FITC - Key Persons
Aside from leading creative solutions for dozens of global brands over a span of two decades, Bram is passionate about the art and technology of creative storytelling. So much so, that he ran a non-profit called the Council of Artists and Multimedia Professionals dedicated to it for nearly a decade before joining FITC. In recent years, he has shifted focus toward producing narrative content.
Beside living a creative life, Bram is no stranger to advising all levels of government as well as industry and post-secondary on the structuring of New Media programs and subsidy support. You can find him almost anytime, glued to a screen.
Job Titles:
- President and CEO, ATB Financial Calgary, Canada
If there's one thing that 30-plus years in the financial industry in Canada has taught Curtis, it's that people are at the heart of everything. It's with courage, disciplined thought and precise action that Curtis leads 5,500 team members at ATB Financial as president & CEO. ATB is Alberta's largest financial institution and provides personal, business, agriculture, corporate, investment banking, and wealth management services to more than 770,000 customers.
Curtis has led teams across diverse geographic markets and through various economic cycles. He has touched every major province in the country-always with an inquisitive nature and a desire to get to know the people and places around him.
Alberta, with its broad diversity in both people and landscapes, is where Curtis calls home. Here, at ATB, he created a new line of business focused on Alberta entrepreneurs and played a key role in the transformation of ATB's banking systems-the company's biggest technology challenge in a generation.
He has received the Order of Athabasca University for public service and is a strong advocate for mental health. In 2019, ATB was listed under Best Workplaces™ for Mental Wellness. When he's not speaking with customers, reading their letters and chatting with them on Twitter, Curtis maintains a healthy and active lifestyle and focuses on connecting with family.
Curtis is piloting ATB into Alberta's banking future-a future where he sees people and technology as equally as important. Because he believes behind every new technology disruption is a person with a bright idea to grow and develop and a customer who is expecting a remarkable experience.
Job Titles:
- CEO
- CEO, Psychiatrist, Headversity Calgary, Canada
Dr. Ryan Todd is the CEO of headversity, a company that measures, tracks, and trains resilience in the workplace. As a psychiatrist, Ryan had a continually burgeoning waitlist which he realized would never change throughout the course of his career. Discouraged by his inability to put a dent in his waitlist as a clinician, he started headversity to help people think, feel, and be better by bringing resilience training to the workplace. Headversity continues to develop world leading technology and methodology in measuring, tracking, and training resilience, working with some of Canada's premiere organizations.
Born and raised in a geological basin left by a two billion-year-old impact crater. Dré grew up among the rocky remnants of a place made from outer space. This connection to the stars led to a love of science fiction that now fuels a flare for ideas and technology.
You can find Dré at the forefront of what's new, what's next, and what could be, as he splits his time between working as a tech-savvy creative director, consulting as a futurist, and experimenting in art and product development for web3 and the metaverse.
Jason Theodor dislikes restrictive labels, but let's call him an ‘Idea-preneur' for the sake of introduction. With over fifteen years of executive leadership in digital marketing and fintech, he helps companies overcome their creative challenges.
Job Titles:
- Communications Coordinator
Eight years of schooling in corporate and digital communications, multiple social media accounts, a passion for storytelling, and well over a decade of experience in both photography and event planning - it's obvious that Jill likes connecting with others. Having run everything from professional development sessions to horse shows and medieval festivals, one of Jill's favourite things about event planning is the excitement for what ís coming next. Whether she is writing a news article or a social media post, Jill is pumped, and she wants you pumped too.
When she is not planning an event, writing, or wandering with her camera, you can find Jill binging Community (again), going down Internet rabbit holes, playing Nintendo, or baking for any reason she can come up with. Cheesecake, anyone?
As an alumnus of OCAD University's Digital Painting and Expanded Animation program, he has a rich understanding of and admiration for the art of animation. His passion led him to be introduced to the Toronto Animation Arts Festival International or TAAFI where he serves as Partnerships Co-Lead. When not working, he is likely to be found reading a novel, gaming with friends, or tending to his numerous house plants.
Job Titles:
- Vice President People & Culture, Trimac Transportation Calgary, Canada
Kara has had a varied career in both legal and HR roles. She worked in private legal practice and as in-house counsel for almost 15 years, specializing in employment, labour, human rights, and privacy law in both the public and private sectors representing both union and the management side of clients.
She made the transition to HR to align more with her values of preventing workplace conflict, not dealing with the legal aftermath. She is currently the vice president people & culture at Trimac Transportation, one of Canada's largest transportation companies. Kara is passionate about ensuring that people find meaning in their work and know that what they do matters.
Job Titles:
- Designer
- Software Engineer
- Senior Design Systems Engineer, Northwestern Mutual Boston, USA
Kathleen is a software engineer, designer, and conference speaker. As a person familiar with the mid-1990s web, her deep industry experience fuels her passion for making apps beautifully inclusive and accessible. Kathleen is a Senior Design Systems Engineer at Northwestern Mutual, helping grow the Luna Design System. She is also a Color Module Specification Editor for the W3C Design Tokens Community Group.
Kathleen is an experienced speaker at international technical conferences and her talks have some serious gif game! In her spare time, she is the Creative Director for the CXsisters network, and the best lanterne rouge cyclocrosser you'll ever meet. You can find her on Twitter as @resource11, posting photos on Instagram, and occasionally pulling weeds in her digital garden at kathleenmcmahon.dev.
Mostly within the world of theatre, Leo has spent just over a decade in Live Events, and has spent that time working across North America, the UK, and Spain. With experience that has ranged from designing immersive experiences to finding transport for an unexpectedly large number of crabs, Leo is always ready for the unexpected when it comes to events, and will always bring the best out of any project he is working on.
In his spare time, Leo can usually be found working on various creative projects that he promises will start making sense as soon as they are finished, or attempting to finally find time to finish whatever book he's obsessing over this month.'
Mandy Stobo is a passionate artist, entrepreneur, actor, and mother.
She is dedicated to her community, her family, and her artwork, while always taking in as many new perspectives, experiences, and memories that life can offer.
Job Titles:
- Founder, Technique Adjustment Consulting Calgary, Canada
Marcy is a recovering lawyer who has spent much of her career leading teams, building businesses and influencing organizational change. She has built companies from her kitchen table and held executive roles in large corporations, working in industries ranging from financial services to bio-tech. Marcy co-founded her company (TAC) with the crazy notion of making the world better by impacting transformation in individuals and organizations. In her spare time she rescues animals, runs marathons and plays in the arts. She is passionate about wellness and building resilience.
From graphics to fabrication, coding to video production, Matthew has been spending the last 20+ years building out his skills for interaction design. Working with large name brands and agencies in order to partner with small time not-for-profit organizations, he focuses on building out ideas and methods to bring accessible education and learning to as many people as he can.
Nearly always to be found with a cup of coffee (or bacon), Matthew continues his efforts in making events, both in-person and online, a more engaging and enriching experience for all.
Creative guru and successful entrepreneur, Shawn began his career in 1996 as a Flash developer producing award winning content for Maclaren McCann and later Blast Radius. He was the lead author on the Macromedia Press title "Flash MX 2004 Demystified", and in 2001 he began his community efforts by starting the Toronto Flash user group FlashinTO.
A notable and respected figure in the new media industry, he has taught at OCAD University and the International Academy of Design, is frequently called on to sit on program advisory boards and judge international award shows including SXSW Interactive, and in 2009 he was honoured with an induction into Algonquin College's Media Hall of Fame.
Job Titles:
- Managing Director
- Managing Director, Willis Towers Watson Calgary, Canada
Wendy is a managing director and the leader of the Canadian Health Management Practice for Willis Towers Watson, and is a key member of both the North American and global Health & Benefit leadership teams. Wendy also leads intellectual capital and strategic partnership developments for Willis Towers Watson in Canada.
Wendy helps large Canadian, North American and global clients develop and deploy effective health and wellbeing strategies. Her clients represent a broad cross-section of industries, including financial services organizations, telecommunication firms, airlines, energy companies and engineering firms.
Wendy is an innovator in the wellbeing space in Canada and is sought out to speak at conferences and contribute to health and benefits periodicals. She is a market disruptor - introducing the first pharmacy coalition in Canada, developing the only benefit marketplace product and leading the discussion to foster changes supporting inclusive and diverse practices in employee health and wellbeing programs.
Wendy's 30 years of experience in health and benefits includes directing the disability management operations of a major North American insurer, developing a unique sales delivery model for a Canadian health provider, and numerous roles in the consulting arena. She joined Willis Towers Watson in 1995 and successfully led the operations of the Health & Benefit practice for 12 years, guiding through dramatic changes from several business transactions as well as innovation in the industry. Wendy is now focused on working with clients and driving innovation. Wendy holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics from the University of Alberta.