Volatility, complexity, and ambiguity are words often associated with the Alberta and Calgary economy.  The shift to a new paradigm of doing business seeks agility and flexibility, developing a mindset of ‘bend, but not break’.  Resiliency needs to be woven into the very fabric of the company through culture, operations, and strategies to best position organizations to weather any economic disruptions.

Join Smith Business Club and Queen’s Venture Network Calgary for this special joint event. Our panel will discuss the challenges they have faced and some of the strategies they have put in place to ensure they rise above the turbulence.

Agenda

• 5.00PM – 6.00PM Registration and networking
• 6.00pm – 7.00pm Panel discussion/Q&A
• 7.00pm – 8.00pm Networking

Moderator

Ron Bettin, EMBA’14

Founder | President and CEO, Fitneff Inc

Ron is a respected executive business leader and strategist with a vibrant entrepreneurial spirit that spans energy, industrial, consumer products, and business start-ups. He is a co-founder of several companies and provides consulting services to share his expertise. Ron is also a speaker and facilitator who regularly talks to audiences about entrepreneurship, innovation, active workplaces and “Ron’s Story – From a Broken Neck to Treadmill Desk”. Over his career, Ron has applied his business acumen in a wide variety of leadership roles. Ron has started-up and managed oil & gas operations in Northern BC and Alberta before working internationally in South America and the North Sea. He has also been a founding executive partner for two oil & gas exploration companies and more recently co-founded ReSourceYYC, an exciting new co-working space for entrepreneurial professionals in Calgary which is also the head office of Fitneff. Ron is the inventor of the WalkTop Treadmill Desk which was conceived while he was recovering from an accident in which he had a major spinal injury and surgery. Ron is a graduate of Smith's University Executive MBA program, SAIT’s Industrial Engineering Technology (Operations Management) and was a Second Class Power Engineer. He has also studied at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai.

Panel

Colette Hamon, AMBA’10

Founder | President and CEO, BraTopia Inc.

Originally a French farm girl from southern Saskatchewan, she chased the greener pastures and the boom of Alberta in 2001 and has ridden the crazy wave ever since taking in all Calgary has to offer.  She spent several years in corporate jobs that provided her "learning and growth" opportunities, until she found her niche in retail bringing the most amazing swimwear and lingerie brands to the women of Alberta. In 2011 BraTopia was born, and a second store was added in 2015 with further plans for expansion. She truly believes that the world can be changed ‘one fitting at a time’.  She holds a business diploma from SAIT, a Bachelor of Management from the University of Lethbridge, and an MBA from Smith.  She has three exceptionally spirited children, loves the ocean, amazing food, and typically has a fresh stamp in her passport.  Although Entrepreneur life keeps her hair colorist permanently employed, she wouldn’t trade it in for anything.

Claudio Rodrigues, MBA’88

Founder and CEO, Retail Media Group

Claudio is a proven brand builder and a leading expert on loyalty and reward programs. He first earned his stripes at American Express, where he excelled at both Consumer Card Marketing as well as retail and service establishment marketing, prior to being an integral member of the team that created and launched the Membership Rewards loyalty program – one of Canada’s first and most successful loyalty programs which subsequently went on to be rolled out around the world. He was then recruited to AIR MILES® (LoyaltyOne) to help with the launch and expansion of what was then a start up enterprise. He had much success over the next decade – helping to build one of Canada’s foremost consumer brands, in addition to consulting and training AIR MILES teams in the U.S. and Europe. Ten years ago, his entrepreneurial spirit led him away from AIR MILES to start his own company (along with Brad Wolff) – Retail Media Group. The company has grown rapidly – from an initial start up in Calgary, with one main product – AdBar – to a national media and marketing powerhouse, with multiple marketing and media offerings. Claudio holds an MBA from Smith School of Business at Queen's University and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta. His personal motto is “Carpe Diem” – and his love of good food, great wine, good music (particularly Blues) and glorious single malts, are well known. He calls himself an avid “but not very good” golfer and soccer player and is the proud father of two talented children – who always enrich his life from the ongoing, everyday memories to the breath-taking, unbelievable moments.

Neige Blair

Cofounder, Routine

Neige Blair is co-founder, formulator, creative director and the “right brain “of routine Inc. Originally pursuing politics as a career path and majoring in Political Science, her creative and entrepreneurial spirit eventually led her in a different direction. Neige committed her time to more artistic endeavors, traveling and performing music. Always with a growing library of botanicals in tow, she studied and worked on mastering her craft of making natural personal and home care products. After starting a family in Calgary, Neige worked as a freelance writer, ran community programs for children and seniors and spearheaded two custom clothing startups. Determined to create a meaningful but lucrative business, she made the decision to take her creative talents and circle them back on natural product development and design, looking for gaps in the market. She named her best product routine. An effective, natural deodorant that was lacking in mainstream retail. Neige enlisted the help of her sister-in-law Pippa, with marketing and business expertise and together, they have grown routine into Canada's premier natural deodorant company, winning awards and media praise. Neige and Pippa were awarded Avenue magazines top 40 under 40 in November 2015.They have since partnered with Canada's largest wellness distributor, followed by distribution contracts in the UAE, USA and Europe. The partners are currently working on the launch of their full line of ethical, natural personal care and lifestyle products.

Lauryn Zhukrovsky

Founder, the-upside.ca

Despite being small town born and raised in western Canada, I have always had a passion for the finer things in life. While earning my degree in business at the University of Calgary I interned with a well-known Canadian fashion designer. My Travels as an Intern exposed me to Fashion weeks in Toronto, NYC as well as throughout Europe. These experiences ignited my love for travel and fashion, so much that I decided to move to Paris. Living in Paris jobless teaches you the importance of looking chic on a budget! This has always stuck with me and through my customer service experience, travel and a belief that you don’t have to pay full retail price to look fabulous the-upside.ca was born.