Speakers / Topics: Innovation | Creativity | Disruption
Innovation & Creativity Speakers
Creativity: where ideas are spawned. Innovation: where ideas are put into action. Disruption: when ideas change the world as we know it. Our speakers explain how to get creative juices flowing, how to innovate to stay ahead, and prepare you for the disruptive forces at work in your industry and beyond.
Elatia Abate
Futurist | Entrepreneur | Future of Work Pioneer
While we live in an age of tremendous change, we’re also in an era of unbelievable opportunity. The future is ours to create. Are you ready? Named a leading female futurist by Forbes, Elatia Abate helps organizations thrive in the face of disruption, pre...
Cassandra Worthy
Founder and CEO, Change Enthusiasm Global
With contagious energy, Cassandra Worthy is a disruptive thought leader on change who helps companies build organizational resilience and adaptability. Too often change adoption is disrupted from the emotional landscape in which it occurs — this is where Wor...
Steve Cadigan
Future of Work | Talent Strategist | Company Culture Expert
Today’s digital world requires a new strategy for building great teams. For 30 years, Steve Cadigan has been at the forefront of global talent strategy and company culture. He is best known for scaling LinkedIn from a team of 400 to 4000 in just 3.5 year...
David Burkus
Bestselling Author | Helping Leaders and Teams Do Their Best Work Ever
One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are changing how companies approach innovation, collaboration, and productivity. He is a skilled researcher and inspiring communicator who has worked w...
Jonah Berger
Expert on Innovation, Disruption and Change | Bestselling Author
How can we increase the pace of innovation? Become more effective at changing minds and influencing? Why do only some products, ideas, and behaviours catch on? Dr. Jonah Berger has spent more than 15 years researching and answering these questions to explain w...
Alan Cross
Professional Music Geek
With almost 40 years in the broadcasting and music business, Alan Cross has interviewed some of the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, and musicolog...
Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal
Nike's Former Leadership Development and Talent Strategy Head | Resilience Expert
Dr. Taryn Marie Stejskal is a leading global authority on resilience, well-being, and mental health. Previously the head of executive leadership development and talent strategy at Nike, she is now the founder and chief resilience officer of the Resilience Lead...
Dr. Janet Morrison
Leadership and Transformational Change Expert
Currently the President and Vice Chancellor of a large, multi-disciplinary post-secondary institution renowned globally for an ethos of trailblazing, Dr. Janet Morrison is an educator, thought leader, and change agent. She draws on her 35 years of experience l...
Takara Small
Award Winning Technology Journalist & Podcaster
The multi-talented Takara Small helps audiences understand the technology reshaping our world. From AI and advanced robotics, to data and digital health, she offers a glimpse into the future balanced with what organizations can do today to drive growth. Her wo...
Erica Dhawan
Leading Expert on Digital Teamwork, Collaboration, and Innovation | Bestselling Author
Erica Dhawan says we all have the power to drive innovation, but first we need to get past the roadblocks we create for ourselves: endless meetings, cross-team dysfunction, resource-wasting duplication, and a lack of real, meaningful inclusion. Drawing on her ...
Suneel Gupta
Entrepreneur | Harvard University Visiting Scholar | Author of Backable
As the founding CEO of RISE, a breakthrough wellness company, Suneel Gupta has helped thousands of people build better habits for life and work. Now as a bestselling author and Harvard Medical School visiting scholar, Gupta has taken his mission one step furth...
Sinead Bovell
Futurist | AI and Future of Work Expert
On a mission to bridge the gap between young entrepreneurs and the digital future, Sinead Bovell strives to create conversations that will lead towards a progressive, informed, and thriving new era. She is a futurist and the founder of WAYE, an organization th...
Hamza Khan
Future of Work Expert | Author of Leadership, Reinvented
Hamza Khan is a multi-award-winning marketer, bestselling author, and global keynote speaker whose TEDx talk “Stop Managing, Start Leading” has been viewed over a million times. He shares actionable insights on resilience, productivity, and leaders...
Amber Mac
Innovation Speaker | Co-Host, The Feed on SiriusXM | President, AmberMac Media, Inc.
Considered by many to be the go-to expert on anything to do with technology, Amber Mac helps companies and audiences stay ahead of the curve. She is an industry veteran, renowned as a journalist, moderator, entrepreneur, consultant, and bestselling author. Wha...
Seth Godin
Author, Entrepreneur and Most of All, A Teacher
Seth Godin is an internationally recognized speaker, popular blogger, and global thought leader in innovative business ideas and marketing strategy. Named one of the Top 21 Speakers For the 21st Century by Successful Meetings magazine, Godin draws on his bests...
Shane Feldman
Connection | Community | Leadership
Shane Feldman believes community is the answer to every question and the solution to every problem. Recognized by The White House, The Prime Minister of Canada, and The United Nations for his achievements in community leadership, he helps leading brands optimi...
Vinh Giang
Entrepreneur | Master Communicator | Magician
For more than 15 years, Vinh Giang has dedicated himself to mastering the art of performance-enhanced communication, helping thousands of professionals worldwide do the same through the power of magic. In his inspiring talks, Giang seamlessly integrates storyt...
Lital Marom
Innovation Strategist and Visionary
A thought leader on agile business processes, digital transformation, and the future of work, Lital Marom is an expert at helping organizations unlock the potential of their business by leveraging exponential thinking, emerging technologies, and new business m...
Lane Merrifield
Former “Dragon”, CBC’s Dragons’ Den | Tech Entrepreneur
A former “dragon” on CBC’s Dragons’ Den, Lane Merrifield is one of Canada’s leading tech entrepreneurs. He is the founder of Club Penguin, which was the largest children’s online social network. At age 28, he sold it to Disney for $350 million, whe...
Jacqueline Carter
Leadership & Mindfulness Expert
The world is facing a global leadership crisis. 77% of leaders think they do a good job of engaging their people, yet 88% of employees say their leaders don’t engage enough, and 65% of employees would forgo a pay raise to see their leaders fired. Leaders...
Swish Goswami
CEO, Surf | Startup Canada's Young Entrepreneur of the Year
Swish Goswami has built a multi-hyphenate career at just the age of 24. He is the CEO of Surf, a social intelligence platform that helps brands of all sizes make smarter marketing decisions. His company, which acquired SocialRank in late 2019, works with clien...
Andrew Au
Global Thought Leader on Digital Transformation and Culture Change
When companies like Microsoft, FedEx, and 3M want to accelerate innovation, they call Andrew Au. Today, the dynamics of industries are changing. No enterprise is too big to fail, no start up is too small to disrupt. Agility has become the new currency of busin...
Johnny Cupcakes
CEO, Johnny Cupcakes | Award Winning Entrepreneur & Brand Hysteria Expert
If you dream of inspiring cult-like brand loyalty—the kind that involves mile-long queues and even permanent tattoos— then Johnny “Cupcakes” Earle is for you. The founder of the world-renowned tee-shirt brand Johnny Cupcakes, Johnny’s kno...
Choir! Choir! Choir!
International Singing Phenomenon
Choir! Choir! Choir! has sung with Tegan and Sara at the Junos, performed at a David Bowie tribute in New York, and have even taken to the Radio City Music Hall stage with Debbie Harry and The Flaming Lips. A collective led by creative directors Nobu Adilman ...
Mel Robbins
Expert on Defeating Doubt | Award-Winning CNN Commentator | Bestselling Author
In her globally acclaimed TEDx talk, Mel Robbins wowed the world with the science-backed secret to change: The 5 Second Rule. More than 17 million views later, the 5 Second Rule has become a bestselling book and a life-changing movement that challenges thinkin...
Peter Katz
JUNO-Nominated Musician and Storyteller
Peter Katz is a Juno Award and Canadian Screen Award-nominated singer-songwriter who has spent the past 15 years touring internationally. He has been described by many of his fans and clients as “a thunderbolt for the soul”. A gifted storyteller, Katz ...
Shawn Kanungo
Strategy in a World of Disruption
Shawn Kanungo is a globally recognized innovation strategist. He previously spent 12 years at Deloitte working closely with leaders to better plan for the opportunities associated with disruptive innovation. He has extensive experience helping corporate execut...
Erin Bury
Co-Founder and CEO, Willful | Tech Expert | Startup Fanatic
Named one of Bay Street Bull’s “2021 Women of the Year”, Erin Bury is one of Canada’s top female entrepreneurs as the co-founder and CEO at Willful. She is also a startup advisor and former marketer and technology journalist. Drawing on her experience,...
Kaihan Krippendorff
Strategy and Innovation Expert
Kaihan Krippendorff is one of the most in-demand business speakers in the world. A bestselling author, internationally recognized thought-leader, and a sought-after strategic advisor, Krippendorff is known for his ability to turn difficult concepts into easy-...
Dave Wilkin
Founder of TenThousandCoffees.com | Social Entrepreneur | Mentoring Expert
Dave Wilkin turns all kinds of organizations into engagement engines. A celebrated social entrepreneur, he’s the founder of TenThousandCoffees.com, the world’s largest peer-to-peer mentoring service. With deep experience working with prominent brands, orga...
Scott Harrison
Founder and CEO of charity: water | World Economic Forum Young Global Leader
Scott Harrison has helped to bring clean drinking water to millions of people around the world. The founder and CEO of charity: water, one of the most well-known philanthropic organizations in the world, shares how his approach to running a non-profit — from...
Graham Sherman
Owner, Tool Shed Brewing Company
Graham Sherman is a self-professed “high level geek” who used his love of technology to disrupt an entire industry. In 2013, Sherman took homebrewing “too far” when he launched the Tool Shed Brewing Company. What was originally a hobby in his backyard ...
Anders Sörman-Nilsson
Futurist | Innovation Strategist
Anders Sörman-Nilsson is a futurist and the founder of the think tank and trend analysis firm Thinque, which provides data-based research, foresight and thought leadership assets for global brands across four continents. The company’s vision is to disse...
Liane Davey
Expert on Building Effective Teams, Improving Communication, and Increasing Leadership Effectiveness
Known as the “teamwork doctor,” Liane Davey knows how to create high performing teams. Having worked with organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, from across the globe helping teams from the frontlines to the boardroom, she has developed a unique p...
David Segal
Founder of DAVIDsTEA and Mad Radish | Retail Visionary and Branding Expert
David Segal is an entrepreneur and retail thought-leader. He is best known for bringing radical innovation to a 5,000 year old product category with the launch of DAVIDsTEA, the company he co-founded in 2008. Segal takes audiences through the entrepreneurial j...
Michele Romanow
"Dragon", CBC's Dragons’ Den | Co-Founder and CEO, Clearco
Tech titan Michele Romanow is a serial entrepreneur who started six companies before her 35th birthday. A “Dragon” on CBC’s hit show Dragons’ Den, Romanow is the co-founder and CEO of Canadian unicorn, Clearco. Clearco has invested more than $3.2B into...
Nicole Verkindt
Tech Entrepreneur | Founder, OMX
Named “Canada’s Woman Entrepreneur of the Year” by Startup Canada in 2017, Nicole Verkindt is a serial entrepreneur. She has a knack for finding industry gaps and building innovative platforms and technology to fill them. Speaking to the impo...
Nicole Stott
Astronaut | Aquanaut | Artist
Nicole Stott has explored from the heights of outer space to the depths of our oceans. She has dedicated her life to sharing her spaceflight experience and the beauty of Earth with others. She believes that sharing the orbital and inner space perspectives has...
Michael Hyatt
Leadership | Change and Innovation Visionary
In our rapidly shifting business landscape, Michael Hyatt gives people the tools and insight needed to succeed, inspiring them to face change head-on. Hyatt is one of Canada’s top entrepreneurs — a self-made millionaire who built and sold two highly succes...
Stephen Shedletzky
Head of Brand Experience and Igniter, Simon Sinek’s Start With Why
Stephen Shedletzky engages people in meaningful ways so that we connect with depth and live in a more fulfilled world. The head of brand experience and an igniter for Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” team, Shedletzky has a knack for sharing the right word...
Ryan Estis
Business Performance Expert
Ryan Estis has more than 20 years of experience as a top performing sales professional and leader. As the former chief strategy officer for the McCann Worldgroup advertising agency NAS, he brings a fresh perspective to business events. Known for his innovative...
Frans Johansson
Innovation Thought Leader | Bestselling Author
Does your strategy reflect the new normal? We live in unpredictable times where the rules are changing and the formulas for success are disintegrating. Bestselling author and thought leader Frans Johansson shows organizations how to innovate, grow, and create ...
Dan Thurmon
Peak Performance Coach
Success in life is not determined by circumstances, but by actions. Peak Performance Coach Dan Thurmon’s mission can be summarized by the title of his book, Off Balance On Purpose. He believes that instead of seeking “perfect balance”, we should learn to...
Chris Hadfield
Astronaut | First Canadian Commander of the International Space Station
Referred to as “the most famous astronaut since Neil Armstrong,” Colonel Chris Hadfield is a worldwide sensation whose video of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity” — seen by over 75 million people — was called “possibly the most poignant version of th...
Susan Cain
Bestselling Author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts
Susan Cain believes society dramatically undervalues the talents of introverts. In her bestselling book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking, and in her record-smashing TED talk, Cain explores ways to tap-in to the quieter c...
Polly LaBarre
Co-Author, Mavericks at Work | Founding Member, Fast Company Magazine
For nearly 20 years, Polly LaBarre has worked to embolden and equip leaders to ramp up originality, invention, and game-changing disruption. Co-author of Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win and founding team member of Fast Company ma...
Mike Walsh
Futurist and Authority on Digital Trends in Emerging Markets
As the CEO of Tomorrow, a global consultancy on designing companies for the 21st century, Mike Walsh prepares business leaders for what’s next. A leading authority on digital transformation and disruptive innovation, Walsh expertly distils his insights into ...
Erik Wahl
The Art of Vision
An internationally recognized artist, TED speaker, and bestselling author, Erik Wahl’s keynote experience creates a dynamic, multi-dimensional metaphor for how to systematically embrace innovation and risk. His message is that disruption is the new norma...
Steve Wozniak
Co-Founder, Apple Computer Inc.
Before laptops fit into briefcases, tablets were as thin as magazines, and cellphones fit into pockets, computers were as big as vending machines and certainly not portable. In 1977, Steve Wozniak changed that by unveiling the world’s first personal computer...
Scott Stratten
Expert in Un-Marketing
For generations, marketing has been hypocritical. We’ve been taught to market to others in ways we hate being marketed to — so why do we keep trying the same stale marketing moves? Scott Stratten — named one of the “Top Five Social Media Influe...