August 18, 2025
Announcing the 2025 Tech Horizons Executive Forum
WatSPEED’s award-winning flagship event returns to explore how bold leadership and transformative technologies are redefining businesses
In a world marked by relentless technological change, economic volatility and global complexity, optimism is no longer just a mindset — it’s a strategic advantage. Today’s leaders must not only respond to disruption but harness it to fuel reinvention and growth.
On November 10, the University of Waterloo’s Tech Horizons Executive Forum, presented by WatSPEED and hosted by CIBC, will return to CIBC Square in Toronto. This exclusive, one-day event will convene Fortune 500 leaders, innovators and policy influencers for candid, high-impact conversations on the future of leadership, technology and business strategy.
“Technology is no longer just transforming industries — it’s creating entirely new markets, leadership models and opportunities,” says Sanjeev Gill, associate vice-president, Innovation at Waterloo. “The Tech Horizons Executive Forum delivers a new leadership playbook that embraces change, activates innovation and helps leaders turn complexity into competitive advantage.”
Tailored for senior leaders and executives, the Forum offers a powerful blend of inspiring keynotes, provocative panels and interactive sessions designed to unlock new thinking on how to lead with agility and harness technology for organizational success. Through a unique blend of cutting-edge business and academic insights, attendees will gain actionable strategies on how to navigate uncertainty, adopt emerging technologies and lead through disruption with confidence.
This year’s theme, Leadership Unleashed: Harnessing Technology to Outpace Uncertainty, challenges executives to rethink their role in shaping the future. Beyond reacting to change, today’s leaders must architect it by adopting new technologies, building adaptive organizations and accelerating growth with vision and agility.
Attendees will hear from Frank Baylis, executive chairman of the board at Baylis Medical Technologies; Linda Hasenfratz, executive chair of Linamar Corporation; Christian Exshaw, group head at CIBC Capital Markets; Rex Lee, CITO, Canadian Tire; Matt Lyteson, CIO, Technology Programs at IBM; Farhan Thawar, vice-president and head of engineering at Shopify, and many others. World-renowned experts from Waterloo will also share the groundbreaking technological innovations and research reshaping industries and accelerating reinvention. Together, they will showcase how innovation can be harnessed to navigate change, scale impact and shape the future.
Key topics for 2025 include:
- Technology as a growth catalyst: How to use emerging tech not just to manage disruption, but to enter new markets and future-proof your organization.
- Lessons in reinvention: What resilient industries can teach us about agility, customer-centricity and scaling through uncertainty.
- Canada’s innovation imperative: How bold leadership can position Canadian enterprises to compete globally — by investing in talent, tech adoption and strategic partnerships.
Now in its third year and recognized with multiple awards, the Tech Horizons Executive Forum continues to grow in scope and impact. More than 300 senior leaders are expected to attend, creating opportunities to share insights, spark collaboration and shape the future of Canadian innovation.
Tickets for the Forum are now on sale. To learn more or register, visit the Tech Horizons Executive Forum website.
