Welcome to Canada’s largest conference & exhibit hall, the Automotive Conference & Expo 2022 is focused on giving you the tools and resources to fuel your success forward. 

This session will dive into the Google Canada team’s insights on the automotive industry’s status and the consumer’s updated journey, as it is evolving. New insights on the demand for electric vehicles, buying habits and customer expectations have developed over the past year.

Mathew Growden is the Head of the Google Canada Auto Retail Team. He spent the first 18 years of his life in Wiarton, Ontario, the home of the famous Canadian groundhog prognosticator Wiarton Willie. Prior to Google, Mathew accumulated over 20 years of digital experience at some well known companies including Indigo Books and Music, Freedom Mobile and Hot or Not. Now he spends his time helping dealers better understand digital and collaborates across OEMs, agencies and Google partners to help dealers sell more vehicles with digital tools.

Hosted by Justin Poy includes panellists and perspectives from TADA Executive Director, Todd Bourgon, CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Rocco Rossi and from the Auto IQ Network of Dealerships the VP of Human Resources Sarah Rawlinson & SVP, Fixed Operations & Collision Dan Deboer. 

Presented by Robyn King, Director for Industry Relations

ISO 20022 is an open global standard for the interchange of financial information. It’s especially valuable for cross-border payments because it creates a common language for financial institutions world-wide. Another big benefit is its ability to facilitate straight-through processing and reconciliation of payments. Join PaymentsCanada’s Robyn King for a deep dive into data-rich payments, what they are and how they will help businesses boost efficiency and innovate service

TikTok x Auto with the Industry Lead for Automotive and Financial Services at TikTok, Jeremy Reisler. Get the breakdown of TikTok for your dealership, straight from the source. Jeremy will share case studies and guides with best practices on utilizing one of the most popular social platforms in the world. 

There is no one size fits all solution for the rapid changes our industry is going through. Make sure you have the most up to date information from our panel of industry experts. This discussion will dive into a long term forecast for the Automotive Retail world, answering your key questions.

This panel is Moderated by  Todd Phillips, Senior Editor, Canadian auto dealer

Spaceflight is an unforgiving business, with industry success riding on every launch and event. Being a commander of a spaceship means facing the highest of stakes — human lives, irreplaceable and expensive equipment, and worldwide scrutiny. Having commanded the International Space Station for months off planet, Colonel Chris Hadfield is experienced in managing people, complexity, and change under extreme circumstances. Surrounded by life-threatening risk, his daily routine was to prepare for and solve worse-case scenarios, from both a team and leadership perspective. Hadfield draws from his experiences and lessons learned during his 21 years in the astronaut corps to share the best strategies and tactics to help individuals, teams, and leaders prepare for and meet the challenges of our rapidly changing world. Key topics include managing stress, leading under pressure, encouraging collaboration amongst diverse teams, redefining norms, and more. Using multiple examples from his tremendous career, he illuminates the necessity for both preparation and reaction to complex change.

Welcome to Canada’s largest conference & exhibit hall, the Automotive Conference & Expo 2022 is focused on giving you the tools and resources to fuel your success forward. 

This session will dive into the Google Canada team’s insights on the automotive industry’s status and the consumer’s updated journey, as it is evolving. New insights on the demand for electric vehicles, buying habits and customer expectations have developed over the past year.

Mathew Growden is the Head of the Google Canada Auto Retail Team. He spent the first 18 years of his life in Wiarton, Ontario, the home of the famous Canadian groundhog prognosticator Wiarton Willie. Prior to Google, Mathew accumulated over 20 years of digital experience at some well known companies including Indigo Books and Music, Freedom Mobile and Hot or Not. Now he spends his time helping dealers better understand digital and collaborates across OEMs, agencies and Google partners to help dealers sell more vehicles with digital tools.

Hosted by Justin Poy includes panellists and perspectives from TADA Executive Director, Todd Bourgon, CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, Rocco Rossi and from the Auto IQ Network of Dealerships the VP of Human Resources Sarah Rawlinson & SVP, Fixed Operations & Collision Dan Deboer. 

TikTok x Auto with the Industry Lead for Automotive and Financial Services at TikTok, Jeremy Reisler. Get the breakdown of TikTok for your dealership, straight from the source. Jeremy will share case studies and guides with best practices on utilizing one of the most popular social platforms in the world. 

There is no one size fits all solution for the rapid changes our industry is going through. Make sure you have the most up to date information from our panel of industry experts. This discussion will dive into a long term forecast for the Automotive Retail world, answering your key questions.

This panel is Moderated by  Todd Phillips, Senior Editor, Canadian auto dealer

Spaceflight is an unforgiving business, with industry success riding on every launch and event. Being a commander of a spaceship means facing the highest of stakes — human lives, irreplaceable and expensive equipment, and worldwide scrutiny. Having commanded the International Space Station for months off planet, Colonel Chris Hadfield is experienced in managing people, complexity, and change under extreme circumstances. Surrounded by life-threatening risk, his daily routine was to prepare for and solve worse-case scenarios, from both a team and leadership perspective. Hadfield draws from his experiences and lessons learned during his 21 years in the astronaut corps to share the best strategies and tactics to help individuals, teams, and leaders prepare for and meet the challenges of our rapidly changing world. Key topics include managing stress, leading under pressure, encouraging collaboration amongst diverse teams, redefining norms, and more. Using multiple examples from his tremendous career, he illuminates the necessity for both preparation and reaction to complex change.

Welcome back to Day 2 of the 2022 Automotive Conference & Expo!

We have entered a new phase of business. Transformative technologies are disrupting every single industry on the planet, and whether you know it or not, your business will not only have to adapt—it will have to fundamentally change.

In this eye-opening talk, venture capitalist and founder of Kijiji.ca JanetBannister takes a look at key things that are reshaping business right now. In the midst of all this change, two types of companies will emerge: enablers and disruptors. Where will your organization fall on this scale? What implications will it have on your line of business? And what are the new requirements, opportunities, and challenges you will face?

Janet is the Managing Partner at Real Ventures, Canada’s preeminent earlystage venture capital firm. Real funds and supports the development of Canadian entrepreneurs who are building the next generation of globally leading tech companies. Janet has led investments in over a dozen companies and works actively with companies in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, ecommerce, fintech, and AI. As Managing Partner, Janet also sets the strategy for the firm, leads investor relationships, and oversees all firm operations.

In addition, Janet is very active in the Canadian tech ecosystem; she is the Co- Chair of C100 and on the Boards of Communitech in Waterloo and Vector Institute in Toronto. She is also an active advisor at OneEleven, Creative Destruction Lab, and the Research Board of the University Health Network.

Janet has won numerous awards and recognition including Venture Capital Journal’s 2021 “Women of Influence in Private Markets”, Pitchbooks’ 2021

“Female Founders & Investors to Know”, and American Bankers’ 2019 “Most

Influential Women in Payments”.

In 2004, Janet launched Kijiji.ca and grew it to become one of the most visited websites in Canada. Subsequently, she led the Kijiji Global business, launching the website in new countries and accelerating growth in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Janet also spent four years at eBay in Silicon Valley where she helped transform eBay from a Collectibles to a mainstream marketplace. She started her career as a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble and then joined McKinsey & Co. where she was an Engagement Manager. She also founded and built a successful consulting business and was CEO at a venture-backed start-up prior to joining Real Ventures.

You might have seen the commercials. Shoppers are opting not to let advertisers digitally track their online movements anymore. The public’s outcry for digital privacy has forced the hands of technology companies to create features that limit the ability of big advertising companies like Google and Facebook to track shoppers online. While this is a major win for privacy advocates, these new features now are wreaking havoc on the dealer’s ability to attract shoppers to their websites and inventory. In fact, some early reports have shown that 94% of shoppers have opted out of allowing apps to track them on iOS devices. Ian Cruickshank, CEO of Leadbox, explains how Dealers must adapt to avoid paying the high price of privacy.

Ian Cruickshank, Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia. Ian is regularly called on to present and lecture on various Information Technology, Digital Marketing, and Career Development concepts. With an undergraduate degree in Marketing and HR from Bishop’s University and later completing a Masters in Business Administration and IT Management at UBC in 2010, Ian is a perpetual student of management and leadership. The early part of his career was with two of Canada’s largest media companies, Rogers and PostMedia, in sales and sales leadership roles. Since then, Ian has spent his time consulting on digital disruption and as the head of sales and marketing for a social media marketing firm and, more recently, for an Advertising Technology company. As the President & CEO of Leadbox, he leads a passionate group of automotive marketing and technology professionals providing products and services to dealerships across Canada. Above all, Ian loves to be outside with his wife and his young family in Port Moody, BC.

The session will focus on what we can do as business leaders to encourage women to enter the industry AND to support their progress into leadership positions. Panelists will share their personal experience as well as their recommendations for what actionable steps business leaders can do to break down barriers and welcome a diverse new workforce. Hosted by award winning automotive journalist Petrina Gentile, panellists include Maureen A. Harquail, B.A., LL.B., M.P.A. Chief Executive Officer and Registrar at OMVIC; Yolanda Biswah, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Canadian Black Book; Natalie Varey BA, M.Ed, CHRL HR Advisor at DealerPILOT; Edith Pencil, CHRL, CTMP Director of Employee Services for Performance Auto Group

Automotive Dealers are delivering record profitability, but there has never been a time of greater uncertainty for retailers with the onset of electrification and changing franchise models.  DSMA, a leading Automotive Mergers & Acquisitions firm, invites you to a 60-minute discussion on the current trends effecting dealership valuations and buy/sell activity in Ontario.  The value of your business will have changed in the last 6 to 12 months, so even if you aren’t interested in buying or selling, you need to understand the value of your greatest asset and what’s going to affect its value (positively or negatively) in the coming months and years.

Discussion points will include:

• Average Goodwill Multiples by Brand
• Average Dealership Values
• Most Transacted Brands
• Transaction Timelines & Reasons for Selling
• Direction of Travel for Future Goodwill Values.

Attendees will return to their businesses with an accurate understanding of the current M&A trends and how they relate to their business.

The weakest link in the cybersecurity chain is still the employees. Social engineering and human error are responsible for the majority of data breaches -> 92% of malware is still downloaded to a company’s system via email sent to an employee. Though there are terrific software solutions that help to mitigate these risks, the ultimate solution is to train your employees. Help them better understand what information they are giving away and how it can be used against them.
In this session find out how your data is gathered and used in our evolving online world. Cat helps individuals understand how their behaviours online affects both the company’s data security and their reputation. Leave with tangible actions you can take to improve privacy and safety of your online accounts. Keep hackers at bay, secure your private accounts, and take ownership of your most valuable asset, your data.

Cat Coode is on a mission to help protect your data. Backed by two decades of experience in mobile development and software architecture (BlackBerry), as well as a certification in data privacy law, Cat helps individuals and corporations better understand cybersecurity and data privacy.

She specializes in global privacy regulation compliance and delivering privacy education seminars. She is a member of the Canadian Standards Council for GDPR. She has worked with tech start-ups through to large organizations in a breadth of industries including healthcare, education, and social media.

Named one of Canada’s Top 20 Women in Cybersecurity 2021, Cat leverages her aptitude for teaching and her engineering background, in both her speaking and consulting engagements, to break down technical concepts in ways everyone can understand. Putting privacy at the foundation of everything you do

Presented by Celina Caesar-Chavannes

We cannot continue to talk about DEI in the same way and expect different results. Now is the time to humanize the concepts, connect them together, and distill the information down to the self. In this “reframing” session Celina Caesar-Chavannes, will push you to rethink equity and the power of empathetic courage through personal stories, research (including her own PhD studies), self-reflection and an understanding of power and privilege. She will inspire, empower and renew confidence in your innate ability to use your past and present experiences to change organizations and systems, and build a more just world. 

Celina currently serves as the Sr. Advisor of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Initiatives and Adjunct Lecturer at Queen’s University. Her national bestselling book, Can You Hear Me Now? was released in February 2021, and published by Penguin Random House Canada.

Celina was the former Member of Parliament for Whitby, Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Parliamentary Secretary for International Development. During her term as a Member of Parliament, Celina was awarded several distinctions including a feature in the April 2018 edition of O (Oprah Winfrey) Magazine entitled, “What would you stand up for and named Chatelaine Magazine’s Woman of the Year (2019). She has a Bachelor of Science, an MBA in Healthcare Management and an Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management.

Welcome back to Day 2 of the 2022 Automotive Conference & Expo!

We have entered a new phase of business. Transformative technologies are disrupting every single industry on the planet, and whether you know it or not, your business will not only have to adapt—it will have to fundamentally change.

In this eye-opening talk, venture capitalist and founder of Kijiji.ca JanetBannister takes a look at key things that are reshaping business right now. In the midst of all this change, two types of companies will emerge: enablers and disruptors. Where will your organization fall on this scale? What implications will it have on your line of business? And what are the new requirements, opportunities, and challenges you will face?

Janet is the Managing Partner at Real Ventures, Canada’s preeminent earlystage venture capital firm. Real funds and supports the development of Canadian entrepreneurs who are building the next generation of globally leading tech companies. Janet has led investments in over a dozen companies and works actively with companies in healthcare, advanced manufacturing, ecommerce, fintech, and AI. As Managing Partner, Janet also sets the strategy for the firm, leads investor relationships, and oversees all firm operations.

In addition, Janet is very active in the Canadian tech ecosystem; she is the Co- Chair of C100 and on the Boards of Communitech in Waterloo and Vector Institute in Toronto. She is also an active advisor at OneEleven, Creative Destruction Lab, and the Research Board of the University Health Network.

Janet has won numerous awards and recognition including Venture Capital Journal’s 2021 “Women of Influence in Private Markets”, Pitchbooks’ 2021

“Female Founders & Investors to Know”, and American Bankers’ 2019 “Most

Influential Women in Payments”.

In 2004, Janet launched Kijiji.ca and grew it to become one of the most visited websites in Canada. Subsequently, she led the Kijiji Global business, launching the website in new countries and accelerating growth in North America, Europe, and Asia.

Janet also spent four years at eBay in Silicon Valley where she helped transform eBay from a Collectibles to a mainstream marketplace. She started her career as a Brand Manager at Procter & Gamble and then joined McKinsey & Co. where she was an Engagement Manager. She also founded and built a successful consulting business and was CEO at a venture-backed start-up prior to joining Real Ventures.

You might have seen the commercials. Shoppers are opting not to let advertisers digitally track their online movements anymore. The public’s outcry for digital privacy has forced the hands of technology companies to create features that limit the ability of big advertising companies like Google and Facebook to track shoppers online. While this is a major win for privacy advocates, these new features now are wreaking havoc on the dealer’s ability to attract shoppers to their websites and inventory. In fact, some early reports have shown that 94% of shoppers have opted out of allowing apps to track them on iOS devices. Ian Cruickshank, CEO of Leadbox, explains how Dealers must adapt to avoid paying the high price of privacy.

Ian Cruickshank, Adjunct Professor at the University of British Columbia. Ian is regularly called on to present and lecture on various Information Technology, Digital Marketing, and Career Development concepts. With an undergraduate degree in Marketing and HR from Bishop’s University and later completing a Masters in Business Administration and IT Management at UBC in 2010, Ian is a perpetual student of management and leadership. The early part of his career was with two of Canada’s largest media companies, Rogers and PostMedia, in sales and sales leadership roles. Since then, Ian has spent his time consulting on digital disruption and as the head of sales and marketing for a social media marketing firm and, more recently, for an Advertising Technology company. As the President & CEO of Leadbox, he leads a passionate group of automotive marketing and technology professionals providing products and services to dealerships across Canada. Above all, Ian loves to be outside with his wife and his young family in Port Moody, BC.

The session will focus on what we can do as business leaders to encourage women to enter the industry AND to support their progress into leadership positions. Panellists will share their personal experience as well as their recommendations for what actionable steps business leaders can do to break down barriers and welcome a diverse new workforce. Hosted by award- winning automotive journalist Petrina Gentile, panellists include Maureen A. Harquail, B.A., LL.B., M.P.A.Chief Executive Officer and Registrar at OMVIC; Yolanda Biswah, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Canadian Black Book; Natalie Varey BA, M.Ed, CHRL HR Advisor at DealerPILOT; Edith Pencil, CHRL, CTMP Director of Employee Services for Performance Auto Group

The weakest link in the cybersecurity chain is still the employees. Social engineering and human error are responsible for the majority of data breaches -> 92% of malware is still downloaded to a company’s system via email sent to an employee. Though there are terrific software solutions that help to mitigate these risks, the ultimate solution is to train your employees. Help them better understand what information they are giving away and how it can be used against them.
In this session find out how your data is gathered and used in our evolving online world. Cat helps individuals understand how their behaviours online affects both the company’s data security and their reputation. Leave with tangible actions you can take to improve privacy and safety of your online accounts. Keep hackers at bay, secure your private accounts, and take ownership of your most valuable asset, your data.

Cat Coode is on a mission to help protect your data. Backed by two decades of experience in mobile development and software architecture (BlackBerry), as well as a certification in data privacy law, Cat helps individuals and corporations better understand cybersecurity and data privacy.

She specializes in global privacy regulation compliance and delivering privacy education seminars. She is a member of the Canadian Standards Council for GDPR. She has worked with tech start-ups through to large organizations in a breadth of industries including healthcare, education, and social media.

Named one of Canada’s Top 20 Women in Cybersecurity 2021, Cat leverages her aptitude for teaching and her engineering background, in both her speaking and consulting engagements, to break down technical concepts in ways everyone can understand. Putting privacy at the foundation of everything you do

Presented by Celina Caesar-Chavannes

We cannot continue to talk about DEI in the same way and expect different results. Now is the time to humanize the concepts, connect them together, and distill the information down to the self. In this “reframing” session Celina Caesar-Chavannes, will push you to rethink equity and the power of empathetic courage through personal stories, research (including her own PhD studies), self-reflection and an understanding of power and privilege. She will inspire, empower and renew confidence in your innate ability to use your past and present experiences to change organizations and systems, and build a more just world. 

Celina currently serves as the Sr. Advisor of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion Initiatives and Adjunct Lecturer at Queen’s University. Her national bestselling book, Can You Hear Me Now? was released in February 2021, and published by Penguin Random House Canada.

Celina was the former Member of Parliament for Whitby, Parliamentary Secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Parliamentary Secretary for International Development. During her term as a Member of Parliament, Celina was awarded several distinctions including a feature in the April 2018 edition of O (Oprah Winfrey) Magazine entitled, “What would you stand up for and named Chatelaine Magazine’s Woman of the Year (2019). She has a Bachelor of Science, an MBA in Healthcare Management and an Executive MBA from the Rotman School of Management.