Donald Steel

Former Chief Communications Advisor, BBC

Vice President, Crisis Communications, Kenyon International Emergency Services

Donald Steel has built a global reputation as a crisis communicator.  For more than 25 years he has given strategic counsel to organisations and high profile individuals in a range of serious situations, including aircraft incidents, terrorism, kidnapping, serious accidents, executive and personal misconduct, fraud, litigation and inquests and serious regulatory and diplomatic issues.

He was for 11 years, the chief media spokesman of the BBC.

In his own practice, based in London, he worlds with a range of corporate, government, NGO and individual clients across the UK, Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East, North America and Asia Pacific and Australasia.   His clients includes airlines, hospitals, universities, hotel groups, UN agencies, orchestras, the Eurovision Song Contest, arts venues and high profile artistes.

He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations in London and of the Royal Society of Arts.  He is a regular guest lecturer at the London School of Economics and the China Media Centre of the University of Westminster.

Alongside his own practice, last year he was appointed Vice President, Crisis Communications at Kenyon International Emergency Services, the worlds longest serving and most admired responder to incidents involving fatality and injury.  Based in Houston, Berkshire (UK), Beirut and Santo Domingo, Kenyon’s clients range from leading airlines, cruise companies, hotel groups, governments, police forces, local authorise and companies across the world who work in high risk situations.  In this role, Donald leads a team of senior crisis communicators based around the world, ready to respond to clients.

He was a member of Aviation Futures, a recent think tank of the UK Civil Aviation Authority supporting the CAA on planning the regulation of future developments in aviation.

Maliha Aqeel, PMP

Director of Global Communications, Fix Network World

Director of Global Communications

Maliha Aqeel is an award-winning senior communication professional. She is currently a Director of Global Communications at Fix Network World . She serves on IABC’s international executive board and is a past president of IABC/Toronto. 

Her accomplishments include developing ICD’s new brand and revamping ICD’s Director Journal magazine, which earned IABC Gold Quill awards of merit and IABC Canada Silver Leaf awards of excellence. She also led EY’s Tax Canada Bot-a-thon campaign, which won several awards in internal communication and employee engagement including a Gold Quill “Best of the Best”, which represents the very best entries seen from around the globe.   

Previously, she spent several years in agency and led the financial communication practice for APCO Worldwide’s Dubai office. She is a Strategic Communication Management Professional (SCMP) and a Project Management Professional (PMP).

Craig Silverman

BuzzFeed News

Media Editor

Craig Silverman is an award-winning author and journalist and one of the world's leading experts on online misinformation, fake news, and content verification. He is the media editor of BuzzFeed News where he leads a global beat covering platforms, online misinformation, and fake news.

Craig previously was the founding editor of BuzzFeed Canada, and was also the founder of Emergent.info, a rumor tracking project that was developed as part a fellowship with the Tow Center for Digital Journalism at Columbia University. From 2004 to 2015 he wrote Regret The Error, a blog about media accuracy and corrections, which became part of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies and was the basis for an award-winning book of press criticism. In 2010, Craig was part of the team that launched OpenFile, an online news startup the delivered community-driven reporting in six Canadian cities. He is the former managing editor of PBS MediaShift and has been a columnist for The Globe And Mail, Toronto Star, and Columbia Journalism Review. Craig also edited The Verification Handbook and The Verification Handbook for Investigative Reporting for the European Journalism Centre.

His journalism and books have been honored by the Mirror Awards, U.S. National Press Club, National Magazine Awards, Canadian Online Publishing Awards, and Crime Writers of Canada.

Alex Cameron

Fasken

Partner and Chair, Privacy & Cybersecurity Group

Alex Cameron is Chair of the firm’s Privacy & Cybersecurity Group. Clients from all sectors, including numerous Fortune 100 and 500 companies, consistently turn to Alex for his recognized leading expertise in privacy, cybersecurity and related matters.

Clients work closely with Alex to achieve business objectives through the innovative use of personal information, while ensuring compliance and managing risk. From big data projects, to marketing initiatives, to workplace management, Alex helps clients to identify and implement creative solutions to all manner of privacy issues. He also assists clients in managing compliance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL).

Working closely with clients and outside security experts, Alex assists clients in managing cybersecurity risks, conducting strategic risk assessments, and implementing effective governance, risk transfer and incident response planning.

Alex has helped clients respond to a full range of data breach incidents involving millions of affected records and individuals, including some of Canada’s most high-profile breaches. Clients have looked to Alex to help effectively investigate and respond to significant matters such as: Cyber extortion in the context information theft, DDoS attacks and ransomware, Large-scale ransomware attacks, Sophisticated hacking, malware and phishing attacks, Lost and stolen laptops, drives and paper information, Business practice claims (e.g. alleged misuse of information for commercial purposes), Data breaches impacting payment cards and PCI rules, Careless, snooping and rogue employees, Vendor and service provider breaches...

An accomplished litigator, Alex has acted as lead counsel in landmark cases in his areas of practice, before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and in high-profile class action litigation involving cybersecurity and data breaches.

In the freedom of information field, Alex assists clients with strategic requests to obtain material information for business or legal purposes, and with resisting the disclosure of important confidential information before institutions, regulators and the courts.

A longstanding director on the Advisory Board of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) Canada, former Chair of the Canadian Bar Association Privacy and Access Law Section, and recipient of a doctoral degree in privacy law, Alex has contributed to thought leadership and the shaping of privacy and related law and policy in Canada.

In recognition of his expertise, Alex has received a number of prestigious commissions from the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) to author reports and guidance material, including , PIPEDA and Your Practice — A Privacy Handbook for Lawyers, a national privacy handbook for the legal profession; Leading by Example: Key Developments in the First Seven Years of PIPEDA, a milestone privacy law report, and Metadata and Privacy: A Technical and Legal Overview.

Alex is consistently ranked in Chambers Canada and The Best Lawyers in Canada as one of Canada’s top privacy and data protection lawyers. He was also named as the 2018 Toronto Privacy and Data Security Law “Lawyer of the Year”.

Judith Harrison

Weber Shandwick

Senior Vice President, Diversity & Inclusion

Judith Harrison is senior vice president, Diversity & Inclusion at Weber Shandwick. She drives programs designed to build a multicultural workforce that leverages diverse perspectives to create breakthrough solutions for clients in an inspiring, collaborative, high-performance workplace. Judith develops strategic plans, drives the sharing of best practices globally, partners with diversity leadership development and professional organizations to increase awareness of Weber Shandwick’s commitment to diversity, and leads innovative initiatives to build a strong talent pipeline while strengthening employee engagement in embedding diversity & inclusion into the agency’s culture and work.

In addition to human resources and recruiting experience, Judith’s background includes communications positions and projects at Burson-Marsteller, Ernst & Young, CBS, Media General, Random House, and the Italian Trade Commission.

Since joining Weber Shandwick in 2006, Judith has guided the firm to recognition as a champion of diversity and inclusion, with honors including the PRWeek/PR Council Diversity Distinction in PR Awards in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016, and the 2016 PR News Diversity Heroes Award as an Organization of the Year.       

Judith has been listed in Who’s Who of American Women, Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. She was awarded the 2011 STAR Award by New York Women’s Agenda, was named as one of Savoy’s Top Influential Women in Corporate America in 2012 and 2014, and was honored with the 2016 PR News Diversity Heroes Award as an Individual of the Year.

Judith served the PR Council as chair of its HR Roundtable for three years. She is president of the PRSA Foundation, and president-elect of New York Women in Communications. Judith also serves on the 4A’s Diversity Steering Committee, as well as on the advisory boards of ColorComm and the Ron Brown Scholar Program.

Lauren Hackett

The Economist

SVP, Global Communications

Lauren Hackett is Senior Vice President, Global Communications for The Economist, one of the world’s most widely recognized, trusted and well-read current affairs publications. Ms Hackett sits on the leadership team and oversees global communications activities including media, public and industry relations; influencer engagement programs; and executive and employee communications. She leads a team of in-house professionals in the US and the UK as well as a network of global agencies to raise awareness for The Economist’s mind-stretching journalism and business successes among globally-curious audiences around the world.

Greg Vanier

Edelman Canada

VP, Crisis and Reputation Risk & National Lead of Data Security and Privacy

Greg Vanier is Senior Vice President, Crisis & Risk, and National Lead of Edelman Canada’s Data Security and Privacy practice.

Greg has a deep understanding of the complexities associated with data security and privacy communications and has helped both Canadian and foreign companies respond to breaches of personal information, ransomware attacks, corporate espionage and security vulnerabilities.

Greg represents clients across many industries and sectors including mining, transportation, financial services, accommodation and hospitality, consumer packaged goods, food manufacturing, energy, infrastructure, and agriculture. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, non-profits and government agencies, and regularly presents on the topic crisis and risk communications at universities, conferences and within corporate boardrooms.

Greg has spent the entirely of his career working as a crisis communicator, helping clients respond to a variety of challenging issues, including acts of domestic terrorism, industrial emergencies, oil spills and pipeline ruptures, food borne illness outbreaks, product recalls, labour disruptions, workforce reductions, hostile takeovers and trade disputes, animal welfare issues, and staff misconduct.

Tammy Scott

Canada Council for the Arts

Director General, Communications and Public Engagement

Tammy Scott joined the Canada Council in 2010 and is the Director General, Communications and Public Engagement. She oversees two sections: Marketing Communications, and Outreach and Business Development. The Marketing Communications Section is responsible for the development of audience-centric communications across all channels, public relations and social media, and brand stewardship. The Outreach and Business Development Section is responsible for the delivery of cultural support programs.

Prior to joining the Council, Ms. Scott achieved success in the field of marketing communications in her previous roles, including: Vice President, Marketing Communications for TELUS; Vice President, Brand Marketing at MasterCard Worldwide; and Director, Advertising and Marketing for AGF Funds Inc. All three brands were named “top Marketer of the year” by Marketing Magazine under Ms. Scott’s leadership.

Fully bilingual (English & French), Ms. Scott holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies from Concordia University, a Masters Certificate in Marketing Communications from York University’s Schulich School of Business, and has completed the Certified Advertising & Communications Professional program from the Institute of Canadian Advertising.

Cameron Craig

Formerly with Apple, Visa, PayPal, Polycom and Yahoo!

International Communications Expert

Emma Daly

Human Rights Watch

Communications Director

Emma Daly is the Communications Director at Human Rights Watch, overseeing all media communication coming from the organization, a position she has held since July 2007. Prior to that, she worked as Press Director after joining HRW in November 2005. Before joining Human Rights Watch, Daly spent 18 years as a journalist, mostly as a foreign correspondent, working for the New York Times, the Independent, Newsweek, the Observer and Reuters, among others. She has contributed to several books including "Secrets of the Press - the Penguin Book of Journalism" and "Crimes of War: What the Public Should Know." A native of the UK, Daly graduated from the University of East Anglia with a BA in Philosophy and Literature.

Linda Solomon Wood

Observer Media Group and Founder and Editor-In-Chief, National Observer

CEO

Linda Solomon Wood is CEO of Observer Media Group and the founder and Editor-In-Chief of the National Observer. She is a co-founder of the Canadian Centre for Investigative Journalism in Vancouver as well as the Canadian Centre for Solutions Journalism in Ottawa. She has served on The Future of News Committee at the Public Policy Forum and sits on the Board of Governors at the National Newspaper Awards representing digital media. Under her leadership, the National Observer made history as the first digital-only publication to win a National Newspaper Award in May 2017. It made history again that June as the first digital-only publication to receive a Michener Award citation at Rideau Hall for reporting in the public interest.

Jefferson Darrell

Ontario Science Centre

Media Relations Officer

Jefferson Darrell is an accomplished marketing communications professional with more than 15 years of brand strategy expertise, generating earned and owned media using both traditional and digital channels. He is highly effective in stakeholder relations, negotiating, conceiving and cultivating mutually beneficial partnerships. Having worked on numerous integrated marketing campaigns on both the agency and client side, Jefferson brings a broad understanding of the entire marketing mix to every project.

In the DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) space, Jefferson sits on the Diversity Inclusion Anti-Racism Action Team at the Ontario Science Centre. He also represents the Centre on the DEI Committee with the Canadian Association of Science Centres (CASC). He has delivered presentations about the importance of DEI including a national webinar for CASC titled Diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, math): What can we learn from Wonder Woman? As well as conducting a talk about diversity in the PR industry for Humber College. Jefferson has also attended DEI conferences including Progress Together for the Ontario Public Service and the first ever White Privilege Global Conference – Toronto at Ryerson University, the first time the 19 year conference was held outside of the U.S.

Diane Begin, MA, APR

ruckus Digital/APEX PR

Vice President

From celebrity chefs to insurance, there’s always a story to tell and a way to tell it so that people care. Diane has worked in communications for over 14 years, starting out splitting her time between government relations and public relations.

Today her work has evolved to fully-integrated paid, earned, and owned tactics where building compelling content has become somewhat of a passion. Having worked client-side for many of those years has also allowed her to experience organizational complexities first-hand and given her the ability to develop award-winning holistic strategic communications approaches. In her spare time, she volunteers, and also always makes time for nature.

Fatma Othman

Weber Shandwick

Senior Associate, Integrated Media

Fatma is a Senior Associate on the Integrated Media team at Weber Shandwick. Having started as an intern in 2016, Fatma leads day to day execution on programs for some of Canada's biggest brands, including McDonald's Canada. She supports key program elements such as media and influencer relations, planning and strategy.

Fatma also recently joined the DEI team at Weber Shandwick Canada. She kicked off the first #fastingwithfriends initiative at the Weber Shandwick offices - prompting her colleagues to fast with her for the day during the month of Ramadhan, which was just as hilarious and eye-opening as it sounds.

Fatma holds a Bachelor of Arts with distinction in Political Science and Communications from McMaster University, and a graduate certificate in Public Relations from Humber College.

Dana Dean, APR, FCPRS, LM

Canadian Public Relations Society

National President

Exceptional, award-winning, accredited communications leader and National President of the Canadian Public Relations Society. People bring Dana to the table to strategize and lead change, provide guidance and advice and skillfully execute high impact initiatives that build community and drive business results. 

Dana is a respected, innovative communications and social media expert, known for her strategic thinking and for getting the job done. While at RBC, Dana created innovative communications strategies for the IT and business platforms that effectively drove revenue growth and solidified stakeholder relationships; most recently she led the development of the largest social sales program of all the financial institutions in Canada.

Dana has an exemplary track record with extensive agency and corporate communications experience providing successful organizational change, social media, sales and corporate communications solutions in collaboration with C-suite and senior executives. Some of her agency clients included: Proctor & Gamble, IBM, Mattel, California Wine Institute, Hong Kong Economic & Trade and Japanese External Trade Organizations.

Recognized for her contributions in advancing Public Relations & Communications Management throughout her career, she was awarded the distinction of Fellow (1 of 119 in Canada) and Life Member status in 2014 from the Canadian Public Relations Society. 

As National President of the Canadian Public Relations Society, she helps lead a 1,700-member association of public relations and communications management professionals in all sectors across Canada.