Speakers | Schedule | Registration

OPENING KEYNOTE
From Burnout to Breakthrough in the Workplace

Learn how to recognize, name, and navigate emotions effectively. Practical techniques for reducing overwhelm and improving emotional resilience. 

Dr. Shahana Alibhai
TEDx Speaker & Best-Selling Author 

Dr. Shahana Alibhai is a TEDx speaker, bestselling author of Feel Better, and a leading voice in emotional and mental health. With 12 years in practice, she is a family physician and Medical Director at Foundry Abbotsford, B.C.'s largest youth health centre, where she builds emotional resilience through science-backed strategies and storytelling. Featured on CTV, Global, Medium and Forbes. She's inspired audiences at Yale, UBC, Scotiabank, and beyond. Proud mom of three. 

AI in the Workplace: Interviews, Investigations & Irritations

Drawing from the combined perspectives of a lawyer and psychologist, we will explore both the legal and human behavior implications of artificial intelligence (AI) models in professionalsettings. While AI offers many advantages, our presentation will mainly highlight the traps, pit falls, and irritations that can occur when employees or employers rely on AI for workplaceinteractions. 

Learning Objectives:

Learning Objectives: 

• Discuss AI sycophancy and how it can bias the user's view of memory of events
• Provide practical tools to protect against AI use in resumes, interviews, and investigations
• Examine the harmful influence AI is having on collective bargaining and offer management strategies to address these challenges
• Review current case law AI use in the legal sphere and how it can inform employers going forward

Throughout the presentation we will share resources and information to support self-directed learning, continuous professional development, and theimplementation of new ideas for our audience. We hope those who attend our presentation will be less likely to feel “blind-sided” when they encounter AI use and feel more confident when dealing with AI in the workplace. In today’s workplace, it is no longer a matter of "if" you will encounter AI, but “when.”

Jared M. McRorie
Co-Managing Lawyer, Seiferling Law 

Jared McRorie is an experienced labour and employment lawyer, and is Co-Managing Lawyer, with Seiferling Law in Saskatoon. He has brought cases before all levels of court in Saskatchewan and to the Supreme Court of Canada and has appeared before various administrative tribunals and arbitrators. He acts as legal counsel on behalf of management in a broad range of matters including labour arbitrations, OH&S adjudications, human rights investigations, Labour Relations Board matters, and civil lawsuits. In addition to his labour and employment legal practice, Jared performs workplace investigations including relating to allegations of bullying and harassment, breaches of workplace policies, and other forms of misconduct.

Through Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan, Jared volunteers his time and legal expertise to assist those with limited means with a variety of legal issues. He also serves on the CPHR Professional Conduct Committee, volunteering his experience and legal expertise. In his free time, Jared plays multiple musical instruments, with guitar as his primary. 

More information about Jared can be found on the Seiferling Law website: https://seiferlinglaw.com/our-team/jared-mcrorie/

Amanda Sinclair, B.Sc. (Hons), M.A.
Registered Psychologist (Provisional)

Amanda Sinclair is a Registered Psychologist (Provisional) with a Master’s degree in Psychology and is currently completing her doctoral-level training in Clinical Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. She offers therapy and psychological assessment services at City Psychology in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Raised on a farm in rural Saskatchewan, Amanda grew up with a love for animals and is passionate about supporting individuals and families across a wide range of mental health concerns using evidence-based, collaborative approaches.

More information about Amanda can be found at www.citypsychology.ca 

Retention by Design: How Leaders Build Organizations People Want to Stay In

Retention isn’t an HR initiative; it’s a leadership strategy. In today’s workplace, employees don’t leave organizations; they leave experiences shaped by leadership behaviour. This session reframes retention as a strategic outcome of leadership culture rather than a reactive HR problem. 

Attendees will explore the critical link between leadership behaviour, engagement, and organizational performance. They will learn how to turn everyday leadership interactions into retention drivers. Drawing from behavioural psychology, coaching principles, and real-world HR strategy, this session introduces a practical framework leaders can apply to diagnose disengagement, build trust, and design cultures that keep talent engaged. 

Learning Objectives: 

• By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 
• Connect leadership behaviours to key engagement and retention metrics. 
• Identify early warning signs of disengagement and turnover risk within their teams. 
• Explore a practical Retention by Design framework that strengthens leader capability and team connection.  

Adult Learning Principles: 

• Interactive reflection - Participants identify their organization’s current retention challenges and link them to leadership behaviours influencing engagement and outcomes. 
  
• Application focus - Real-world mini cases illustrating early warning signs of disengagement and the leadership responses that shift outcomes. 
  
• Peer learning - Participants share examples of leadership success stories and cultural challenges for collective insights. 
  
• Reinforcement tools - A simple and practical takeaway framework to support continued learning and application post-session. 

Ola Fasuba
MBA, CPHR 

Ola Fasuba is an HR Thought Leader, HR Leader and Strategist with a background in psychology and an MBA in Human Resources Management. Fascinated by human behaviour and what motivates people, Ola has worked in both high-turnover environments and organizations where retention exceeds industry averages by 2–3x. She helps leaders translate people data into practical actions, strengthening engagement, leadership capability, and building workplaces where people want to stay and are motivated to grow.

Kindness Matters, All the Time, Every Time: Insights for HR Leaders

Every workplace has policies and procedures. What defines a great one is how people are treated within them. In this thought-provoking 60-minute session I will explore how kindness expressed through clarity, respect, and humanity can reshape how HR leads, communicates, and connects. 

Drawing from decades of executive and board leadership, I will share insights on how kindness transforms the most defining HR moments such as hiring, recognition, coaching, transition, and farewell. These are meaningful opportunities to affirm dignity, build trust, and strengthen culture. 

Participants will reflect on kindness as strength with care and learn how it can be practiced with professionalism, courage, and purpose, all the time every time. This session invites HR leaders to see kindness as a strategic advantage that inspires engagement, loyalty, and lasting impact. 

Key Takeaways: 

• Understand kindness as a leadership competency that drives performance and belonging 
  
• Identify pivotal HR moments where kindness elevates outcomes and relationships 
  
• Explore ways to embed kindness into culture, communication, and decision-making 

Bill Pratt
Founder & Principal, Leadership by Pratt

Bill Pratt leads and unleashes potential at every turn. Known for inspiring, unifying, and creating, Bill has spent 30 years as a charity leader.  He uses kindness as his compass and storytelling as his superpower. His stories entertain and transform. Like the man in Vietnam who got his first toilet at age 92. Or the tiny Saskatchewan town of 495 that raised more money per capita than anywhere else in Canada. Or the student’s life forever changed because a group of women swam through the Greek Islands. 

Bill is driven by the belief that people are capable of more than they think, especially when someone believes in them. As one person put it, “He shines with the compassion, enthusiasm, insight, and kindness from the best of humanity.”

CLOSING KEYNOTE

Thriving Minds, Limitless Performance: How to Show Up at 100% for HR Professionals

*Watch Daniel's Speaker Reel

In a world that demands so much of us, showing up at 100% every day can feel impossible.

But what if peak performance wasn’t about doing more… and instead about doing what’s most aligned with who you really are?

In this high-energy, perspective-shifting keynote, international speaker and award-winning entrepreneur Daniel Lewis helps your team reimagine performance through the lens of mindset, purpose, and personal sustainability.

With his unique blend of raw storytelling, humour, and practical strategy, Daniel introduces his empowering P.E.A.K. framework — a fresh take on what it means to perform, lead, and live at your highest potential, without losing yourself in the process.

This talk is more than motivational, it’s a movement toward redefining success from the inside out.

Learning Outcomes:

• A mindset shift to help you access clarity and focus under pressure
• Tools to build self-awareness and lead with more authenticity
• Real strategies to protect your energy, prioritize your well-being, and show up fully in work and in life

Because thriving isn’t about pushing harder.
It’s about aligning deeper.
Let’s unlock your limitless.

Daniel Lewis
Human-Centred Workplace Culture & Sales Expert, Motivational Storyteller

Author, entrepreneur, and international keynote speaker Daniel Lewis is the proud founder of the award-winning tea company T By Daniel. Daniel helps people and organizations adopt a more human-centric approach to business, leadership, and life.

Dubbed "Human Caffeine" for his stage presence, his people-first outlook and bold, experiential business tactics have earned him national recognition and numerous accolades, including the 2014 Young Entrepreneur of the Year, 2016 Business Excellence Award, 2017 Top 40 Under 40 Entrepreneurs, and most recently, the 2025 Smart Speaker Award for “Best of the Stage!”.

From startup and tech stages in Estonia, to customer service and sales summits in the UK, to inspiring audiences for global powerhouses like Forbes in Dubai, Daniel’s voice has resonated across the world. Along the way, he’s even shared the stage with award-winning artists like Pitbull, blending business with culture in unforgettable ways.

Daniel’s success with his retail tea brand has also landed him the rare honour of serving His Majesty King Charles III during his 2017 Royal Tour to Canada.

Whether serving tea to a King or ideas to a crowd, Daniel’s gift is creating unforgettable moments of connection.

Virtual HR Forum - Emcee

Denise Martens 
Professional Development Committee Member