Session Descriptions

	AI Governance and the Need for Board Oversight
	The power of AI-enabled applications is swiftly advancing to become more responsive to industry and public needs. This raises pressing and practical questions about the impact, ethics, and accountability of these technologies. The task of governing AI can be daunting and requires thoughtful planning to develop frameworks and specific tactics to implement AI technology. With international policies advancing and establishing standards, today’s focus is on the call to action for Canadian organizations to develop AI Governance frameworks and board-level oversight. Too often, organizations wait for a crisis to get this right and risk losing their reputation and public trust due to ethical failures in AI. This session is about how boards can proactively mitigate that risk and ensure there is trust in using AI.+ Mardi Witzel, ESG and AI Expert Niraj Bhargava, Founder and CEO of NuEnergy.ai Damian Jankowicz, Vice President, Information Management, Chief Information Officer & Chief Privacy Officer, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Vice President and Chief Information Officer, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre Connie E. Carras, Entrepreneur, Innovator, Independent Director & Chair, CEC Enterprises Consulting

AI Governance and the Need for Board Oversight

The power of AI-enabled applications is swiftly advancing to become more responsive to industry and public needs. This raises pressing and practical questions about the impact, ethics, and accountability of these technologies. The task of governing AI can be daunting and requires thoughtful planning to develop frameworks and specific tactics to implement AI technology. With international policies advancing and establishing standards, today’s focus is on the call to action for Canadian organizations to develop AI Governance frameworks and board-level oversight. Too often, organizations wait for a crisis to get this right and risk losing their reputation and public trust due to ethical failures in AI. This session is about how boards can proactively mitigate that risk and ensure there is trust in using AI.+

Mardi Witzel, ESG and AI Expert

Niraj Bhargava, Founder and CEO of NuEnergy.ai

Damian Jankowicz, Vice President, Information Management, Chief Information Officer & Chief Privacy Officer, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Vice President and Chief Information Officer, The Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre Connie E. Carras, Entrepreneur, Innovator, Independent Director & Chair, CEC Enterprises Consulting

	Taming Turnover in Turbulent Times
	Lockdowns and other health and safety measures adopted in response to a global pandemic forced finance teams to rapidly adopt remote working, videoconferencing from home and new technology. These new, and often uncomfortable, ways of working, combined with high activity levels, family stresses and the loss of social interactions with friends and colleagues increased mental health issues, burnout and turnover. Employees, especially senior employees, have left the workforce in droves amid the Great Resignation. Younger employees are forced to do more with less – less training, less mentorship, less personal connection – but are also feeling less engaged/connected with their companies. How are organizations addressing the transition? What are some of the strategies being employed to counter this? What are some of the long-term implications for the future of the finance function?+ Ross Woledge, Partner & Head, CFO Practice, Odgers Berndtson Canada Carolyn Graham, Corporate Director Gregory Craig, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited Mandeep Chawla, Chief Financial Officer, Celestica Inc.

Taming Turnover in Turbulent Times

Lockdowns and other health and safety measures adopted in response to a global pandemic forced finance teams to rapidly adopt remote working, videoconferencing from home and new technology. These new, and often uncomfortable, ways of working, combined with high activity levels, family stresses and the loss of social interactions with friends and colleagues increased mental health issues, burnout and turnover. Employees, especially senior employees, have left the workforce in droves amid the Great Resignation. Younger employees are forced to do more with less – less training, less mentorship, less personal connection – but are also feeling less engaged/connected with their companies. How are organizations addressing the transition? What are some of the strategies being employed to counter this? What are some of the long-term implications for the future of the finance function?+

Ross Woledge, Partner & Head, CFO Practice, Odgers Berndtson Canada

Carolyn Graham, Corporate Director

Gregory Craig, Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer, Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited

Mandeep Chawla, Chief Financial Officer, Celestica Inc.

	Realizing the Value of your Data
	If knowledge is power, then data is the fuel that drives it. Creative and fair use of data can generate new strategies, reduce risk and enhance operational efficiencies. Data is a valuable, but underappreciated, asset. Organizations have become sensitive to the need to protect their data from the risk of theft or misuse, but many fail to leverage its full value. If an organization recognizes that its data is a potential repository of untapped value, the organization will reassess how it stores, shares and safeguards data. It will apply a more sophisticated and ethics-based lens to the results it receives from machine learning and artificial intelligence which uses the data. Organizations will also be become better prepared to handle and address increasing levels of restrictions that are starting to be imposed by governments around the world on the use and transmission of personal information and obligations surrounding unauthorized access to data. This session will inspire you, as an audit committee member to revalue how you approach your organization’s data and what audit committees in general need to understand about how the organization handles and uses its data.+ Andrew J. MacDougall, LLBPartner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP Richard WilsonPartner, Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Financial Crime, PwC Joanna FinePartner, Privacy and Data Management, Osler, Hoskin & Harcott Della SheaChief Data Governance and Privacy Officer, Symcor Inc

Realizing the Value of your Data

If knowledge is power, then data is the fuel that drives it. Creative and fair use of data can generate new strategies, reduce risk and enhance operational efficiencies. Data is a valuable, but underappreciated, asset. Organizations have become sensitive to the need to protect their data from the risk of theft or misuse, but many fail to leverage its full value. If an organization recognizes that its data is a potential repository of untapped value, the organization will reassess how it stores, shares and safeguards data. It will apply a more sophisticated and ethics-based lens to the results it receives from machine learning and artificial intelligence which uses the data. Organizations will also be become better prepared to handle and address increasing levels of restrictions that are starting to be imposed by governments around the world on the use and transmission of personal information and obligations surrounding unauthorized access to data. This session will inspire you, as an audit committee member to revalue how you approach your organization’s data and what audit committees in general need to understand about how the organization handles and uses its data.+

Andrew J. MacDougall, LLBPartner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Richard WilsonPartner, Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Financial Crime, PwC

Joanna FinePartner, Privacy and Data Management, Osler, Hoskin & Harcott

Della SheaChief Data Governance and Privacy Officer, Symcor Inc

	Emerging Global Risks and Implications for Canadian Directors and Officers
	Marsh McLennan is pleased to sponsor the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risk Report, which describes the changes occurring in the global risk landscape. The Global Risks Report leverages the collective intelligence of the world’s foremost risk experts, drawing insights from over 950 experts and the views of over 12,300 company executives across the globe on key categories of risk including economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological. This session will provide participants a view of expectations for 2023 and beyond and how Canadian directors and officers can prepare and protect their businesses and themselves.+ Alexandra (Lexie) Kindbom, Managing Director - Chief Client Officer, Risk Management and Corporate Segments, Marsh Canada Julia McGillis, Managing Director, Marsh McLennan UK and Canada

Emerging Global Risks and Implications for Canadian Directors and Officers

Marsh McLennan is pleased to sponsor the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risk Report, which describes the changes occurring in the global risk landscape. The Global Risks Report leverages the collective intelligence of the world’s foremost risk experts, drawing insights from over 950 experts and the views of over 12,300 company executives across the globe on key categories of risk including economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological. This session will provide participants a view of expectations for 2023 and beyond and how Canadian directors and officers can prepare and protect their businesses and themselves.+

Alexandra (Lexie) Kindbom, Managing Director - Chief Client Officer, Risk Management and Corporate Segments, Marsh Canada

Julia McGillis, Managing Director, Marsh McLennan UK and Canada

	Current Issues in Governance of Charities and NFPS : The Role of Audit Committees in Navigating Difficulties and Leading Change
	The session will focus on top governance issues that are currently being faced by audit committees for charities and NFPs. These will include a discussion of the special role of the audit committee of a charity (vs a for-profit company) in its obligations to donors, funding agencies, clients, and other stakeholders; best practices and pitfalls in working with management and other volunteer board members; and dealing with the challenge of simultaneously increasing needs and falling donations.+ Karen Wensley, MBA, ICD.D, Business Ethics Lecturer, Corporate Director, and Retired EY Partner Martha Tory, FCPA, FCA, ICD.D Michael Herrera, CPA, CA, Chief Financial Officer

Current Issues in Governance of Charities and NFPS : The Role of Audit Committees in Navigating Difficulties and Leading Change

The session will focus on top governance issues that are currently being faced by audit committees for charities and NFPs. These will include a discussion of the special role of the audit committee of a charity (vs a for-profit company) in its obligations to donors, funding agencies, clients, and other stakeholders; best practices and pitfalls in working with management and other volunteer board members; and dealing with the challenge of simultaneously increasing needs and falling donations.+

Karen Wensley, MBA, ICD.D, Business Ethics Lecturer, Corporate Director, and Retired EY Partner

Martha Tory, FCPA, FCA, ICD.D

Michael Herrera, CPA, CA, Chief Financial Officer

Session Descriptions

About CPA Canada

Become a CPA

My CPA Canada