Featured EventSupply Chain Symposium

Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Registration is now closed. If you have any questions regarding the event, please contact Alex Kirkpatrick at alex.kirkpatrick@fhcp.ca


 Start Date - End Date

Tuesday, April 18, 2023

 Start Time - End Time

8:30 AM - 4:50 PM

Early Bird Discount Deadline

Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Registration Deadline

Monday, April 17, 2023



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Join FHCP as we bring together stellar speakers of leading organizations to deliver impactful insights and strategies to help you lead your business and negotiate through this rapidly shifting world.


AGENDA

8:30 AM - 9:30 AM | Registration Open & Buffet Breakfast

9:30 AM – 9:40 AM |
Opening Remarks

9:40 AM – 10:10 AM | 
Fireside Chat with Yves Bélanger, SVP Supply Chain at Sobeys Inc.

Sobeys' SVP of Supply Chain, Yves Bélanger, joins Errol Cerit, SVP of Industry Affairs at FHCP, for a fireside chat to discuss supply chain demand, disruption and strategy to meet consumer demand.

Presenters:

 

10:10 AM – 10:50 AM | Economic Outlook: Inflation and Interest Rate Uncertainty 
                                        Continues to Cloud the Outlook  

Despite recent upgrades to the near-term outlook for economies in Canada and across the G-7, growth performances are still poised to come under significant pressure in the coming quarters. Inflation remains high and ongoing strength in job markets could require central banks to raise rates even higher. Economies are not out of the woods yet with respect to recession risks; however, those risks now appear more tilted towards late 2023 and into 2024.

 

Presenter:
 




10:50 AM – 11:20 AM | Networking Break

11:20 AM – 12:05 PM | 
Embracing Change & Tensions in Corporate Sustainability

As a supply chain leader, you are in a unique position to drive change in the CPG industry. The use of plastic and packaging has become ubiquitous in our daily lives, but its impact on the environment can not be ignored. The climate crisis is urgent. Governments, grocers and consumers are placing obligations and expectations on manufacturers regarding plastic packaging.

Significant regulatory changes will see industry assume full financial and operational oversight for the delivery of curbside recycling services for packaging, requirements for recycled content in plastic packaging, environmental labelling. This will have significant direct and indirect impacts for brand holders and private label manufacturers.

Join our sustainability experts as they provide a high-level overview about industry efforts to reshape Canada’s plastic packaging supply chain, ensuring plastic never enters the environment, and advancing a circular economy.

 Presenters:

12:05 PM – 12:20 PM | Supply Chain Benchmark

Presenter:


12:20 PM
– 1:20 PM |  Networking Lunch
 

1:20 PM – 2:00 PM | Consumer Outlook: Down, But Not Out
                                   The state of the consumer for 2023 is unsettled  

Since every sales opportunity ends with the consumer, it is important that we understand how the consumer is evolving in 2023. Inflationary pressures have reset consumer priorities with more consumers unsure about the future and bracing for extremes. This volatility has signaled a year of safeguarding, action-planning and hopeful strategizing around socio-economic hurdles. In this session, we will assess the state of consumers - highlighting prevailing concerns, outlook for the future and growth opportunities borne out of shifted spending habits.

Presenter:

 

2:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Cultivating Resilience & Prioritizing Your Health in a Demanding Industry

Supply chain professionals have been weathering a constant storm for the past two years that shows no sign of stopping. Do you feel “wired but tired”? What happens in your body when you can’t turn off stress & what are the long-term health impacts? You may have heard that stress is bad, but this is not entirely true. Short bursts of stress can increase mental performance and actually improve your health. But on the other hand, chronic stress that never gets turned off is an underlying factor in many common health conditions.

How do we reprogram your mind for success? Join Dr. Sara in this engaging session to learn practical stress management strategies to work smarter, not harder and help elevate your team’s performance. Take charge of stress so it doesn’t take charge of you.

Presenter:


2:30 PM – 3:00 PM | Networking Break 

 

3:00 PM – 3:30 PM | Locus Robotics 101: Leading Digital Transformation in the Warehouse

With increasing challenges surrounding increasing Warehouse labor rates and retention challenges, many organizations are interested in DC automation.

A common perception is that DC automation can be time consuming to implement and capital $ intensive.

Learn how a flexible automation solution could potentially fit into your Use case environment and improve labor management and DC productivity while controlling costs.


Presenter:
 

3:30 PM – 4:45 PM | AI Disruptions Working For You Rather Than Against You 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has impacted many industries worldwide but has just begun its journey toward cheaper, better, and faster predictions that drive strategic business decisions. When prediction is taken to the max, industries transform, and with such transformation comes disruption.

What is the ultimate cause of disruption? The decision. Prediction and judgment are the two key decision-making ingredients we operate together in our minds, often without realizing it. The rise of AI is shifting prediction from humans to machines, relieving people from this cognitive load while increasing the speed and accuracy of decisions. Further setting the stage to build new decisions and redesign systems of interdependent decision-making that  can be disruptive on a global scale


Presenter:



4:45 PM – 4:50 PM | Closing Remarks 


Who Should Attend?
If you're engaged in any of the following professional areas you won't want to miss this event!

  • Transportation / Logistics
  • Distribution / Warehousing
  • Forecasting & Demand Planning
  • Sales & Operations Planning
  • Optimization & Integration

 
 

 

 Thank you to our Event Sponsors!


Platinum Sponsor


Gold Sponsor



 

Silver Sponsors

 
 Bronze Sponsors

 


Registration Fees

Price Description Amount
Member Rate $699.00
Register 2 at Member Rate and Get 3rd Ticket Free $0.00
Registration with Table for 6 $2499.00

Golf Registration Fees

  Table for 6

Speakers

Ajay Agrawal
Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning Expert, Co-Author, Founder, Creative Destruction Lab

Ajay Agrawal is a world-renowned AI expert. He sees the power of this technology’s potential all around us in ways that aren’t always obvious. Named the engineer of a “Billion Dollar Breakout” by The Globe and Mail, Agrawal comes at AI’s potential as both an economist and a business visionary. Ajay’s keynotes show us that business leaders and entrepreneurs are in a position to enhance the way we all work by tapping into AI opportunities right now, not tomorrow. And if we want to see AI get to an even higher level of exposure, we’ll just need a few additional investments to make it grow even bigger. In many cases, those investments are well underway. Change isn’t just on the horizon—it’s already here.

As founder of the University of Toronto’s Creative Destruction Lab, Agrawal’s talks unpack the full potential of AI and machine prediction. His first book, Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence is a must-read survey—and practical toolkit—for anyone seeking to leverage the disruptive, transformative power of AI in the coming decades. His new book, Power and Prediction, is a must-read guide for any business leader or policy maker on how to make the coming AI disruptions work for you rather than against you. As AI prediction machines improve, old ways of doing things will be upended, and this process will have winners and losers. How can businesses leverage, or protect, their positions?

As co-founder of the not-for-profit NextAI, Agrawal helps young entrepreneurs and technologists explore new commercial opportunities that are a direct result of advances in AI. He is also a co-founder of “Machine Learning and the Market for Intelligence,” an annual conference on the business of artificial intelligence. In addition, he is a co-founder of Kindred, a company that seeks to build machines with human-like intelligence.

Agrawal was named to the Order of Canada, the country’s highest civilian order, for his “visionary leadership as an educator and entrepreneur, and for his mentorship of students and aspiring business owners.” He has been awarded Professor of the Year by MBA classes at the Rotman School seven times, the Martin-Lang Award for Excellence in Teaching, and most recently the Distinguished Scholarly Contribution Award, among several other honors. He conducts research on the economics of artificial intelligence, science policy, entrepreneurial finance, and the geography of innovation. He serves on the editorial boards of multiple management and economics journals and holds a Ph.D. in Strategy and Economics and an M.Eng./MBA from the University of British Columbia. He served as a Visiting Scholar at MIT, London Business School, and Harvard University, as well as a Visiting Professor at Stanford. 

Carman Allison
VP, Business Development, NielsenIQ
Carman Allison is NielsenIQ’s vice president of thought leadership for North America. He is a member of NielsenIQ’s global thought leadership team, a group of consumer packaged goods (CPG) experts responsible for leading consumer research projects across 23 countries. Carman constantly has his finger on the pulse of the Canadian and American CPG markets, and manufacturers and retailers rely on him and his colleagues to provide solutions they need to make strategic business decisions. He has over 30 years of experience consulting on consumer and retail trends and has been featured in numerous trade and news media, including Grocery Business, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and MarketWatch. 
Yves Bélanger
Senior Vice President, Supply Chain, Sobeys Inc.

Yves' Supply Chain responsibilities includes direct accountability for 22 Sobeys distribution centers, transportation inbound & outbound and grocery replenishment, servicing the Company's full service, discount and community banners as well as pharmacy and wholesale accounts.

Yves joined Sobeys in April 2021 with 30 years of experience in various executive roles in supply chain in retail & wholesale both as a Management Consultant and with organization such as Loblaw, SERCA Foodservice, Weston Foods and Wolseley Canada.  Throughout his career, Yves has been a recognized expert in distribution & logistics, performance management and supply chain strategy.

During his management consulting career, Yves has also been working with several large retailers in both Canada and United States, leading strategic network initiatives, implement performance management programs and assess cost reduction opportunities to support transformation programs or advise potential strategic investors.

Yves earned a Bachelor and a Master of Engineering from l'École Polytechnique de Montréal before moving to Ontario to launch his career in supply chain.  Yves is also actively involved on the Board of a not-for-profit organization in the home community care sector (Nucleus) since 2002. 

Alain Brandon
Vice President, Sustainability, Social Impact & Government Relations, Loblaw Companies Limited

Alain is a corporate affairs professional currently serving as Vice President – Sustainability, Social Impact and Government Relations for Loblaw Companies Limited.

In his role Alain oversees the sustainability and community investment efforts for Loblaw and the communities it serves from coast to coast,

Prior to joining Loblaw, Alain held senior political roles at the provincial and federal levels in both government and opposition.

Alain is currently the Vice Chair of Circular Materials and has served on many boards and councils including Multi-Material B.C. (Recycle BC), National Farmed Animal Health and Wellness Council, and the Loblaw Scholarship Fund.

Alain is a Western University alum where he studied Political Science and History. He is a proud native of North Bay, ON. He and his wife live in Toronto with their three children.

 

Derek Burleton
Vice President & Deputy Chief Economist, TD Bank Group

Derek is Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist for TD Bank Group. In his role, he leads a team of economists that provides leading analysis on the Canadian and U.S. economies. Each year, he speaks at more than 100 events on economic and financial developments across the U.S. and Canada. As a respected commentator, Derek has been quoted by many media outlets – including the London Financial Times and the Economist. He also is frequently interviewed on the radio and television.

Derek maintains a strong interest in public policy issues, and has written substantive reports on health care sustainability, education and immigration reform. He participates in a number of advisory and steering committees both internal and external to TD Bank Group.

Derek Burleton received his Bachelor of Commerce from Queen’s University and an M.Sc. in Economics from the London School of Economics. Derek has more than 20 years of experience as an economist in the financial industry. 

Dr. Sara Celik, ND
Naturopathic Doctor and Retail Education Specialist, Atrium Innovations Inc.

Dr. Sara Celik is a sought-after speaker and passionate leader carrying over 15 years of experience in the health and wellness industry. She is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and the Retail Education Specialist at Atrium Innovations - a division of Nestle Health Sciences.

Dr. Sara has educated across the globe and written for hundreds of publications. She has appeared as a health expert on Breakfast Television nationally and is the recipient of the Generation Next Award recognizing her outstanding contribution to Canada's grocery industry.

In her spare time she enjoys connecting with nature and practicing yoga with her 22-month-old son.
 

Errol Cerit
Executive Vice President, Industry, Public Affairs & Membership Development, Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada

Errol is the Executive Vice President of Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada (FHCP) the national trade association representing Canada’s food, health, and consumer goods manufacturers. 

Errol has been with FHCP for 10 years and currently leads FHCP’s Industry , Public Affairs and Membership Development efforts, focusing on providing members with critical insights on the Canadian grocery trade environment and working with members on industry initiatives that enable companies to reduce costs and improve service to their customers.  

Prior to joining FHCP, Errol spent 13 years at Loblaw in various progressive roles in Engineering, Supply Chain, Merchandising, and Retail Operations. Errol also worked for Bombardier’s Aerospace division, and led a boutique consulting firm focusing on distribution and network efficiencies. 

Errol is a professional engineer and has an Industrial Engineering degree from the University of Toronto. 

 

Ash Hobbs
Partner Alliance Manager, Locus Robotics

Ash has multiple years of experience in software sales, strategic marketing and partnership development and management. She enjoys building long term relationships within Locus’s partner organization. Her top priority is setting her partners up for continued success. Ash aids in evaluating clients’ needs and recommending the most effective supply chain solutions. Prior to Locus, Ash worked for another AMR startup that was successfully acquired.  Ash’s background brings enhanced value within the Locus Alliance Team. 

Michelle Saunders
Vice President, Sustainability, Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada

Michelle Saunders is the Vice President of Sustainability at FHCP where she leads the association’s efforts on public policy related to plastics and packaging, and Chairs FHCP’s Sustainability Working Group.  She has worked as a lobbyist and policy advisor for trade associations in the business sector for the past 19 years and was a political advisor in the Ontario government prior to that. 

Michelle currently sits on a number of boards and advisory committees across the country including numerous provincial packaging recycling organizations, authorities, as well as industry groups such as the Canada Plastics Pact.


 

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Location Information

Mississauga Convention Centre
75 Derry Road West
Mississauga, ON L5W 1G3

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