As Co-founder and CEO, Joanne provides direction and oversight with specific emphasis on ground breaking educational environments, healthcare, research and multi-unit, high-rise, mixed-use developments. Her work is informed by vigorous research and careful client consultation, working from first principles in a way that thoughtfully translates her clients’ needs into physical reality.
Joanne founded the firm on the principles of sustainable design, quickly establishing it as a leader in the field. This passion continues to inform all that she does, including our work with business leaders, entrepreneurs, developers and our colleagues in the engineering and consulting industry. Under Joanne’s leadership, the firm remains focused on design excellence in a way that balances the social, economic and environmental sustainability of each building we create.
Joanne sits as Vice Chair on the Board of Directors for the CaGBC and she is a regular speaker, sought out nationally as a thought leader in this design specialty.
As Regional President, British Columbia, RBC Royal Bank, Martin Thibodeau leads a team of 4,000 employees in BC, dedicated to providing financial advice and services to over 1.5 million personal, small business and commercial clients.
Martin joined RBC 28 years ago, and has held a number of senior management positions that led him to travel across the country, notably as Regional President, Quebec; Regional Vice-President, Eastern New Brunswick and P.E.I.; Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer, Quebec Headquarters; Regional Vice-President, Commercial Financial Services, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and North Ontario; and Vice-President, Canadian Banking, Toronto.
An energetic, inspiring and authentic leader, Martin is very committed to his community and has dedicated his time and skills in service of a number of organizations. Martin is a Governor of the BC Business Council and is Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Cancer Research Society. He heads the Centraide/United Way campaign for financial institutions, and is outgoing Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Foundation.
Martin has received several distinctions and recognition from his peers, including the Alter-Ego Award presented by the Association des femmes en finance du Québec.
For over 25 years, Aqua-Guard Spill Response is the global leader in oil spill controls, protecting the worlds’ most precious resource, water. The Company’s patented oil skimming technology has been used to clean up spills from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico and from Egypt to China, winning innovation, business excellence and entrepreneurialism awards and recognition.
Nigel has devoted his life to environmental and social responsibility and boldly advocates for “risking it all for what really matters” among the entrepreneurial tribes to which he belongs. For 15 years, he has been an active member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and of MIT’s Gathering of Titans.
Nigel speaks and consults with entrepreneurs and young people worldwide about bringing their talents to solve some of our planet’s most pressing challenges. Whether he’s talking with business leaders, not-for-profit groups or a student audience, Nigel is committed to positive change.
Nigel and his wife, Rieko, have travelled the world with their two sons and their daughter to help develop them as global citizens. The entire Bennett family has created Kokoro Gifting Fund to raise monies in support of various charities that promote a “socially just and sustainable world”.
An active philanthropist, Nigel Bennett is author of Take That Leap: Risking It All for What Really Matters. All profit from his book sales and speaking engagements are donated 100% to organizations that support poverty alleviation, human rights, social services and the environment.
For the past 20 years, Kevin has been a key strategic advisor and coach to high-performing CEOs and business leaders around the world. He is relentless in helping them to build and maintain tremendous success in business, and a full, rich personal life.
CEOs in North America, the Middle East, India and Australia, also count on Kevin to facilitate their strategic planning sessions, to align their leadership teams, and to stay focused.
Kevin has a Coach Emeritus distinction by Gazelles International in recognition of his mastery. Using his deep knowledge of how to take a good company and how to make it great, Kevin combines his own methods with the Rockefeller Habits to help leaders, in a wide variety of sectors – from consumer-packaged goods, manufacturing, luxury retail, media, automotive and professional services – to build high-performance leadership teams, expand into new markets, attract profitable customers, and increase productivity and profits.
Ernie Philip joined the Canadian leadership team of Medline in May 2017. Prior to his current success at Medline, Ernie held various leadership roles at Xerox including Director of Marketing and Director of Large Enterprise.
As Vice President of New Business Development at Xerox, Ernie was responsible for new logo sales acquisition and managed sales teams across Canada.
And most recently as Senior Vice President of Xerox, Ernie managed the services cost base to drive growth and was responsible for GTM, M&A, marketing strategies, P&L and talent for the services business.
Medline is a global manufacturer and distributor of medical products and acquired Medical Mart in March 2016.
Dr. John Izzo has been a pioneer on creating successful businesses and emerging work trends for over twenty-five years. Izzo was a pioneer on employee engagement and social responsibility with his book Awakening Corporate Soul (1994), a trail blazer on shifting generational values when he wrote Values Shift-The New Work Ethic (2000), showed how individuals shape the future with Stepping Up (2014) and now is blazing a new trail showing business why a rising class of people worldwide will shape the economy of the future with his forthcoming book The Purpose Revolution. This rising class is not one of nationality, income, race or gender but one that aspires to have a good life while doing good.
He has spoken to over one million people, advised over 500 companies, authored six bestselling books and helped some of the world’s most admired companies. Known for his compelling combination of leading edge research, riveting storytelling, practical ideas to make a difference starting now and a keen sense of where the future is going your organization will leave inspired and ready to act. His clients have included IBM, Qantas, the Mayo Clinic, Verizon, RBC, TELUS, Westjet, DuPont, Humana, Microsoft and McDonalds.
Dr. Lance Secretan is a pioneering philosopher and corporate advisor whose bestselling books, inspirational talks, and life-changing retreats have touched the hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. He is the author of 21 books about leadership, inspiration, corporate culture and entrepreneurship as well as an award-winning memoir, A Love Story. His latest book is The Bellwether Effect. Lance is a riveting speaker and is acknowledged globally as one of our most insightful and original leadership teachers. He is the former CEO of a Fortune 100 company, university professor, award-winning columnist, poet, author and outdoor athlete. He coaches and advises leaders globally (he is ranked among both The Top 30 Most Influential Executive Coaches and The Top 30 Most Influential Leadership Experts globally), and guides leadership teams who wish to transform their culture into the most inspirational in their industries.
Individuals, entire organizations, cities and states have experienced remarkable transformations through his unique mentoring, coaching, wisdom and approach. He has helped 6 companies to be named to Fortune’s Best Companies to Work for in America list, and 8 others are also his clients, and 30 Secretan Center clients are on Fortune’s Most Admired Companies list. Speakers in America ranks him among the Top Five Leadership speakers and his firm, The Secretan Center, Inc., is ranked #1 in the world as an international Leadership Consulting firm by Leadership Excellence.
Dr. Secretan is the recipient of many other awards, including the International Caring Award, whose previous winners include, Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, President Jimmy Carter and Dr. Desmond Tutu. He is a forum Chair at MacKay CEO Forums, current Chair of the Pay it Forward Foundation, and former Chair of the Advisory Board of the Special Olympics World Winter Games. He is an expert skier, kayaker and mountain biker, and he divides his time between Ontario, Canada and the Colorado Rockies.
Dr. Lance Secretan is a pioneering philosopher and corporate advisor whose bestselling books, inspirational talks, and life-changing retreats have touched the hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. He is the author of 21 books about leadership, inspiration, corporate culture and entrepreneurship as well as an award-winning memoir, A Love Story. His latest book is The Bellwether Effect. Lance is a riveting speaker and is acknowledged globally as one of our most insightful and original leadership teachers. He is the former CEO of a Fortune 100 company, university professor, award-winning columnist, poet, author and outdoor athlete. He coaches and advises leaders globally (he is ranked among both The Top 30 Most Influential Executive Coaches and The Top 30 Most Influential Leadership Experts globally), and guides leadership teams who wish to transform their culture into the most inspirational in their industries.
Individuals, entire organizations, cities and states have experienced remarkable transformations through his unique mentoring, coaching, wisdom and approach. He has helped 6 companies to be named to Fortune’s Best Companies to Work for in America list, and 8 others are also his clients, and 30 Secretan Center clients are on Fortune’s Most Admired Companies list. Speakers in America ranks him among the Top Five Leadership speakers and his firm, The Secretan Center, Inc., is ranked #1 in the world as an international Leadership Consulting firm by Leadership Excellence.
Dr. Secretan is the recipient of many other awards, including the International Caring Award, whose previous winners include, Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, President Jimmy Carter and Dr. Desmond Tutu. He is a forum Chair at MacKay CEO Forums, current Chair of the Pay it Forward Foundation, and former Chair of the Advisory Board of the Special Olympics World Winter Games. He is an expert skier, kayaker and mountain biker, and he divides his time between Ontario, Canada and the Colorado Rockies.