2023 EFC Industry Conference

Conference Keynote Speakers

Dr. Amir Georges Sabongui

“Power to Lead” Opening Keynote Speaker

Dr George

Dr. Amir Georges Sabongui, PhD, has a background in behavioural neuroscience and holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, specialized in resilience and organizational leadership solutions.
He works closely with Canada’s largest corporations to develop and implement organizational leadership solutions, crisis response and mental health training programs. His passion is developing long term relationships to help his organizational clients improve cohesion and engagement in order to bring teams to their optimal functioning and inspire employees to achieve their full potential.
He is a retired lieutenant-commander of the Canadian Navy, specialized in naval operations and crisis response, and was recognized for his outstanding leadership during his 14 years of military service where he commanded operational crews and led a crisis response team during international NATO operations. His doctoral research was conducted with the Canadian Armed Forces and focused on developing high impact teams that could perform under extreme operational conditions.
Recipient of numerous professional awards and distinctions – including prestigious Federal (SSHRC) and Provincial (FCAR) government fellowships – he is also laureate of the Award of Excellence from the Canadian Psychological Association for his work on resilience and public awareness campaigns on mental health.
Today, he is a sought-after public speaker who is highly regarded for his dynamic style and his humour, and he is prominently featured in national television and print media.

Opening Keynote: The Power to Lead

Day 1 – WEDNESDAY, May 31st | 9:00 am EST
Being a retired Canadian Navy lieutenant commander has given Dr. George keen insight in the area of Leadership. The conversation will focus on defining what makes life worth living by maximizing the full human potential. Understanding the importance of fostering intrinsic motivation among your team. Then shift the conversation towards managing the unmanageable and the leader’s responsibility to recognize their human potential, while explaining that leading responsibly begins with the importance of ‘self-care’.

Amber Mac Innovation Speaker, Co-Host, The Feed on SiriusXM, President, AmberMac Media, Inc.

“Power to Sustain Our Future”

Amber Mac

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. Whatever the setting, Mac offers clarity and a passion for digital innovation in all forms.
In 2021, Mac was named one of Bay Street Bull’s “Women of the Year” for her leadership in the technology sector. She has also been named one of “30 inspirational women making a difference in tech” by DMZ. Mac began her career in San Francisco and Boston during the dot-com boom. As a strategist for Razorfish and director of marketing for an e-procurement software company, she spent four years in the technology start-up trenches.
Today, Mac is the president of Amber Mac Media, Inc., an award-winning content development agency. She has also keynoted more than 500 events around the world and moderated sessions with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former FBI Director James Comey, astronaut Chris Hadfield, and many other notable leaders.

Power to Sustain Our Future

Carol McGlogan, President & CEO, EFC

“The Power to Meet Net Zero” Pembina Report (EFC Sponsored Research)

Speaker Bio

The Power to Meet Net Zero

Cheryl Pounder, Professional Speaker, Olympic Gold Medalist, Co-Host Her Mark Podcast

“Power of Engagement vs Participation” – Virtual Speaker

Cheryl Pounder

In the sports world where accomplishments are measured by medals and titles, there aren’t many who can claim a list of achievements as glowing as Cheryl’s.
The shining on-ice achievements aside, it’s been Cheryl’s varied experiences on international stages that have made her an in-demand speaker.
For Cheryl, everything is rooted in self-confidence, something that was instilled in her as a child. ”My family had a huge impact on my personal goals as an athlete. My grandfather was the GM of the Montreal Junior Canadiens and my grandmother was a prominent softball player in the 1940’s. Along with my parents, they taught me to ‘believe’, ‘finish something you start’, and persevere through adversity.” Adversity can be a learning experience and according to Cheryl, “It is important that we learn not only from our successes but also from our failures. Change is the key to ultimately staying on the path toward excellence.”
It is all part of a journey that we must be willing to take – a journey that must be inspired to take for ourselves and those we work with… our TEAM. To this point, she adds, “When the team goal is met, the individual goals take care of themselves. Seize the opportunities, get outside your comfort zone, trust yourself, and engage in your life, don’t just participate. Most importantly, listen to your strong side, even when your weak side is louder.”

The Power of Inclusivity

Day 2 – THURSDAY, June 1st | 9:00 am EST
Cheryl will talk about the power of common goals and lessons learned from teamwork. How she experienced personal growth through receiving and giving feedback. How she views the role of leadership and the importance of good communications while being authentic.
Through dynamic stories Cheryl will tell us about her role as an athlete, how to learn through adversity, understanding ‘why not me’ and finding your voice.

Tom Mason, VP Marketing and Channel Development, Panel Moderator

“The Power of People” Talent Initiative & Roundtable

Speaker Bio

The Power of Talent

Shawn Kanungo, Innovation Strategist and Bestselling Author

Closing Keynote: “Power Forward”

Shawn Kanungo

As a globally recognized innovation and disruption strategist, Shawn Kanungo works at the intersection of creativity, business, and technology. He spent 12 years at Deloitte working closely with leaders to help them better plan for the opportunities associated with disruptive innovation. In his high energy keynotes, Kanungo draws on his extensive experience to provide audiences with an optimistic roadmap for the future; one that embraces unexpected approaches to innovation to remain competitive and relevant.
Since leaving Deloitte, Kanungo has worked with hundreds of organizations on their journey to digital transformation. He’s led complex projects incorporating artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, behavioural economics, Web3, and more. Today, Kanungo is a Partner with Queen & Rook, where he advises leading organizations and executives on disruptive trends and invests in early-stage ventures.
Kanungo’s work has been featured in the Globe and Mail, The Guardian, CBC, and CTV. He’s been recognized by Edify Magazine as one of their “Top 40 Under 40” and by Inc. magazine as one of the “100 Most Innovative Leaders”.
A prolific content creator, Kanungo’s content on innovation has garnered millions of views across LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook. His bestselling debut book, The Bold Ones offers a playbook for individuals to become bolder and push their careers and companies forward.

Closing Keynote: Power Forward

Day 2 – THURSDAY, June 1st | 10:30 am EST
Shawn will talk about Innovation and how you can reimagine not only our industry but how to reimagine yourself.
Strategy in a World of Disruption
The business world has fundamentally changed forever. The growth and adoption of new technologies is at a dizzying pace. Customer and employee expectations have been pushed forward 10 years due to the pandemic. We are now looking for organizations to be fearless in a changing world.
These drivers are forcing everyone to reimagine their entire organizations. How do we survive? How do we disrupt ourselves before someone else does? How do we deliver better experiences to our clients, customers, and teams? Today, we need to be bold, brave and experimental.
In this awe-inspiring talk, Shawn Kanungo provides an optimistic roadmap for the future. He explores how we can take unexpected approaches to innovation to remain competitive and relevant.

Conference Industry Panel

Member Panelists

"DEI Measures of Success"

Day 2 – THURSDAY, JUNE 2nd | 9:30 am
Following the keynote address by Michael Back from the Canadian Centre for Diversity & Inclusion, industry members will convene onstage to examine how we can establish industry baselines and cadences to track progress for DEI efforts. Learn about EFC’s new DEI stats initiative and the role each member plays in supporting diversity, equity and inclusion in our channel.

Conference Concurrent Track Speakers

Steven Taylor : President and CEO of Ignite Technology | Doug Thubron : President of Ignite Solutions

Speaker Biographies

Steven Taylor is the President and CEO of Ignite Technology, and in this role, Steven is responsible for the overall vision and leadership of the company and its disciplines – Ignite Collaboration, Ignite Security and Ignite Solutions. A big believer in the team, Steven credits the alignment of personal, wellness, and corporate goals to Ignite’s culture. Achieving great work life balance for his team ultimately defines his success. Steven deeply cares about the people he works with and lives the ‘People First’ mentality to the fullest.
Based in Calgary, Steven is married with two kids, loves to golf and while he’s no longer playing the role of football Coach, he continues to transfer that energy into encouraging people who might doubt their abilities, understand their strengths and find success. Whether in business or in his day-to-day life, Steven demonstrates what can be achieved by working together toward shared goals and vision.
Prior to starting Ignite, Steven spent 15+ years working in Unified Communications building and managing teams focused on Sales and Sales operations.
Doug Thubron is the President of Ignite Solutions, and has served as a trusted partner for businesses – first as NBi Solutions, and now under the Ignite Technology umbrella ¬– as a managed IT services provider for the past 20 years. He is passionate about providing solutions that allow smaller organizations to harness big-business capabilities through simplified IT practices, support and expertise.
Doug got his start building computers for his family-owned and operated IT company in Calgary. He was quickly swept up in the wave of rapidly advancing systems and ideas, setting the stage for his own innovations as a managed service provider.

Helping people remove complexity from their day to focus on what matters is essential to Doug, and so is building trusted relationships. As a leader, he is quick to surround himself with like-minded people who share a passion for service, and uncovering customer needs.

Doug is an avid golfer, is married, and has three boys who keep him super busy with competitive hockey. Coach, volunteer, and now a board of directors member, he’s been committed to supporting the Symons Valley Hockey Association for over 14 years.

The Rules of Engagement for Outsourced IT Services
Day 1 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1st | 1:00 pm
How to pre-qualify service providers to protect the secure your systems and data.
Choosing an IT service provider can often be onerous for businesses, especially given the high data security concerns that organizations face. A study by the Ponemon Institute suggested that 58% of small businesses do not know if their IT vendor’s security policies are sufficient to prevent a data breach. While outsourcing any part of your business comes with risks, entrusting your IT services to outside vendors can be unnerving. Unlike accounting or legal services that have an established set of certifications and regulations, IT services don’t have the same level of standards for compliance, making it difficult to pre-qualify IT vendors.
Outsourcing IT services can be risky business if security policies and agreements aren’t discussed and put into place. This session will explore the following:
- The rules of engagement when searching for an IT provider to protect your data and systems
- What questions every business should ask to pre-qualify vendors
- How to build and/or transfer service agreements while maintaining control of your domains, databases and other systems to ensure continued access and protection of confidential data

Daniel Breton : President and CEO with Electric Mobility Canada

Speaker Biography

Daniel Breton is President and CEO of Electric Mobility Canada, one of the oldest associations dedicated to the electrification of transportation in the world. This organization has members from every sector related to electric mobility in Canada, including electricity suppliers, vehicle manufacturers, cities, universities, unions, technology companies, mining companies, research centers, government departments, environmental NGOs, electric vehicle owners’ associations, dealers’ associations, fleet managers, etc.
A former Quebec Minister of the Environment, Sustainable Development, Wildlife and Parks, he was the first elected official in charge of a government strategy for the electrification of transportation in Canada in 2012. He graduated in sustainable carbon management and has written several books on the subject of transportation electrification, climate change, air pollution and energy transition since 2009.

Electric Mobility: Challenges & Opportunities in Canada
Day 1 – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1st | 1:00 pm
A few weeks ago, the federal government announced that it would mandate the sale of EVs with targets of 20% sales by 2026, 60% by 2030 and 100% by 2035. What this announcement brings for your industry is market predictability… and many opportunities. This session will explain the following:
- The level of investment that this announcement represents
- The different types of EV infrastructure that will be needed
- The challenges and opportunities for your industry.

Daniel Bretton : President and CEO with Electric Mobility Canada

Warren Collier, Director of Talent Strategy, Self-Management Group

Warren Collier, CHRL, is the Director of Talent Strategy for Self-Management Group, which delivers talent management and recruitment solutions to Fortune 500 clients across Canada and the United States. Warren has 25 years of leadership experience in human resources, talent management and business operations with emphasis in strategy and organization design in the Banking, Telecom, and Outsourcing sectors.

“Critical Skillsets for a Remote Workforce & Re-imagining the Office…Post-Covid”

Day 1 – WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 | 2:00 pm
A recent study confirmed that 56% of the workforce holds a job that is compatible (at least partially) with remote work. Leaders are now evaluating how best to manage a workforce in a post-covid world that is unique to their organization and adapt their culture strategy to reimagine their work and workplaces.
Warren will share the results of a recent study of over 10,000 people where we assessed a variety of critical skills necessary for success in a remote work environment tied to performance and retention. These findings can help organizations assess their existing talent pool and support managers leading a remote team into the future. He will also discuss why the future office will need to cater to all types of workers and discuss some practical ideas for leaders to implement an operating model that leverages the best of both in-person and remote work.

Conference CEMRA & CMG Meeting Speakers

Thank you to our Lead Conference Sponsor:

Golf Tournament

Optional CEMRA Night - Sign up!

YPN National Après Gala Reception

Chairman’s Gala Reception & Awards Dinner

Chair’s Reception | ‘Luxury Railroad’ Awards Dinner

Step back in time, as we re-imagine the roaring 20’s and the railroads that served Canadians as a mode of luxury transportation. This evening will feature special comedic entertainment by Steve Patterson, host of the debaters, as well as a dinner and award presentations in honour of those who have made remarkable contributions to our industry. All conference delegates and companions are welcome to attend this awards banquet. Gala table reservations will begin in April. *Semi-formal Attire

Call for Award Nominations, click here

Electro Lounge Meetings

EFC is pleased to offer increased and extended B2B meeting space. These meetings are available for smaller manufacturers, distributors and reps to meet in a casual informal setting. These meeting areas are complimentary and are suited for approx. 2-4 people only. These meeting areas are in an open ballroom with several seating areas for you to conduct informal meetings.

Open-concept spaces are available for smaller meetings up to 4 people in the designated Electro-Lounge room. Register for your complimentary meeting space, click here

Head Office Meetings

EFC’s Head Office Program provides members with an opportunity to host private meetings with suppliers and customers during the conference. EFC manufacturer, distributor and rep members are all eligible to reserve a meeting room, based on availability.

To register your company for a meeting space, please click on this link to book

Audio visual requirements, food and beverages can be ordered for your meeting room, based on your request and billing. Note: It is the responsibility of the manufacturer and distributor to arrange for convenient meeting times. EFC staff will not schedule or confirm appointments.

Tours & Activities – Available soon!

Exciting tours and activities are being confirmed for you to explore and experience the majestic wonders of Banff. Please stay tuned for full details.

Please note: EFC is closely monitoring developments with COVID-19 and is strengthening its protective measures accordingly. To minimize any risks to employees, members and other event attendees, please follow precautionary measures by using hand sanitizer and avoiding handshakes. If you have visited any of the following COVID-19 affected areas within the past 14 days, we kindly ask that you refrain from attending EFC events: China, Iran, Northern Italy, Japan, South Korea. Thank you for your cooperation.