Symposium Speakers

Nikolas Badminton, Futurist

Nikolas Badminton is a world-renowned global futurist speaker and Chief Futurist that mentors top executives and the highest levels of government to create bold visions by exploring desirable futures, anticipating opportunities and risks, and strengthening strategic planning.

He has spent 30+ years working with leadership at over 400 leading organizations at the frontline of futures, strategy and disruption - including The White House, NASA, Disney, Google, Microsoft, Intel, IBM, WM, JP Morgan, Verizon, VISA, TD Bank, American Express, Dyson, BISCI, ISACA, Rolls Royce, Procter & Gamble, US Department of State, UK Home Office, United Nations, and many more.

Facing Our Futures: How foresight, futures design and strategy creates prosperity and growth - is Nikolas’ number one best-selling book and has been named Top-50 Business Books of 2023 by The Next Big Idea Club, and JP Morgan Private bank’s “Next Gen Pick” for their 2023 Summer Reading List to guide new leaders to embrace futures thinking.

Nikolas’ essential research has been featured by the BBC, VICE, The Atlantic, Fast Company, Business Insider, Forbes, Sunday Telegraph and many others. He appears on SIRIUSXM and CTV regularly, was a key advisor to the ‘Age of AI’ series with Robert Downey Jr, and appears in the Franklin Institute's series ‘2050’.

Jay Kiew​, Change Navigation Strategist

Jay Kiew is a change navigation strategist and world-renowned keynote speaker with more than 13 years of strategy and human capital experience. He has created more than $2B of impact for 400+ executives by designing, developing, and delivering organizational transformation, but his story extends far beyond the professional arena. Kiew is a half-blind cancer survivor, whose life is a testament to resilience in the face of adversity. His remarkable blend of professional expertise and personal resilience equips leaders to hack through the thick of change and disruption.

Kiew spent his corporate career working at Deloitte, TELUS, and ADP, where he led mission-critical strategic transformations. This included a $150-million primary care health policy reform, $13-million tech transformations, doubling app users from 1 to 2 million, and scaling 15 product lines to $35 million in 12 months. As the CEO at Citizencentric, he now invests his time in growing organizations for the greater good.

At the age of 19, Kiew became the world's youngest Distinguished Toastmaster. He has since been featured in the Financial Times, Globe and Mail, Financial Post, Ivey Business Journal, Change Leadership, and more. He also sits on the Project Management Institute’s Board of Directors for the Canadian West Coast Chapter.

Kiew holds an MBA from the Ivey Business School and is a Prosci-certified PMP and Insights psychometric practitioner.

Helen Schneiderman, Partner, Kwela Leadership

Helen has over 20 years’ experience as an Organizational Development and Human Resources professional, working as both a consultant and within industry. Helen’s expertise includes training and facilitation, people and leadership development, employee engagement, diversity and inclusion, performance management, competency development, career development, recognition and onboarding. Helen has provided consulting services for a broad range of sectors, including public services, high-tech, financial services, post-secondary education and retail.

Prior to joining Kwela, Helen worked for a large charity, leading the learning and development function for the organization. Helen also spent time volunteering internationally, supporting non-profit organizations to build their human resources capacity.

Outside of Kwela, you can find Helen performing stand-up comedy at one of the lower mainland’s comedy clubs. Drawing from her varied life experiences and trips around the globe, Helen is not afraid to share the good, the bad and the ugly, to make people laugh!

Helen has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and English, she is a Certified Compensation Professional, and is certified in Mental Health First Aid.

Chantelle Nascimento, Conscious Culture Training

Chantelle Nascimento (She/Her), an engaging facilitator and public speaker with a rich background in education and DEI workplace training. She has worked as a training facilitator for various municipalities in the Lower Mainland, Fire and Rescue Services, Public Health organizations, public and private schools, and other industries, including mining and milling.

Drawing on her experience as a public school educator and her previous career in radio broadcasting, Chantelle brings enthusiasm and authenticity to her presentations. She specializes in guiding teams to embrace diversity, enhance communication, and foster a culture of equity and inclusivity. With a unique perspective as a biracial Canadian, Chantelle navigates conversations on diversity and belonging with humor and compassion. She is dedicated to helping organizations create environments where everyone can be their true, authentic selves.

Shachi Kurl – President, Angus Reid Institute

As a keynote speaker, Shachi Kurl takes a “kitchen table” approach to discussions of economic, cultural, and political exigency. That means she’s an expert at breaking big, complicated ideas down into everyday language, and showing groups and individuals why they matter. Jobs, health care, immigration, education, US/Canadian trade and political relations, all the way to the state of social media, entertainment, and access to technology—no topic is too large, or too broad. And she does this with humor, disarming charisma, and the timeless appeal of informed, insightful commentary.

As the Executive Director of the Angus Reid Institute, Kurl looks at the ripples, waves, and major tides of public opinion. And as a leading nonpartisan research organization, Angus Reid isn’t beholden to private or government interests; in fact, it isn’t beholden to profits, period. Which means Kurl can guide and frame the narrative around issues that pull us together, free of obligation to some third-party guiding her hand. It also means she can debunk harmful myths that could otherwise have serious consequences. Why? Because these issues matter; because they matter to ordinary people who are concerned about their future; and, sometimes, simply, because it’s good to know! So pull up a chair to Shachi Kurl’s frank kitchen table talk, and come away knowing so much more.

Ken Peacock, Chief Economist and Vice President, BC Business Council

Ken Peacock is Chief Economist and Vice President at the Business Council of British Columbia, an association representing 260 large and mid-sized companies that together account for approximately one-quarter of all jobs in the province. In this capacity, Mr. Peacock contributes to the Council’s work on economic and policy issues of interest to the business community. He is the author of a number of regular Business Council publications dealing with the provincial economy and related policy matters.

Prior to joining the Business council in 2002, he was an Economist with Central 1 Credit Union, an umbrella organization for the credit unions in the province. There he advised credit unions on the outlook for the provincial economy, housing markets, and interest and exchange rates.

Ken was born and raised in BC and attained his master’s degree in economics from Simon Fraser University and is a past President of the Association of Professional Economists of BC. He is a member of the BC Economic Forecast Council.

Sandra Guarascio – Partner, Roper Greyell LLP

Sandra is a partner* at Roper Greyell and is a member of its management committee. She practices in all areas of employment and labour law, with a focus in human rights and respectful workplace issues.

Sandra is focused on the needs of her clients and works with public and private sector employers providing proactive and practical advice for unionized and non-unionized environments. Her particular interests include management-side representation, respectful workplace issues, investigations, hiring and termination issues, accommodation and disability management, collective agreement administration and disputes, workplace policy development and training.

A strong advocate for her clients, Sandra offers a balanced approach to their workplace issues through creative problem solving and strategic intervention. Her methodology to client challenges enables her to find strong and thoughtful solutions. She provides strategic advice to employers in handling complaints and addressing respectful workplace issues including workplace and employment discrimination, harassment, bullying and workplace conflict. She is a skilled investigator who has conducted numerous workplace investigations including those in highly sensitive circumstances and in complex environments. She also designs and conducts workplace audits for employers and handles formal complaints provincially and federally.

Sandra is an experienced facilitator and speaker, an instructor with the Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health Services, and a guest lecturer at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She is also a volunteer with the BC Law Society and Continuing Legal Education, serving as co-chair of the award winning annual CLE Human Rights Conference.

Outside the office, Sandra recharges by connecting with nature. She can usually be found meandering on beaches and trails with her family and their three much loved Rhodesian Ridgebacks.

*Law corporation​