The 5th Annual Waterstone Human Capital Corporate Culture Summit

The 5th Annual Corporate Culture Summit

(preceding the Canada's 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures Awards Gala on Monday, February 4th, 2013)
Location: Fairmont Royal York, Toronto

Agenda (Subject to Change):

1:00pm – 1:50pm: Keynote Presentation
A Keynote from A Champion CEO: What does it take to be a culture champion? To use culture as your guide for creating, maintaining and leading a high-performance organization, through the good and the bad? In this keynote presentation, attendees will hear from a leading CEO about how culture, within their particular organization, is a krey driver of performance and results.
Confirmed Keynote Presenter: Bruce McCuaig, President and Chief Executive Officer, Metrolinx

2:00pm – 3:00pm: Concurrent Sessions - Interactive Case Studies Featuring the Executive Teams from Canada's 10 (Mezzanine Level)
During this portion of the summit, attendees will have the opportunity to choose from one of three different and intriguing case studies, each featuring a real-life scenario from a present or former Canada’s 10 winner. The catch? After hearing about an actual case from the presenting organization, attendees will be split into groups and will be asked to come up with the answer to the following question: “what would you do?” From there, what actually took place will be revealed by the presenting executive teams.

Join us for this interactive case study discussion, where presenters and attendees will learn from one another and ultimately walk away with fresh perspectives and hands-on advice.

Case Study A: Cineplex Entertainment- Transformation Case Study

Presented by: Heather Briant, Senior Vice President, Human Resources; and, Dess Wood, Executive Director, Talent Development, Cineplex Entertainment LP

Cineplex is Canada’s largest theatre exhibition company with close to 70% market share, with diversified growing businesses such as digital media, gaming and food service. With record results it would easy to become complacent, allowing the competition an opportunity to take advantage. Ellis Jacob, Cineplex’s CEO, determined to keep Cineplex limber, brings the idea of Transformation Cineplex to his executive team. The objective? To bring new leading edge ideas and improvements to grow both the existing and new businesses. In order to do this the organization would have to have a no holds barred self-review on how we run our current businesses and how we generate ideas for future innovations. Could we: Do it Better? Do it Differently? Source it Better? And Drive Value?

It is well documented that some of the best ideas come from all levels within an organization and often from the “front lines”. How would the executive team bring this concept of Transformation to both the offices and the theatres, spread out across Canada? How could they not only share this concept, but truly involve all levels in coming up with ideas and be passionate about executing these ideas?

Case Study B: The Descartes Systems Group - Unbridled Focus on Delivering Results for Customers as One Learning Team

Presented by: Art Mesher, Chairman and CEO, The Descartes Systems Group Inc.

With over $50 million in losses in the previous year, Descartes was running out of time and money. The company had gone six years without a profitable quarter, was in significant debt, and with very unhappy customers, had a crippling days sales outstanding (DSO) of 150 days. Cash reserves were dwindling and after losing the trust of shareholders and customers, Descartes would not survive the year without significant change. How would a new CEO and management team turn things around to not only survive, but thrive?

3:00pm – 3:20pm: BREAK (Mezzanine Level)

3:20pm – 4:30pm: Concurrent Sessions (Mezzanine Level)
Session A: President and CEO Roundtable - The War for Talent in North America

The myriad of new and challenging issues surrounding the recruitment and retention of people in 2013 is the topic at hand for this special discussion between C-Suite executives from the Canada’s 10 program. Whether it’s the Baby Boomers hitting retirement age, the use of social media by current and future employees, Millennials moving from organization to organization and what it takes to keep them retained, or, how to find and motivate a more discerning talent pool that are looking to fit with their preferred culture, this session will focus not only on airing concerns but also on seeking solutions.

Questions for the roundtable include:

How have we adapted our human capital systems to solve the most pressing issues facing recruitment and retention?
What kinds of long-term recruitment and retention plans are the smartest for dealing with the demographic challenges that lay ahead?
It has been said that 86% of miss-hires are based on fit. How is your organization ensuring that it is recruiting to fit? What specifically is working and what isn’t?

Leading the session will be Marty Parker, CEO and Chairman of executive search firm Waterstone Human Capital, and Chair of the Canada’s 10 Program; David Kinley, President, Waterstone and Vice-Chair of Canada’s 10; and, Heather Connelly, Managing Director, Broader Public Sector Practice, Waterstone. Canada’s 10 Vice-Chair Alexander Younger, the President and CEO of Design Lab, will also join in leading the session.

Join us for this informative and interactive roundtable, where attendees will have the unique opportunity to meet, discuss and tap into the knowledge and expertise of their Canada’s 10 colleagues.

Session B: Panel Discussion – How Culture Drives Engagement
Culture Champions know that an engaged work force translates into success on all fronts, and they will spend time, energy and resources finding ways to drive that engagement. In this panel discussion, senior HR, people and talent leaders from Canada’s 10 will share their insights on how they have aligned culture within their organizations.

Panellists:

Richard Beed, HR VP TELUS Talent Solutions, TELUS
Debbie Fischer, Senior Vice President, Organizational Development and Special Projects, Mount Sinai Hospital
Nola Joorisity, Managing Director & Chief Financial Officer, Greystone Managed Investments Inc.
Kim Madigan, Vice President, Human Resources, CN
Leslie Sarauer, Sr. Director, Organizational Development & Corporate HR, Agrium

Join us for a frank discussion on what’s worked and what hasn’t, and which efforts are the best drivers of engagement.

4:30pm: END

5:15pm: Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures of 2012 Reception (Convention Level)

6:30pm – 9:30pm: Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures Gala (Canadian Ballroom, Convention Level)

For more information or to register, please click here or contact Mia Knezovic via email at Waterstone or call her at 416.408.4545 x234.