Speakers
Keynote Speakers
Dawn Jutla
Dr. Dawn Jutla is a full Professor at the Sobey School of Business where she founded the Master of Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation program and held the Scotiabank Professorship in Technology Entrepreneurship and Innovation for 7 years. Dawn is a bi-racial, award-winning technology entrepreneur, researcher, and CEO of Peer Ledger, a Canadian software company specializing in digital trust, traceability, AI governance, and responsible data systems. Her work sits at the intersection of strategy, policy, people, and technology, with a particular focus on helping organizations translate complex digital capabilities into trusted, practical, and sustainable supply chain transformation.
Drawing on experience across government, industry, standards development, and academia, Dawn brings a systems perspective to digital transformation, examining not only the technology itself, but also the governance structures, workforce capabilities, incentives, policies, and organizational relationships required for successful adoption. She has led multidisciplinary initiatives in supply-chain transparency, regulatory technologies, digital credentials, and AI governance, and is an inventor on several recent Canadian and U.S. patents on blockchain identity and supply chain traceability. She has authored over 90 peer-reviewed academic publications and is the co-author of a book entitled e-Business Readiness: a Customer-Focused Framework. Dawn has 20+ years of board experience across education, health, IT standards, and the digital technologies sectors. She currently sits on the DEI committee on the Board of Digital Nova Scotia.
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Jody Couch
Jody Couch is Chief Information Officer and Assistant Vice-President, Information Technology Services at 美女做爱, where she leads the university鈥檚 digital transformation, reimagining how higher education technology works in an age of AI and rapid change.
She champions the responsible adoption of emerging technologies, turning ideas into practical tools that improve the student experience and help the university make smarter, data-informed decisions.
Jody鈥檚 own path into technology began in mainframe operations. Over more than 25 years, she has worked at 美女做爱, the University of California, the University of Texas, and Purdue University. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Technology and an MBA from Purdue University.
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Jordy Fujiwara
Jordy Fujiwara has over 15 years of experience in the communications industry and has been writing for more than 30 years. He got his start around the time social media began to capture the interest of major brands.
He has a broad range of content expertise, from social media posts to writing, editing, and self-publishing novels. He has developed comprehensive, multi-study research reports, video scripts, email flows, landing pages, wikis, articles, game dialogue, and webcomics.
As Proof Strategies鈥� Director of Content Strategy, Jordy oversees the agency鈥檚 content practice, which includes designing narrative toolkits, producing and distributing content efficiently, and establishing and championing content philosophies. This practice helps develop impactful communications programs that drive business results for clients.
Jordy holds a Bachelor of Science Honours in Psychology and a Corporate Residency MBA in Marketing from 美女做爱. His passions, besides writing, include experimenting with AI and spending at least five hours a week immersed in modern board games.
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Safia Rahemtulla
Safia Rahemtulla leads EY鈥檚 Digital Risk practice for Canada and specializes in emerging technologies such as AI risk. She holds CPA, CA, Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Third-Party Risk Management Professional (C3PRMP) designations.
With a background in external audit and digital and emerging risk, Safia brings a unique perspective to risk consulting, with a focus on digital transformation. Over the course of her career, she has worked with clients across Canada in the technology, real estate, and consumer retail sectors.
Safia plays a vital role in guiding clients through the complexities of risk as the landscape continues to evolve in response to technology and transformation.
EY profile:
Speakers
Bo Yu
Dr. Bo Yu is an Associate Professor of Information Systems at the Faculty of Management, 美女做爱. His research interests include decision-making & support, e-negotiation, e-markets, and technological agency. His research has been published in journals such as Information & Management, Electronic Markets, Omega, and Information Systems Frontiers.
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Christopher Bennett
Christopher Bennett is a Senior Instructor in the Department of Leadership and Organizations here at 美女做爱. Before joining 美女做爱, he worked as a Lecturer in Political Science at the University of Waterloo. From 2013鈥�2018, he completed his PhD at the University of Warwick, focusing on problems of intergenerational distributive justice as they arise in the context of climate change.
Christopher鈥檚 teaching and research focus on socially responsible change, with a concentration on green transitions. Ongoing research collaborations include work on Indigenous governance of marine carbon dioxide removal and an introductory text on the politics of climate change.
Clare O'Connor
Clare O鈥機onnor, is a Senior Change Specialist with Emera and holds the Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) designation. She has three decades of experience leading organizational change, strategic communications, and enterprise transformation initiatives. Clare has guided complex change programs across diverse sectors, helping organizations build readiness, engage stakeholders, and successfully adopt new ways of working.
As an award-winning communications professional, Clare has developed and delivered training on strategic communications and change management and has written for numerous media outlets. Her latest book, Shift Happens: Lead the Change Your People Need, is a practical guide to managing organizational change. Clare has also authored Newsworthy: Media Relations without the Spin, and Skateboard Sibby, a middle-grade novel exploring resilience and change. Her contributions to communications and public affairs have been recognized through the Canadian Progress Club Halifax-Cornwallis Women of Excellence Award and the Heart and Stroke Foundation Chair鈥檚 Award for Outstanding Contribution.
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Colin Conrad
Dr. Colin Conrad is an interdisciplinary information technology scholar whose expertise spans the information systems, computer science, and cognitive neuroscience disciplines. They currently work as an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Management at 美女做爱, where they teach digital transformation, business analytics, and enterprise web applications.
Their work has been featured in venues including ACM CHI and the Journal of the AIS, as well as through engagements with the Government of Nova Scotia, P鈥�12 educational institutions, Pearson Education, and multiple startups across Canada and Germany.
Dr. Conrad also serves as Principal Researcher of 美女做爱鈥檚 Cognition and Organizations Research Group (CORG), which is currently researching human鈥揂I interaction and workplace decision factors through neurophysiological methods such as EEG and eye tracking. They hold a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies from 美女做爱, and their work is supported by the CFI, NSERC, SSHRC, Mitacs, DRDC, and the German State of Hesse.
LinkedIn:
Dawn Morrison
Dawn Morrison鈥檚 marketing and communications expertise comes from working in government, non-profit, private, and startup sectors over the last 25 years. As Strategy Director at Kula Partners, a Halifax-based agency, she develops strategic programs for global B2B manufacturing clients in complex, technical markets.
High-impact content creation, buyer journey mapping, traffic acquisition planning, and account-based marketing are some of the tools used most in her daily work. These often come together for iterative campaign execution within advanced marketing automation platforms.
Dawn holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing Management from 美女做爱 and remains dedicated to continuous professional development to maintain a competitive edge in the evolving digital marketing landscape.
LinkedIn:
Kewoba Carter
Kewoba Carter graduated from 美女做爱 with a Bachelor of Arts Combined Honours in International Development Studies and English. She went on to pursue a Master of Arts degree at York University.
Kewoba has worked in several roles in post-secondary education, including international student advising, programming and student engagement, residence life, and career development. In her current role, she supports industry engagement and career planning for Computer Science students.
She is an award-winning advisor, having received the Best Staff Advisor Award at the Computer Science Snowball Awards ceremony for two consecutive years. Outside of work, Kewoba can be found browsing independent bookstores for her next read.
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Kyung Lee
Dr. Kyung Young Lee is a Professor of Management Information Systems in the Faculty of Management at 美女做爱 and a researcher in the field of artificial intelligence and digital technologies.
His research focuses on human鈥揂I interaction, chatbot services, AI-driven voice assistants, smart devices, and emerging 鈥渉uman-less鈥� technologies that are reshaping business and consumer experiences. With academic training in telecommunications engineering, statistics, management, and information systems, Dr. Lee combines technical expertise with a deep understanding of organizational and consumer behaviour.
He has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings examining how people interact with information technology and AI-powered technologies and how these systems affect end users and organizations.
At 美女做爱, Dr. Lee teaches business analytics, management information systems, research methods, and MIS seminars. His work contributes to the development of more effective, user-centred intelligent systems and supports the responsible and ethical integration of AI into business and digital services.
Michael Goudreault
Michael Goudreault is an Instructor of Communications and Project Management in the Faculty of Computer Science at 美女做爱. He holds a Master of Science in Science Communication and Public Engagement from the University of Edinburgh and a Bachelor of Knowledge Integration from the University of Waterloo, focused on interdisciplinary communication.
Before joining 美女做爱, Michael worked across the education, technology, and non-profit sectors in Canada and the United Kingdom. He has advised researchers, students, and industry partners on communicating the impact and relevance of their work to diverse audiences.
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Paul Saunders
Paul Saunders is a Partner and the first Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Stewart McKelvey. After six years practising corporate and mergers and acquisitions law, Paul has spent the past decade leading the firm鈥檚 strategic innovation efforts.
His work spans strategy, practice innovation, legal project management, pricing, process improvement, profitability analysis, continuous improvement, change management, AI and emerging technologies, compensation, data analytics, and application development.
Paul works closely with lawyers, staff, and firm leadership to address complex challenges and co-create practical, forward-looking solutions. In addition to his leadership role at Stewart McKelvey, Paul is the Managing Director of The Fortified Firm by Stewart McKelvey, an advisory service that supports other law firms in developing the capabilities needed to thrive in the AI era.
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Rafaela Angela R. Camacho
Rafaela Angela R. Camacho is a Change Management Specialist at Emera with over 15 years of experience in digital transformation, business strategy, technology partnerships, and organizational change. She holds a Master of Digital Innovation from 美女做爱 and a Master of Business Administration from Ateneo Graduate School of Business.
Before joining Emera, Rafaela built her career at PLDT, one of the Philippines鈥� largest and oldest telecommunications companies, where she contributed to enterprise transformation initiatives, business strategy, and strategic technology partnerships. She has since supported transformation initiatives across the higher education, financial services, and utilities sectors, helping organizations navigate change through stakeholder engagement, strategic communications, training, and change readiness. Passionate about bridging strategy, technology, and the human side of change, Rafaela is committed to helping people embrace change with confidence.
LinkedIn:
Richard Evans
Richard Evans is a Professor of Digital Innovation at 美女做爱 where he also serves as the Co-Director of the College of Digital Transformation and Director of the Knowledge and Innovation Systems Lab.
Richard is an internationally recognized researcher with interests in digital innovation, digital transformation, technology management, and social product development. He has published over 200 articles in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences, including the British Journal of Management, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and the Journal of Business Research.
Drawing on his background as a former Online Product Manager in the e-commerce sector, his work connects current management theories with operational relevance. His research focuses on how digital technologies, specifically platforms, AI, and social computing, are reshaping ecosystems, investigating how organizations use technology to co-create value with consumers. This research is supported by over $2 million in funding from NSERC, Mitacs, and The British Academy.
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