david johnston speech – not to be missed

Oddly enough there’s another presentation at the Toronto Board of Trade that isn’t in their events calendar. But that’s OK because you, loyal reader, can read it about it here and use the link above to register. Which I highly recommend, as the person who is speaking is none other than David Johnston, the President and Vice-Chancellor at Waterloo University.

I was trying to find a decent bio of him online but haven’t been able to – the one linked above to the WU site is OK but definitely does not do the man justice (because its too short and doesn’t really identify the relevance of all the roles he has played). In addition to being a brilliant academic, he literally wrote the book on securities regulation in Canada and played a key role in shaping Canada’s approach to the internet by chairing the Information Highway Advisory Council and the Blue Ribbon Panel on Smart Communities. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

I had the good fortune of taking a course he instructed while he was teaching at McGill’s Faculty of Law. A remarkably good teacher and, surprisingly, with someone that has so much on his plate, very attentive to his students and always open, accessible and personable.

As you can probably tell from this post, I am extremely biased when it comes to Professor Johnston – I’m a big fan. The man is smart and is worth listening to. As an aside, I also understand that apparently a character in Erich Segal’s Love Story was based on him – a roommate or something if memory serves. Have no idea if true or not – never read the book myself. But there you go. Also have an interesting story about what he wears but will save that for another time.

Here’s the blurb:

Competitive advantage comes by engaging the brightest minds with the latest technology. Join David Johnston, President, University of Waterloo, as he shares ‘what’s in the water at Waterloo’ and illustrates how smart business leaders are successfully partnering with academia to stay on the forefront of the innovation curve.

At the Toronto Board of Trade, Downtown Centre, 1 First Canadian Place. Wednesday, March 28, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Go see him.

Thanks to the always excellent Wellington Financial blog, where I noted mention of this event.

bell’s chief brand officer to speak

Again been a bit lackadaisical on events. Sorry.

Another in the Toronto Board of Trade’s excellent C-Series (as in CEO, CFO, CTO, COO…) tech series. This time its Wade Oosterman, President of Bell Mobility and also Bell’s Chief Brand Officer. Needless to say, he’s someone worth listening to. The nub:

Mr. Oosterman will share his point-of-view about new technologies and how to use them to improve business. He will also speak about his experiences in the technology industry and ways technology can be used to increase profits.

At the Toronto Board of Trade – Downtown Centre in 1 First Canadian Place. Friday, March 30, 2007, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Not that expensive, and you also get a chance to mingle with other tech folks.

Technology Breakfasts

The Toronto Board of Trade has been organizing these great events focused primarily on the Information and Communications Technology sector. The next one will be coming up will be an ICT Forum with Accenture on Wednesday, January 31, 2007.

A brief description:

The Toronto Board of Trade is pleased to present Bill Morris, Country Managing Director, Accenture, as our next featured speaker for our Technology Innovators Series, a showcase for Toronto’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) community.

Bill will highlight outstanding Canadian and international ICT performers and will provide his insight on what it takes to succeed in an intensely competitive and consolidated marketplace. He will share his forecast for the next wave of technology and discuss Accenture’s findings from a global study, encompassing over 6,000 companies, focused on high performance business and high performance information technology.

Bill is responsible for driving the growth of Accenture’s business consulting, systems integration and technology as well as outsourcing businesses across all industries and governments. He has more than 24 years of experience working on technology consulting, business transformation and outsourcing initiatives.

Also taking part in the panel discussion will be Phil Sorgen, President of Microsoft Canada. Phil joined Microsoft Canada as President in January 2006 after a 10-year career with Microsoft Corp. in the United States. Phil is responsible for all elements of Microsoft Canada’s business and for deepening the company’s commitment to this country.

Networking will take place from 7:30 a.m. – 8:00 a.m. and there are no ties required!

Register at the Toronto Board of Trade Website. Well worth it.