. Through this work Moe has had the honour of serving leaders from around the world as far away as Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Since 2016, Moe has presented at conferences for I4PL, ATD, the International Association of Facilitators, and Canadian Community of Corporate Educators.

Sean Rea is the Director, Performance and Learning Solutions at Friesen, Kaye and Associates. His extensive experience in both the private and public-sector spans more than 20 years in Performance Improvement, Learning and Development, and Leadership. Sean is a Training and Organizational Consultant for senior executives and HR directors throughout North America, Asia and Europe.

He has worked with such clients as: Allied Learning Solutions, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Amex, Canada Border Services Agency, Canada Revenue Agency, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Lehman Brothers, Lenovo, NetSuite, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Standard Charter Bank and Sunlife. He has presented at industry events including: Training Magazine's Training Conference, The International Society for Performance Improvement, and Training Magazine's Leadership Summit. Sean is a Certified Training and Development Professional, Certified Performance Technologist, and Certified Technical Trainer.

He is also an International Board of Standards, Training, Performance and Instruction (IBSTPI) Director.

Tima Shah is a learning and design professional with a passion for governance. Following two successful election campaigns Tima served as director chair and spokesperson for the Centennial College Student Association. During her term she saw first-hand the need for training transfer.

She completed her degree in Adult Learning with Digital Technology from Ontario Tech University, following training in Good Governance through Colleges Ontario and a Human Resources Management Diploma Centennial College. Currently Tima provides custom training and learning tools for student associations. Her clients include University of Prince Edward Island Student Association, Conestoga College Students Inc. Fleming College Students Administrative Council, and others.

Her passion for creating engaging interactive and multimedia learning experiences can be seen in her products and facilitations.

Jesmine Singh (she/her) is a Workplace Wellness Strategist and global educator whose work across India, France, the United States and Canada is rooted in inclusion, belonging and intentional communication. She has long been drawn to the conversations shaping generations at work, believing that genuine curiosity and diverse experiences are what allow people to truly learn from one another. Her journey began in classrooms, teaching young learners in France before guiding undergraduate and graduate students in India and the United States.

There, she worked to widen participation for marginalized groups and introduced equity initiatives with the courage to act, without waiting for permission. In Canada, through her work with Diversio, she led bilingual engagements on human rights, gender diversity and unconscious bias, exploring how people related to themselves, to one another and to the systems they helped shape. A certified mindfulness coach and self-taught watercolour artist, Jesmine brings together neuroscience and creative expression to help people connect more authentically, across the many differences that shape how we experience the world and one another.

Erika is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Brave Era, a consultancy dedicated to high-trust collaboration and courageous leadership. With a Master's in Law (LL.M.) and over 15 years of international experience across Europe and Canada, she bridges the gap between organizational frameworks and human potential. She is a Certified Organizational Coach through the University of British Columbia (UBC) and holds an advanced certification in Emotional Intelligence.

Her current work focuses on "Conflict Alchemy"-the art of transforming organizational friction into a strategic asset for growth. By leveraging her unique investigative background and coaching expertise, Erika helps learning professionals navigate the "Capability Era" by building deep competencies and elevating trust across all levels of the organization.

Chris founded Actionable.co in 2008 for the express purpose of helping corporate learners apply what they learned; consistently and measurably. Since then, Chris - and his team at Actionable - have supported the deployment of over 8000+ programs leveraging the Impact Certainty model for driving change. Actionable was recently recognized with a Brandon Hall Group GOLD award for Best Advance in Talent Management Measurement/Business Impact Tools Chris is a regular speaker and writer on Learning Impact Measurement, Behavior Change and how to overcome the challenges of eLearning.

Director of Research at Lake and Associates Canada, conducts research and delivers programming that drive innovative initiatives and international collaborations. Drawing on a multidisciplinary background in adult learning, community engagement, and global development, her work spans nonprofit leadership, civic engagement, conflict resolution, public health, and equity‑focused initiatives. Integrating facilitation, research, and learning and development, Perri brings a systems‑level perspective to actionable learning solutions.

She holds a Master of Education from University of Toronto and previously served as Network Host at InnovED, the hub for education entrepreneurship housed in the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE). She is also a Researcher alumna of the Reach Alliance, contributing a co‑authored chapter to the book "Experiential Learning and Community."

Danielle Wallace and her team at Beyond the Sky Custom Learning and Beyond Role Plays specialize in truly effective learning solutions using technology. As the chief learning strategist, Danielle brings strategic marketing principles from her previous leadership roles at P&G and PepsiCo into learning and development. Danielle is a sought-after speaker at global conferences, and her thought leadership is featured in industry publications, her ATD publication "Become a Trusted Partner to Drive Performance", her podcast, "You in 2042: The Future of Work" and her AI+L&D Community of Practice at www.beyondthesky.ca and www.beyondroleplays.com.

Dr. David Weiss is President of Weiss International Ltd., a firm specializing in Innovation, Leadership and HR Consulting. David was honoured as the first Fellow of I4PL when it was CSTD, and he is a lifetime Fellow of HRPA. David has written seven books, including the bestselling Innovative Intelligence, The Leadership Gap and Leadership-Driven HR, and has written 60 articles that are available as free downloads at www.weissinternational.ca.

David is a Ph.D. Organizational Psychologist, a Certified PCC Coach with the International Coaching Federation, and Affiliate Faculty at Schulich and St. Mary's University. Previously he was the Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer of Knightsbridge, and an Affiliate Professor at the Rotman School of Management.

Follow David's daily LinkedIn posts with his over 165,000 followers, and read a comprehensive article about David's professional life and innovative concepts on Wikipedia at www.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Solomon_Weiss.

Kim Woods is an Organizational Learning Specialist with over 20 years of experience designing and enabling learning across corporate, leadership and educational settings. With a learner-first mindset, she is passionate about evolving learning beyond traditional approaches, creating experiences that are practical, engaging, and grounded in real work. Kim has led and facilitated a wide range of learning, from structured programs to innovative, social and experiential formats that bring people together to share knowledge and build capability.

She is known for blending strong learning principles with creativity to spark participation, connection, and confidence. A lifelong learner, Kim brings curiosity and energy to her work-helping teams create learning that is simple, meaningful, and memorable.

Dr Robin Yap is the Chief Executive and Learning Innovation Officer of Point North a research-driven humans first organizational transformation consultancy. Named the 2026 Luminary awardee, 2024 Canadian Educator of the Year, 2022 Research Mentor of the Year. He serves as an AI prof at University of Toronto Rotman.

Has lectured Universidad de Navarra (Spain), NYU and Columbia University (USA), Oxford Brookes (UK) among others. Is on the expert panel at CBC News and Reuters. Over a 30-year career Robin has authored 7 university textbooks and compendia and hundreds of articles.

His interdisciplinary expertise is grounded in seven academic degrees and his research explores the intersection of AI, organizational behaviour, social robots, ethics and performance management. Robin also hosts the micro-talk show Yap with Dr Yap on YouTube and Spotify and has over 100k followers across various social media platforms.