Toronto

Featured Speaker(s)

Arlene McDonald is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience leading major initiatives across a range of portfolios. She is currently the Chief Information Officer at Farrow-a customs, trade compliance and logistics organization-leading digital transformation and corporate systems. Arlene has previously served as Vice President, Corporate Services and Risk Management at PointClickCare, a market leader in web-based electronic health records, Director of Information Technology Services at the Region of Waterloo, Manager of IT Operations at Georgian College as well as professor at Georgian and Conestoga College.

Since 2018, Arlene has been on the board of directors of the CIO Association of Canada-the nation's only professional association for IT executives focused on education, networking, and knowledge-sharing. She's an active member of her community as a hockey coach for her children's teams and Rotary Club member.

Shari Wallace-Chief Information Officer and Business Transformation Consultant

Shari is a CIO and business transformation strategist with over thirty years' experience of successfully implementing large-scale technology programs in complex, change-resistant organizations.

She has worked in both the public and the private sectors, in industries as diverse as municipal government, telecommunications, banking, and oil and gas.
During her career, Shari has managed all aspects of the IT portfolio: from strategic planning and governance through day-to-day operations and service delivery.

She is passionate about technology and data and their potential to drive business results and transform the customer and employee experience.

Helen Wetherley Knight's passion for IT ignited when she learned to program at the age of 9. Now with over 20 year's experience as a visionary and strategist, Helen leads award-winning significant and meaningful technology transformations across Canada. Extensive work experience and an unending thirst for knowledge (MBA, PMP, Prosci) are the backbone of her ability to influence, design, solve problems, and implement effective strategic change. Helen leads organizations large and small to realize the promise of technology. In her spare time, Helen runs TechforSocialGood.ca as a support hub for nonprofits wanting to learn better ways to work, and is the President of the Calgary Chapter of the CIO Association of Canada.

Madeleyne Vivanco is an experienced Global IT Executive with more than 25-years of progressive leadership experience delivering business value through the definition and execution of meaningful strategies and enterprise capabilities. Her professional background has allowed her to enjoy multiple positions both globally and domestically in complex large and mid-size organizations across different industries. She is highly skilled in optimizing operating structures and capabilities in large organizations across different geographies. A highly effective and respected leader who provides a vision to engage and energize large, diverse teams with a focus on results.

Currently, as Vice President of IT & CIO at Parian Logistics, an affiliate of Stern Partners, Madeleyne is driving operational efficiencies through the centralization and integration of digital technologies and operations across the Retailing portfolio of Stern Partner companies: Warehouse One, Urban Barn, Comark (Bootlegger, Ricki's, and cleo), Auld Phillips, and Western Glove Works. She also serves as a Board Director of the CIO Association of Canada accountable for the Mentoring & Development program of the Toronto Chapter.

In her former position as IT Vice President & CIO at Numeris, she leveraged her expertise to transform IT into a business value-driven and customer-centric organization.

She enjoyed various positions at Procter & Gamble for over 20+ years of her career. With several years defining and leading the execution of business-driven IT strategies and capabilities for global supply chain across different business units delivering +$40MM in inventory savings and +$30MM savings in manufacturing and logistics costs. In her last position as CIO for Procter & Gamble Canada, she led the Global Business Services and Information Technology strategy for the Canadian market.

Former President of the Richmond Hill Aquatic Club and currently swimmer in Etobicike's Masters Aquatic Club.