National Leaders in Action Summit on Youth & Education

Biographies

Keynote

Honourable Kirsty Duncan The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Member of Parliament for the Toronto riding of Etobicoke North, was appointed Minister of Science on November 4, 2015. During her academic career, Ms. Duncan was an associate professor of health studies at the University of Toronto and a research director at the former AIC Institute for Corporate Citizenship at the Rotman School of Management. An international speaker, she has lectured for such organizations as the National Geographic Society, the Government of Japan and the Young Presidents' Organization.

Ms. Duncan was a member of the Advisory Board for Pandemic Flu for the Conference Board of Canada and the University of Toronto, and she has helped organizations throughout Canada and the United States prepare for a possible flu pandemic. She sat on many boards including the Toronto Foundation for School Success and has been a strong supporter of student nutrition efforts.

Ms. Duncan is also passionate about helping build resilient communities and taking action on climate change. She has helped provide food, shelter and education to Toronto's youth and has served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The Minister holds a doctorate in geography from the University of Edinburgh. Minister of Science Mandate Letter

Master of Ceremonies

Jeremy Depow, Executive Director - Canada’s Digital Policy Forum Jeremy founded Canada’s Digital Policy Forum in order to strengthen dialogue and collaboration on building digital policy in Canada. His approach is founded on the belief that the best public policy comes from dialogue and meaningful collaboration between governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, technical experts and other relevant stakeholders. Throughout his career, he has advised numerous organizations, including Fortune 500 companies, start-ups and non-profits on effectively engaging municipal, provincial and federal governments to strengthen public policy.

His work has focused particularly on developing and implementing large-scale policy development and government engagement strategies in Canada, the U.S. and U.K. Jeremy has served in the corporate affairs offices of Pfizer Inc., Intuit, and BIOTECanada, and was an information and communications technology industry analyst for the Yankee Group. Jeremy began his career as a policy analyst in the Canadian House of Commons for the Rt. Hon. Joe Clark, P.C., M.P.

Moderators

Sandra Saric, Vice President of Talent Innovation – ICTC Sandra Saric is Vice President, Talent Innovation at the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) where she leads all aspects of ICTC’s talent initiatives and promotes diversity, inclusion, and collaboration with industry, government and education on strategies and actions to leverage talent in Canada’s digital economy.

As a champion in the promotion and development of diversity and inclusion programs across Canada and globally, Sandra has particularly focused on initiatives that involve the recruitment, retention, integration and advancement of women, global talent and youth in ICT.

Sandra holds a Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Ottawa and BA Honours in Political Science from Carleton University. After university, Sandra completed the Information Technology Professional Program, as well as leadership development and coaching programs at the Banff Centre and a Certificate in Intercultural Studies from the University of British Columbia.

As a leader in the area of diversity and inclusion, in 2015, Sandra recently received a Leadership Excellence Award for Diversity by Canadian Women in Communications and Technology and frequently speaks on topics that promote young women in STEM careers as well as leadership and advancement. Sandra is also an advisor on WCT’s Women’s Leadership Committee; Hire Immigrants Ottawa Employer Council of Champions; TRIEC’s Employer Engagement Committee; SUCCESS BC’s ACAP Committee and Colleges and Institutes Canada Planning for Canada Advisory Group. An avid traveller, Sandra has also been known to rappel down cliffs in Costa Rica or up them in Santorini.

Tanya Woods, Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs, ESAC Tanya is Vice-President, Policy and Legal Affairs for the Entertainment and Software Association of Canada where she is responsible for ensuring that Canadian federal and provincial policies and legislation support the thriving multi-platform video game industry in Canada. Her work includes collaborating with stakeholders and government representatives to address legal and policy issues confronting video game companies located in Canada. These issues include: immigration for highly-skilled talent; digital skills development; intellectual property; tax credits; privacy law; and, international legal and treaty initiatives.

For more than a decade, Tanya has been addressing legal and policy challenges confronting creators, innovators, and policy makers in private and public entities in the UK, US and Canada. Prior to joining ESAC, Tanya worked as the in-house copyright specialist for a major Canadian telecommunications and broadcasting company. She also served as a member of Canada’s intellectual property negotiating team for the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement; and, has significant experience working on complex copyright tariff and licensing matters relating to new and emerging technologies.

Tanya studied law at the London School of Economics, the University of Ottawa and American University Washington College of Law and is accredited with specializations in both Technology Law and International and Comparative Protection of Intellectual Property. Tanya frequently participates on panels, lectures and publishes (as writer and editor) on technology and copyright issues. She is also a co-founder of Girl Force (http://www.girlforce.ca/), a local volunteer organization teaching girls and young women to make video games.

Panel members

Paul Thompson, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Skills and Employment Branch - ESDC Mr. Paul Thompson began his career in the Public Service in 1990 with Human Resources Development Canada where he worked until 1997, holding various positions including Executive Assistant to the Deputy Minister

He has held several executive positions in his career in the public service including with the Privy Council Office as Director of Operations, Social Development Policy as Director General, Strategic Priorities and Planning at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.

Prior to joining Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Mr. Thompson was Executive Director, Strategic Planning with the Treasury Board Secretariat from April 2005 to September 2007.

Mr. Thompson was appointed as the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister for the Skills and Employment Branch at HRSDC on October 1, 2007. From April 1, 2010 to May 12, 2014, Paul held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister of Processing and Payment Services Branch. He was appointed to his current position of Senior Assistant Deputy Minister of the Skills and Employment Branch on May 12, 2014.

Mr. Thompson holds a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Queen's University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Political Science from the University of Toronto

Mohammad Nejad-Sattary, Senior Director of Technology - Capital One Canada In 2015, Moh joined Capital One as the Senior Director of Technology. Before this, he gained a wealth of experience as a hands-on software development leader in diverse organizations ranging from small startups to multi-national organizations.

With more than 20 years of experience as a highly trained and experienced technical architect, Moh has successfully delivered a wide range of enterprise software products. He has nurtured an advanced understanding of blended multiscreen media services, secured media streaming, ticketing, business intelligence analytics and much more. He is a respected leader, who has the ability to understand the tightrope balance between expediency and sound design. This insight translates into high-quality work that is revered by his peers.

Moh and his family live in Richmond Hill. He is proud father to a pair of ten year olds twins –who always keep him on his toes. He completed his education in London, England; wherein, he earned a Bachelor of Science, Computer Science degree from Queen Mary University and a PhD in Computer Science from City University.

Colin McKay, Head of Public Policy and Government Relations - Google Canada Colin is the Head of Public Policy and Government Relations for Google in Canada, where he works to keep the internet awesome.

Colin is a member of the board at MediaSmarts, a not-for-profit organization that provides youth with critical thinking skills to engage with media as active and informed digital citizens, and sits on the boards of the Missing Children Society of Canada and the Canadian-American Business Council. He was a member of the Government of Canada Advisory Panel on Open Government

Before joining Google, he worked at the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, where his team researched the impact of the digital economy on personal privacy and then built tools to help individuals understand their privacy rights. Prior to that, he worked in communications and policy in science and technology, patent, copyright, innovation, and transportation policy in the Government of Canada.

He has a B.A and M.A from the University of Toronto in International Relations

Anna Lambert, Director of Talent Acquisition - Shopify Anna is the Director of Talent Acquisition at Shopify. Since joining Shopify in 2011, she's helped build the company from 150 employees to over 1000. Anna is also the creator of Beyond the Code, a Canadian conference promoting diversity and inclusion in tech. She co-founded an apparel company called Caged Collective, is an avid snowboarder, and a one-time* marathon runner.

Anna has completed one marathon and has committed to "never doing that again".

Marc Seaman, Vice President of Education – Microsoft Canada Marc Seaman is the VP of Education with Microsoft Canada and has been with the company since 2004. Previously, he held the positions of National Director of Corporate and Public Affairs, and Director of Corporate Communications and Citizenship. Prior to joining Microsoft, Marc was Managing Partner of APCO Worldwide and Vice-President for GPC-Fleishman Hillard. Marc also worked in senior marketing management roles for both the Ottawa Senators and the Ottawa Rough Riders in the 1990s.

Marc was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors for the Shaw Centre in December 2013 and has been a member of the Board of Governors for The Ottawa Hospital since 2012. He has been a jury member for the Premier’s Teaching Awards since 2013 and is currently on the Advisory Committee for One Young World. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ottawa from 2001 to 2006, including serving on its Executive Committee and as Chair of its Communications and External Relations Committee. Marc has also served as a member of the United Way Ottawa Cabinet, as a member of the Board of Directors for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, and as a Trustee for Westboro Academy.

Marc was recognized as Manager of the Year for Microsoft Canada in 2007 and was awarded the Microsoft J. Elder Leadership Award in 2009. His professional achievements have earned him the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) Award of Excellence for Marketing as well as the Capitale Excel Award for Communications. He was a recipient of Ottawa’s 40 under 40 by the Ottawa Business Journal in 2007. Fluently bilingual, Marc holds a Bachelors Degree in Communications from the University of Ottawa

Dr. Sacha Noukhovitch, Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief, STEM Fellowship, Toronto District School Board Sacha Noukhovitch PhD, OCT is a STEM education and student research expert specialized in data science and information technology-based learning. He started his career as an electrical engineer in the nuclear power industry and obtained his PhD in Control Systems from Moscow State University. He was a founder and editor-in-chief of the Canadian Young Scientist Journal.

Dr. Noukhovitch is a practicing educator at Earl Haig Secondary School, Toronto. He is an Executive director of the STEM Fellowship, federal non-profit organization, and a member of the Council of Science Editors, USA working in their student task force and marketing committees

Tim Winkelmans, Director for Graduation, Skills, and Distance Learning – BC Ministry of Education Tim Winkelmans' current role at the Ministry of Education is Director for Graduation, Skills, and Distance Learning. He recently completed a Doctor of Education degree at the University of Calgary, focussing on leadership in e-learning. Computer education applications, including online learning, has been a consistent focus of his teaching, academic, and professional career since 1984.

Anna has completed one marathon and has committed to "never doing that again".

Kate Arthur, Co-founder & Executive Director - Kids Code Jeunesse Kate Arthur is co-founder and executive director of Kids Code Jeunesse, a bilingual not for profit organization that aims to provide every child in Canada with the opportunity to learn to code and to learn computational thinking. Her career includes over 20 years of experience in Communications and Technology fields in the UK and in Canada. Kate is a coach and mentor for the international girls competition Technovation. She also sits on the boards of Compucorps (Director of Tech Youth) and the Canadian Federation of Friends of Museums. Kate is the proud mother of 3 young daughters.

Nathalie Verge, Director of Corporate Affairs - Ubisoft Entertainment Inc Nathalie Verge is the Director of Corporate Affairs at Ubisoft Entertainment Inc. She has worked for Ubisoft since 2009, first as Senior Advisor, Corporate Affairs and since 2015, as Director, Corporate Affairs. As such, she oversees institutional and governmental relations along with the partnership strategies in countries and provinces where Ubisoft is located.

The company currently employs close to 3,500 people in its video game development studios in Canada (in Montreal, Quebec, Toronto and Halifax) and in its Hybride Technologies branch located in Piedmont.

Nathalie is a law graduate and has close to 20 years’ experience in politics, governmental and institutional relations. Before joining Ubisoft, she served as political advisor and private secretary of a number of ministers, acted as deputy secretary- general of Polytechnique Montreal and managed the Quebec Press Council.

Ms. Verge is a member of the board of the Entertainment Software Association and the Théâtre PÀP in Montreal.