Downtown Toronto
In Person
The economy is shifting and AI is changing how companies compete. The next 12 months will reward leaders who decide with clarity, not those who wait for certainty.
Canadian business leaders are being asked to plan through economic volatility while AI reshapes productivity, competition and the workforce. Most executives can see the change coming. The harder part is reading the signals, deciding where to move, and bringing their people along.
On November 24, we are bringing together approximately 50 C-level executives and business owners for an evening built around three connected conversations. Start with BDC's perspective on the economy, productivity and AI's impact on growth. Move into what it takes to lead through change with confidence. Then sit down with seven or eight peers for a facilitated roundtable on the strategic moves you will make next.
If you lead a growing Ontario business and are in the early stages of exploring what AI means for your competitiveness, this is a room of peers working through the same decisions.
The evening is built around three conversations:
Seize: Opportunity in Volatility. An economic outlook from BDC on what is changing, where opportunity is emerging and what Canadian businesses should watch, with a focus on productivity, competitiveness, resilience and AI's potential impact on employment and growth.
Lead: A New Dawn for Canada. How economic volatility and AI-driven transformation are reshaping competition and the workforce, and what leaders need to do to set direction, build organizational readiness and make confident decisions amid change.
Win: Leading Change Despite the Odds. Facilitated executive roundtables in groups of 8, focused on turning uncertainty into action: identifying where AI can create business value, mobilizing people around change, navigating resistance and translating strategic priorities into practical execution.
Attend if you're…
- A CEO, owner or founder of an Ontario-based company with $2.5M+ in annual revenue.
- A COO, CTO or C-level leader responsible for productivity, operations, innovation or growth.
- Early in your AI journey and looking for a practical read on where it fits in your business and your plans for the year ahead.
Leading a mid-market company in manufacturing, professional services, technology, SaaS, cybersecurity or another growth sector.
Looking for candid peer conversation with other senior leaders, rather than another presentation.
- A clearer read on the economic and AI-related signals that matter for your business.
- Sharper strategic priorities, and a view of where opportunity sits within the volatility.
- Practical change-leadership approaches, compared with C-level peers facing the same questions.
- Insight into actions to consider over the next 90 days, plus direct connections with other c-suite leaders, and BDC and Vistage Canada contacts.
- Approximately 50 C-level executives and business owners
- Two focused speaker segments, each a 20-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of Q&A
- Facilitated roundtables in groups of 7-8 participants
- Standing light dinner reception with non-alcoholic refreshments
- Program begins at 5:30 p.m. and concludes at 7:45 p.m. sharp
Seating is limited to keep the conversations focused. Submit an expression of interest and our team will review your submission and follow up with a formal invitation and next steps.
For more information, contact Vinicius Morandi, Program Manager, World Trade Centre Toronto: vmorandi@bot.com
Agenda
5:00pm – 5:30pm: Doors Open | Light Dinner Reception & Networking
Arrive, register and connect with fellow leaders over a light dinner and non-alcoholic refreshments. The program begins promptly at 5:30 p.m.
5:30pm – 5:45pm: Opening Remarks
Welcome from World Trade Centre Toronto, BDC and Vistage Canada, with an introduction to the evening's speakers and roundtable format.
5:45pm – 6:15pm: Seize: Opportunity in Volatility
BDC's economic outlook: what is changing, where opportunity is emerging and what Canadian businesses should watch, with a focus on productivity, competitiveness, resilience and AI's impact on employment and growth. Presentation followed by Q&A.
6:15pm – 6:45pm: Lead: A New Dawn for Canada
Why this moment creates an opportunity for Canadian companies to step forward, and what leaders need to do to set direction, build organizational readiness and make confident decisions amid AI-driven change. Presentation followed by Q&A.
6:45pm – 7:35pm: Win: Leading Change Despite the Odds (Executive Roundtables)
Facilitated peer discussions in groups of 7-8, focused on turning economic and AI-driven uncertainty into action and the strategic moves you will make over the next 12 months.
7:35pm – 7:45pm: Closing Remarks & Next Steps
A brief participant survey, closing remarks and pathways to connect with BDC, Vistage Canada and World Trade Centre Toronto following the event.
Agenda is subject to change.
Speakers
-
Pierre Cléroux
Vice President, Research and Chief Economist
BDC
-
Linda Martin
Chair
Vistage Canada
Tickets & Registration
Complimentary | By invitation only
This Executive Roundtable is offered at no cost to invited participants. Seating is limited to approximately 50 senior leaders.
Submit an expression of interest and our team will follow up with a formal invitation and next steps.
