Rob serves as AIG’s Head of Innovation and Sharing Economy Practice Group. He helps define, articulate, and drive AIG’s client-facing business strategy for the Internet of Things, Sharing Economy, and Blockchain.

Rob creates and leads Innovation partnerships at AIG that have resulted in: the first Multinational insurance policy deviled via Blockchain with IBM and Standard Chartered Bank; creation of a think-tank for autonomous vehicle data sharing with top fleet clients called Together for Safer Roads; acquisition of technology from an industrial grade wearables tech startup; a global study on Autonomous Vehicles and how liability will shift with several UC law professors called, Future of Mobility and Shifting Risk; Kleiner Perkins partnership which recently produced a whitepaper on the Data Sharing Economy; a multi-year relationship with the University of Chicago that resulted in an IoT Risk Managers’ Checklist; AIG’s ongoing relationship with the Consumer Electronics Show, and more.

Rob sits on the Innovation Committee for the American Insurance Association and the Board of Directors of Together for Safer Roads – a private sector non-profit he helped create for AIG in partnership with peers at Facebook, Walmart, AT&T, ABInBev, GM, and IBM. He is on the Board of Advisors for the Internet of Insurance. Rob manages AIG’s relationship with the Brookings Institute Metropolitan Cities Initiative in Washington, DC and Plug and Play Technology Accelerator in San Francisco, among others.

Rob joined AIG in January 2012 as Head of Corporate Communications for Global Casualty. He added communications responsibility for three additional business units: Property, Specialty, and Multinational over the next three years.  Prior to joining AIG, Rob spent nearly a decade with the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), based in Washington as Director of Government Relations and Los Angeles as Director of Global Strategic Planning and Research.

A recovering lawyer, Rob earned his BA and Juris Doctor from Georgetown University. He has written speeches for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, a US President, and Mongolian President, Elbegdorj Tsakhia.

As Chief Executive Officer, Don Duval is responsible for the strategy and operations of NORCAT’s global operations.  He is regarded as one of Canada’s leading thinkers on innovation, commercialization, and entrepreneurship working with jurisdictions around the world to development regional innovation and economic ecosystems / districts.  Prior to NORCAT, Don served as the Vice President of Strategy / Operations for the MaRS Discovery District, one of the world’s pre-eminent innovation centres working in a variety of sectors to accelerate the growth of innovative technology ventures to drive sustained job and wealth creation for the Canadian economy.

In addition, Don sits on a variety of Boards, including the Board of Governors for the University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Canada’s only dedicated STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) university focused on commercialization of early-stage intellectual property by accelerating the connections between the corporate business and venture capital community and researchers.  He has worked globally in the strategy group with Deloitte on mergers / acquisitions, procurement, and innovation policy projects and successfully founded and exited from a start-up supply chain technology venture.

Don served as an engineering professor at the University of Toronto, developing and delivering engineering curriculum with special attention to new teaching and learning methods to ensure desired outcomes were achieved.

Academically, Don has an undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Queen’s University and a Masters of Applied Science and Engineering from the University of Toronto.

Lastly, Don was a Top 40 under 40 recipient, a two-time TEDx speaker, and is a member of the YPO Toronto chapter.

As President and CEO of CENGN, Jean-Charles (JC) Fahmy is accountable for providing leadership and strategic direction to the company, and responsible for the organization’s day-to-day operations. He drives the delivery of CENGN’s mission by working collaboratively within the wider ICT ecosystem, aligning the community on the goal of enabling the Canadian ICT sector to thrive. As chief ambassador, JC is actively engaged with CENGN’s external stakeholders to strengthen and promote the development of Canada’s innovation economy in the ICT sector.

JC has over 20 years of global business and operational leadership experience with a proven track record of achieving exceptional results guiding technology organizations to harness innovation, achieve differentiation, create value for customers, and accelerate business performance.

JC has broad and diverse experience with large public companies as well as both Private Equity and Venture Capital backed businesses.  Prior to CENGN, JC was Vice President of Product Management & Business Development at Coriant, where he led the formation and strong growth of Coriant’s strategic Data Center Solutions Business. Prior to Coriant he held several senior leadership roles at Nortel Networks, BTI Systems, where he was VP Product Management, and as Operating Executive in the Telecom practice at Marlin Equity Partners, a leading Private Equity Firm.

JC holds an MBA from McGill University, and a BASc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Ottawa.

As a member of TELUS’s CTO office and as  Director, Technology Strategy, IoT and Emerging Technologies, Samer is leading a team of Principle Technology Architects to define the strategy, business model and technology options of TELUS’s future strategy.

Previously Samer was the Vice President of Innovation at du. Samer was responsible for all new product and service initiatives including digital products and services, digital partnerships, du video strategy du digital channels as well as entertainment and lifestyle products.

With over 23 years of experience in the IT and telecommunications world, he was a telecom developer his early career in Vancouver and in Munich, as the Director of Technical Sales for Siemens, eventually becoming Director of Technical Sales in Dubai.

Samer holds a double major, a Bachelor’s of Science in Computer Engineering and in Computer Science (Telecom) from North Carolina State University.

Jacob Glick is the General Counsel of North Inc. (formerly Thalmic Labs), a scale up company based in Kitchener-Waterloo, developing and manufacturing the next generation of computers in the form of smartglasses. He is also a senior executive fellow at CIGI and a global leader on complex issues at the intersection of technology, public policy and law. Previously he served as the Chief Corporate Affairs Officer of Rogers Communications Inc., reporting directly to the CEO.

Jacob joined Rogers from Google Inc., where he was the Head of the Central Public Policy and Government Relations team, based at Google’s headquarters in California. Prior to that, he founded and led Google Canada’s Public Policy and Government Relations team.

He also served as General Counsel, Director of Policy Development and Corporate Secretary at the Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) and was a litigator with McCarthy Tétrault LLP. In 2017-2018 he was a distinguished visiting executive fellow at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Centre for Law, Technology and Society.

Jacob holds a bachelor of arts with high distinction and a bachelor of laws, both from the University of Toronto.

Claudia Krywiak is Vice President, Corporate Development, Planning and Strategic Initiatives at the Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE), a not-for-profit organization that works with industry, government, and academia to accelerate the commercialization of new technologies and drive job creation. 

At OCE, Claudia is responsible for the development and implementation of initiatives that bring together multiple levels of government, large corporations, academia and SMEs to fuel growth in emerging technology areas, such as advanced computing and artificial intelligence, connected and autonomous vehicles, 5G and next generation networks, cybersecurity, and clean technologies. 

Prior to joining OCE, Claudia held the position of Vice President, Business Development (Ontario) at Mitacs, a national research organization that funds research and training programs.

Claudia received an Hon.B.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Toronto.

Claudia serves on the Board of Directors for IBI Group Inc. a Canadian-based international professional services company consulting in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, landscape architecture, transportation, and technology. 

Alfonso has a strong track record in the design and launch of new and disruptive enterprises in the technology space and across multiple market segments. At ORION, Alfonso helps drive the organization’s strategy forward in a highly collaborative and strategic manner.

He brings his unique blend of experience in user-first service, teamwork, and strategic alliance-building to bear on solving the complex problems faced by Ontario’s research, education and innovation community.

Alfonso sits on the board of ORION’s Toronto partner, GTAnet, as well as on OCAD University’s Digital Futures Advisory Board, serving as an Adjunct Professor in this graduate program. He serves as a Volunteer Mentor and Entrepreneur in Residence, supporting teams and companies at Ryerson University’s Digital Media Zone (DMZ), Communitech and MaRS. He previously held a similar role at Deloitte, after co-founding several technology-based companies over the last 20 years.

 Amy MacLeod is a seasoned tech sector executive, thought leader and trusted advisor to business and public leaders, with 25 years in Ottawa’s political and private sectors where she has served as the senior communications executive and spokesperson for multiple organizations. A member of the Mitel executive leadership team, in 2018 Amy was appointed to her current position as the company’s first Corporate Diversity Officer. 

An agile business leader, strategic communicator and messaging architect, Amy specializes in translating complex business, financial, and technical developments into global communications programs and messaging frameworks that support strategic priorities. Her expertise spans all aspects of stakeholder communications, both external and internal, from M&A, strategic issues management, corporate messaging, analyst, government, and public relations, and executive and employee communications. 

Prior to joining Mitel, Amy held senior communications roles at General Dynamics Canada, Alcatel-Lucent, and Newbridge Networks. She started her career in the political sector as a senior staffer for a Member of Parliament. Amy currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Kanata North Business Association. 

Amy earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Waterloo (Ontario, Canada). She also completed post-degree studies in law and history from Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada) and the Executive Development Marketing Program at Queen’s University. 

As Chief Commercial Officer at CloudOps, Marc is responsible for driving new revenue in addition to managing the growing product offerings. With over fifteen years of experience in information technology, Marc has a strong background in product management, sales, marketing, and web operations. Prior to joining CloudOps in 2012, he worked in cloud networking solutions at Citrix and he held various business and technical roles throughout ten years at Coradiant.

Avvey Peters is Chief Strategy Officer with Communitech. She focuses on strategic planning, communications, advocacy, and partnership development to advance the Waterloo Region tech sector. Avvey is also cross appointed as Managing Director of the Canadian Digital Media Network – a group of 26 innovation hubs across Canada, which focus on supporting the growth and success of small and mid-sized digital companies across the country.

Before joining Communitech in 2007, Avvey spent seven years working in external relations at the University of Waterloo, where she held various roles, including senior director of government relations, associate director of communications and public affairs, and speechwriter and strategic communications officer for the president of the University. She has also worked as a news writer for CTV Southwestern Ontario. Avvey is a former executive director of the Business & Education Partnership of Waterloo Region, a charitable organization that connects youth to careers, with particular emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She is a member of the boards of directors of Waterloo Economic Development Corporation, and the Technology Councils of North America.

Avvey holds a Master of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, and a degree in Rhetoric and Professional Writing from the University of Waterloo. She has also completed the Ivey Executive Program at the Richard Ivey School of Business.

As President and CEO of Martello Technologies, John oversees corporate direction & strategy, to grow the business and ensure the company’s position as a global industry leader.

A respected senior ICT executive, Mr. Proctor brings more than eight years of experience driving strategic initiatives that build businesses. Prior to his work in the private sector, Mr. Proctor served for more than twenty years in the Canadian and British Forces. On entering the private sector he has served in multiple roles, including Vice President, Global Cyber Security at CGI, where he was responsible for the company’s strategic vision on Cyber Security. John is also a very active member of the ICT community, including sitting on the ICT advisory board for Government Affairs Canada and also the CATA Cyber Council.

As Vice President of Venture Development at Invest Ottawa, Nick leads all programming and support for start-ups, early stage and growth companies alike, while supporting Ottawa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem as a whole. Under Nick’s leadership, Invest Ottawa launched the IO Accelerator in 2018. Previously at CellWand, Nick was co-founder and CEO, where he drove all development, strategy and execution, while pioneering the use of abbreviated dialing codes in North America with the award winning #TAXI (Pound Taxi) service and subsequently in the mobile transportation space, with The Ride app.  Highlights of Nick’s accomplishments include raising several million in capital, closing industry first deals with every major wireless carrier in North America and architecting a marketing strategy that has created #TAXI as a national brand used over 16 million times, while propelling CellWand to millions in revenue and profitability.

CellWand won numerous business and innovation awards, including the 2010 Canada’s Top 10 Competition for Technology, Named one of the Hottest Innovation Companies in Canada, and one of the top 10 Wireless Companies to watch by IDC. Nick is currently a CEO in Residence and Executive Mentor at Telfer School of Management and has also served as a guest lecturer, business pitch judge and panel member at various business and entrepreneurial conferences and events. Nick graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Commerce with Honours in Marketing at the University of Ottawa in 1993. In 2009, Nick received the Young Achievers Alumni Award from the Telfer School of Management. In 2003, he was named to the Ottawa Business Journal’s Top Forty Under 40 and was a judge for the same award for ten years.

Sonya Shorey, Vice President of Marketing and Communications with Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards, is a communications executive and management consultant with more than 19 years of leadership experience with private and public technology and innovation-based organizations. She specializes in corporate and communications strategy development and execution that achieves results. For example, since 2005, Sonya has led, strategized, authored and/or made a significant contribution to successful funding proposals valued at more than $123 million from municipal, provincial, federal and international governments. These complex, multi-year projects often engage multiple stakeholders; leverage additional matching contributions from the private sector; and enable funding recipients to achieve increased impact.

Sonya launched her career as the Manager of Communications and Member of the Vice-Presidential Cabinet with the 10G Organization of Optical Networks for Nortel from 1999 to 2002, and then served as the Director of Marketing Communications for CMC Microsystems until 2007.  Building on a decade of experience, Sonya launched her own strategy company in 2008, addressing the needs of S&T organizations, innovation, entrepreneurship and economic development agencies across Canada, and their partners around the world. She volunteers as a mentor for MindTrust and TiE Ottawa; as a leader for the Ottawa Women Build initiative of Habitat for Humanity; and as a steering committee member for flagship technology and entrepreneurship conferences such as Impact AI and TiECon Canada.  Sonya holds a Bachelor of Arts, Combined Honours in English and Political Science from Carleton University, and has received nine international awards for her work in communications.

Geoff Sullivan is a seasoned technologist and marketer who specializes in cloud infrastructure, networking and telecommunications. Geoff is currently the Head of Marketing for Juniper Network’s business in Canada, the Caribbean and Latin America, where he leads a team of marketers focused on growing Juniper’s enterprise and service provider business by evangelizing cloud networking and automation. Geoff also advises several Canadian ICT companies in technical and go-to-market capacities.