Join Us at the 2019 CPAC InnoVision Summit!

2019-09-11

InnoVision is the new edition of CPAC’s annual professional development conference, highlighting the newest advancements in science and technology that will revolutionize people’s lives.

Who Should Attend?

This innovation themed summit conference is geared towards professionals, entrepreneurs, academics, students, tech enthusiasts and those who like to be in the know, to explore and learn about emerging science and technological trends.

Why Should You Attend?

If you want to explore the latest trends in science and technology, discover exciting business and professional opportunities, and network with experts and tech entrepreneurs, do not miss this event!

InnoVision 2019 will feature presentations and panel discussions on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, IoT, Blockchain, AI, FinTech and tech entrepreneurship. There will be thought leaders from IBM, University of Toronto, Western University and other industry and academic organizations.

Register now for the mecca of tech trends before it is sold out!

Date: Sunday, September 29, 2019, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm

Location: Novotel Toronto North York Hotel (Gibson Ballroom), 3 Park Home Ave, North York, ON M2N 6L3

Cost:

Online Registration:

$35 for the Early Bird until September 24

$35 for CPAC Members (Please contact CPAC office at 416-298-7885 or office@cpac-canada.ca for coupon code)

$45 for the General Public

Onsite Registration:

$45 for both CPAC members and general public

SPEAKERS

Industry 4.0 Overview

Dr. Ahmad Barari

Dr. Ahmad Barari is Associate Prof., Dept. of Automotive, Mechanical & Manufacturing Eng. , University of Ontario Institute of Technology and he is also an adjunct professor at the Department of Mechanical & Materials Engineering of Western University. For over 25 years, he has been involved in R&D in engineering design and advanced manufacturing technologies. Dr. Barari contributed to and collaborated on many national and international projects. His research focus is on digital & precision manufacturing, manufacturing data collection and analytics, intelligent manufacturing systems, and advanced manufacturing technologies.

As a result of the 4th industrial revolution, industries at their global levels are subject to rapid changes. Digitization is one of the key elements to supporting a successful transition in this era. Ahmad will address the principles of Industry 4.0 and its digitization requirements including the Cyber-Physical components, Digital Twins, IofT, Data Analytics, FinTech & Blockchain, Artificial Intelligence, and the Hybrid Manufacturing systems.

Blockchain Sessions & Panelists:

Dr. Miriam Capretz

Dr. M. Capretz is the Associate Dean, Research in the Faculty of Engineering and a Professor of Software Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Western University as well as an Associate Scientist with Lawson Research Institute. Dr. Capretz has been involved with software development and research and teaching in software engineering for more than 35 years. Among her industry experience, she worked for 5 years as a software engineer at Technological Center for Informatics in Brazil; she was a system analyst for 4 years at a computer company in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and was a software consultant for 7 years. Her current research activities include software projects with industry partners for smart buildings, big data analytics for energy management, smart asset management and smart grids.

Prof. Miriam Capretz will provide an overview of blockchain technology. She will describe what it is, how it works, its benefits, and potential applications. In addition, she will discuss a specific successful use of this technology.

Brian Phan

Brian Phan is the CEO & Co-Founder of U.CASH, a blockchain-based global financial peer-to-peer financial services network. Under Brian’s able leadership, U.CASH launched a very successful Initial Bounty Offering (IBO) – a novel way of crowdfunding in the Blockchain industry. It was a tremendous success as 300K+ users globally signed up with minimum digital marketing. Recently, he and his team launched a frontier cryptocurrency exchange servicing users in Canada and China. At a very young age, Brian was one of the most influential thought leaders in the Blockchain space and a keynote speaker at prominent conferences in Canada. He is an advisor for Blockchain Association of Canada and works with regulators and every other participant of the Blockchain industry to bring positive and balance regulation. Working full-time in blockchain since 2014, Brian is excited to share his experience learned from engaging with governments, regulators, entrepreneurs, and corporations from various sectors and countries. He enjoys communicating about how and why the foundation of peer-to-peer transactions without any intermediary (ie. blockchain technology) will shape the next era of prosperity in finance, business, healthcare, education, governance, and many other fields.

Brian will address how blockchain and decentralized technology are transforming the lives of people around the world. Bitcoin, blockchain’s first application and killer use case, has proven to be a store of value and medium of exchange. Bitcoin has led to a Cambrian explosion of ideas based on blockchain technology affecting various industry and people’s lives while spawning an industry of itself that’s currently in its early days.

Nasser Rahal

Nasser Rahal is the Founder and CEO of fazeZERO, where he is the driving visionary behind this innovative new startup charged with solving real world problems with IoT, Blockchain and AI technologies. He has over 20 years of experience working in international technology transformation and management and has worked at leading companies such as CGI, GE, and IBM. His primary expertise lies in the ability to both build new organizations from the ground up and to digitally transform legacy businesses. Nasser also teaches graduate courses at York University in the Blockchain and AI domains.

Nasser will provide insights on how fazeZero is using realworld Blockchain applications to help clients introduce and build disruptive technologies. He will delve into how Blockchain enables banks and financial institutions to launch the next generation of services with global footprint that were not possible before in the areas of Cross Border Payment, Trading, Accounting and Smart Contracts.

Eric Lifson

Eric has created a substantial name for himself in the blockchain, technology and marketing worlds. With an MBA in Marketing, Eric has surrounded himself with a top tier educational background, enabling him to establish 10+ years of directing globally strategic marketing projects, including the release of the national McCafé launch strategy for McDonald’s. He co-founded Skrumble Technologies in 2014 and has grown it to one of the top revenue generating blockchain companies globally. The company has partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, governments and global tech leaders. It has launched a highly successful protocol called Skrumble Network and a dApp called Ally that already has over 200k users! Eric continues to innovate and push the boundaries, and now devotes his expertise fintech and blockchain technology sector with Skrumble.

Blockchain expert, Eric Lifson is from one of the leading tech companies and preeminent blockchain suppliers and architects for real life business utilities of blockchain. He will walk you through details of a real-life blockchain example called Skrumble Network, of how blockchain is changing the world – built right here in Toronto, Canada!

AI Sessions & Panelists:

Niki Liu

Niki Liu is a Lead Strategist with the Advisory and Enablement team at Element AI. Since joining Element AI, Niki Liu has led multiple engagements to facilitate clients to develop AI-first roadmap and develop AI product concepts. Prior to Element, Niki has worked at Capital Markets and Global Asset Management of Royal Bank of Canada in Toronto. Earlier in her career, she was one of the founding team of Meritco Services and was leading the Financial Services Practice, which provides advisory services to global leading principal investment firms. She was involved in investment advisory and management consulting projects, covering industries such as financial services, technology, manufacturing, education, logistics, etc. She also spent time at McKinsey & Company and PwC. Niki Liu holds a Master’s Degree from University College London in Economics and an MBA from Ivey Business School.

Dr. Cindy Gordon

Dr. Cindy Gordon is the Founder and CEO of SalesChoice, an AI SaaS Predictive and Prescriptive Guiding Selling Company. She is also an expert in SaaS, AI, business innovation, early-stage software commercialization & sales /marketing practices. She has held senior leadership and partnership roles in global B2B Enterprises, including: Accenture, Xerox, Citicorp and Nortel Networks. In addition, Cindy has also been a founder, VC, an angel and founder in emerging software companies. She is currently involved in: Corent Technology, CoursePeer, Kula, LyfeUp, and TouchTown TV. Cindy is also the Founder of Helix Commerce International Inc., a strategy innovation firm modernizing global B2B enterprises. Internationally, she is recognized for her innovation and thought leadership in: SaaS, Collaboration, AI, technology emergence, with over 13 books in the market. She is also the recipient of many awards, such as the Governor’s General Award for Innovation, the STARTUP CANADA National Entrepreneurship Award, CATA & E&Y Sara Kirke Award for Outstanding CEO: Innovation & Community Leadership, and most Creative CEO Award from Insights Success. She is also currently working on her 14th book on The AI SPLIT: The Perfect World, or The Perfect Storm. Cindy’s passion is the constant pursuit of sustainable innovation and making differentiated experiences to make our world an incredible place.

Is AI the perfect world or the perfect storm? Cindy Gordon will be providing an overview on AI in a business context. She will highlight two real-world case studies including FSI banking (AI and robotics) and SalesChoice B2B guided selling. Cindy will also cover AI risk zones to be aware of.

Dr. Kang Lee

Dr. Kang Lee is a Professor, and Tier 1 CRC Chair in developmental neuroscience at the University of Toronto. For over two decades, he has studied face processing and lying using computational and neuroimaging technologies. Drawing on more than two decades of research, his team has developed a novel imaging system called Transdermal Optical Imaging that uses conventional video cameras to decode human physiology and emotions. Dr. Lee has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers on the related topics. His research has been funded by such funding agencies as NIH and NSF in the US, NSERC and SSHRC in Canada, and NSFC in China.

AI today is intellectually smart at best but emotionally it is no better than a 2-year-old. Kang Lee will provide a live demonstration of affective AI and its applications using Transdermal Optical Imaging Technology to reveal facial blood flow to assess an individual’s physiological and psychological states. He will discuss the benefits of this essential tool and how it can be used for developing an affective AI system that is both intellectually and emotionally smart.

Faisal Ahmed

Faisal Ahmed is the CTO and Co-founder of Knockri, and a leader in AI and Algorithmic Fairness. As CTO, he drives Knockri’s entire product vision and leads a team of software developers, product managers & machine learning engineers to develop AI algorithms that quantify soft skill attributes such as Growth Mindset & Empathy from video. In addition to managing the team, Faisal works on building the core architecture of Knockri’s AI algorithms. His areas of expertise are in Computer Vision, Deep Learning, Multi-Modal analysis & Algorithmic Fairness.

Faisal will be providing insights on how AI is helping organizations enhance diversity & inclusion – especially in early stages of recruitment. He will also be providing information on the steps & processes teams and organizations should consider when implementing fair AI solutions.

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FinTech: Digital Disruptions in Financial Services: Serena Chan

Serena Chan is a Partner in IBM’s Financial Services sector in IBM Global Business Services in Canada, focused on helping clients accelerate digital reinvention, from strategy and technology to incubating and scaling new skills and competencies. She is named one of the Canada’s Top 50 Women in FinTech in 2019. Serena has led portfolios of work with clients who have designed new and differentiated legendary customer experiences, developed and implemented award-winning solutions, and adopted AI technologies for customer experience and operational efficiency.

Serena Chan will be taking a look at how digital disruptions are impacting the financial services industry in Canada. She will be highlighting business challenges in banking, changes in the digital operating model, impact on the workforce, real life case studies and doing a demo of an IBM Innovation Garage application.

SCHEDULE

9:00 am Attendee Registration/Networking

10:00 am Opening Remarks

10:05 am – 10:45 am Industry 4.0 Overview

Ahmad Barari, PhD, Peng, Associate Professor, Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science University of Ontario Institute of Technology

10:45 am – 12:15 pm Blockchain Panel

Miriam A. M. Capretz, Ph.D., P.Eng., Associate Dean, Research Professor, Software Engineering, Western University

Brian Phan, CEO & Co-founder of U.CASH

Nasser Rahal, Founder and CEO of fazeZERO

Eric Lifson, Co-founder of Skrumble

12:15 pm – 1:30 pm Networking Break

1:30 pm – 2:45 pm AI Panel