Current Speakers

Joe Salloum is a Partner at BDO with a specialization in Banks, Credit Unions & Pension Funds. With over 20 years of experience designing and building large-scale applications, data
platforms, and AI-driven solutions across multiple industries, he helps organizations bridge the gap between abstract data & AI ambitions and actionable strategies enabling them to
achieve clarity of purpose and effective execution. Emphasizing the critical role of a strong data landscape, Joe’s expertise lies in guiding organizations to become better buyers and builders of AI. He works closely with decision makers to define success, design scalable and sustainable data & AI programs, and foster internal alignment and confidence. His buyer-centric approach and focus on clear positioning principles help clients articulate their goals and execute with precision. Combining deep technical knowledge with business acumen, Joe empowers clients to make
informed decisions and realize measurable ROI from their data & AI initiatives

Kevin has spent his career on the cutting edge of technology and its integration with business processes. He is currently the Director of Product Marketing at Denodo. In his role, he helps organizations integrate data across a multi-cloud hybrid ecosystem and automate data engineering tasks to reduce complexity and optimize business outcomes and value. Before joining Denodo, he led strategic marketing activities for TIBCO with its cloud partner and led product marketing for TIBCO’s flagship integration technologies. 

Mike Smith is a Partner in EY Canada’s Financial Services Transformation practice, helping leading financial institutions achieve their growth, customer experience, operational efficiency, and innovation ambitions.

Drawing on global experience and lessons from previous waves of technological disruption, Mike helps clients navigate complex transformation agendas and unlock measurable value from AI.

Prior to joining EY, Mike held senior leadership roles with Santander and Deloitte. His international experience spans five continents, providing a global perspective on financial services transformation and innovation.

Thought Leader and Speaker across Operations, Contact Centre and Distribution.

Shahir Daya is Chief Technology Officer and Head of Zafin AIOS. He leads technology strategy across Zafin while directing the vision, development, and evolution of Zafin AIOS, the company’s end-to-end autonomous platform for agentic work.

Since joining Zafin in 2023, Shahir has shaped the company’s technology portfolio and product roadmap, helping financial institutions transform their businesses, modernize core systems, and accelerate technology innovation.

Before joining Zafin, Shahir spent 27 years at IBM, most recently serving as an IBM Distinguished Engineer and Chief Architect for IBM Consulting in Canada. During his tenure, he led complex digital transformation and modernization programs for some of the world’s largest enterprises. He brings deep expertise in cloud-native architecture, microservices, systems integration, and high-volume transactional platforms.

Shahir holds a B.A.Sc. in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto. He has co-authored three IBM Redbooks on microservices and hybrid cloud integration and is an inventor with several issued U.S. patents. He is also a member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Association for Computing Machinery.

Manoja Manoharan is the Leader, Data Insights & AI Enablement at Interac, where she leads the organization’s efforts to transform data, analytics, and AI into measurable business value. She leads enterprise initiatives focused on AI adoption, data-driven decision making, and analytics transformation, helping business and technology teams turn emerging technologies into measurable outcomes. Recognized for her leadership in data and AI, Manoja is a strong advocate for responsible innovation, enterprise enablement, and building the capabilities needed to thrive in an AI-powered future.

Lori Bieda is an AI, data, and digital transformation executive, start-up advisor and founder with three decades of experience building and scaling data-driven organizations globally.

She has held senior executive roles across financial services, technology and consulting, most recently serving as Chief Data, Analytics and AI Officer for the North American Retail and Business Bank at BMO leading an international team of 500 analysts and developers. Throughout her career, Lori has led enterprise AI, analytics, customer intelligence and digital transformation initiatives, building international teams and helping organizations transform technology into measurable business and customer impact.

Lori is the Founder of HerNav™, an AI-powered career navigation platform built specifically for women. HerNav™ brings together personalized career guidance tailored to women’s individual goals and circumstances, grounded in proven Progress Markers for how women actually advance; a curated Circle of experienced Guides and women navigating the same journey; always-on guidance from AskSage, an AI agent built for women, by women; and an on-demand library of practical tools, resources and expert content.

She also serves as Chair of the Queen’s Analytics Business School Board and as an Advisor to the Government of Canada Services Board. Named one of WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, Lori has also been recognized by MIT and Forbes as a leading woman in STEM. She is a frequent keynote speaker and published writer on AI, data and digital transformation, and a passionate advocate for harnessing technology to advance women’s careers and leadership

Ross Genovese is a Toronto-based Consulting Manager at Accenture specializing in Data & AI Value Strategy, with an MBA from McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business and a Disruptive Strategy credential from Harvard Business School.

In 2023, Ross was granted a fellowship with the World Economic Forum, where he led thought leadership on behalf of WEF for its 1000+ member organizations across the globe, exploring the impact of emerging technologies such as AI, blockchain, and extended reality. In this role, Ross co-authored various thought leadership, in the form of white papers and blogs, and led community discussions to draw insight from across the full spectrum of organizations from early-stage startups and public sector entities to large-scale global corporations. In 2025, Ross’ AI Transformation of Industries white paper, outlined the impact of AI on business processes and inspired the opening session at the Annual Meeting in Davos.

At Accenture, Ross leads high-impact AI and data initiatives across a broad range of clients, delivering augmented workbenches, agentic workflows, and standardized AI rollouts at a global scale. Ross is recognized as an innovation strategy SME, earning features in WIRED magazine, and guest lecture invitations at Queens University and New York University. A recognized Accenture TechStar (top 1% of Technology Consultants globally), Ross brings a rare combination of delivery excellence, strategic thinking, and thought leadership to every engagement.

JL Marechaux is the Senior Director of AI & Innovation at National Bank of Canada (NBC), bringing extensive experience in applied artificial intelligence and digital transformation.

Throughout his career, JL has held a diverse range of leadership and advisory roles at top-tier tech companies such as ServiceNow, Google, Blue Yonder, and IBM. He has also served as a course lecturer at McGill University.

Prior to joining NBC, JL helped numerous North American organizations leverage AI to accelerate their digital transformations. He has led the development of advanced applied machine learning (ML), generative AI, and agentic solutions for clients across multiple sectors, including retail, finance, travel, automotive, and insurance.

An active contributor to the Montreal technology ecosystem, JL serves as a mentor, public speaker, ambassador for Women in Data Science (WiDS), and co-organizer of the AI Tinkerers Montréal group.

Matthew Seagrim is an industry thought leader, board member, and strategic advisor. As Chief Growth Officer at Meridian, he leads the enterprise growth agenda across growth strategy, product innovation, member experience, analytics, digital channels, and strategic partnerships to drive sustainable membership and revenue growth. Leveraging a unique combination of technical expertise and business acumen, Matthew helps organizations transform how they engage customers and create long-term value. Prior to Meridian, he transformed the Scene+ business over eight years from a movie rewards program into one of Canada’s leading data-driven engagement platforms. He is on the Board of Give A Mile and is a strategic advisor to Points Africa, a next generation coalition mobile loyalty platform serving sub-Saharan African markets.

Leading Digital Transformation and Operations for Mainstreet Credit Union, Jamie finds every opportunity to help people achieve more than they thought possible and use technology to make things easier for members (and customers).

Jamie is passionate about strong communities. He volunteers with the United Way, Animal Rescue Foundation, Verge Social Capital, and the London Chamber of Commerce.

In 2016, Business London Magazine recognized him as a “Top 20 Under 40” recipient.

Jamie holds an engineering degree from Western University and a Master’s from Ivey Business School.

He lives in London, Ontario, with his wife, Jen, his six-year-old daughter Eva, their menagerie of pets, and a drum set.

Paul Twigg is the Chief Technology Officer at Digital Commerce Bank (DCBank), where he leads technology strategy, innovation, cybersecurity, and digital transformation across the organization. With deep expertise in banking, payments, fintech, and AI, Paul has spent his career building secure, scalable financial platforms that enable innovation while meeting the demanding requirements of regulated environments. He is passionate about the intersection of agentic AI, automation, and financial services, helping organizations harness emerging technologies to improve efficiency, reduce risk, and create better customer experiences. A self-described fintech and payments geek, Paul is a frequent speaker on the future of banking, payments modernization, and AI-driven transformation.

Dr. Marry Gunaratnam PD, EMBA, MASc, P.Eng, PMP is Chief Information Technology Officer (CIO/CTO) at Northern Credit Union, where she leads enterprise-wide digital transformation, modernization, cybersecurity, and technology strategy. With more than 20 years of experience across financial services and healthcare, she has built a reputation for delivering complex, large-scale initiatives that strengthen organizational resilience and drive innovation.

A recognized global leader in digital transformation, engineering, and AI, Marry has been honoured with numerous accolades, including Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, Global Power Leader 2025, and Woman Engineer of the Year. A published thought leader, board director and advisor, and international speaker, she is deeply involved in advancing AI governance and helping organizations navigate the opportunities and risks of emerging technologies with confidence and responsibility.

Hussam Gaoro leads the Intelligent Automation Practice at BDC, driving initiatives in intelligent automation, process mining, and AI-enabled transformation. With extensive experience in enterprise automation & AI and operational excellence, Hussam helps organizations build scalable foundations for successful AI adoption.

A frequent speaker on process optimization, emerging technologies, and the human factors behind technology success, Hussam brings a practical perspective on achieving sustainable transformation.

A strategic business leader with ~20 years of international experience across North America, the UAE, and Asia, driving growth through data driven strategy, AI enabled transformation, and customer-centric innovation. He has built and scaled capabilities across analytics, CRM, customer lifecycle management, and process modernization, delivering measurable impact through stronger customer engagement, operating model efficiency, and business performance.

He currently leads Business Management, Strategy, and AI enabled Transformation for CIBC’s Transaction Banking business, helping shape strategic execution across the commercial banking portfolio. Previously, he has led enterprise customer communications, CRM, and analytics programs across a $75 billion product portfolio and delivered consulting engagements that generated more than $100 million in incremental revenue and over 30,000 hours of productivity gains. He is known for building high-performing teams and bringing a balanced perspective shaped by both industry and consulting experience.

Mona Hassanzadeh is a data science and AI leader with over a decade of experience transforming complex machine learning concepts into real business outcomes. With a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and a postdoctoral fellowship in Advanced Modeling and Optimization, Mona has headed enterprise AI projects focused on risk mitigation, strategic optimization, and enhancing member experiences. Mona has also shared their passion for the field as a machine learning instructor at the University of Waterloo and is a dedicated advocate for equity, diversity, and inclusion in tech.

Sandeep Agarwal is a technology executive with 25+ years of experience leading large-scale software development, digital transformation, and enterprise platform engineering within global financial institutions. Proven track record of delivering mission-critical applications, modernizing complex technology ecosystems, and driving business growth through innovative technology solutions. Recognized for building high-performing engineering teams, improving delivery predictability, accelerating innovation, and integrating emerging technologies to drive operational efficiency, customer experience, and business outcomes.

Andre Rekhtine is an enterprise governance, AI risk, and digital trust advisor recognized for translating AI governance from policy into architecture. A 2025 CIO Award Canada winner with two decades of technology leadership across regulated automotive retail and financial services in North America, he is the author of the Pentagon of Constraints and Pentagram of Governance frameworks, which give enterprises and public institutions a structural model for accountable AI. His current work focuses on the convergence of decision intelligence, data trust, runtime ethics, and attribution, and on closing what he calls the Context Ownership Void, the absence of a named accountable owner for the context on which AI decisions depend. He advises technology vendors and financial and public sector leaders across Canada and internationally.

I am a technology leader specializing in Infrastructure Automation, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), and Cloud-Native Observability. As Director of Technical Solutions for Infrastructure Automation & SRE, I lead initiatives that modernize operations, strengthen platform reliability, and accelerate digital transformation through automation and data-driven decision making.

With deep experience spanning SRE consulting, AIOps modernization, cloud platform reliability, systems automation, and observability strategy, I have led large-scale transformation programs across AWS, Azure, and hybrid environments. My work includes implementing cloud-native monitoring solutions, advancing Open Telemetry adoption, and developing enterprise reliability strategies that enable organizations to scale with greater resilience, efficiency, and operational insight.

A passionate advocate for engineering excellence, I also drives community building and knowledge sharing through technical newsletters, blogs, conference presentations, tech talks, and strategic vendor partnerships. I am committed to helping organizations harness automation, AI, and modern operational practices to deliver measurable business outcomes and sustainable operational maturity.

Nabarun Lahiri , helps organizations build trusted, scalable, and intelligent data foundations—transforming fragmented data landscapes into connected ecosystems that support decision‑making, automation, and innovation.

His work focuses on modern data management: activating enterprise data governance and operating models, implementing next‑generation MDM, and enabling data products that deliver measurable value. He partners with business and technology leaders to advance data maturity, reduce operational and regulatory risk, and establish a culture where data is consistently understood, accessible, and reliable.

With experience across complex and regulated environments, Nabarun specializes in evolving traditional capabilities into modern architectures, including data fabric, data virtualization, metadata‑driven automation, and data observability. The outcome is faster execution with confidence, supported by high‑quality and well‑governed data.

Ryan Coleman is Managing Director, AI Delivery within the BMO Institute for Applied AI & Quantum. In this role, he partners with business leaders to identify & implement practical opportunities to apply artificial intelligence and emerging technologies to drive measurable business value.

Through his  25+ years of experience, Ryan has built his career at the intersection of innovation, technology, and business transformation. Prior to joining BMO, he co-founded Clay Tablet Technologies, a first of its kind Translation middleware platform, which was acquired in 2014.

At BMO, Ryan has played a key leadership role in bringing emerging technologies into the enterprise. His work has spanned implementing cloud-based workplace platforms such as Microsoft 365, modernization of the desktop environment through Intune Autopilot, and, more recently, enterprise adoption of generative AI through Microsoft Copilot. Today, he focuses on helping teams move beyond experimentation to deliver tangible business outcomes from AI investments.

Calin Milasan is an AI Governance executive with more than 20 years of experience helping financial institutions adopt emerging technologies while managing regulatory, operational, and technology risk.

As Director of Enterprise Data and AI Governance at EQ Bank, Calin leads the enterprise AI Governance program, establishing governance frameworks aligned with OSFI Guideline E-23, the NIST AI Risk Management Framework, and ISO/IEC 42001. His work focuses on enabling innovation through practical, risk-based governance that allows organizations to safely deploy increasingly autonomous AI systems.

Previously, Calin spent over eight years at Scotiabank leading enterprise data governance initiatives supporting Anti-Money Laundering, Retail Credit Risk, IFRS9, Basel regulations, and enterprise analytics. Throughout his career, he has built governance programs that bridge executive leadership, technology teams, risk management, legal, compliance, and business operations.

Calin specializes in helping organizations answer one of today’s biggest questions:

How can financial institutions safely scale Agentic AI without slowing innovation?

Anwar Ul Haq writes about AI reasoning architectures from a practitioner’s perspective, with a focus on cortical and recurrent approaches. His background spans energy, private equity, and machine learning, including his current role at RBC. He publishes at mauhaq.substack.com. Views expressed are his own.

Javier Huerta Marfil is a senior transformation executive with more than 15 years of international experience leading business process transformation, operational excellence, automation, and technology-driven innovation across banking, retail, manufacturing, and consulting sectors. Throughout his career in Chile, Mexico, the United States, and France, he has consistently delivered business outcomes by combining process redesign, operational strategy, and digital transformation while connecting teams and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
Currently serving as Senior Director, Process Excellence & Intelligent Automation for International Banking Technology & Transformation (IBTT) at Scotiabank, Javier leads the organization’s vision for process-centric transformation, workflow orchestration, intelligent automation, and AI enablement across multiple countries. His mission is to position Process Excellence as a strategic capability that connects business architecture, workflow platforms, automation, process analytics, and artificial intelligence to accelerate innovation, improve customer and employee experiences, strengthen governance, and deliver sustainable business value at scale.

Arup Saha, Senior Director / Senior Principal Engineer for Gen AI where he currently leads initiatives across Personal Banking and Digital Technology, helping bridge the gap between emerging AI capabilities and practical business applications. His work focuses on leveraging Large Language Models, Agentic AI, and AI-driven digital experiences to enhance productivity, innovation, and customer value across the organization. Beyond his leadership at RBC, Arup is a recognized thought leader and speaker in the AI community. He has been invited to speak at major industry events.

Ihab Abi Nassif is a leading voice in Agentic AI, Generative AI, and autonomous enterprise transformation within the financial sector. As Director of Analytics & Tools for Global Wholesale Operations, he drives large‑scale modernization by building LLM‑enabled workflows, intelligent automation, and AI‑driven decision systems that reshape how financial operations run.

With deep expertise in cyber and IT risk quantification, enterprise analytics governance, and automation of complex data pipelines, Ihab has led major AI/ML integration initiatives across Scotiabank, delivering measurable improvements in efficiency, risk posture, and operational resilience. His work spans global regions, supporting executive‑level decision‑making and enabling organizations to adopt intelligent, self‑optimizing operational models.

Ihab holds a Master of Science in Biomedical Science, and certifications in Cyber Security Management (University of Toronto) and Big Data Analytics (MIT). He is widely recognized for translating advanced AI concepts into practical, scalable enterprise solutions that accelerate the shift toward the Autonomous Enterprise.

Lakshmi Baskaran is an accomplished technology leader, entrepreneur, and an angel investor. Her global career spans startups, scale-ups, and Fortune 100 companies across North America, Europe, and Australia—bringing with it a wealth of experience in building high-impact product and engineering organizations

Lakshmi is passionate about taking products from concept to scale, with a strong emphasis on innovation, growth, and measurable business outcomes. She has led high-impact engineering teams in building robust, mission critical platforms that support millions of users globally. At Microsoft, she currently heads Product Engineering for the Digital Contact Center, spearheading its evolution in the age of AI.

A vocal champion of technology and leadership, Lakshmi frequently shares her perspectives through articles on Medium. You can connect with her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/lakshmibaskaran.