dynamic-content-widget-1a61d4c5-bf5475c – Welcome To Global Economic Diversification Summit

08:00 am - 09:00 am | Guests arrivals

Registration Team

GED Council Team

🌍 Our Registration Team is Ready to Welcome the World!
Get ready for a seamless experience at the GED Summit! Our dedicated registration team is excited to welcome participants from around the globe with warm hospitality, efficient service, and all the information you need to make your summit experience unforgettable. Whether you’re arriving in person or joining virtually, we’re here to support every step of your journey. Let the connections begin!

09:20 am - 10:00 am | The Workforce of Tomorrow: Upskilling for an Inclusive & Competitive Economy

Session Overview

This panel will explore how targeted upskilling and reskilling initiatives can prepare today’s workforce to thrive in rapidly evolving industries, with a focus on inclusivity and global competitiveness. As automation, AI, green energy, and digital transformation reshape the economic landscape, nations must invest in equipping workers—especially women, youth, and marginalized communities—with future-relevant skills.

Expected Outcomes for Participants:

Understand emerging skill demands across key growth sectors.
Learn best practices for inclusive workforce development and equitable training programs.
Discover strategies for public-private collaboration in upskilling initiatives.
Gain insights on how upskilling can reduce inequality and boost national productivity.
Identify opportunities for individuals and organizations to contribute to a resilient, future-ready labor force.

Panelists

Main Stage

Gregory Richards, MBA, Ph.D., FCMC, is currently Vice-Dean of Graduate Professional Programs at the Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. He has been an educator for over 25 years teaching K-12 as well in undergraduate and graduate programs at the university level.

Before joining academia, he worked as a management consultant (certified under the auspices of CMC-Canada), a visiting professor at the Western Management Development Centre in Denver, Colorado, and Director of Market Development at Cognos Incorporated. Early in his career, he worked as a public servant at Transport Canada and Consulting and Audit Canada and subsequently as a consultant to several government departments.

Kristi Straw, MBA Executive Visibility Strategist | Founder, Lighthouse Leadership Consultants™ + Impact Legacy Lab™
Kristi Straw helps high-performance leaders communicate with the clarity their roles – and the future – demand. As founder of two powerful platforms for executive visibility and brand-led business development, she equips organizations to lead with influence, scale trust, and WIN in an AI-powered world.
Named a GlobeSt. Woman of Influence, Kristi is the creator of the Authentic Authority™ Archetype Quiz and a trusted advisor to legal firms, financial institutions, and visionary C-suites. At the Global Economic Diversification Summit, she brings practical insight to the modern leadership landscape – exploring how visibility, identity-aligned upskilling, and AI fluency are reshaping talent pipelines and redefining competitive advantage.

Mr. Olubunmi Olusanya is a distinguished Nigerian civil servant currently serving as the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Youth Development. He is a passionate advocate for youth empowerment, committed to equipping young people with the skills, opportunities, and leadership pathways necessary to thrive in a rapidly evolving global economy. His work is anchored in fostering strategic local and international partnerships to advance inclusive, youth-focused, and sustainable development policies.

10:00 am - 10:40 am | Superpower to Success: Leading People, Teams, and Yourself in Today’s Landscape

Session Overview

A Presentation Session

Speaker

Adam Mendler is an entrepreneur, keynote speaker, writer, educator, and nationally recognized authority on leadership.

Adam is the creator and host of the top-rated business and leadership podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he regularly elicits insights from America’s top CEOs, founders, athletes, celebrities, and political and military leaders. He has interviewed more than 500 of America’s most successful leaders and has written extensively on business and leadership, having authored more than 70 articles published in major media outlets including Forbes, Inc., and HuffPost. Adam has founded and co-founded numerous businesses across a variety of industries and has extensive experience leading people and teams in business and outside of the workplace.

Adam draws upon his unique personal and professional experience, including his time spent interviewing hundreds of America’s top leaders, to deliver perspective-shifting insights as a keynote speaker to businesses, universities, and non-profit organizations. Adam also teaches graduate-level courses on leadership at UCLA, serves on the board of UCLA’s Master of Applied Statistics & Data Science program, is an emeritus member of USC’s Board of Governors, and is an advisor to numerous companies and leaders.

Adam previously worked for D.E. Shaw & Co., then the largest hedge fund in the world; for Credit Suisse, then a Fortune Global 150 company; for the strategic planning groups at William Morris Endeavor and Universal Pictures; at TWC Sports Management, a leading sports agency; and on a successful presidential primary campaign.

Adam graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Southern California, earning a B.S. in Business Administration and a B.A. in Political Science, and earned an M.B.A. from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where he received the UCLA Anderson Fellowship Award.

A Los Angeles native, Adam is a lifelong Angels fan and an avid backgammon player.

Adam Mendler

Main Stage

10:50 am - 11:30 am | Keynote/Fireside Chat

The Value of Economic Diversification: Strengthening Ties Between Canada and Africa

An informal chat with H.E. Fatima Braoule Meite the former Mali Ambassador to Canada.

11:30 am - 12:10 pm | AI & Workforce Counter-balance

Session Overview

Viet Vu (he/him) leads economics research at the Dais as Manager, Economic Research. Prior to the merger, at the Brookfield Institute, Viet has done extensive work on the impact of technology in the labour market in Canada, the technology sector and workers, digital skills, and scale-ups. His research has been cited widely in national media, and has impacted policies at all levels of government. He believes that research, when done rigorously, can not only help shape policy, but also bring attention to issues that impact those who have been left out of conversations about Canada’s future.

Bethanie Nonami, CEO and founder of Marley Nonami Incorporated,

a consultancy specializing in integrating artificial intelligence (AI) into sales and marketing strategies. With nearly 30 years of experience in technology, strategy, and software, she has guided numerous organizations in leveraging AI to enhance profitability and productivity .

Bethanie is also a published author of the book Discovered: Dominate Online and Voice Search Without Wasting Time or Money . Her expertise has been recognized in various publications, including Thrive Global, Social Media Marketing, and Content Marketing Institute .

At Marley Nonami, Bethanie leads a team dedicated to helping businesses transition from traditional to AI-powered sales and marketing processes, aiming to boost revenue and efficiency while providing unmatched customer experiences .

Main Stage

12:15 pm - 12:45 pm | Breaking Down Barriers: Policy Strategies for Economic Diversification and Market Entry

Session Overview

This panel will examine how smart, inclusive policy frameworks can unlock economic diversification and create new opportunities for businesses to access local and global markets. Experts and policymakers will discuss how to address regulatory bottlenecks, reduce dependency on traditional sectors, and promote entrepreneurship through forward-thinking legislation, incentives, and trade reforms.

Expected Outcomes for Participants:

Gain an understanding of effective policy tools that foster diversification and inclusive growth.
Explore how governments can support SMEs, startups, and underrepresented groups in accessing new markets.
Learn from real-world case studies where policy has successfully transformed economic landscapes.
Identify barriers to market entry and discover strategies to overcome them.
Connect with policymakers and industry leaders to advocate for enabling business environments.

Main Stage

Dr. Jaff Rebar has a distinguished career as a former UN Official and senior executive, specializing in a diverse array of fields including sustainable development, humanitarian aid, emergency operations and crisis response management. governance reform, socioeconomic policy, as well as international trade and export promotion. His extensive international experience encompasses pivotal roles within government advisory firms in the GCC, the esteemed Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) based in Paris, and the United Nations Secretariat in New York, alongside various other UN Agencies and Offices worldwide. With a proven track record of leadership, Dr. Jaff has spearheaded critical humanitarian emergency response operations in contexts ranging from armed conflicts to natural disasters and post-conflict reconstruction efforts. Notably, he led the UN Refugee Agency’s largest humanitarian protection program in Iraq during the ISIL crisis in Syria and Iraq, showcasing his passionate commitment to global welfare.

is an accomplished government relations and public affairs professional, with over a decade of experience in strategic communications, fundraising, policy development, and stakeholder management across a range of organizations in the non-profit sector. Micah holds a combined honours bachelor of arts (BA) in the history of science & technology and political science (University of King’s College & Dalhousie University), as well as, a master’s degree in science & technology studies from York University, where he was also a fellow of the Nathanson Centre for Transnational Human Rights, Crime, and Security at Osgoode Hall. Micah is also a graduate of the Maytree Policy School (2019), a professional development course for non-profit professionals. Micah is an ardent believer that governments at all levels can be a force for good and is dedicated to supporting economic development for equity-deserving communities across Canada. Leading Futurpreneur’s federal and provincial government engagement, Micah is always up for talking current events or chatting about his favourite Canadian politics podcasts. In his spare time, Micah serves as Communications Chair for the Public Affairs Association of Canada’s Ontario Chapter and volunteers for other causes close to his heart. He also enjoys gardening, guitar and soccer, while continuing to cheer for his long-suffering Maple Leafs, against his better judgement.

12:45 pm - 02:00 pm | Lunch Break

Lunch Break

Join us for a refreshing lunch break, where you can recharge, network, and connect with fellow attendees in a relaxed environment. Take this opportunity to exchange ideas, discuss key topics, and enjoy a variety of meal options provided on-site.

Whether you’re looking to relax or continue conversations from the sessions, this break offers the perfect time to refresh before diving back into the day’s activities.

02:00 pm - 02:40 pm | Overcoming international trade and investment barriers

Ms. Opeyemi Abebe is an Adviser and Head of the Trade Competitiveness Section in the Trade Oceans and Natural Resources Directorate of the Commonwealth Secretariat where she leads a team of Trade and Investment Advisers to provide technical assistance to member countries on trade competitiveness issues for improving their supply capacities to secure sustainable market access for priority exports and develop strategies for export and investment expansion and diversification working in over 20 Africa, Asia, Caribbean and, Pacific countries in the Commonwealth.

Wolfgang Alschner is an empirical legal scholar specialized in international economic law and the computational analysis of law. He holds the Hyman Soloway Chair in Business and Trade Law. His new book, Investment Arbitration and State-Driven Reform: New Treaties, Old Outcomesexternal link, recently published with Oxford University Press (2022), explores how a new generation of international investment treaties has been rolled back in investment arbitration practice.

Professor Alschner is an Full Professor at the Common Law Section with cross-appointment to the Faculty of Engineering, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He is also a faculty member of the Centre for Law, Technology and Society at the University of Ottawa and heads the uOttawa Legal Technology Lab. Professor Alschner’s teaching materials on computational legal analysis are available on www.datascienceforlawyers.orgexternal link.

02:50 pm - 03:00 pm | Closing Remarks