BHER Executive Summit

We’ll launch BHER’s first report with RBC’s Thought Leadership team. Part of The Growth Project, the report zeros in on the role of post-secondary education in making Canada more productive and opportunities for change in the sector. Val Walker, BHER’s CEO, will be in conversation with John Stackhouse, Senior Vice-President, Office of the CEO, RBC and other experts.

We need to train people to respond to complex challenges. That requires new, tailor-made, experiential training methods. It requires building closer relationships between companies and educational institutions. It also means transforming how universities work. BHER member Université Laval is leading the charge with its Chantiers d’avenir program, a first-of-its-kind program that’s preparing young people to tackle tech change, food security, EDI, and climate change. Hear from Sophie D’Amours, Rector, Université Laval, in conversation with members of the program’s Cercle des leaders, which include Lucien Bouchard and Sophie Brochu, as well as graduates of the program.

With recent changes to Canada’s international student program, we’re definitely in the messy middle when it comes to understanding the impact on international talent recruitment, the financial sustainability of post-secondary institutions, and regional labour markets. BHER member Martin Basiri, Founder and CEO of Passage, will offer his diagnosis and a provocation about how to fix Canada’s immigration and refugee systems followed by a panel discussion with leaders from government, finance, and healthcare. 

A special session with PCL Construction and the Toronto Blue Jays about the Rogers Centre Renovation. Rogers Centre – the home of the Toronto Blue Jays – underwent a multi-year, nearly $400 million CAD, privately funded renovation. Work was completed on a fast-tracked timeline in two distinct phases. The second phase required 18 months of work completed in just 5 months, opening on-time for the club’s Home Opener. Members of both teams will talk about how they pulled it off.

Employers need talent with human skills, but they’re the hardest thing to assess, especially during the hiring process. Knockri is solving for that through its science-based, industry-validated machine learning platform that provides skills and behavioural assessment that de-biases hiring and improves recruitment and retention. They’re improving equity and efficiency along the way. Hear from leaders at Hydro One, IBM, Manulife, and Deloitte.

Katherine Homuth, Founder and CEO of Sheertex, is transforming the apparel industry and building the infrastructure for a more sustainable future. She raised $250 million, built one of the most advanced textile factories in North America, and created a game-changing, in-demand product. But building a business, while transforming a sector, is no easy task in Canada. Katherine will talk about her journey in an armchair conversation with Val Walker.

SkillsWave, created by BHER member D2L, is cracking the code on what skills employers need and how to connect them to post-secondary programming. The SkillsWave team, with some of their employer partners, will talk about how they’re changing the upskilling game in Canada and abroad.

Leadership Perspectives. The final session of the day will bring together a panel of CEOs and Presidents from business and higher education.