Polytechnics move at the speed of industry. Through strong partnerships in diverse sectors – from manufacturing to energy to defence – institutions respond to the real-time needs of the communities they serve. Partnerships inform curriculum, are the basis of applied research projects and enable work-integrated learning opportunities that prepare students for an evolving world.
Managing Director, eatbigfish
In a world of ever-increasing constraint, a problem-solver outlook can be the difference between being a victim of circumstance or meeting the moment to create something even better. Drawing on research and real-world examples from across sectors, Anne Marie will explore how stretch ambition, paired with constraint, can spark inventive and practical solutions to complex challenges. With experience spanning sectors from consumer goods and banking to hospitality and healthcare, Anne Marie brings a powerful perspective on navigating complexity and leading meaningful change. This keynote will offer a surprisingly simple roadmap that consistently delivers the mindset, method and motivation for developing solutions to what at first seem unsolvable challenges.
Anne Marie Armstrong is the Managing Director of eatbigfish, the global Challenger consultancy that helps brands unlock disproportionate growth by challenging category conventions.
A brand strategist forged client-side, Anne Marie spent 16 years inside some of the world’s most demanding marketing organisations including Colgate Palmolive, Kellogg’s, and Molson Coors, where she led Coors Light to become the #1 beer in Canada.
Anne Marie has helped a broad range of clients chart their brand strategies and solve business issues to create breakthrough opportunities for growth. From big iconic Canadian brands like Tim Hortons, Royal Bank of Canada, Joe Fresh and Four Seasons Resorts, she thrives on unearthing actionable insights and delivering strategies and solutions that get results.
Today she partners with senior leadership teams worldwide, working with global brands including Heineken, Coca-Cola and Boston Scientific, helping legacy players rediscover their edge and challenger brands scale without losing their soul. Anne Marie is a trusted advisor to CMOs navigating reinvention. She brings a rare combination of insider credibility and outsider provocation, and a firm belief that challenging convention is exactly where the magic happens.
President, Higher Education Strategy Associates
Canada’s post-secondary institutions are at an important crossroads as the sector goes through a fundamental restructuring that was neither planned nor executed with its long-term health in mind. Rather than getting stuck in reaction-mode, institutions need to band together to embrace a level of shared ambition that will energize government funders and galvanize private sector partners. In this session, one of Canada’s best known post-secondary observers will lay out his vision for a sector that learns from one another, imagines together and builds a compelling vision for the future of public post-secondary education.
Alex Usher is the President of Higher Education Strategy Associates. He is an internationally recognized expert on a range of fields within higher education, including student financial aid, quality measurement, rankings and public financing. He also has wide experience in strategic planning at both the institutional and system level.
Alex is the lead author of the annual higher education almanac The State of Post-Secondary Education in Canada and the co-author of the premier statistical handbook on global tertiary education World Higher Education: Institutions, Students and Funding. His internationally read daily intelligence newsletter, One Thought to Start Your Day, has over 17,000 subscribers.
Prior to founding Higher Education Strategy Associates in 2009, Alex served as the Director of Educational Policy Institute Canada and prior to that he was the Director of Research and Program Development at the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation. He holds degrees from McGill University and Carleton University. When Alex is not thinking about post-secondary systems and outcomes, he can be found raiding used bookstores for their most eccentric titles, cheering for Toronto FC, or obsessing about sumo.
BCIT: From Detection to Containment: Drones in Modern Wildfire Response
Conestoga: Redefining Experiential Education for Industry 4.0
Fanshawe: Innovation in Education in Action: Canada’s First Post-Secondary Military Co-op
George Brown Polytechnic: Workforce, Productivity & Innovation: George Brown’s AI-Enabled Master’s of Construction Management
KPU: Parity of Esteem Between Trades & Business: Building Pathways for Students
NAIT: Building Canada’s Future
RRC Polytech: From Lab to Market: How Colleges & Polytechs are Solving Canada’s Innovation Paradox
Saskatchewan Polytechnic: Strengthening Canada’s Defence Innovation
Seneca Polytechnic: Supporting Students and Faculty in the Age of AI: Seneca’s Playbook for Practical, Responsible Adoption
Sheridan: Bridging the Productivity Gap: Scalable AI-Robotics Integration through Collaboratio
BCIT: Drones as Dual-use Technologies
Fanshawe: Building Skills for the Canadian Military
KPU: Parity of Esteem for the Skilled Trades
NAIT: Building Canada’s Skilled Trades Workforce
Saskatchewan Polytechnic: Advancing Defence Innovation in Canada
Seneca Polytechnic: Navigating Artificial Intelligence Responsibly
Sheridan: AI-Driven Advanced Manufacturing
Theme Partner
Opening Reception Partner
Opening Keynote Partner
Closing Keynote Partner
Day 1 Lunch Partner
Day 2 Lunch Partner
Day 1 Breakfast Partner
Networking Partner
Registration Partner
Digital Partner
Interested in becoming a partner? Contact Bola Adisa at bola@polytechnicscanada.ca.
As one of Canada’s largest and most comprehensive polytechnics, Humber builds what has yet to be imagined. With credentials from short-cycle diplomas to baccalaureate and master’s degrees, polytechnics are designed for speed, relevance and impact. Humber adapts quickly, responds directly to industry needs and converts knowledge into tangible outcomes for learners, employers and partners. This combination of program relevance and applied research drives meaningful change in local and global communities.
About the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation:
Located at Humber Polytechnic’s North Campus in Toronto, the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation is a 93,000 square foot standalone facility, designed to be a powerhouse of technological innovation and to leverage Humber’s proven leadership in:
- Automation and Robotics
- Systems Integration
- Design
- Augmented and Virtual Realities
- User Experience Testing
Working with our industry partners, we provide small- to medium-sized enterprises, faculty members and students with cutting-edge resources throughout the Barrett CTI’s many interactive labs, technology zones and maker spaces. Partners, SMEs, faculty members and students work together as collaborative teams to tackle business challenges.
If you have any questions about our Polytechnic Showcase please contact us at events@polytechnicscanada.ca