As a Global Technology Director at Thomson Reuters, Mike faces off to the Canadian banks to lead the strategic technology relationship with senior client stakeholders. Mike has spent the majority of his 25 year career as an IT leader in the investment industry. The last few years he has been focused on the challenges of data management within capital markets, primarily with Security, Pricing and Client reference data. Prior to Thomson Reuters he was Director, Head of Reference Data Services for RBC Capital Markets and at Merrill Lynch as Director, Enterprise Information Management. At CPPIB and the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan he was a key member of the IT leadership team that acquired, designed, developed, integrated and implemented a broad suite of investment and finance systems across multiple asset classes. Mike has a B.A.Sc in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

Jordan Jacobs is co-founder and co-CEO of Layer 6 AI, which has invented the world’s most accurate, real-time Artificial Intelligence prediction engine for enterprise data. Layer 6 AI’s SaaS deep learning platform provides prediction and personalization to financial institutions, ecommerce, media/cable/telco, and healthcare companies seeking to better leverage their data into value and improved customer experience.

Jordan is also co-founder and on the Board of Directors of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Launched in 2017 with approximately $200 million from government and industry, Vector aims to be a world leader in AI research, the world’s largest AI graduate school, and the engine of a global AI ecosystem in Toronto/Waterloo, Canada.

Jordan invests in and advises the founders of new technology companies through Radical Ventures, a seed stage venture capital firm created with his Layer 6 AI partners. Radical is one of the first AI-focused VC firms in the world.

Jordan previously co-founded Milq, a cultural content discovery platform that works with organizations like the NBA, NY Times and GOOP. Jordan also founded SpyBox Media, through which he developed and partnered with Elton John’s Rocket Pictures to executive produce the TV series Spectacle. Hosted by Elvis Costello, the Emmynominated, Gemini Award winning, NY Times Top 10 TV series features guests including Bono and The Edge of U2, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Zooey Deschanel, Herbie Hancock, Renée Fleming and President Bill Clinton.

Jordan spent 15 years as a tech and media lawyer, advising tech entrepreneurs, Grammy and Oscar winners and sports teams in complex transactions, first at a large firm in Toronto and, for 10 years, at his own firm. He received his J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, where he was admitted at age 19.

Cindy Forbes is Executive Vice President and Chief Analytics Officer of Manulife and is a member of the Company’s Global Leadership Team. Prior to this role, she served as Chief Actuary.

Ms. Forbes oversees the Company’s analytics function worldwide. She has spent more than 30 years with Manulife holding senior finance roles in the U.S., Investment, Reinsurance, Asia and Group Divisions. She spent seven years working in Asia, first as CFO for Manulife Japan followed by five years in HK as CFO for the entire Asia region. Manulife offers a wide range of life insurance, wealth management, pension and group benefit products across 12 countries in Asia.

Ms. Forbes was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network in 2011 and again in 2015. She is the Chair of the University of Waterloo Board of Governors and a member of the International Insurance Society Board of Directors.

Her industry knowledge and international experience, combined with the diverse roles she has held in her career, give her a unique perspective on the future state of the analytics function and the insurance industry.

Aliza is the Director of Business Development and International Projects at the DMZ responsible for planning, developing and leading the strategic relationship management with current and potential business partners, clients and donors, both local and international.
Aliza has over 10 years of diverse experience in Financial Services in Canada and the U.S. Her experience spans across multiple disciplines including corporate strategy, business development, large-scale transformation and change management where she held progressively senior roles, most recently at Bank of Montreal. Aliza has worked with teams, clients and C-suite executives in human resources, wealth management, technology and operations, capital markets, marketing and strategy.

She spent the first half of her career on the trading floor in fixed income sales and trading and started her career in investment banking at Royal Bank of Canada and JP Morgan Chase.

Aliza is passionate about serving the community and acted as Chair of the Board of Directors for Rexdale Women’s Center, a three million dollar non-profit serving high-need women and their families.

Aliza holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business.

Candice Faktor is an entrepreneur and investor with a passion for disruptive tech. Candice is an Associate of the Creative Destruction Lab, Canada’s leading deep tech incubator. Recently, she was the GM at Wattpad, where she helped scale Wattpad to be one of the world’s largest storytelling platforms with over 50MM users. Previous to this, Candice co-created Torstar Digital, a disruptive digital venture arm of Torstar, where she invested in, launched and scaled over 20+ mobile, social and digital businesses over 7 years. Before Torstar Digital, Candice worked for Monitor Group, a boutique strategy consulting firm. Candice is passionate about putting Toronto on the global stage for tech and is a frequent speaker on exponential tech, women in tech and storytelling.

Jodi Kovitz is a passionate innovator, relationship builder, revenue generator and connector. She is the is the CEO of AceTech Ontario. She is also Founder of #MoveTheDial, a movement founded in January 2017 to advance women in tech and Just Say Hello, her passion project through which she teaches people how to build transformative business relationships. She regularly speaks and writes on innovative business development strategies, advancing women in tech, networking and women’s business development opportunities in Canada and the United States. Jodi serves on the SickKids Foundation Capital Campaign Cabinet to raise $1.3B to transform children’s health leading an innovative technology sector strategy, serves on the advisory board of Rosenzweig & Company, Maple Corporation and Mediseen and Mayor of Toronto John Tory’s Toronto Innovation Council. Prior to joining AceTech Ontario, Jodi spent 5 years at Osler generating revenue, building an alumni program, creating an associate training program and coaching 450+ lawyers on BD strategy and relationship building.

Jodi previously practiced law, and after she obtained her business degree at Ivey, living in Milan studying international business, worked in marketing at a technology start up that went public, worked in leadership development at a bank and consulted for a top-tier global consulting firm. Just Say Hello is Jodi’s passion-and-joy project.

Jodi’s recent press includes: Globe and Mail, BNN (#MoveTheDial), BNN (Elevate Toronto), The Business Leadership Podcast, Toronto Star, Digital Journal.

Vsu Subramanian is a Vice president of engineering in Thomson Reuters. He leads global engineering teams of software engineers, software architects, and quality engineers, dev-ops & project managers. Vsu has been with Thomson Reuters for almost 16 years. During that time, he has worked on and led teams that built large scale engineering platforms, search engines, Big Data engineering & content delivery systems that enable intelligent information and insight to Thomson Reuters’ customers.