New Event - Annual General Meeting speaker Neil Thornton - 25 Sep. 2026 | Learn more.

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Lead Change with a Strategic Plan that Actually Works

Neil Thornton

Founder - The Thornton Group

  • Understand the three key questions for any planning process

  • Apply the Balanced Scorecard approach (Kaplan) with 5 key priorities

  • Understand the strategic planning is easy; it’s the ‘doing’ that is the hard part

  • Ensure fingerprints are on the planning process at every level of the organization

  • Engaging people in the process through vision, mission, and values

  • Speaking and coaching skills required

  • Remember that your culture will eat your strategic plan for breakfast!

📅 Date: Friday, September 25, 2026 🕓 Time: 11:30am – 2:00pm

📍Location: Conestoga College – Waterloo Campus

We look forward to welcoming members to our Annual General Meeting this September, bringing members together to reflect on our accomplishments, strengthen community connections, and discuss the year ahead. This year's featured session, “Lead Change with a Strategic Plan that Actually Works” with Neil Thornton, will explore why creating a strategic plan is often the easy part, while successfully putting it into action is where organizations truly succeed or struggle. With practical insights and proven approaches, Neil will share how to turn strategy into meaningful results and lasting impact.

Objectives:

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Director's Crisis Playbook

📅 Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026 🕓 Time: 4:00pm – 6:00pm

📍Location: Westmount Golf & Country Club

Join author Jaime Watt discussing the latest book Director’s Crisis Playbook: Proven Methods for Boards to Manage Issues, Respond to Crisis, & Recover Reputation.

In today’s unforgiving environment, crises arrive faster, spread wider, and cut deeper than ever before. The old playbook—slow, cautious, and reactive—is obsolete.

Jaime Watt is the Chairman and Founder of Navigator and a bestselling author specializing in complex public strategy issues. He is currently the Chancellor of Ontario College of Art and Design University and serves on the boards of several organizations, including the University Health Network and Shaw Festival.

A respected public affairs commentator, Watt regularly contributes to CBC platforms across Canada and writes a column for the Toronto Star. His latest book, Director's Crisis Playbook, draws on his decades of experience advising boards. His debut book, What I Wish I Said: Confessions of a Columnist, was a national bestseller.

Jaime Watt

Author
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2026-2027 Events Calendar

Seating is limited for this event. Register early to reserve your spot!

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

In Collaboration with

From Taxi Lines to Boardrooms: Leading Through Disruption, Innovation, and Uncertainty

Sheldon McCormick

CEO - Communitech

📅 Date: Thursday, November 26, 2026 🕓 Time: 11:30am - 2:00pm

📍Location: Conestoga College - Waterloo Campus

Making Sense of What Comes Next

📅 Date: Thursday, January 21, 2027 🕓 Time: 11:30am - 2:00pm

📍Location: Conestoga College - Waterloo Campus

Larry Smith

University of Waterloo Economics Professor

Supported by

Sponsored by

What You'll Take Away

  • Recognize when strategy needs to evolve

  • Balance stability, growth, and innovation

  • Navigate AI, digital transformation, and succession

  • Make confident decisions amid uncertainty

  • Build resilience for long-term success

The future is always changing, and few people explain it better than Larry Smith.

Join us for our first gathering of 2027 as Larry returns to share his perspectives on where we've been, where we are today, and what may lie ahead. Combining economic insight, practical observations, and his trademark humour, Larry delivers presentations that are both informative and entertaining.

Markets change. Technology evolves. Leadership priorities shift. The challenge is knowing when to adapt and how to move forward with confidence.

Join Sheldon McCormick, former Uber Canada executive, entrepreneur, and family business investor, as he shares practical lessons from navigating rapid growth, disruption, and transformation. Drawing on experiences in technology, entrepreneurship, and family business, Sheldon will explore how leaders can recognize change early, make better decisions, and position their organizations for long-term success.

Contact Our Team

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