Economic Future Forum 2023 | International Economic Development Council (IEDC) | 11 June 2023 | Hyatt Regency Calgary, 700 Centre St S, Calgary, AB T2G 5P6, Canada

Engage with your fellow colleagues as we explore our current path to diversifying its robust economy. Consistently ranked as one of the best places in the world to live, This boasts the highest GDP per capita of major Canadian cities, highest labor force participation, and highest average earnings. The city’s solid economic foundations are setting the stage for the creation of a community of lifelong learning and resilient people with skills needed to adapt to an ever-changing economy.
The theme for this forum will focus on pursuing economic diversification and opportunity through the lens of economic transformation. Talent, Innovation, and Livability must work together and be interwoven with IDEA, collective action, and shared perspectives, to achieve long-term economic prosperity for all.

2023 Speakers

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

Majed Al-Ghafry, P.E., ICMA-CM
Assistant City Manager City of Dallas, Dallas, TX

Julian BLACK ANTELOPE
Producer/Writer/Director/Actor, HERD of 1 MEDIA

Jonah Ardiel, BComm, Marketing
Business Development Manager, Genesis Centre, Calgary, Alberta

Luke Azevedo
Vice President, Creative Industries, Operations & Film Commissioner, Calgary Economic Development, Calgary, Alberta

Danielle Casey
President & CEO, Albuquerque Regional Economic Alliance

SeonAh Kendall CPA
Economic Director, City of Fort Collins, Fort Collins, CO

Emily Craven
CEO, Story City, Edmonton, Alberta

Bryan Daniels
President & CEO, Blount Partnership

Nicolle Gomez de Sousa
Business Development Consultant,Tourism Kelowna, Kelowna, BC

Brent Dodginghorse
Brent, DH Ranch, Tsuut'ina, AB

Kathryn Fasegha
Writer/Director, 2 Weeks in Lagos Movie, Lagos, Nigeria

Dell Gines
Vice President - Partnerships, Advisory Services, Thought Leadership, International Economic Development Council, Omaha, NE

Jyoti Gondek
Mayor of Calgary, City of Calgary, Calgary, AB

Allison Sandmeyer - Graves
CEO, Canadian Women & Sport

Todd Greene
Executive Director of WorkRise, Urban Institute

Leann Hackman-Carty
Chief Executive Officer, Economic Developers Alberta

Hyder Hassan
Community Systems & Investments Leader, Calgary, Alberta

Wes Jickling
VP Technology Development and COSIA, Pathways Alliance, Calgary, AB

Eloisa Klementich, CEcD, PhD
IEDC Chair, Planning and Business Development, President and Chief Executive Officer, Invest Atlanta, Atlanta, GA

Kate Koplovich
Director of Strategy, Calgary Economic Development, Calgary, AB

David Legg, PhD
Professor, Mount Royal University, Cochrane, Alberta

Joe Lougheed
Chair, Calgary Economic Development & Partner Dentons Canada LLP, Calgary, AB

Thom Mahler
Director, Downtown Strategy, The City of Calgary, Calgary, AB

Krista Mallory
Business Development Officer, Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission

Dr. Linda ManyGuns
Blackfoot Elder, Self-Employed, Calgary, AB

Dr. Aysha Mawani
Director General, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, Ottawa, ON

Tom McCaffery, MBA, PMP
Executive Director, Emissions Reduction Alberta, Calgary, AB

Sarah Meilleur
CEO, Calgary Public Library, Calgary, AB

Josh Mejia
President & CEO, McAllen Chamber of Commerce, McAllen, TX

Quentin Messer, Jr., CEcD
President & CEO, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Lansing, MI

Nathaniel Miller, MBA
Director, Programs and Operations, Inn from the Cold Society, Calgary, Alberta

Erin O'Connor
Business Development Manager, Calgary Film Centre, Calgary, AB

Nathan Ohle
President & CEO, IEDC, Washington, DC

Jessica Paolini
Manager of Economic Development, Somerset County, Office of Planning, Policy and Economic Development

Patti Pon
President & CEO, Calgary Arts Development Authority, Calgary, AB

Bobbie Racette
CEO, Virtual Gurus and askBetty, Calgary, AB

Terry Rock, PhD
President and CEO, Platform Calgary, Calgary, Alberta

Bryce Starlight
Vice President, Development at Taza Development Corp, Calgary, Alberta

DELEGATE SPEAKERS:

Syed Akhtar
Staff Representative, United Steelworkers, Canada

Lindsay Colley
Associate Vice President, ESG Strategy, Canadian Tire Corporation, Canada

Zankhit Desai
Senior Manager, Elixia Tech Solution Pvt. Ltd, India

Mariama Dupuis
Chief of Staff, Sagard, Canada

Charlotte Ann Goss
Service Manager, City of York Council, United Kingdom

Rizawani Fiona Heng
Director, QDEES KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia

Mervin Jakuaterua Katjivikua
Human Resource Policy Analyst, Office of the Prime Minister, Namibia

Madiha Saail Khan
Quality Operations Manager, Schazoo Zaka, Pakistan

Harpreet Singh Khandiyal
VP - Global Head of Production Operations (BCS), Barclays Group Services Pvt Ltd, India

Matthew MacDevette
Southern Africa Regional Adviser: Private Sector Department, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, South Africa

Omogolo Mathumo
Broadcast Journalist, Duma FM, Botswana

Shunelle Nevers
Gender Youth & Social Inclusion Specialist, Agricultural Cooperative Development International/Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance, Jamaica

Judith Nyarugezi
Senior Relationship Manager, Government Banking, CRDB Bank Plc, Tanzania

Klorkor Okai-Mills
Assistant Judge Advocate General, Ministry of Defence, Ghana

Olivier Ouimet
Manager, International Compensation, Air Canada, Canada

Peter Mykola Ptashko
CEO & Founder, Cambio: House of Social Change, United Kingdom

Adelene Teo
Economic Adviser, British High Commission Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Buhari Ozigi Zubairu
Senior Program Officer, Sahel Consulting Agriculture and Nutrition Limited, Nigeria

SPEAKERS:

Sandra Badry
Business Development Officer, Red Deer County

Shawna Morning Bull
Manager Business Development, Community Futures Treaty Seven, Calgary, AB

Andrew Button
Founder & CEO, Mashup Lab Limited

Tanja Carter
Director of Economic Development, City of Federal Way

Dave Cash
President & CEO, Cash & Associates Inc.

Nathan Foss, MBA
Account Executive, Lightcast, Moscow, ID

Daniel Hengeveld
Senior Director, Investment Attraction, Toronto Global

Raza Jafri, MBA
CEO & Founder, MetaWorldX, Toronto, Canada

Jeanine Jerkovic, CEcD
Economic Development Director, City of Surprise, Surprise, AZ

Arif Khimani
President & COO, MobSquad, Calgary, Alberta

Dexter Lam, MBA
Director, Economic Intelligence, Calgary Economic Development, Calgary, AB

Delaney Luna, MPP
Senior Economic Development Associate, International Economic Development Council, Washington, DC

Kate MacArthur
President & CEO, Ascension Economic Development Corporation

Amy Madison, CEcD, EDFP
Executive Director, Pflugerville Community Development Corporation, Pflugerville, TX

Nicole Manapol
Economic Recovery Corps Program Manager, International Economic Development Council (IEDC), Geneseo, NY

April Mason
President, Violet PR, Montclair, NJ

Sarah McMillan
Manager of Workforce and Talent Development, City of Birmingham Department of Innovation and Economic Opportunity

Eleanor Miclette
Manager of Economic Development, Town of Canmore

Jonas Peterson, CEcD
Chief Executive Officer, Southwest Michigan First, Kalamazoo, MI

Christopher Pike, EDFP, CPM
President & CEO, Urban Pulse, Atlanta, GA

Lisa Rain
Marketing, Economic Development, Duke Energy

Jamie Richards
Board Relations Liaison, International Economic Development Council, Alexandria, VA

Alex Sarian
President & CEO, Arts Commons, Calgary, Alberta

Jared Smith
Director of Economic Development & Tourism, City of Henderson

Rob St Denis, MPA, B,Mgt
Project Manager, Community Futures Treaty Seven, Calgary, Alberta

Steve Stroud
Executive Director, Roswell Inc

Bruce Takefman
President, ResearchFDI

Kate Thompson, AAA, MRAIC
President & CEO, Calgary Municipal Land Corporation, Calgary, AB

D'Andre Wilson-Ihejirika, P.Eng, PMP
Executive Director, Work-Integrated Learning, Calgary Economic Development, Calgary, AB

Jenna Wright
Vice President, Anchorage Economic Development Corporation

Anila Lee Yuen
President & CEO, Centre for Newcomers in Calgary, Calgary, Alberta

John Zakian, CEcD
Senior Vice President Program Development, GrantWorks, Austin, TX

2023 Sponsors

CHAIRMANS CLUB SPONSORS:
• Accrisoft Corporation
• Amazon
• DCI
• GrantWorks
• Placer.ai

CO-SPONSORS:
• Calgary in the New Economy
• PrairiesCan
• Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund

GOLD SPONSOR:
• Lightcast

BRONZE SPONSOR:
• ResearchFDI