Agenda

Registration and networking

Opening remarks

• Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo
• Rob Palter, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company

• Dominic Barton, Chancellor, University of Waterloo and Chairman, Leapfrog Investments and Rio Tinto

Understanding technological change; opportunities in the age of AI disruption

Economist and policy thought leader, Joël Blit, examines the way disruptive technologies are impacting the future of work and considers what it will mean for the next generation of talent. 

• Joël Blit (MASc ’99), Professor of Economics, University of Waterloo

Spotlight: Gen Z talent

Gen Z researcher, David Drewery, shares brand new research from the University of Waterloo’s Work-Learn Institute that captures the core values driving tomorrow’s leaders and what employers will need to consider to attract and retain them.

• David Drewery (PhD ’22), Associate Director, Work-Learn Institute, University of Waterloo

The experiential education imperative in a changing world

Leader of the world’s largest co-operative education program at a research-intensive university, Norah McRae, speaks with students whose experiential education has defined their future pathways in impactful and inspiring ways. 

• Norah McRae, Associate Provost, Co-operative and Experiential Education, University of Waterloo

• Darren Harry Baine, Honours Biology Student, University of Waterloo and Founder, Young Eye Initiative

• Stephanie Davis, Master of Public Service Student, University of Waterloo

Spotlight: Co.Lab

Co.Lab founders Helen Huang and Sefunmi Osinaike found their entrepreneurial feet in Waterloo’s co-op program and have since been named to the prestigious Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. Their company is a hands-on digital training and mentorship program for people from all walks of life who want to break into tech.

• Helen Huang (BSc ’17), Co-founder, Co.Lab

• Sefunmi Osinaike (BASc ’17), Co-founder, Co.Lab

Spotlight: Laying the foundations of an innovative mindset

Velocity’s Ben Graham is engaging students in new ways to expand how they find and tackle problems. Find out how Foundations is empowering students to take on important challenges with confidence. 

• Ben Graham (BA ’17), Problem Lab Manager, Velocity, University of Waterloo

The new entrepreneurial mindset

Global business leader and University of Waterloo chancellor, Dominic Barton, speaks with next-gen founders who are channeling an entrepreneurial mindset to address real, social and economic challenges across the globe.

• Dominic Barton, Chancellor, University of Waterloo and Chairman, Leapfrog Investments and Rio Tinto
• Kelly Zheng (BASc ‘ 19), MBET/PhD candidate Mechatronics, Robotics and Automation Engineering, University of Waterloo and Co-founder, Coastal Carbon
• Miraal Kabir, Computer Science Student, University of Waterloo and Co-founder, Safi
• Christy Lee, Biomedical Engineering Student, University of Waterloo and Co-founder, Patient Companion

Velocity Impact Report

Sharing the inaugural Velocity Impact Report, Executive Director Adrien Côté reveals how Velocity founders go further, faster. Hear how the optimal environment and a constant network of motivation and expertise result in the world’s strongest leaders and business builders.

• Adrien Côté, Executive Director, Velocity, University of Waterloo

Co-creating the future with next-gen talent

President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Waterloo, Vivek Goel, is joined in conversation by students who are disrupting traditional models of learning and collaboration. Consider how modern universities can learn from and be inspired by students who are thinking in bold, new ways. 

• Vivek Goel, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Waterloo
• Jocelyne Murphy, Systems Design Engineering Student, University of Waterloo and Co-founder, UWStartup
• Anson Yu, Systems Design Engineering Student, University of Waterloo and Co-founder, UWStartup

Closing and departure