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Transforming Financial Services: A diversity, inclusion and equity lens for a post-pandemic economic recovery

Thursday, June 24th 2021
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Virtual Program, ON

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged financial services firms to rethink deeply entrenched approaches, adopt to serving clients digitally, rework trusted financial models, and shift to virtual workplaces. Now as we emerge from the pandemic, there is a once in a lifetime opportunity for organizations to re-define the playing field and for marked progress on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) issues for a robust recovery that leverages the contributions of all to achieve lasting resiliency and relevance.

Join KPMG and WCM as we shed the light on the DEI challenges brought on by the pandemic and how organizations, government and society can come together to build lasting resiliency, based on an engaged, inspired, loyal and healthy workforce, and earned relevance and trust in the eyes of customers, shareholders and all of our diverse stakeholders.

Panelists:
Kathleen Taylor - Chair of the Board, RBC
Rob Davis - Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer | KPMG
Jan Babiak - Independent Board Member and Audit Committee Chair
Deborah K. Orida - Senior Managing Director & Global Head of Real Assets | CPP Investment

Moderators:
Ozench F. Ibrahim - Partner, Financial Services, KPMG LLP
Lara Zink - President and CEO | WCM

Kathleen Taylor

Chair of the Board | RBC

Kathleen (Katie) Taylor is Chair of the Board of RBC and also serves as Chair of Altas Partners, a Toronto-based private equity investment firm. Ms. Taylor is a director of AirCanada, Vice-Chair of the Adecco Group and a director of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. She is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Hospital for Sick Children, Immediate Past Chair of SickKids Foundation and Co-Chair of the SickKids Capital Campaign.

Ms. Taylor is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. During her 24-year career with the iconic global company, she held a number of senior leadership roles and was instrumental in building the firm’s global brand and its international portfolio of luxury properties.

Ms. Taylor is a Member of the Order of Canada. She has been inducted into the Canadian Marketing Hall of Legends and Canada’s Most Powerful Women Hall of Fame. In 2017, Report on Business magazine named Ms. Taylor among the 50 most powerful people in Canadian Business.

Rob Davis

Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer | KPMG

Rob Davis is a Tax Partner in KPMG’s Transfer Pricing Practice in Toronto. He is also KPMG Canada’s Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and serves as Chair of the Board of Directors of KPMG in Canada. Rob brings 30 years of diverse tax and finance experience to his transfer pricing projects. He has spent 24 of those years in KPMG’s tax practice where he gained extensive experience in international structuring for global expansions and IP migration. He has extensive experience in conducting transfer pricing analysis for multinational enterprises with respect to advisory, planning, audit and compliance matters. Rob has spent six years in industry in such diverse sectors as automotive, real estate, marketing services, software, broadcasting, and manufacturing. Rob’s experience in consulting and industry gives him a unique perspective and understanding of his clients’ practical requirements.

Jan Babiak

Audit committee Chair | Bank of Montreal and Walgreens Boots Alliance

Jan has served on boards in five countries and her public board portfolio currently includes chairing the audit committees of the Bank of Montreal with assets of over $950 billion and Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. with annual revenues exceeding US$130 billion as well as serving on the board of Euromoney Institutional Investors, a UK FTSE 250.   Before beginning her ‘portfolio career’, Jan spent 28 years with EY, the last 20 London-based, holding board and global leadership roles over cyber/technology security and risk services; climate change and sustainability services; and regulatory and public policy.

In late 2017, NACD Directorship magazine named her one of the most influential people in the boardroom community selected from among more than 19,000 members of the US’ National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD).  Agenda, a FT publication for board members, named her in their ‘International 100: Top Board Candidates with Global Skills’ and the Confederation of British Industry named her as their inaugural First Woman of Technology. 

Jan is a British Chartered Accountant (FCA), US CPA and has IT/cyber audit and security qualifications.  She has served on the Council of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales since 2011.  Jan is co-chair of the Tennessee Chapter of Women Corporate Directors.

Deborah K. Orida

Senior Managing Director & Global Head of Real Assets | CPP Investments

Deborah leads the Global Real Assets department, which encompasses Sustainable Energy, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Portfolio Value Creation. 

Deborah was most recently Senior Managing Director & Global Head of Active Equities. She joined CPPIB in 2009 in Toronto and has held senior leadership roles, including Managing Director, Head of Private Equity Asia, which she led after establishing the Relationship Investments Asia portfolio from Hong Kong.

Prior to joining CPPIB, she spent nine years at Goldman Sachs in New York and Toronto. Previously, Deborah was a securities lawyer at Blake, Cassels & Graydon in Toronto.

Deborah serves on the Board of Directors of IHS Markit, an S&P 500 company. She previously was a member of the Board of Directors of HKBN, Nord Anglia Education and the Bridgepoint Health Foundation.

Deborah holds an MBA from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and LLB and BA from Queen's University, Canada.

Ozench F. Ibrahim

Partner, Financial Services, KPMG LLP

Ozench has over 20 years’ experience in serving some of KPMG’s largest financial services clients. Ozench leads with a focus on delivering value, quality and results with commitment to an inclusive culture that empowers diverse teams. 

Ozench has served with significant roles as audit partner on big Canadian banks and as lead audit and quality control partner on mid-sized Canadian banks; lead audit partner on Canadian component of G-SIFI clients; on other SEC registrant clients and has assisted clients with securities offerings. 

Ozench brings significant experience with large Canadian financial institutions around market and credit risks. She works closely with G-SIFI banking audit teams and KPMG’s global IFRS desk in London including sharing practical experience in loan-loss accounting and current developments with IFRS 9, guidance around xVA, and other complex audit and accounting issues. She has established strong working relationships with regulators. Her capital markets experience spans the unique challenges of the ABCP and the credit crisis years. She actively participates in KPMG’s G-SIFI audit team forums sharing insights on accounting, audit and valuation matters including modelling.

She has worked closely with teams in over thirty countries in serving an international bank, supporting teams with complex, time sensitive matters, ensuring audit quality and value-add for the consolidated bank and in the respective international locations.

Ozench has led KPMG’s Avenues program that provides incoming staff cross functional training and experience, and leads the firm’s clients and markets initiatives for the financial services audit practice. Ozench also serves on a number of boards and is the chair of Women Corporate Directors- Toronto chapter.

Lara Zink

President and CEO | WCM

Lara Zink is President & CEO of Women in Capital Markets. WCM is the largest network of female professionals in Canadian finance, with initiatives that impact the careers of countless female students and professionals across the country.

Prior to joining WCM, Lara spent 18 months in venture capital. She is an angel investor and a mentor at a startup accelerator called NEXT Canada. NEXT accelerates the growth trajectory of aspiring and scaling entrepreneurs with education, mentorship, funding, and access to Canada’s strongest entrepreneurial network. 

From 1995 to 2019 Lara worked at RBC Capital Markets. She sold North American and European equity research and investment banking products to many of Canada’s largest institutional investors, including pension funds, bank owned mutual funds, and independent fund managers. A lead partner in RBC Women’s Leadership ETF, she has been a strong advocate for ED&I throughout her career and has extensive volunteer experience for social impact. 

Lara holds a Bachelors of Arts degree from UWO, and an MBA from the Rotman School of Management. Lara is a Governor on the University of Toronto Governing Council, she sits on two Foundation boards, the CAMH Campaign Cabinet, and is a volunteer for the Special Olympics.  Lara has been an active mentor to junior women and men throughout her career. 

What is your reaction to the fact that the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women will be chaired by a man?