Keynote speaker – NABEELA ELSAYED
Executive Leader & Coach, Former Walmart COO invites us to:

“Reimagine Success: A Holistic Approach to Personal & Professional Fulfillment”

The world is different and continues to change rapidly. Traditional definitions of success and doing business no longer apply. Where is our place in this world? It’s time to challenge how things have been done, welcome paradigm shifts and new ways of thinking that align with your core values, both personally and professionally. Drawing on Nabeela’s rich experience with global brands, such as Walmart, IKEA and Starbucks, collaborations with thousands of individuals, insights from scientific studies and two decades as an esteemed executive leader, learn and be inspired on possibility and opportunity in today’s ever-changing world.

Following her keynote presentation, Nabeela joins Panel…

Moderator: JO-ANN MCARTHUR, President Nourish Marketing

Esteemed Panel: Industry Leaders & Specialists share, inspire, to enrich & empower!

The conversation continues, exploring different perspectives and pathways from a retailer, innovative career paths, emerging and corporate standpoint…

What can we all do?

AMY PROULX, PHD

Professor, Academic Program Coordinator

Niagara College

Nabeela Elsayed has accumulated remarkable experience and accomplishments across operations, human resources, organizational transformations, and technology. She has received notable awards, including recognition by the Globe and the Mail’s Top 50 Executives, WXN’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, and HRD’s Global 100 HR leaders.

Professionally, Nabeela’s career includes 20 years of leadership roles across operations, corporate affairs, human resources, strategy, and technology at three of the world’s most recognized brands: Walmart, IKEA, and Starbucks Coffee. Most recently, Nabeela held the role of Chief Operations Officer at Walmart Canada, supporting over 400+ stores, 1.5 million customers, and 100,000 associates nationwide. Before becoming the Chief Operations Officer, Nabeela held the role of CHRO, leading human resources and corporate affairs and communication. Nabeela was previously Head of Digital Transformation at Ingka, leading IKEA’s digital and retail transformation globally across 41 countries.

Jo-Ann spent her first career client-side, successfully connecting brands with consumers and retailers at Procter & Gamble, Unilever, and Cadillac Fairview. Then, as a divisional President of Molson Coors, and a member of its North America Management Board, she led the charge to sell more beer more profitably.

Now leading the agency she co-founded, Jo-Ann continues to build powerful strategies for food and beverage products in Canada, the US, and Europe. She works hands-on with the Nourish Team, guiding the creation and execution of marketing plans that move products off shelves, into consumers’ shopping baskets, and, perhaps most importantly, into their hearts. Nourish also helps bridge the gap between farmers and consumers to foster genuine conversations around sustainability.

Sam Renovato (she/her) is responsible for leading the growth of Ingredion’s global DEI strategy in partnership with the Talent Acquisition, Culture and Communications teams. She supports the development, management, and implementation of Ingredion’s diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy to help Ingredion grow and evolve in our DEI journey. Sam also provides subject matter expertise and thought leadership through consulting and the use of data analytics and evidence-based best practices to cultivate results.

Sam has a wealth of experience from various areas of DEI and HR. Most recently from Ferrara, a cookies and candy company, where she led several DEI initiatives, including transforming its Business Resource Groups, and launching the company’s first formal mentoring program. Prior to Ferrara, Sam served at Nielsen, where she worked in her most recent role in Talent Acquisition, overseeing the company’s operations, metrics, and key diversity partnerships. Prior to this, she led university relations and D&I analytics for Nielsen.

Sam holds a bachelor’s degree in human resources and psychology from Lewis University. She is a Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement (HACE) Leadership Academy graduate and earned her Professional in Human Resources certificate. Sam was featured in Hispanic Executive “Samantha Renovato Advances Diversity with Data” and “Next GenLideres Chicago Talent to Watch”. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, Sam grew up in Aurora, Illinois.

Stephanie is a retail professional with a decade of experience in operations, merchandising, and inclusive sourcing. She has a deep understanding and perspective on the challenges facing diverse suppliers. As the Supplier Diversity Manager for Sobeys, Stephanie is passionate about creating access and opportunities for women-owned businesses to succeed and is committed to expanding a culture and mindset for supplier diversity in Canada’s food industry.

Dr. Amy Proulx is Professor and Academic Program Coordinator of Culinary Innovation and Food Technology at Niagara College Canada. Her academic specialization is in innovation and change management practices for food safety and food manufacturing systems. She is the founder of the National Technology Access Centre for Food and Beverage Innovation at Niagara College, which supports small business capacity building for innovation. Her current research focuses on curriculum development and CBET application for agriculture and food skills development for the climate change transformation. She has past projects in Vietnam, Jamaica, Cambodia and Peru. She has served the Canadian skills development sector with national leadership with Food Processing Skills Canada and the Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. She is a senior mentor with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization World Food Forum and a graduate of UNESCO’s Technical Education Leadership School. Outside of work, Amy’s family runs a small agroforestry farming operation in rural Niagara.

Tamara is a former banking and investment executive turned entrepreneur recognized as the winner of the Mompreneur Best Start-up of the Year award for her innovative venture, NanaShake, which she co-founded along with her husband in 2016. Tamara’s entrepreneurial spirit shines through her creation of more than 8 completely original product lines including the popular NanaPops (aka Smoothie-on-a-Stick), NanaBowls, and the Bananza showcasing her creativity and commitment to delivering innovation to the category.

NanaPops have won both the UNFI Pitch Slam Competition as well as the Sobeys Local Innovation Award in 2022 and are now available nationally across Canada at major retailer such as Sobeys, Metro, Longo’s, Whole Foods Market. Originally Toronto’s first dedicated vegan ice cream parlor, NanaShake has evolved into a CPG brand with a very clear mission: to shake up the world of ice cream with delicious, healthy and nutritious alternatives that are mainly sweetened with a base of organic bananas