Speakers

• Dr. Catherine Aczel Boivie
  Founding President & Board Member CIO Association of Canada
  
  

  Dr. Catherine Aczel Boivie is the CEO and chair of Canadian Women in Technology and executive in residence at the Beedie School of Business at Simon Fraser University. She has served on several boards and is the founding president of the Chief Information Officers Association of Canada. Boivie has more than 20 years of experience in information technology leadership, most recently as the SVP of information technology and facility management for Vancity Credit Union. Previously, she served as SVP of IT and CIO at Pacific Blue Cross and CAA British Columbia.

  Boivie has been publicly recognized for her contributions — in addition to being named one of Canada's top 100 most powerful women by the Women's Executive Network in the Trailblazers and Trendsetters category, Boivie recently received the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee medal for being a "catalyst for technology transformation," and the University of Waterloo Mathematics Alumni Achievement Medal.

• Larry Baldachin
  Senior Vice President, Business Segment Rogers Communications
  
  

  Larry Baldachin is an accomplished senior executive with broad experience in general management, business development, strategy development and customer relationship management. He has more than 20 years of experience in the professional services and information technology industries.

  Baldachin leads the business segment division of Rogers Communications, supporting commercial, public sector and dealer network customers. He is responsible for delivering results across all business sales channels, including driving the growth of the mobile broadband and machine to machine platforms.

  Prior to joining Rogers, Baldachin spent six years at Dell Inc. As VP & GM for the large enterprise business unit, he was responsible for sales and operations for large commercial customers as well as strategic and profit and loss and reporting. He also led the development and execution of Dell’s worldwide consulting services and the growth of the professional and managed services business across Canada and Latin America. Prior to his tenure at Dell, Baldachin held senior leadership roles at Compugen Systems Inc., Metafore Systems and Liberty Technology Services Ltd.

  Baldachin earned an MBA from the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, where he has held several advisory roles. He has also been the director of Sheena’s Place of Toronto since 2008.

• Sheila Eddin
  VP, Transformation Insurance Corporation of British Columbia
  
  

  Sheila Eddin is VP of transformation at ICBC. Overseeing her team in business transformation, Eddin provides overall leadership to align people, process and technology with business strategy to meet long-term corporate objectives. She joined ICBC in 2007, bringing extensive experience in business transformation, operations and information technology. Previously, she held senior executive roles with Bell Canada, Cap Gemini and Ernst & Young, and has also been a successful entrepreneur.

  Eddin is a member of the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia, and has lent her talent and expertise as an instructor to Mount Royal University's faculty of computer science and information systems. She serves on the board of directors of British Columbia Assessment authority and as chair of the British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Women in Technology (CanWIT) advisory council. In addition, she serves on the board of advisors at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business.

  Eddin holds an undergraduate degree in electrical and computer engineering from McGill University, and a post-graduate diploma in network engineering from the University of Toronto.

• Jim Fletcher
  IBM Distinguished Engineer, Chief Architect, Smarter Infrastructure IBM
  
  

  Jim Fletcher is an IBM distinguished engineer and chief architect for IBM’s Smarter Infrastructure program. In this role, Fletcher has overall responsibility for the architecture and technical direction for IBM's Smarter Physical Infrastructure mission, including technical leadership for IBM's enterprise asset management, integrated workplace management systems, SmartCloud control desk, Smarter Buildings, and datacenter infrastructure management solutions. Fletcher holds nearly 50 patents, has published more than 60 articles in technical journals and has coauthored three books. He is an IBM master inventor and member of the IBM Academy. He has spoken at conferences worldwide on a range of topics.

• Gerri Grenier
  Director IT Precision Drilling Corporation
  
  

  Gerri Grenier has held the position of director of IT at Precision Drilling Corporation for the past six years. Precision Drilling is Canada’s largest oilfield services company, and has a growing international presence providing contract drilling, well servicing and strategic support services to customers. Grenier and her team provide innovative solutions and technology to a workforce of 10,000.

  Grenier has more than 30 years of experience in the IT industry. She has delivered multi-million dollar projects for TransCanada Pipelines, the Alberta government and Imperial Oil, and she has provided consulting services to manufacturing, retail, energy and telecom companies throughout Canada.

  She has a diploma in computer technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, a B.Sc. degree from the University of Toronto, and an executive management certificate from Queen’s University.

• Jon Hirst
  Global Head, IT Strategy Talisman Energy Inc.
  
  

  Jon Hirst is head of global IT strategy for Talisman Energy Inc. where his responsibilities include IT strategy, information security, IT project portfolio and PMO, finance, enterprise architecture and compliance. Hirst is a seasoned IT leader having more than 27 years of extensive IT experience in both Canada and the UK.

  Prior to joining Talisman in 2009, Hirst served as director of IT advisory at PwC in Calgary.

• Lynette Hughes
  CIO British Columbia Lottery Corporation
  
  

  Lynette Hughes leads the people, technology and systems that support BCLC's operations. From the purchase and validation of a simple lottery ticket, to managing a complex network of 12,000 slot machines across the province, Hughes is responsible for the technology that supports and serves as the backbone for the business. Her team develops and integrates innovative new technology, and enables the company to adapt quickly to changing business needs in support of its ongoing financial success. Her responsibilities include information technology, enterprise architecture, the program management office, the technology infrastructure for lottery, casino, bingo and online gambling, as well as back-office systems.

  Since joining BCLC in 2003, Hughes has served as VP of transformation and technology, executive director of player relations, and as a director in the lottery systems and corporate program management office. Prior to 2003, she provided consulting and training services in the information technology and construction industries, including the management of multimillion-dollar projects.

  Hughes holds a B.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of New Brunswick.

• Miguel Kanafany
  Senior Consulting IT Advisor Sysco Canada
  
  

  Miguel Kanafany is senior consulting IT advisor for Sysco Canada. He has been with Sysco for more than 18 years, previously serving as senior director of technology solutions & business services. His extensive experience includes strategy development, IT Service Delivery, cloud computing services, and organizational transformation, restructuring, and acquisitions.

  Kanafany also serves on the board of directors for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and has been a board member for a number of organizations over the years.

• Annalisa King
  SVP & CFO Best Buy Canada
  
  

  As SVP and CFO of Best Buy Canada Ltd., Annalisa King leads the company’s finance and accounting departments. She also carries responsibility for overseeing the IT, legal and real estate functions. As an integral part of the development of Best Buy Canada’s strategic growth plans, she provides analysis and sound guidance around the achievement of the company’s vision and goals.

  Prior to joining Best Buy Canada Ltd., King was the SVP of business transformation for Maple Leaf Foods. She has also held senior positions, primarily in finance, throughout her career at Kraft and Pillsbury Canada. She currently sits on the board of directors of Saputo Foods, Canada’s largest dairy processor, where her multi-disciplined background enables her to provide counsel and governance.

  King is one of Canada’s most respected senior business executives. She was inducted into the Women’s Executive Network’s Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Hall of Fame in 2010. Her dedication to leadership has earned her a reputation as a dynamic business thought leader in the areas of corporate finance and business transformation.

• Brian Kuhn
  Director of Technology & CIO Vancouver School Board
  
  

  Brian Kuhn is director of technology and CIO for the Vancouver School Board. In this dual role, he is responsible for selecting and adopting technology that supports learning, teaching and the business of education. Kuhn passionately develops, promotes and provides the vision and strategy required for new technology programs. As a senior leader, he also oversees the department responsible for technology development, implementation and support services.

  Prior to this role, Kuhn served as manager of information services for the Coquitlam School District where he had the privilege of initiating and leading several exciting ventures including the my43 — an initiative designed to transform learning and work in his region. He is actively working to integrate a district intranet, school portals, virtual classrooms, and school and teacher websites.

  Kuhn presents regularly at conferences and in workshops on a variety of topics involved with education, technology and the future.

• David Labistour
  CEO Mountain Equipment Co-operative
  
  

  David Labistour is the CEO of Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), Canada’s leading outdoor retailer. He brings both passion for outdoor adventure and extensive business experience to the position. Over the past 25 years he has worked in product development and retail management with companies such as Adidas, Marks & Spencer’s affiliate in South Africa, and Aritzia in Canada.

  Labistour is MEC’s first CEO to be appointed from within the organization. In his former capacity as the senior manager of buying and design, he was instrumental in leading the renaissance of MEC-brand products as well as product sustainability initiatives. He enjoys backcountry skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, kite-boarding and paddling.

• Greg Lake
  VP & CIO Husky Energy Inc.
  
  

  Greg Lake joined Husky Energy in 2009 with the mandate to reposition the IS function in support of Husky’s growth agenda. Husky Energy is one of Canada's largest integrated energy companies, operating worldwide with upstream, midstream and downstream business segments.

  Prior to joining Husky, Lake held the position of VP and CIO at Teck Coal Limited (previously the Fording Canadian Coal Trust) from 2007 — 2009. As a member of Teck Coal’s executive committee, Lake led several business and technology initiatives, including finance and procurement shared service implementations, and the largest Microsoft Dynamic AX implementation in Canada.

  Lake also held the position of VP, IT at Celestica, a top tier global electronics manufacturing services company. During his 19 year career with IBM and Celestica, Lake served in multiple executive and international positions in manufacturing operations, engineering, customer account management, information technology and enterprise business process optimization.

  Lake holds a B.Sc. Eng. in electrical engineering and a B.Sc.in computer science from the University of Western Ontario, and is a registered professional engineer in the provinces of Ontario and Alberta.

• Roy Mellinger
  VP & CISO WellPoint, Inc.
  
  

  Roy Mellinger is VP of information technology security and CISO at WellPoint, where he oversees a department of 150 information security and risk management professionals who are responsible for protecting WellPoint’s computer systems, technical infrastructure and information assets. As CISO, he is the decision-maker on all corporate information security matters, and establishes security policy and standards for products and systems throughout the organization. He is also responsible for IT risk management, information technology incident response, cyberinvestigation and computer forensic programs.

  Mellinger joined WellPoint in 2009, bringing 30 years of experience in developing and managing best-in-class physical, logical and information security programs for domestic and international business operations. He has extensive experience establishing organizational governance structures, risk-based operational models, and operational security protocols and programs.

  In 2012, Mellinger served the White House on several occasions, working with President Obama’s administration officials, members of the National Security Council, and other federal agency officials on improving government and public sector cooperation on cybersecurity threats.

• Cybele Negris
  President, Co-founder Webnames.ca
  
  

  Cybele Negris is president and co-founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s original .CA registrar and one of the country’s leading internet solutions companies. Since the company’s launch in 2000, she has not only led the mission and strategic growth of Webnames.ca, but has also served as public advocate for female entrepreneurship and women in technology. She has earned numerous awards including Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, the Business in Vancouver Influential Women in Business Award and PROFIT W100 — Canada’s Top Women Entrepreneurs.

  Negris serves as vice-chair of the Small Business Roundtable of BC, Small Business BC, and is also a member of the board for the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs. She formerly served on the board of the Vancouver Economic Development Commission and as president of Wired Women Vancouver. Negris is a contributing columnist to Business in Vancouver and PROFITguide.com, and speaks at more than two dozen entrepreneurship and technology conferences or events each year.

• Vaughn Ravenscroft
  CIO University of Calgary
  
  

  Vaughn Ravenscroft is CIO at the University of Calgary. His 20 years of IT and technology management experience in the education, marketing research, new media and R&D sectors gives him an understanding of the challenges facing a broad range of industries. His focus is on using IT to create value for organizations, creating IT enabled services, building and managing geographically dispersed teams, and integrating IT departments post-acquisition.

  Ravenscroft assumed this role in 2010 as the university began a major shared service rollout and the development and implementation of a new organizational strategic plan. Prior to joining the University of Calgary, he held a number of senior IT roles at Ipsos, a major global marketing research firm, culminating as chief information and development officer. While at Ipsos, he managed the integration of multiple IT groups into a single global IT organization, developed innovative solutions to on‐line data collection and helped craft new IT enabled products.

  Ravenscroft began his career as a technology manager at the Centre for Advanced Computing and Decision Support at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in South Africa.

• Charles Reid
  President & CEO British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority
  
  

  Charles Reid joined BC Hydro in 2008. Prior to becoming president and CEO, he served as the company’s EVP and CFO. Before joining BC Hydro, Reid was a management consultant and director on numerous boards. From 1999—2004 he was the group vice president and CFO for Canfor Corporation, where he was responsible for all financial areas including internal and external financial reporting, risk management, capital market relationships, capital expenditure review and allocation, planning, internal controls, mergers, acquisitions and divestitures. He has also held several senior financial and operational positions, including 14 years in the field at the pulp and paper operations facility.

  Reid is a certified general accountant and a chartered director. He is former director of the General Insurance Ombudservice, the Columbia Power Corporation, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Prince George Art Gallery, the Prince George and District United Way, and the FM Global Insurance Advisory Board.

• Kalev Ruberg
  CIO Teck Resources Limited
  
  

  Kalev Ruberg has been actively engaged with information systems for nearly 30 years. After graduating from MIT with a master's degree in architecture, he worked with and focused on simulation research, first at the National Bureau of Standards (now NIST) in Washington, DC, and at Berkeley Labs in California, then at Georgia Tech as an assistant professor.

  Ruberg devised a number of machine learning algorithms in the artificial intelligence field for the National Research Council in Ottawa and has developed large innovative object based systems for IBM, Celestica, and as an executive consultant, for IBM Global Services worldwide. During the millennium transition, he was CIO and deputy minister to the minister of finance for the Manitoba government, where he was responsible for redesigning their information services ranging from SAP to standardized infrastructure. In addition, he has been the head of technology development as the CIO of a B2B e-commerce company.

  While a vice president at TELUS, Ruberg was responsible for applications and business development, including development of the IT strategy and offerings for TELUS's Healthcare vertical. As the executive general manager for information services at Placer Dome, he consolidated the services and introduced a governance structure during a general restructuring.

  Now the CIO at Teck Resources Limited, Ruberg is responsible for overall information technology services and projects for this global mining company.

• Allan Smith
  VP, IT Engineering & Operations Lululemon Athletica
  
  

  Allan Smith is VP of information technology engineering and operations at Lululemon Athletica where he is responsible for development and delivery of all Lululemon global applications solutions and infrastructure including retail, ecommerce, mobile, supply chain and business intelligence. Prior to joining Lululemon, Smith was VP and chief architect for Gap Inc.’s IT division. In his more than 11 years at Gap, Smith held strategic technology and engineering management roles, focusing on implementation of solutions in the areas of retail stores, ecommerce, merchandising, inventory management, master data management, collaboration and technology infrastructure. Before his time at Gap, Smith spent 15 years at Lockheed Martin Corporation where he held a variety of technical and management positions in engineering, information technology, systems architecture and consulting.

• David Trent
  Director, IT & CIO Methanex Corporation
  
  

  David Trent is the director of IT and CIO for Methanex Corporation, the world’s largest supplier of methanol to major international markets in North America, Asia Pacific, Europe and Latin America. In his role, he has overall responsibility for the global IT team and sets the strategic direction for IT within the organization.

  Prior to joining Methanex in 2007, Trent was an enterprise project manager for an IT services firm, and director of sales technology at Intrawest. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Simon Fraser University and is a certified management accountant.

• Gabriel Vitus
  VP, Business Information Systems Certified General Accountants Association of Canada
  
  

  Gabriel Vitus is the VP of business information systems at the Certified General Accountants Association of Canada where he develops and implements strategies and initiatives that drive value to the CGA Association.

  He is an executive with an extensive international background encompassing Europe, Canada, Asia, South Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. His entire career has been focused on facilitating exceptional growth and performance; pioneering business solutions; and applying leading edge technologies to achieve business efficiencies.

  His previous senior positions span from executive officer operations of Metro Electricity Johannesburg, a multi-million dollar power utility in South Africa, to founding GM of the CGA Shared Services Facility Corporation.

  He is a former member of the board of directors of the CIO Association of Canada, as well as the Engineering Council of South Africa and the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers. He frequently speaks at events and seminars and contributes to technology columns of the CGA — BC and CGA — Canada magazines.

• Trish Watson
  IT Leader Tolko Industries Ltd.
  
  

  Trish Watson serves as the IT leader at Tolko Industries Ltd. Watson joined Tolko from Fujitsu Consulting, where she held the position of director of project management since 2011. She brings more than 20 years of information services experience to the role and has held senior information technology positions at Shaw Communications, G4S Securicor (formerly Loomis) and Rogers Communications.