Archive · 2025

Agenda 2025

The full programme from the 2025 Summit, kept here for reference. The 2026 agenda will be published closer to the event.

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Opening

8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Registration

North Building, Level 100, MTCC

9:15 – 9:20 AM

Event host and opening remarks

Adrienne Fish, Event Host · SK Uddin, Founder, CanadianSME

Conference Hall, Room 107 — Constitutional Halls

9:20 – 9:25 AM

Pre-recorded remarks

The Hon. Evan Solomon, Minister of AI and Digital Innovation

Conference Hall, Room 107

9:25 – 9:30 AM

Welcome remarks by RBC

Karen Svendsen, Senior Director, Small Business Client and Partnerships, RBC

Conference Hall, Room 107

Keynotes

9:30 – 9:45 AM

More focus, less friction: how small teams get big things done

Andrew Turner, Amazon Business

Conference Hall, Room 107

9:45 – 10:00 AM

Digital transformation in logistics to facilitate growth and navigate evolving regulations

Paul Gaspar, UPS Canada

Conference Hall, Room 107

10:00 – 10:15 AM

AI for small business: empowering people and operations

Mohamed Basma, ADP Canada

Conference Hall, Room 107

10:15 – 10:30 AM

Managing risk in a changing world

Melisa Nepravishta, Co-operators

Conference Hall, Room 107

10:30 – 10:45 AM

Become the leader they need you to be

Robert Gauvreau, Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory

Conference Hall, Room 107

11:30 – 11:45 AM

Unlock your wealth and growth potential by knowing the true value of your business

Dan Scepanovic, Scepanovic & Associates IG Private Wealth

Conference Hall, Room 107

11:45 AM – 12:00 PM

Fireside chat: the economic revolution is here — get your business ready

Pierre Cléroux and Sabrina Gollnow, BDC

Conference Hall, Room 107

12:00 – 12:15 PM

Critical skills for an AI-influenced workplace

Phil Vokins, Intel

Conference Hall, Room 107

12:15 – 12:30 PM

Take your business to the next level: how Bell is partnering with small businesses

Melissa Morison, Bell

Conference Hall, Room 107

1:15 – 1:30 PM

Air Canada — supporting Canadian SMEs

Bradley Sutherland, Air Canada

Conference Hall, Room 107

1:30 – 1:45 PM

Authentication in the generative AI era

Luis Santos, Auth0 by Okta

Conference Hall, Room 107

1:45 – 2:00 PM

Keeping your business safe in a world that's always watching

Yegor Sak, Control D

Conference Hall, Room 107

2:15 – 2:30 PM

AI for small business is less sci-fi, more ROI

Yves Millette, Harvest / FBC

Conference Hall, Room 107

Panels

10:45 – 11:30 AM

Building success through stories: Canadian Rising Stars help inspire business growth

Moderator: Kinda Hejeili, Amazon Ads · Justin Osborne, Jake Karam, Rebecca Prime

Conference Hall, Room 107

12:30 – 1:15 PM

Tech foundations for growth: cloud, automation and cybersecurity in the modern SME

Moderator: Dr. Georgette Zinaty · Monifa Brooks, Nishant Raina, Justin Cook, Peter Garthside

Conference Hall, Room 107

2:30 – 3:15 PM

Competing on innovation: how Canadian SMEs can thrive in a global tech economy

Moderator: Kree Govender, Microsoft Canada · Robert Gauvreau, Michelle Biase, Carolyn Mullin, Jamie McNicol, Cinzia Bazzo

Conference Hall, Room 107

3:15 – 4:15 PM

AI for every human: simple, intuitive tools that empower small businesses

Moderator: Kristin Wozniak, Cosmo5 · Myles Harrison, Herman Wong, Sal Rezai, Andreina Delgado

Conference Hall, Room 107

Workshops — Area A

10:15 – 10:45 AM

The future of work: how Microsoft 365, Copilot and AI transform your business

Michael Sirota, Rational Business Solutions

Area A

10:45 – 11:30 AM

Tax tips all founders must know

Stefanie Ricchio, CPA, CGA

Area A

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Risk ready: building your first risk register

Sohaib Syed, Solarisk Consulting

Area A

12:00 – 12:30 PM

Digital means business: how to scale, connect and compete online

Wade Kuiken-Rogers, IAB Canada

Area A

12:45 – 1:15 PM

Fifty bucks a day: unlocking profits, customers and freedom through digital marketing

Cory York, Webware.ai

Area A

1:30 – 2:00 PM

Measure what matters: optimizing your Amazon Ads performance

Ritu Java, PPC Ninja

Area A

2:15 – 2:45 PM

Cracking the code: the entrepreneur's guide to the ultimate tax plan

Robert Gauvreau, Gauvreau Accounting Tax Law Advisory

Area A

3:00 – 3:30 PM

Smart automation + real-data AI: transforming Canadian SMEs

Anton Tchernikovsky, Customerization

Area A

3:45 – 4:15 PM

Be the mentor you wish you had: give back, lead, connect

Serge Richard Petit Frère, Futurpreneur

Area A

Workshops — Room 104D

10:45 – 11:30 AM

From traction to growth — how small businesses scale

Christine Crandell, Innovation Cluster

Room 104D, Level 100

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Introduction to federal procurement and the IDEaS program

Nujhat Bashir and Imanzi Kayitare, Procurement Assistance Canada

Room 104D, Level 100

12:00 – 12:30 PM

Time is money: how ambitious SMBs reclaim hours to focus on growth

Joanne Snow, Net at Work

Room 104D, Level 100

12:45 – 1:15 PM

Dominating Google Maps: a local business guide to winning in search

Kyle Sutton, Page Pros

Room 104D, Level 100

1:30 – 2:00 PM

Say aloha to smarter business: reviews, calls and hires on autopilot

Lorne Shantz, Aloha AI

Room 104D, Level 100

3:00 – 3:30 PM

AI meets tariffs: smarter trade decisions in a complex global market

Kyle Peacock, Peacock Tariff Consulting · Edward Johnson, PRAKTIKAI

Room 104D, Level 100

3:45 – 4:15 PM

Take market share from the giants: AI and automation playbook for SMBs

Mohannad El-Barachi, Wrk.com

Room 104D, Level 100