Tech for Canada: People & Culture / ‘HR Tech’ (Tools and Methods): CPOs, CHROs
Toronto Tech Week: Day 5 / For CPOs, CHROs and other People and Culture leaders
Geo-distributed workforces, remote-first organizations, digital communications and virtual workspace, staff churn, mercenary fractional teams... there is no shortage of 'new' ways for companies to source, engage and retain their staff.
This programme will consider corporate cultures and evolving organizational behaviour in a way that enables proactive and positive thinking within HR practices.
We'll look at tools that help, and review case studies where companies have strengthened their culture - despite pressures to grow teams and perform at a global-best level.
Expect honest perspectives, engaging conversation and the change to really connect with new people and form alliances which can help your business succeed.
Speakers
Sarah Blackmore VP of Operations and Head of People & Culture at Riipen
Martin Hauck Founder, The People People Group
Rachel Wong Co-Founder - Monday Girl
Istiana Bestari Co-founder, Monday Girl
Jeremy Shaki Co-Founder and CEO of Lighthouse Labs
Anuj Rastogi Managing Director at BackStretch
Marianne Bulger Partner at True | Executive Search & Network Intelligence
Chris Stefanyk Head of Revenue & Operations at Disco
Agenda:
10:00 - 10:30 - Registration, Coffee & Socializing
10:30 - 11:15 Bridging the Gap Between Education & Employment For Students - Fireside Chat Sarah Blackmore (Riipen), Qasim Virjee
11:15 - 11:30 - Break
11:30 - 12:15 Architecting Success: How To Build An A Player Team From Scratch - Fireside Chat Anuj Rastogi (Backstretch), Marianne Bulger (True)
12:30 - 1:30 - Lunch (offsite, venue TBD)
1:30 - 2:00 - Coffee
2:00 - 2:45 How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Keep Talent Engaged - Fireside Chat Simon De Baene (Workleap), Qasim Virjee
2:45 - 3:00 - Break
3:00 - 3:45 Peer Based Career Development: Monday Girl, A Case Study - Fireside Chat Rachel Wong + Istiana Bestari (Monday Girl), Qasim Virjee
3:45 - 4:15
"Use What You Have" - A Panel On Reskilling and Upskilling - Fireside Chat
Martin Hauck (The People People Group), Jeremy Shaki (Lighthouse Labs + UVARO), Chris Stefanyk (Disco), Qasim Virjee
4:15 - 6:00 - Snacks, Drinks & Socializinga
Supporters of People & Culture Day
Riipen is the leading marketplace for work-integrated experiential learning, connecting students, educators, and employers to bridge the gap between education and employment.
Workleap is the AI-powered talent management platform that keeps HR moving forward to boost engagement and develop top performers.
Disco is the AI-powered learning platform that helps People teams create, deliver, and scale high-impact programs to upskill, boost engagement, and prepare their organizations for the future of work.
Community partners for this event:
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Join us at StartWell for a gathering of Canadian business leaders during the 2025 Toronto Tech Week.
This 5 day conference can be attended on a per-day basis or for the entire week. Each day is a single track focused on marketing, revenue/sales, finance, leadership and growth, plus human resources (people & culture.)
More info: https://startwell.co/pages/tech-for-canada-conference-2025
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We are officially part of Toronto Tech Week 2025, a weeklong citywide collection of events to connect and celebrate the builders. June 23 → June 27, 2025 | torontotechweek.com.