Team Category: Presenter

A passionate advocate for his community, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen has been proudly representing the residents of York South—Weston since 2015.

Minister Hussen is a firm believer that diversity is a fact and inclusion is a choice. During his time as the National President for the Canadian Somali Congress, he worked with national and regional authorities to advocate on important issues to Canadians of Somali heritage, which helped foster better civic engagement and integration.

We are thrilled to announce the keynote speaker for CCDI UnConference 2023, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada.

The first Indigenous governor general in Canada since Confederation, Ms. Simon has devoted her career to promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and reconciliation within the country, having engaged in public service through her roles as Ambassador for Circumpolar Affairs and Canadian Ambassador to Denmark. She has attained national and international recognition for her work on Arctic and Indigenous issues and as an advocate for Inuit rights and culture. Ms. Simon brings with her a wealth of experience in nation-to-nation dialogue and fostering cross-cultural understanding. As former President of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, she has also worked tirelessly to ensure that Indigenous voices are heard by government leaders across the country.

Ms. Simon’s commitment to human rights and championing of social justice initiatives make her an ideal keynote speaker for our CCDI UnConference theme, The future of DEI: Pause. Reflect. Project.

To be updated.

Barry is one of the original founders of the Asian Professional Network of Calgary (APNC), a volunteer organization with its mission to enhance the presence and influence of diverse and inclusive leaders who embrace cultural differences, succeed professionally, and positivelyimpactthe community.

With over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry and a public accounting firm, and having worked in Edmonton, Denver, and Calgary, Barry has a wealth of experience interacting and working with diverse employers,colleaguesand peers in various roles.

He currently is a Director of Business Development at the multinational oil and gas company ConocoPhillips where he was also involved in creating the Asian Canadian Network, one of ConocoPhillips Canada’s employee affinity groups.He hasacquireda wide range of experience in various roles over his career including mergers andacquisitions, investment appraisal, risk analysis,taxand auditing.

Dan Zaiontz is a professional communicator and author based in Toronto. He brings more than 15 years of corporate communications and fundraising experience in the Canadian private and non-profit sectors.He’sa passionate storyteller and currently serves as manager,contentand communications atFuturpreneur, a national non-profit organization that serves diverse young entrepreneurs across Canada. Dan is also a proud father of three bright, inspiring kids, Rory, Max and Samantha, and husband to Rebecca. He holds aMaster of Communications Managementfrom McMaster University and Syracuse University and was previously named aCivicActionDiverseCityFellow.

Steve Yan, Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) at BDC has over 25years’ experiencein the financial industry.

Steve’s career has spanned several sectors including retail banking, wealth management, salesandoperations, talent acquisitionandmanagement, employee experience and more recently diversity, equity,inclusionandaccessibility. As Director, DEIA, heis responsible forcreating and implementing various DEIA related strategies for BDC.

Steve has been instrumental in supporting many DEIA initiatives including the launch of a national LGBTQ2+ network, developing a leadership program for BIPOC employees,andestablishingan Indigenous talent strategy. He is also active in several LGBTQ2+ community groupsandassociations.

Tanya Wick is a transformative executive leader with a talent for building accountable work cultures and teams, and strong foundations in processes and programs to align workforce plans with business requirements. She ensures that organizations and their people are well-equipped and strongly positioned for results and sustainable growth.

As the first female executive in Tolko Industries’ 64-year history, Tanya, who has seen her role expand from Vice President, Human Resources to Vice President, People & Services, partners with executive leadership and the board of directors to shape and execute the organization’s strategic direction.

Tanya’s leadership expertise spans a wide range of operational functions, including human resources, procurement, administration, payroll, and communications.