The Empire Club of Canada
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Our leading AI panelists – from the top Canadian AI startups, researchers, and venture capitalists – will dive into key priorities as Canada looks toward the future of AI. There’s a lot to consider – from government investment to the state of adoption to the unimaginable way it will impact our economy, the workplace and lives.
The panelists will discuss and debate what Canada needs to do to put together a strong framework for AI in the country, and what businesses need to consider to adapt and keep up with the ever-evolving landscape.
Please reserve your tickets and join us on February 15th, 2024 for this impactful event.
Tony Gaffney is the President and CEO of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence. He also serves on the Government of Canada’s Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence, the OECD.AI network of experts task force for AI Governance Compute and Climate Change (ONE.AI), and is a Corporate Director with Altus Group (AIF.TO), an AI enabled intelligence as a service company. Tony is also a member of the World Economic Forum AI Governance Alliance working group, an initiative focused on responsible generative AI.
An experienced CEO, Tony is a former member of the Global Executive Committee of Aon Hewitt and also served as the CEO of Aon Hewitt Canada. Prior to joining Aon Hewitt, Tony was a Managing Partner at Accenture, President and CEO of BellNexxia, and CEO of BCE Emergis.
Tony is also an experienced Corporate Director (iNED) focused on governance with impact. He believes AI can be a strategic lever for executives and board members to enhance corporate governance and leadership strategies. He has served on numerous boards including; PC Financial, the Bishop Strachan School, the Toronto Region Board of Trade, the Toronto United Way Cabinet, and more. He also led the “High Performance in the Boardroom” initiative; in collaboration with 30+ leading board chairs focused on the future of governance.
Jordan Jacobs is Managing Partner and co-founder of Radical Ventures. Before Radical, Jordan co-founded Layer 6 AI and was co-CEO prior to its acquisition by TD Bank Group where he joined as Chief AI Officer (Business & Strategy).
Jordan is also a founder of the Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Toronto, a concept he devised with Radical Ventures and Layer 6 co-founder Tomi Poutanen and Professor Geoffrey Hinton. Jordan is a Director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), which administers on behalf of the Government of Canada the world’s first national AI strategy, which Jordan helped author. Jordan is also a member of the University of Waterloo President’s International Advisory Board, a Director of Tennis Canada, and has been selected as one of Toronto’s 50 Most Influential People.
Jordan previously co-founded Milq, a cultural content discovery platform and early adopter of machine learning for personalization. He also founded SpyBox Media, through which he developed and partnered with Elton John’s Rocket Pictures to executive produce the Emmy-nominated music TV series Spectacle, hosted by Elvis Costello.
Jordan started his career as a technology and entertainment lawyer, and received his JD from Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto where he was admitted at age 19.
Martin Kon is President and COO at Cohere, the leading AI platform for enterprise. Cohere’s world-class AI platform is uniquely suited to the needs of business, offering data-secure deployment options in companies’ existing cloud environments, customization, and customer support. At Cohere, Martin is focused on bringing commercial products and solutions to market and helping businesses realize enormous value by harnessing the power of AI. Prior, Martin was the CFO of Google’s YouTube division where he led YouTube’s global strategy, finance, business operations, and commercial data analytics functions. Martin has 20+ years of experience advising C-Suite executives at major enterprises around the world, especially in tech, media, and telecoms.
Based in Toronto, Martin holds a Bachelor’s of Commerce from McGill University, and as well as an MBA from Queen’s University.
Mara is COO and co-founder of Signal 1, a health AI company that enables hospitals to deploy and scale clinical AI applications across their enterprise. Prior to launching Signal 1, Mara spent 19 years as a Professor of Strategic Management at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. During her time at the University of Toronto, Mara led and grew the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) – a world-leading mentorship program for massively scalable science- and technology-based start-ups. Mara has a PhD in Economics from MIT.
Angus Lockhart is a Senior Policy Analyst at the Dais. Angus researches the adoption of innovative technologies in both the public and private sectors and the role policy can play in accelerating uptake. Angus’ recent focus has been leading the Dais’ project on AI adoption in Canada, which explores trends in Canada’s AI talent pipeline, infrastructure, and adoption potential. Prior to joining the Dais, Angus worked at a public affairs firm, specializing in polling and conducting interviews and focus groups. Angus holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of British Columbia, and a Master of Arts in Political Science from Simon Fraser University.
Chris Walker is an innovative and growth-driven semiconductor executive based in the Silicon Valley. He has led major initiatives and business units throughout his 30-year career at Intel Corporation, and recently became Chief Executive Officer at Toronto-based, Untether AI. His expertise extends across operations, finance, business development/M&A, product and marketing leadership. Recently, he has been a senior advisor with Cerberus Capital, supporting investments in technology fund and management consulting.