Speakers

Jeanne Beker is a Canadian journalist, media personality, and global fashion icon. Her memoir, Heart on My Sleeve (2024), was released through Simon & Schuster Canada to critical acclaim. With a touching forward by Linda Evangelista, Beker delivers uplifting reflections that walk us through a wardrobe of memory, one article of clothing at a time. Born in Toronto to Holocaust survivors who instilled fearlessness, hard work, and tenacity in her from a young age, she began her professional show biz career at 16. After studying acting in New York and mime in Paris, she moved to Newfoundland where she made her journalistic debut as an arts reporter for CBC Radio. A few years later, Beker returned to Toronto to land a job at CHUM Radio and in 1979, she co-hosted the ground-breaking series The NewMusic. A founding member of MuchMusic, Beker launched the legendary Fashion Television in 1985 which was presented in over 130 countries for 27 years. A seasoned newspaper columnist for several publications, Beker was editor-in-chief of FQ and SIR magazines (2003 – 2008) and has previously authored five books. She is a frequent keynote speaker and guest on myriad lifestyle shows and has been at the creative helm of numerous fashion lines under her own eponymous label. Since 2015, she has acted as Style Editor for The Shopping Channel where she currently hosts the series Style Matters with Jeanne Beker. Beker has received honorary doctorates from St. Mary’s University and OCAD University. Active with several charitable organizations, she has been named to the Order of Canada (2014), inducted into the American Marketing Association’s Hall of Legends (2015), recognized with the Banff World Media Festival’s Canadian Award of Distinction (2012), honoured with a Canadian Screen Achievement Award (2013), and received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame (2016). 

Hockey legend Brian Burke is a dynamic figure in both the worlds of business and sport. He has held leadership positions in several NHL organizations including the Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Vancouver Canucks, as well as the United States Olympic national hockey team.

Having led teams to both a Stanley Cup and Olympic silver medal, Burke is a sought-after speaker on leadership, business management and growth, and, of course, his prolific career in professional sports. Burke’s hockey career began in 1987 with the Vancouver Canucks as their NHL player agent and director of hockey operations. He was credited with reviving the franchise as the team won a playoff series and captured a division title during his tenure. From 2005-2007, Burke was the general manager for the Anaheim Ducks, who, under his leadership won the 2007 Stanley Cup championship. Following this, Burke became the president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs before later serving as the president of hockey operations for the Calgary Flames and Pittsburgh Penguins.

In 2010, Burke joined the United States Olympic national team as general manager for the Vancouver Games. He returned for the 2014 Games in Sochi as the director of player development. In recognition of his prolific career, Burke was inducted into the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2023. Today, Burke is the inaugural Executive Director of the newly formed Professional Women’s Hockey League Association.

Away from the rink, Burke is well known for his work within the community. He is a vocal activist against homophobia in sports, a strong supporter of first response personnel and military service members, an environmentalist, and a humanitarian. Since his son Patrick founded the “You Can Play” project in support of his brother Brendan, Burke has been very vocal about the importance of LGBTQ2+ inclusion in the NHL. He was honoured with a Spirit of Courage Award in 2012 from the Courage Campaign Institute for his work. Burke is also an avid supporter of many philanthropic organizations, including Ducks Unlimited Canada, The Canadian Safe School Network (CSSN), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Canada, Special Olympics Cops, and Computers Merry-Go-Round Children’s Foundation. In May 2011, he was presented with the Easter Seals Toronto’s Tribute award for lending support to kids with physical disabilities and for excellence in business and community service.

Luc Dumont, a Montreal native, has been working and living in Toronto since 2009 and currently holds the position of Senior Vice-President of Consumer Insights at Leger. He first joined the Leger team in 2010, bringing with him over 25 years of extensive experience in both quantitative and qualitative market research. His areas of expertise include customer experience, usability, product development, and innovation studies. Luc is particularly skilled as a focus group moderator and has conducted qualitative research in various countries throughout his career. 

In his role, Luc is committed to assisting Leger’s clients in creating and adapting experiential strategies that enhance customer loyalty and strengthen brand attachment. He is also a frequent media spokesperson for Leger on a wide range of topics such as customer journeys, new product research, market studies, brand image and positioning, and qualitative research. 

As a senior member of the consulting team at Leger, Luc serves as a strategic advisor to the firm’s clients. His background covers a spectrum of research areas including new product development, market evaluation, brand image and health, strategic marketing, ad testing and tracking, customer satisfaction and experience, advertising, concept testing, segmentation, personification, and usability testing. Luc not only leads the retail and financial services research teams but also oversees the development of discussion guides and questionnaires, manages deadlines, and handles analysis and strategic insights. His contributions are vital in the presentation of results and in his advisory role in all projects. 

Duncan Fulton has been Chief Corporate Officer at Restaurant Brands International since 2018.
This includes leadership for the company’s North American franchising approach,
communications, government relations, issues and crisis management, sustainability and
employee engagement.
Duncan currently serves on the leadership teams for RBI, Tim Hortons and Burger King, as well
as on the Board of Directors for Popeyes’ supply chain co-op, and as the Chairman of the Tim
Horton’s Foundation that helps ~20,000 youth every year develop into confident, successful
adults.
Duncan previously spent 9 years with Canada’s largest and most iconic retailer, Canadian Tire
Corporation, as President of its sports division (Sport Chek, Sports Experts, Atmosphere,
National Sports and Pro Hockey Life), following a number of years as the company’s Senior
Vice-President of Corporate Affairs. Duncan also served as Chief Marketing Officer at Sport
Chek and Mark’s, where he was recognized for his leadership in the company’s brand and digital
transformation, including helping establish e-commerce channels and globally-recognized digital
marketing.
Before joining Canadian Tire Corporation, Duncan spent 6 years at international
communications company Fleishman-Hillard, including as General Manager and Senior Partner
of the Toronto flagship office.
Prior to his agency experience, Duncan spent 9 years working for Canadian political leaders in
provincial and federal governments, including as Press Secretary to Canadian Prime Minister
Jean Chretien.
Duncan has been widely recognized for his executive leadership, including being named
Canada’s Marketer of the Year in 2016 by the Canadian Marketing Association and one of Canada’s 50 Best Executives in 2020 by the Globe and Mail.

Karl leads IBM’s Consumer Industry Center of Competency, where he works with retailers and brands to digitally reinvent their businesses and operationalize the use of AI and nextgen capabilities across the business.  Karl has 25 years of experience in retail, fashion, and consumer goods, and has served in executive positions in Strategy, Customer Engagement, and Marketing at Brooks Brothers, Tommy Hilfiger, and The Limited.  Karl began his career in the strategy consulting practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Sharon Gai is an expert in AI and innovation. She helps organizations become agile disruptors in their industries so they can increase revenue and retain users. In her tenure at Alibaba, she advised brands and heads of state in crafting their digital strategy with programmatic marketing and AI. She has worked with TEDx, Singularity University, UBS, Deloitte, Walmart, LVMH, Nestle, Tetra Pak, Twilio and many others. She is in the AAE list of Top Keynote Speakers in 2023. She is a RETHINK Retail’s Top Retail Expert and a LinkedIn Community Top Voice in 2024. She has appeared on Bloomberg, Reuters, ABC, CBC, CCTV, TechCrunch, Retail Asia, Wired, and The Next Web. She is the author of the book, Ecommerce Reimagined. Sharon has an Honors Bachelor’s degree in International Development from McGill and a Masters in Information Management from Columbia University. When she is not globetrotting (thank you, speaking gigs!), she is jamming on the keyboards or chatting up cool entrepreneurs for Alibaba’s podcast, B2B Breakthrough. 

Dr. Ira Kalish is the Chief Global Economist of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. He is a specialist in global economic issues as well as the effects of economic, demographic, and social trends on the global business environment. He has written about the economies of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeast Asia, China, Japan, Mexico and South America, and has also written extensively on global consumer markets. He is the principal author and editor of Deloitte’s Weekly Global Economic Update. ​

Dr. Kalish provides thought leadership and perspectives on economic issues, including their expected impact on business operations and trends, to Deloitte clients as well as Deloitte leadership. He has given numerous presentations to corporations and trade organizations on topics related to the global economy. Dr. Kalish also serves on the Business at OECD Economic Policy Committee which advises the OECD on macroeconomic policy issues. In addition, he serves on the World Economic Forum’s Community of Chief Economists. He is widely traveled and has given presentations in 47 countries on six continents. ​

Dr. Kalish has been widely quoted in the news media; his remarks have been published by the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Financial Times, Reuters, and The Washington Post. He has appeared on CNN, CBS News, CNBC, PBS and BBC World Service.​

Prior to his work at Deloitte, Dr. Kalish was chief economist at Retail Forward, a director at PwC, vice president at Bankers Trust, corporate economist at the Eastman Kodak Company, and researcher at the Institute for International Economics.​

​Dr. Kalish holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Vassar College and a PhD in international economics from Johns Hopkins University. He lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and has two adult children.

Samir Kulkarni is CEO of Showcase, a national 150-store retailer spanning the USA and Canada.  Known for its hashtag #ShowcaseMadeMeBuyIt with 300 million views on TikTok, Showcase is “The Home of the Hottest Trends”, specializing in emerging social media trends across health, beauty, home, toys, tech, and food – all joyfully retailed in a “fun and interactive” environment in major shopping malls where you can “try it before you buy it”.  Showcase’s proprietary trend-identification technology (increasingly fueled by AI) and social media marketing savvy has propelled it to win Deloitte’s Best Managed Companies Award for 4 years running, as well as the YPO Top 10 Global Innovators Award and the Omnichannel Excellence in Retailing Awards.  Beyond leading Showcase for the last 25 years, Samir appears regularly in national media speaking about the trend retailing industry, including Bloomberg, Inc. Magazine, The Globe and Mail, New York Business Journal, CTV, Retail Insider, Authority Magazine, The Playground Podcast, and more.  Samir also serves on the Board of Directors of Retail Council of Canada to promote retail advocacy and sound public policy.  Samir holds an MBA from Yale University and lives near Toronto with his wife Divya and two kids.

Sean McCormick is an expert in consumer spending data. Sean joined Moneris in 2015 and is the Vice President of Business Development, Moneris Data Services, which enables private and public sector organizations to use payment data to improve their economic forecasting capabilities and inform their economic development strategy. Sean specialized in SaaS products until the onset of the pandemic when governments needed trusted and reliable consumer spending data to make crucial policy decisions that were necessitated by the historical shift in consumer spending behaviour.   

Working with both the public and private sectors, Sean created a network of like-minded researchers, analysts and economists who leveraged Moneris data as an input to pandemic support and recovery strategy. This network continues to leverage Moneris spending insights to support a wide range of research objectives to better understand the impact of economic trends in different categories across Canada, including retail.  

Eric Morris is the Managing Director and Head of Google’s Retail practice in Canada, where since 2002, he has worked alongside the country’s top marketers and advertising agencies.  

Eric has held several leadership roles at Google Canada, leading sales, operations, research, strategy and analytics for Google’s advertising business. Most recently, he led Google Canada’s search and performance advertising business.  

In 2016 Eric was named inventor and issued a patent in the United States for identifying rising search queries and trends at scale for advertisers worldwide. 

Eric was elected to the Interactive Advertising Bureau of Canada’s board of directors in 2009, and elected Chair of the board in 2015. 

Lisa Nordin is a passionate people leader, committed to driving results and profitability. She has spent her career in Specialty Retail, both on the Sales and Operations sides of the business. She currently leads Operations and Experience for Indigo, Canada’s biggest bookseller.

Laurence Painell is the Chief Product & Technology Officer at Quinyx, overseeing the integration of product and technology strategies to empower frontline workforces. With over 25 years in software, he has held leadership roles at The Access Group, Microsoft, PatSnap, Quantrix, and IDBS, driving product innovation and developing successful go-to-market strategies across various industries and business models. 

Ian Rosen is the President & Chief Operating Officer at Harry Rosen, where he is responsible for driving profitable growth across each of the company’s three banners: Harry Rosen, FinalCut and The Outlet by Harry Rosen. Ian sits on the Harry Rosen Board of Directors.

In his role, Ian works with Executives across Sales Management, Merchandising, Marketing, Digital and IT functions to ensure operations are aligned towards delivering on the Harry Rosen brand promise to provide exceptional service to clients throughout every touchpoint. Since joining Harry Rosen in 2018, Ian has led the company’s transformation to extend relationships with customers onto digital channels and enhance the shopping experience with technology (both online and in-store).

Ian marks the third generation of Rosen’s to enter the company founded by his grandfather. Prior to joining Harry Rosen, Ian was a Management Consultant at Bain & Company in Chicago where he focused on Strategy, Retail and Digital projects. Ian holds both an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management and an HBA from Ivey Business School.

Kerri-Ann Santaguida is a dynamic executive driving growth in revenue and market share as Vice President and General Manager of Merchant Services at American Express Canada. She leads a large national team across Canada, delivering innovation in payment management for merchants, fostering business success. Kerri-Ann is deeply committed to supporting small businesses, demonstrated by her leadership of Amex Canada’s Shop Small Programs.  

She is also an advocate for workplace diversity, actively promoting women’s advancement as co-executive sponsor of the Women’s Interest Network at Amex. Her dedication to community involvement shines through her role in the Weekend to Conquer Cancer, leading Team Amex to top corporate fundraising ranks.  

Recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada by the Women’s Executive Network and has been named a Top Mentor since 2017. She is a three-time recipient of the American Express Presidents Club Award winner for Leadership and, was inducted into the company’s Hall of Fame for exceptional career achievements.   

Kerri-Ann’s work has made a significant and lasting impact in the areas of business, colleague, and community engagement. 

Alain Sawaya is a Partner and the National Leader for KPMG in Canada’s Supply Chain and Procurement services. Alain has cumulated more than 25 years of experience in Executive roles in Commercial Supply Chain and Operations Management covering Demand, Inventory, and Supply Planning. His broad international experience in industry and consulting in the Retail industry, Life Sciences, Food and Beverage, Spirits and Wine, Consumer Packaged Goods, and Industrial has allowed him to head strategic business transformation initiatives at more than one hundred major companies worldwide. Before joining KPMG, Alain held senior positions at a major Home Improvement Retailer, where he was Vice-President, Merchandising and Supply Chain Services.

Alain helps KPMG clients increase profitability, reduce costs, and increase efficiency within strategic and operational end-to-end merchandising, commercial supply chain, and consumer analytics initiatives. More specifically, Alain has led major initiatives providing added value across to the organization, process, and technology projects.

Doug Stephens has been called “the futurist that futurists follow”. As one of the world’s foremost business futurists and retail industry experts, he decodes the forces reshaping commerce and translates them into strategic advantage. As the founder and CEO of Retail Prophet, Stephen’s the go-to authority for global brands like IKEA, Nike, Coca Cola, and Louis Vuitton. His dynamic keynotes don’t just explore business transformation; they reveal the surprising competitive advantages waiting for organizations bold enough to reimagine their future in this era of unprecedented disruption. Stephens is an internationally bestselling author of three books on the future of consumerism including his most recent, Resurrecting Retail: The Future of Business in a Post-Pandemic World. His insights provide a roadmap for businesses seeking to thrive amid radical shifts in technology, consumer behaviour, and competitive landscapes. As a nationally syndicated retail columnist for CBC Radio, Stephens’ thought leadership reaches audiences across the country. His unique perspectives on trends in economics, technology, and consumer behaviour have made him a sought-after voice in leading global publications and media outlets, with features in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Fast Company, and on the BBC. Stephens also sits on multiple corporate and academic advisory boards, including the David Sobey Centre for Innovation in Retail at St. Mary’s University. As one of the world’s most sought-after business speakers, Stephens offers an ever-evolving array of cutting edge and compelling topics, suitable for any business audience.

Mary Ann Vitale is a seasoned leader in the fashion and merchandising industry, with over two decades of experience in brand development and strategy. As the current Vice President of Merchandising for Garage, one of the industry’s most innovative retail brands, Mary Ann leads the merchandising and design teams to drive the vision and execution of all merchandising initiatives, including product collections, strategies, and retail presence. 

Mary Ann’s career began at Groupe Dynamite, where she served as Merchandise Director for Garage from 2002 to 2012. During her tenure, she was instrumental in shaping the brand’s direction and establishing its unique identity. 

She then transitioned to Reitmans, where she spent six years as the Merchandise Director for HYBA Activewear. In this role, she defined the brand’s merchandising strategy and managed product assortments. 

In May 2018, Mary Ann returned to Groupe Dynamite as the Senior Director of Merchandising at Garage. She spearheaded the brand’s expansion, developed strong product assortments, and streamlined operations to enhance customer experience and drive growth. 

Mary Ann’s proven ability to drive brand success and develop innovative product strategies has established her as a leader in the retail merchandising industry. 

Diane J. Brisebois, CAE, is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Retail Council of Canada (RCC). She oversees the largest retail association in Canada serving over 45,000 retail establishments including independent merchants, chain stores, mass merchants, big box and online retailers. RCC’s membership covers all segments of the retail market including general merchandise, grocery and pharmacy.

Diane joined RCC as its President and CEO in January 1995. Diane has held CEO positions in the not-for-profit sector representing various industries for the past 35 years.

Diane has and continues to serve on a variety of Boards across North America.

Ms. Brisebois is Immediate Past Chair of the Fair Factory Clearinghouse (FFC), an organization established to enable collaboration between vendors and retailers in assessing and improving workplace conditions globally.

Ms. Brisebois is also the Immediate Past Chair and a member of the Executive Committee of the Forum of International Retail Association Executives (FIRAE) which represents retail associations from more than 30 countries brought together to collaborate on issues affecting the retail sector globally.

Ms. Brisebois also served for many years on the Board of Covenant House Toronto, on the Board and as Chairman of the Traffic Injury Research Foundation and on the Board and as Chairman of the Canadian Society of Association Executives.

She currently serves on:

• The Ted Rogers School of Retail Management Advisory Council
• The Advisory Board of the University of Alberta’s School of Retailing
• The Board of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, and
• The Board of Stewardship Ontario (Ontario Blue Box Program)

Ms. Brisebois is a native of Montreal, Quebec and now resides in Toronto, Ontario.

Michael is the Founder & President of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc and a Senior Advisor to Retail Council of Canada as part of his advisory and consulting practice. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience and has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career. He has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions with C-level executives and participated on thought leadership panels worldwide.

Michael is also the producer and host of a network of leading podcasts, including Canada’s top retail industry podcast, The Voice of Retail, plus the Remarkable Retail with author Steve Dennis, Global E-Commerce Tech Talks and The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois, all available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon and all major podcast platforms.

Santo Ligotti is the VP of Member Services and Marketing at Retail Council of Canada and brings over 20 years of experience of marketing leadership. Santo began his career in data sciences and progressed to lead B2B/B2C marketing teams across financial, technology and payments industries including companies such as TD Canada Trust, Rogers Communications, CIBC, Moneris and JPMorgan Chase.

In addition, Santo is the President Elect for the  American Marketing Association, Toronto Chapter and teaches part time at George Brown College and York University. Santo holds an undergraduate degree in statistics from McMaster University, a Master’s in Information Science from the University of Western Ontario and an MBA from York University.