Rory Gardiner is an award-winning comedian, CCMA-nominated country artist, and former corporate software consultant who brings a unique blend of entertainment and enterprise insight to the stage. Having worked on multimillion-dollar software projects before stepping into the spotlight, Rory understands the pressures, politics, and performance demands of today’s workplace. That rare combination of business credibility and viral creative success, massing over 100 million social media views and appearances on major platforms like Canada’s Got Talent, America’s Funniest Videos, and TEDx, positions him as a dynamic voice on resilience, creativity, and connection.

Rory helps organizations turn pressure into performance by equipping leaders and teams with practical tools to navigate uncertainty, bridge generational divides, and build cultures that thrive through change. Blending stand-up comedy, live music, and powerful storytelling, he transforms complex workplace challenges into relatable, actionable insights. His keynotes empower audiences to rethink resilience, shift their perspective under stress, and take imperfect action instead of stalling in fear or burnout.

In today’s multi-generational workforce, where engagement, retention, and collaboration are constant concerns, Rory creates shared experiences that unite diverse teams. He makes big ideas simple, memorable, and immediately applicable, helping professionals embrace change, strengthen communication, and rediscover purpose in their work. Equal parts hilarious and practical, his presentations leave audiences energized, connected, and ready to move forward with clarity and confidence. Ideal for conferences, leadership summits, corporate events, and mental health initiatives.

Rory Gardiner is the host of The Balanced Artist Podcast.

In a world where artificial intelligence is advancing faster than ever, one truth has become impossible to ignore:

The future belongs to leaders who know how to unlock the power of being human.
Julie Cass is an emerging voice on human performance, emotional intelligence, wellbeing, and the future of leadership. Combining research, practical psychology, and engaging storytelling, she helps organizations strengthen the one competitive advantage technology can never replace the human advantage.

A former CEO who helped scale an organization to eight-figure revenues, Julie brings more than two decades of experience in leadership development, executive coaching, and transformational training across corporate, healthcare, education, government, and entrepreneurial sectors.

As an executive coach, clinical hypnotherapist, Master EFT Practitioner, yoga instructor, and two-time bestselling author, Julie bridges neuroscience, leadership, and human behaviour to deliver practical strategies that create lasting change.

Known for her authenticity, humour, and audience interaction, Julie equips leaders with tools to build resilience, confidence, communication, trust, and high-performing cultures in an AI-powered world.

Whether speaking to executives, HR professionals, educators, healthcare teams, or entrepreneurs, Julie inspires audiences to think differently, lead courageously, and perform at a higher level without sacrificing wellbeing.

Because while technology may change how we work, our greatest advantage has never been artificial. It's always been human.

Most leadership and team problems aren't what they seem. 

Organizations focus on visible issues, like communication breakdowns, low engagement, missed deadlines, conflict, or performance problems. But these are often symptoms, not root causes. 

Challenges often stem from behavioural patterns that affect interactions, such as dependence on over-involved leadership, silence masking as alignment, avoidance of tough conversations, or politeness hiding distrust, undermining accountability, innovation, collaboration, and performance. 

This is where Tina does her best work. 

As Founder of Rethinkery, she and her team help leaders and their teams uncover and change hidden dynamics that influence results. Her approach blends leadership development, organizational psychology, and behaviour change to cultivate healthier cultures and better outcomes. 

With 25+ years of experience, she has guided sectors like government, construction, energy, defence, and finance, focusing on trust, communication, and decision-making. She’s skilled at uncovering assumptions, habits, and patterns that impact culture and performance. 

Whether working with executives or frontline teams, Tina boosts self-awareness, effective communication, tension management, and trust building for high-performing teams. Her work includes diagnostics, coaching, customized learning, organizational consulting, and strategy sessions to turn insight into action. An ICF PCC with 2,500+ coaching hours, she holds degrees in Business Administration and Psychology, and is pursuing a Master’s in Leadership at Royal Roads University. 

Tina believes that understanding the true drivers enables lasting, meaningful change rather than symptom treatment.

Cassandra Fultz, RCIC-IRB, is the founder and Principal Consultant of Doherty Fultz Immigration. She has worked in Canadian immigration since 2009 and established DFI in 2014. Over the course of her career, she has advised employers, individuals, and families on a wide range of immigration and citizenship matters.

A significant part of Cassandra’s practice focuses on helping Canadian employers navigate workforce immigration challenges. She advises organizations on hiring and retaining international talent, work permit strategies, LMIA and LMIA-exempt options, permanent residence pathways, and employer immigration compliance. Her approach is practical and solutions-focused, with an emphasis on identifying options employers may not realize are available to them.

Cassandra has a longstanding relationship with the Human Resources Professionals Association and has served as Co-Chair of the HRPA Annual HR Law Conference in Toronto in 2025 and 2026, and as a speaker and panelist on immigration and HR law topics in 2024. 

She is also a frequent commentator on Canadian immigration, citizenship, and cross-border mobility issues in national and international media, with appearances and contributions including CNN, NPR, CBC, CTV, the National Post, and other major news outlets.

Cassandra is known for making complex immigration issues understandable and practical, helping employers understand not only what the rules are, but what they mean for their people and what to do next.

Pamela LeMaistre, CHRL, is a distinguished Human Resources executive with over 30 years of leadership experience spanning the public, private, and non-profit sectors. Most recently, she served as the Chief Human Resources Officer for the City of Ottawa and the General Manager of People, Culture and Leadership at the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Throughout her career, Pamela has specialized in navigating complex, multi-union environments. Her comprehensive expertise encompasses strategic leadership development, talent management, succession planning, labour relations and total rewards, with a deep commitment to human rights, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) and employee well-being.

Following her transition from full-time corporate service, she now operates as a fractional Chief Human Resources Officer/VP of HR, providing strategic advisory services to organizations across Ontario. A long-standing member of the HRPA community, Pamela earned her CHRP designation in 1999 and her Certified Human Resources Leader (CHRL) designation in 2014. She holds a post-graduate degree in Industrial Relations from Queen's University well as Business Administration with specialization in Human Resources Management. Her academic foundation is further complemented by advanced professional certifications in executive leadership coaching, workplace mental health, and occupational health and safety.

Dominic Levesque is no stranger to transformation—whether on the slopes, in the boardroom, or leading a band on tour. As the president, CEO, and partner of Releve en Force (soon to be rebranded as NexWav in January 2025), and chairman and co-founder of NTTB Snowboards, Dominic’s career is a masterclass in reinvention and innovation.

Dominic spent 18 years climbing the corporate ranks at a publicly traded staffing giant, eventually leading its U.S. talent solutions division. Along the way, he honed his expertise in entrepreneurship, strategic partnerships, business transformation, and building high-performing teams. Today, he’s channeling that experience into Releve en Force, where his mission is to redefine the future of work. The company delivers technology-driven recruitment solutions across industries, from finance and operations to executive search, empowering both organizations and talent to reach new heights.

But Dominic doesn’t just challenge conventions in the workplace. In 2024, he co-founded NTTB Snowboards, a brand driven by a passion for precision engineering and the great outdoors. Launching officially in October 2025, they aim to set a new benchmark for quality snowboards, gear, and apparel.

An author of two business transformation books: The Wav Model and Avoiding Avalanches in Big Mountain Adventures; The New Framework for Successful Business Transformations, Dominic draws inspiration from his life’s adventures, from growing up playing hockey in Quebec to touring in a punk band. For him, the key to success lies in creating exceptional teams and cultures, whether in the office or on the mountain.

Sonya Shorey is President and CEO of Invest Ottawa, Co-Founder of SheBoot, Entrepreneur, Passionate Champion for Ottawa, Entrepreneurs & Companies Building Canada's Innovation Economy; Director of Mission-Driven Boards; Community Leader and Collaborator; Eternal Learner

An executive and management consultant with 25+ years of leadership experience with private and public innovation-based organizations, Sonya has spearheaded more than $300+ million in public-private funding. These initiatives have catalyzed new opportunities and impact for founders and companies in Canada’s Capital, an inclusive global tech, innovation and business hub, across the country and partner countries worldwide.

Within her previous leadership role as Invest Ottawa’s VP of Strategy, Marketing, and Communications, Sonya played a pivotal role in developing:

• Invest Ottawa’s Women Founders and Owners Strategy, including Ladies Who Launch and International Women’s Month, now entering its eighth year
• The Pan-Ontario ScaleUp Platform, the first of its kind in Canada, which helps accelerate the growth of scaling firms on their path to $100M in annual revenue;
• Bayview Yards, Ottawa’s innovation hub and one-stop business acceleration shop; and
• Area X.O, the $54 million R&D complex for emerging next-gen technologies for diverse sectors, including defence, aerospace, smart mobility, security, smart farming, and more

Prior to Invest Ottawa, Shorey founded a successful consulting firm that addressed the corporate strategy, operational, and investment needs of dozens of accelerators, innovation hubs, entrepreneurship and economic development organizations across Canada and their global partners. A proud Carleton University graduate, she has held previous leadership roles in the technology sector with Calian, Nortel Networks, and CMC Microsystems.

She has won national and international awards for communications, entrepreneurial leadership, and awards for women's economic empowerment.