Inaugural conference looks to inspire tomorrow's business leaders

More than 200 students gathered at the Hazel McCallion Campus in early April for Sheridan’s inaugural Business Conference, hosted by Sheridan’s Alumni department and the Pilon School of Business.

Sponsored by the Royal Bank of Canada and Candybox Marketing, the afternoon event featured keynote speakers, breakout sessions, networking boot camps and panel presentations intended to inspire and inform the next generation of business leaders.

The conference also included a session with members of Sheridan’s Business Hall of Fame. Pilon School of Business namesake Randy Pilon (Business ’82), Karen Janes (Business ’89), SVP, real estate development and new business development at Aritzia and Darrell Keezer (Marketing ’05), CEO and founder of Candybox Marketing, participated in a roundtable discussion, sharing how they became trailblazers in their respective industries.
  

Keezer also opened the conference with a keynote presentation. Mississauga, Ont.-based Candybox Marketing specializes in social media, online marketing and lead generation, with Keezer’s keynote tackling the topic of digital disruption. 

Throughout his presentation, Keezer challenged the perceptions companies have of millennials and baby boomers, emphasizing the importance of evolving and adapting as a business in order to meet the needs of the changing Canadian consumer. “Think about your customer and work backwards,” Keezer said, adding that businesses should avoid a “spray and pray” approach when developing a social strategy. 

Following Keezer’s keynote, students split into three different breakout sessions where alumni shared insights from their own professional journeys. Faraz Ahmadpour (International Business ’12), SVP of R&D and open innovation at Virox Technologies chatted about fostering innovation, while Stephen Sills (Illustration ’07), co-founder of  virtual community and student resource Student Life Network emphasized the importance of personal branding. Lea Romanelli (Human Resources ’08), director of HR online and retail distribution centres at Indigo, hosted a group of students who actively asked questions about how to begin a career in human resources.

Following a brief dinner, Nicole Moore gave an inspiring keynote on the power of positive thinking. Moore, a former Sheridan student and registered nurse, was attacked by a shark during a vacation to the Caribbean in 2011. Following the attack, Moore underwent a long recovery period that included multiple surgeries, leading to her arm eventually being amputated. 

With students providing overwhelmingly positive feedback from the day’s events, the Business Conference will return for its second edition in 2019.