Navigating AI Opportunities and Challenges in the Boardroom
March 12, 2024
Our Fireside Chat Features:
Elizabeth Cannon
President Emerita, University of Calgary
Board Chair, The Mancal Group
Board Director, Canadian Natural Resources Limited (CNRL), PureWeb, Rideau Hall Foundation and Gairdner Foundation
Member of Board of Trustees, Aga Khan University
Nicole Janssen
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, AltaML
Board Director, Edmonton Unlimited
Jas Jaaj
Managing Partner, AI & Generative AI, Deloitte Canada
Board Member, Lift Impact Partners
Advisory Board Member, Canada Space Agency’s Advisory Council
Moderated by:
Sippy Chhina
Board Director, Ovintiv
Treasurer and Board Director,
Board Ready Women
We are pleased to invite you to join our next Board Ready Women event on March 12th from 4:30 to 7:00 pm (MT). We are hosting this event in person and virtually. In-person registration starts at 4:00 pm, with the panel starting at 4:30 pm, followed by cocktails and networking.
In-person attendance is limited to 100 attendees so please register early!
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The increase in popularity of AI-driven applications has ignited crucial conversations within boardrooms on possibilities, ethics, accountability, and regulatory compliance. Understanding the opportunities and ensuring effective oversight of AI initiatives are imperative for organizational performance and regulatory considerations.
Join us for this informative session to hear about recommendations and insights on potential opportunities and challenges with AI experts, followed by a discussion on factors to consider from the boardroom perspective.
Speakers' Bios:
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Elizabeth Cannon, PhD, PEng, OC, AOE, FRSC, FCAE
President Emerita, University of Calgary & Corporate Director
Dr. Elizabeth Cannon is president emerita of the University of Calgary after serving as president and vice chancellor from 2010 until 2018. A champion for advancing the mission of the university and fostering excellence in higher education, she led the development of the university’s transformational Eyes High strategy and its $1.3 billion energize campaign through a focus on impact and a strong institutional culture. Prior to her term as president, Dr. Cannon was dean of the Schulich School of Engineering at the University of Calgary.
Dr. Cannon is currently a corporate director in companies in the energy, technology, real estate and corporate ventures sectors, and is seed-stage investor, particularly in female-founded companies. She has been a leader in science, technology and higher education policy through numerous boards, committees and panels. She served as co-chair of the Business-Higher Education Roundtable, chair of Universities Canada, member of the federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development’s Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) as well as being a member of the Expert Panel on Federal Government Science in 2014. She chaired the Council of Canadian Academies Expert Panel on the labour market transition of PhD graduates in Canada, and also chaired the federal government’s Strategic Science Fund (SSF) expert panel. Dr. Cannon has been a member of numerous international committees and boards including NASA’s National Space-based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) Advisory Board. Currently, Dr. Cannon is a member of the Board of Trustees the Aga Khan University, the Strategic Advisory Board of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL), and a Director of the Gairdner Foundation and the Rideau Hall Foundation, in addition to crown corporations in the economic development and investment areas.
In 2019, Dr. Cannon received the Peter Lougheed Award for Leadership from the Public Policy Forum for her contributions to public policy in Canada. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Canadian Academy of Engineering as well as an elected foreign associate of the US National Academy of Engineering and the Mexican Academy of Engineering. In 1998, Dr. Cannon was selected as one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 and in 2006 was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network. In 2019, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in 2021 she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Axis Connects Calgary Influential Women in Business Awards. In 2022, Dr. Cannon was awarded the Alberta Order of Excellence and was inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame – Southern Alberta. She has received honorary degrees from the University of Ottawa, Acadia University, the Université de Montréal, SAIT and the University of Toronto.
An expert in geomatics engineering and a Professional Engineer, Dr. Cannon’s research has been on the forefront of Global Positioning Systems (GPS) since 1984 in both industrial and academic environments, and she has commercialized technology to over 200 agencies worldwide. Dr. Cannon’s work has been recognized with many national and international honours including the Johannes Kepler Award from the U.S. Institute of Navigation, an NSERC Steacie Award and the Gold Medal Award from Engineers Canada. From 1997-2002, Dr. Cannon was the NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair for Women in Science and Engineering of the Prairie Region.
Dr. Cannon is the author of Enhancing Your Higher Education Presidency: Fifteen Lessons on Leadership and co-author of Strategic University Management: Future-Proofing Your Institution.
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Nicole Janssen
Co-Founder & Co-CEO - AltaML
Nicole Janssen is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and recognized leader in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). As the Co-Founder and Co-CEO of AltaML, a leading developer of AI powered solutions driven by data, she is instrumental in driving company success. With diverse experience that spans various sectors, including agriculture, financial services, health and energy, Nicole’s robust industry insights have been pivotal for AltaML’s market growth and expansion. Nicole is committed to global education on responsible AI (RAI) and has been
recognized by the RAI Institute for this work. In 2023, Nicole’s outstanding achievements and influence were acknowledged as she received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Woman in AI of the Year, and was named one of North America’s Top 25 Women of Influence. Prior to this, she received the prestigious Emerging Entrepreneur Award from Alberta Women Entrepreneurs. Before co-founding AltaML, Nicole also cofounded Janalta Interactive Inc. and Stratus Holdings Inc. She currently serves as a Director at Edmonton Unlimited and is an esteemed member of the A100.
Connect with Nicole: linkedin.com/in/nicole-janssen/
Get in touch with our team at press@altaml.com
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Jas Jaaj
Managing Partner - AI & Generative AI, Deloitte Canada
Global Consulting Business Innovation Leader
As Managing Partner, AI, Jas leads our firm’s Gen AI Office, directing the incorporation of Gen AI into our market offerings and solutions. This enables Deloitte to offer unmatched value to our clients and fundamentally alter our service delivery methodology, harnessing the potential of Gen AI. In addition, as the Global Consulting Leader for Business Innovation, Jas’s role entails collaborating with clients, ecosystems, and alliance partners to establish novel business models accelerating growth. By leveraging emerging technologies like Generative AI and Web3, his team of global experts co-creates incremental value for all stakeholders involved.
With more than 20 years of experience in technology, data and AI, Jas has been specializing in collaborating with large enterprises to transform their organizations from being AI-aware to AI-first. Prior to joining Deloitte and in previous roles within the firm, Jas has had a stellar track record of being an innovative leader, having led multiple practices and launching new businesses in the emerging technology space, including Blockchain, Web3 and Digital.
Jas is passionate about fueling the Canadian and Global economy by leveraging the power of AI. He is a change agent and an active advisor to multiple external Boards and the AI start-up ecosystem, including being a member of Canada Space Agency’s Advisory Council on Deep Space Healthcare and a jury member of the Deep Space Food Challenge where he is helping shape Canada’s role in deep space missions to the Moon and Mars. Jas is also a Board Member of Lift Impact Partners, a national non-profit organization that drives social impact and change through capacity building and support for service provider organizations.
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Charles Morgan
Partner - McCarthy Tétrault
Charles Morgan is the national co-leader of McCarthy Tétrault’s Cyber/Data group, former leader of the firm’s Technology Law group and Past President of the International Technology Law Association. He is a recognized thought-leader on the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence. He is the general editor of Responsible AI: A Global Policy Framework and a contributor to Artificial Intelligence, Law Over Borders Comparative Guide. Charles’ practice takes a 360-degree approach to data, helping clients extract the tremendous value inherent in data, while at the same time managing the associated risks. He advises many of McCarthy Tétrault’s clients on their most complex commercial transactions involving IT.