Veronica Collins is Senior Global Content & Communications Manager based out of the McCormick & Company Global Headquarters in Hunt Valley, MD. In her role, Veronica leads creative communication strategy and execution for the McCormick Food Away from Home and Custom Flavor Solutions businesses. She also serves as lead for the Flavor Forecast – McCormick & Company’s annual global trend report identifying emerging culinary trends.

Veronica began her career with McCormick in 2018 as Social Media Specialist to iconic McCormick brands Frank’s RedHot, French’s, Stubb’s, Lawry’s, Zatarain’s, and Grill Mates. Prior to joining McCormick, she worked both on the agency side and as a freelancer supporting clients across the hospitality and automotive industries. 

Veronica holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland. 

Robyn Collver is Senior Vice-President, Regulatory Affairs and Chief Sustainability Officer, for Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited. She assesses our risk management exposures and governs risk management tolerances across our family of businesses. In addition, she oversees our regulatory interactions and our compliance activities and leads our sustainability initiatives.

Robyn joined Canadian Tire Corporation in 2002 as Associate General Counsel, became General Counsel of Canadian Tire’s Financial Services division in 2004 and served as General Counsel of Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited from 2008 to 2015. In this capacity she led all the legal and regulatory activity for the Company’s domestic operations and foreign subsidiaries. Prior to joining the Company, Robyn provided external counsel to Canadian Tire as a Partner with a major Canadian law firm and specialized in the practice of corporate and securities law.

Robyn holds a law degree from University of Toronto and an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University. 

Described as endlessly optimistic, Nancy is a strategic futurist and bestselling author with a drive to help enterprise organizations and visionary leaders transform to meet the escalating expectations ahead. Recognized as one of the world’s top female futurists, she has spent her career building, shaping and evolving a portfolio of $60+ billion worth of major global brands. Invited to give over 100 global keynote talks, and with growing conviction of what will (and needs to) shift, executives value her unique abilities to sense and synthesize the terrain ahead.

Her expertise and experiences range from A.I., to frozen foods, to reinventing the internet. All of her projects have a key common denominator: transitioning away from the extractive operating systems and outdated business thinking that no longer holds up, to creating the more sustainable, inclusive and dynamic solutions the future demands.

ADVISOR: With an early career at three of the top global advertising agencies and as founder of her own strategic inspiration company, Play Big Inc, Nancy has a rich history of advising and learning with some of the top companies in the world. In 2015 she helped shape an artificial intelligence start-up and later went on to build a leadership summit designed to encourage c-suite executives to explore seven of the most disruptive emergent technologies for business. Nancy has served on the board of retail trade association GMDC and is currently on the advisory council for Retail Tomorrow, Future Frontiers + Dollar Donation Club.

STRATEGIST: Two years ago, Nancy partnered with Austin-based artificial intelligence services company, Kungfu.AI. She is also working Riane Eisler to create a movement around Partnerism, a socio-economic system that is built on partnership versus the domination models of Capitalism and Socialism. And is helping advance two post-blockchain solutions poised to weave a more human internet : Holochain + Holo hosting.

GATHERER: A 10-year TEDx curator (and world’s first licensee), Nancy is a Singularity University guest lecturer, frequent panelist at South by Southwest (SXSW), creator of the first Career Fair For the Future event for college + high school students, co-Founder of the Femme Futurists Society (a collection of interviews with leading futurists around the world).

AUTHOR: Ranked #1 on Amazon for both Business Ethics and Organization Strategy, her first book, titled Leadering: The Ways Visionary Leaders Play Bigger, defines and makes visible the dynamic, inclusive and audacious mindset leaders must cultivate in order to stay relevant, help build a better next and shape the First Productivity Revolution (!PR) 

Beloved comedian Jessica Holmes has been a perennial favourite on Royal Canadian Air Farce for 15 years, and has brought the house down opening for giants such as Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Peters, Jerry Seinfeld, and Oprah Winfrey. Her hilarious take on life’s challenges as well as her unique knack for impersonating celebrities, including Shakira and Celine Dion, have audiences in stitches. Her customized emcee and entertainment presentations — which include motivation and wellness — are always a hit.

Behind the laughter though, Holmes, like millions of Canadians, has struggled both with post-partum depression and, as she puts it, “regular, run-of-the-mill, garden-variety depression”. Hoping to help end the stigma around mental health issues, she openly shares her personal stories with the humour she’s known for, bringing light — and laugh-out-loud laughter — to what can often be a dark topic. Holmes’ funny and inspiring book, Depression The Comedy: A Tale of Perseverance, takes readers deeper into her mental health journey with validation and warmth.

As a performer, Holmes’ productions have garnered her a Platinum Award at The Worldfest International Film Festival, and nominations for Gemini Awards and the prestigious Tim Sims Scholarship. She has starred in her own program, The Holmes Show, and also in the films Welcome to Mooseport, Citizen Duane, and Moonpoint. She also appeared in the pilot for The Communist’s Daughter, which won the JFL ComedyPro competition in 2018, and continues to perform comedy across the country. 

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 executives to better understand and plan for the opportunities and threats associated with disruptive innovation.

Kanungo is a practitioner who has worked with hundreds of organizations on their journey to digital transformation. He has been on the ground floor leading complex projects incorporating artificial intelligence, cloud technologies, behavioural economics, Web3, and more. 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 and interviews have been featured in The Globe & Mail, The Guardian, CBC, and CTV. He has been recognized in Avenue Magazine’s “Top 40 Under 40” and Inc’s 100 Most Innovative Leaders. In 2021, he was named in Forbes as the “Best Virtual Keynote Speaker I’ve Ever Seen”. His content on innovation has also garnered millions of views, respectively across LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube and Facebook. His book, The Bold Ones, published through McGraw Hill, will be releasing at the end of 2022. 

Margaret McKellar is SVP of Brand Strategy, Innovation & CX at Kantar Canada. Margaret's passion is building purpose-led brands and championing ESG. Margaret brings over 20 years of marketing and innovation experience in consumer packaged goods and beverage alcohol, and completed Business Sustainability Management program at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership. 

As Executive Corporate Chef for McCormick North America, Juriaan brings a passion to flavour and a wealth of culinary experience. 

Juriaan comes to us from Europe and has significant culinary experience in Quick-Service, Casual Dining, and Fine Dining environments. Prior to joining McCormick Canada, Juriaan held Executive Chef roles with major food manufacturers across Europe and North America. 

He also spent time working as a fine-dining chef in Aruba; as well as at Michelin-star restaurants in the south of France; gaining extensive knowledge in a wide variety of cuisines. In addition to his Certified Chef de Cuisine certification, he also holds a degree in hotel management.

At McCormick, Chef Juriaan's culinary expertise and his passion for flavour inspire memorable meals and raise the eating experience to new levels of "wow". 

Mr. Tal is responsible for analyzing economic developments and their implications for North American fixed income, equity, foreign exchange and commodities markets. He also acts in an advisory capacity to bank officers on issues related to wealth management, household/corporate credit and risk.

Well-known for his ground-breaking published research on topics such as labour market dynamics, real estate, credit markets, international trade and business economic conditions, Mr. Tal not only contributes to the conversation, but frequently sets the agenda. He has over 20 years' experience in the private sector advising clients, industry leaders, corporate boards, trade associations, and governments on economic and financial issues.

National and global media regularly seek him out for his insight and analysis on economic issues that impact financial markets, consumers, corporations and public policy. He is also a frequent lecturer in the economics programs of various Canadian universities.

Mr. Tal is a member of the Economic Committee of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, The Economic Development Committee of the Toronto Board of Trade. He is also a member of the board of Governors of Junior Achievement of Central Ontario, and a board member of the Toronto Financial Alliance.

An Indo-Canadian daughter of first generation East Indian parents, Varughese says her cultural background allows her to find “the best of both worlds” and shed light, knowledge, and, most importantly, universal humour into the changing workplace. Her highly entertaining, interactive, and practical keynotes leave attendees inspired to think, behave, act, and communicate with intention.

For fifteen years Varughese worked with immigrants in her roles with the Province of Alberta’s immigration office. She also ran her own successful relocation and settlement firm. Varughese draws from her experiences as an entrepreneur, mother, daughter, wife, sister, and friend when delivering keynotes on diversity and inclusion — topics that resonate with her both professionally and personally. 

Varughese has been named one of “Canada’s Top 10 Notable Speakers” by Ignite Magazine for her ability to break down barriers and create a comfortable, inclusive, and fun space for attendees. She was the face of diversity, literally, having been chosen to participate in Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty, representing beauty in diversity.

The past-president of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (Calgary), Varughese is a contributing writer for the Human Resource Institute of Alberta’s Network magazine, Calgary Real Estate News, and Home to Home magazine. She was also profiled in Alberta’s Venture Magazine.

Gary Wade is currently the President of Unilever Canada. Gary has led the organization through several transformative business initiatives while championing Diversity & Inclusion and elevating employee engagement. Gary joined Unilever South Africa in 1993 and has held progressive roles in Sales, Strategy and Marketing.

Gary is Chair of the Board of Food, Health & Consumer Products Canada, Vice Chair of GS1 Board (Global Standards Canada) and a Member of Grocers and Manufacturers Collaborative. Outside of work Gary is an accomplished athlete and enjoys spending quality time with his wife and three daughters.