Pre-Symposium Programming
Important Note:
These events take place before Symposium begins. Please be mindful when booking your travel and hotel.
NextGens! We are thrilled to once again host this Pre-Symposium NextGen Retreat, starting with dinner on Sunday, May 26 and then a day of learning on Monday, May 27 right before Symposium begins.
This retreat starts before Symposium, so please be mindful of these dates when booking your travel and hotel.
Please note: This retreat requires separate registration. Get more details →
Deepen your understanding of family enterprise advising and learn new tools to add to your practice by participating in this newly developed workshop, taking place just before Symposium begins on Monday, May 27.
This workshop starts before Symposium, so please be mindful of these dates when booking your travel and hotel.
Please note: This workshop requires separate registration. Get more details →
DAY 1
Monday, May 27
1:00 PM - 9:00 PM MDT
This year's theme:
Impact
1:00 PM MDT
Come register, grab your name badge and a welcome package before FEYA and the rest of Symposium begins!
4:30 PM MDT
Established in 1986, the Family Enterprise of the Year Award (FEYA) is given annually to celebrate the achievements of Canadian family businesses and the considerable contribution they make to their local communities and our national economy.
2023 National FEYA Finalists:
- British Columbia Finalist: Nicola Wealth and the Nicola Family
- Ontario Finalist: Zavitz Insurance & Wealth and the Zavitz Family
- Prairies Finalist: Sunterra Group of Companies and the Price Family
DAY 2
Tuesday, May 28
7:30 AM - 8:00 PM MDT
7:30 AM MDT
Enjoy a wonderful breakfast while learning and connecting alongside your family, friends and colleagues before our day begins!
8:30 AM MDT
Don't miss the opening to our first full day at Symposium!
8:35 AM MDT
Please join us for an Indigenous Land Acknowledgement, conversation and some important remarks.
From the Calgary Foundation: Land Acknowledgement Video
9:05 AM MDT
Please join us in welcoming our new CEO, Steve Beauchesne, as we discuss some exciting updates for our community.
9:35 AM MDT
To kick off our program, please join us as we hear a powerful and compelling family business story.
10:30 AM MDT
Enjoy a break and catch up with your family, friends and colleagues.
11:00 AM MDT
Generation Green: Driving Social Impact Amidst Leadership Transition
During this session, we will hear stories from business families on:
- How the next generation of leaders (millennials and Gen Z) are driving social and environmental impact in their industries, while balancing transition
- Leading practices and frameworks from other business families
- The power of family businesses in shaping a sustainable world and leading positive organizational change. The key inflection point being succession.
- The shift towards values-driven decision making and what this looks like in practice.
- Key principles for establishing a multi-generational family legacy and aligning with ethical values.
- Strategies for sustainable growth and the key benefits to the business and the customer.
Moderator:
Richa Arora, Partner, Family Office KPMG in Canada
The Trouble with Transitions: What Advisors Need to Know
Enterprise-owning families are most likely to seek out advice when they are facing major changes in business and family life. Transition events can have significant and surprising implications for the client-advisor relationship. In this session, participants will examine how to work more effectively with clients undergoing significant life change. Strategies will be presented for safeguarding and restoring decision-making capacity in clients experiencing mental depletion. Participants will also consider the impact of their own life transitions on the work that they do.
Moderator:
Dr. Moira Somers, Founding Partner, Blackwood Family Enterprise Services
12:00 PM MDT
Enjoy a delicious lunch with the whole community!
1:30 PM MDT
From individual growth to family dynamics, and business operations to industry transformation, navigating life cycles is not just a journey, but an elaborate dance. As these life cycles intersect and influence each other, families and advisors must navigate through the layers of complexity to find and leverage opportunities that cultivate continuity through synergy, complementarity, and renewal.
Facilitators:
Caroline Phaneuf, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Crysalia
Patricia Saputo, Co-Founder, Executive Chairperson of the Board & Strategic Advisor, Crysalia
Anna Giampà, Chief Learning and Development Officer, Crysalia
3:00 PM MDT
Enjoy a break with your family, friends and colleagues.
3:45 PM MDT
This fireside chat will explore why the charitable sector is ripe for disruption and why donors need to think differently about where and how they direct their giving. Serious Coin creator and host, Kelly Willis-Green, will interview Jim Hayhurst, an award-winning CEO, community leader, investor, board member and advisor to impactful companies and non-profits.
Jim’s approach to philanthropy embraces innovation and risk. It looks more like venture philanthropy, or 'philanthropreneurism' as it’s been called, and less like traditional charity and cheque-writing.
Host:
Kelly Willis-Green, Creator and Host, Serious Coin
Special Guest:
Jim Hayhurst, Investor and CEO, Hayven Advisory
4:45 PM MDT
There’s no better way than humour to remind us we’re all in this together, so take a load off with some laughs! Jessica Holmes will prove that comedy is more than an entertainment form. She will teach us how anyone can use comedy as a powerful filter, through which we can navigate stressful situations and empower ourselves to recover from setbacks, as well as face challenges more easily.
Speaker:
Jessica Holmes, Comedian, Author and Mental Health Advocate
6:30 PM MDT
Join an intimate group of your Family Business or FEA peers for a casual dinner and lively conversation guided by one of our Community Ambassadors. Groups will “dine around” at various locations in Calgary.
If you'd like to participate in the Dine Arounds, please sign up here or email Emma Crane at ecrane@familyenterprise.ca.
Please note: Attendees will be responsible for their dining expenses.
DAY 3
Wednesday, May 29
7:30 AM - 3:30 PM MDT
7:30 AM MDT
Enjoy a wonderful breakfast while learning and connecting alongside your family, friends and colleagues before our day begins!
8:30 AM MDT
Please join us as we give thanks to our community's supporters and recognize the importance of supporting family enterprise.
8:45 AM MDT
Please join us as we hear another inspiring family business story we can all learn from.
9:55 AM MDT
Money and Well-Being: What Enterprise-Owning Families Need to Know
Science and our own lived experience tell us that money has significant effects on mental health and overall well-being. Significant wealth can sometimes usher in new complexities in family life. In this session, wealth psychologist Dr. Moira Somers draws on research done with exceptional families who have learned how to navigate these complexities.
Moderator:
Dr. Moira Somers, Founding Partner, Blackwood Family Enterprise Services
The Crossroads of Continuity: Deciding the Fate of the Family Business
This panel of advisors from diverse backgrounds will immerse you in a thought-provoking case study depicting a family wrestling with succession challenges. The panel will illuminate the complexities involved with the decision the family is facing as they contemplate an attractive offer they have received for their operating business.
During this engaging session, the panelists will offer invaluable insights from their respective fields of expertise. They will share strategies for supporting the family through a multi-disciplinary approach. This will take into account the impact their decision will have across the spectrum of the family’s wealth including the financial implications, the careers of the family members working in the business, as well as the broader social implications.
This session promises invaluable perspectives and actionable insights to navigate successful generational transitions.
10:45 AM MDT
Enjoy a break with your family, friends and colleagues.
11:25 AM MDT
Join us for an engaging plenary session as renowned family business expert, Dr. Pramodita Sharma, leads a discussion on the critical role of sustainability in building resilient family enterprises.
In an era where societal and environmental challenges are increasingly urgent, family enterprises are uniquely positioned to drive positive change while creating long-term value for stakeholders.
This interactive session will delve into the multifaceted dimensions of sustainability and the complexities of integrating responsible environmental, social and governance principles into the business models of successful legacy firms. Insights gained from business families around the world at different stages of sustainability journey will be shared, and we will explore the best practices and innovative approaches adopted by family businesses to thrive in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Speaker:
Dr. Pramodita (Dita) Sharma, Schlesinger-Grossman Chair of Family Business at the Grossman School of Business, University of Vermont
12:25 PM MDT
Enjoy a delicious lunch with the whole community as we begin reflecting on what we have learned so far at Symposium.
1:25 PM MDT
Family enterprises have a defining role within Canada’s innovation ecosystem. In Alberta, we see this play out in a number of industries, from food to high-tech. This session explores this topic from three different family perspectives and will provide participants with ideas and questions to take back to their leadership teams on what role they want their family to play in the innovation ecosystem.
Panelists:
Gena Rotstein, Co-Founder, Karma & Cents
Dean Koeller, President & CEO, UDP, Dealing Representative
2:30 PM MDT
Join the Alberta Business Family Institute (ABFI) for this extraordinary session on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its transformative potential for business families and Family Enterprise Advisors. With a longer-term view and better decision-making structures, business families have the potential to harness AI for transformation, utilizing it as a Virtual Assistant, Data Wizard and Creative Coach to build efficiency, foster innovation and uphold their values-driven approach. We'll explore real-world applications, focusing on generative Al tools that you can implement in each of the three areas. Whether you want to streamline operations, make better data-driven decisions or boost creativity, this session will provide you with knowledge and questions to effectively look at AI tools.
Speakers:
Matt Knight, Executive Director, Alberta Business Family Institute at the University of Alberta
Vern Glaser, Professor, Alberta School of Business & Academic Director, Alberta Business Family Institute