The Privacy Advantage – Using Trusted Data and AI for Better Marketing Outcomes

In today's challenging economic climate, Canadian marketers must leverage data more strategically than ever to remain competitive. But implementation isn't easy. Jan will explore why data and AI adoption remains difficult for many organizations and reveal how marketers can unlock their true potential while maintaining the consumer trust that brands depend on.

Through collaboration with platforms, technology providers, industry partners, and regulators, Canadian marketers can transform data challenges into competitive advantages. This session sets the stage for understanding how trusted data practices drive better marketing outcomes.

Jan Kestle, President, Environics Analytics

President and Founder of Environics Analytics, Jan Kestle, has been a leader in data and analytics for over five decades. An expert in using statistics and mathematics to solve social and business challenges, she has worked with hundreds of organizations in all sectors to support their data-driven decision-making. Jan is a member of the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council and is the Dean’s Advisory Council Emeritus for the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, and on the advisory boards of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, and the Morrissette School of Entrepreneurship at the University of Western Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics from Western University and is a recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU).

Privacy Commissioner Philippe Dufresne in conversation with the CMA’s Chief Public Affairs and Governance Officer.

Gain insights into the OPC’s enforcement priorities, upcoming regulatory changes, and how the Commissioner balances privacy protection with business innovation. This is your chance to hear directly from the regulator about what keeps him up at night.

Philippe Dufresne
Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Philippe Dufresne was appointed Privacy Commissioner of Canada on June 27, 2022. A leading legal expert on human rights, administrative and constitutional law, he previously served as the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel of the House of Commons where he was responsible for the provision of legal and legislative services to the House, its Speaker, Members and committees, the Board of Internal Economy and the House Administration.

Prior to his appointment as Law Clerk of the House in 2015, he was the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s Senior General Counsel, responsible for legal services, litigation, investigations, mediations, employment equity and Access to Information and Privacy. During that time, he successfully appeared as counsel before all levels of Canadian Courts, including the Supreme Court of Canada in a number of key human rights and constitutional cases over the last two decades.

A member of the Bars of Québec, Ontario, and Massachusetts, he has served his profession and community in several different capacities, including as president of the constitutional and human rights law section of the Canadian Bar Association (Québec Branch) and as president of the International Commission of Jurists (Canada).

Commissioner Dufresne holds degrees in common and civil law from McGill University’s Faculty of Law, and has been a part-time professor with the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Common Law and Queen’s University’s Faculty of Law. He regularly speaks on issues of privacy, human rights, administrative, and constitutional law in Canada.

Sara Clodman
Chief Public Affairs and Governance Officer, The Canadian Marketing Association (CMA)

Sara Clodman is Chief Public Affairs and Governance Officer at the Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), where she leads the Association’s efforts to support a favourable public policy environment that enables organizations to effectively and responsibly serve consumers. She has been a leading voice for business on privacy law reform, consumer protection and competition matters. Her presentation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry and Technology regarding Bill C-27 highlighted the urgent need for an effective privacy law that protects consumers, including minors, while enabling innovation for economic growth.

Sara's career includes senior positions at The Investment Funds Institute of Canada, the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association and a major financial services company, as well as roles in the public and political sectors.  She is currently a board member of the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (DAAC).

Sara has sat on several boards, including the National Ballet School and Bridgepoint (formerly Riverdale Hospital). She served on the City of Toronto Committee of Adjustment for 12 years, including three years as Vice-Chair.

Sara holds an MBA from the Schulich School of Business at York University and an Honours BA from the University of Toronto.

Featuring data insights officers and public affairs experts.

Canadian consumers want relevant experiences but fear data misuse. This panel examines fresh research on shifting privacy attitudes and reveals effective strategies for earning consumer trust while delivering personalized marketing that drives results.

Gillian Mann
Senior Director, Customer & Loyalty Analytics, Loyalty & Marketing, Air Canada

With more than 25 years of experience in airline and loyalty, Gillian currently leads a team of data scientists and BI professionals responsible for driving and delivering on Air Canada’s analytic roadmap in support of Air Canada commercial marketing and all aspects of the Aeroplan business, including member lifecycle management, product development & loyalty marketing.  With customer and member data at the heart of everything they do, Gillian and her team foster a data and customer centric culture within the organization while instilling data practices that are respectful of personal privacy and build consumer trust. 

Gillian is an active member of the CMA's Privacy & Data Committee.

Pam Snively
Chief Data & Trust Officer, TELUS

Pamela Snively is the Chief Data & Trust Officer at TELUS. She leads the team responsible for privacy governance and data ethics, along with data management and a number of compliance functions, including the Anti-bribery & Corruption and Competition Law programs.  Pam approaches overall data governance through the lens of customer trust, leveraging TELUS’ Customer First principle to drive the organization’s commitment to privacy and data ethics.  

Pamela was the recipient of the 2017 Ontario Bar Association’s Karen Spector Memorial Award for Excellence in Privacy Law. She participates in a number of national and international think-tanks and governance bodies related to privacy and data governance, including serving as a Board member for the Information Accountability Foundation and on the Privacy and Data Advisory Committee for the Canadian Marketing Association.  She is also a founding member and Chair of Canada’s Business Privacy Group, a working group made up of some of Canada’s leading privacy professionals and industry associations focused on building trust in Canada’s digital ecosystem and legislative regime.

Pam is a frequent speaker on privacy and data ethics and she actively encourages other organizations to join her in her mission to earn and elevate consumer trust in our digital ecosystem.

Jordan Prokopy
Partner, PwC Canada 

Jordan is a Partner for PwC Canada and leads the National Data Trust & Privacy Practice. She has a passion for helping companies unlock data value and innovation while inspiring the customer trust and confidence needed to enable it. 

For nearly 18 years, Jordan has developed, assessed and executed privacy and data trust programs - from ownership, strategy, and governance to decision-making, processes and culture. She has conducted hundreds of privacy and responsible data use assessments and helped organizations understand their privacy, data protection and responsible data use obligations. She is consistently viewed by her clients as an effective integrator between the business teams looking to innovate with data and the data protection teams looking to protect it. 

Before PwC, Jordan led the Information Protection program for Target Canada. This included managing privacy, data protection and CASL programs, defining and executing program strategy and management, and partnering across the business to embed a strong data protection culture and drive better data use decisions to enable data-driven initiatives and strategic business priorities.

Jordan is a dynamic and energetic speaker presenting and publishing on several topics including the privacy implications of Artificial Intelligence, interest based advertising and trusted data optimization

Featuring marketing leaders from Canadian brands and AI solution providers.

Move beyond the hype to see AI in action. This panel showcases real implementations across content personalization, campaign optimization, and customer insights. Marketing leaders will share what worked, and the practical lessons that shaped their AI strategies. You'll leave with a realistic roadmap for AI adoption that delivers measurable results.

Moderator: Alan MacDonald
Co-Founder, Bold AI, Best-Selling Author, Doctoral Researcher in AI & Business

Alan Macdonald is a marketing strategist who turns artificial intelligence into competitive edge. As Co-Founder of Bold AI, he leads executive training programs that equip marketing, product, and strategy teams with practical AI tools that drive market visibility, brand strength, and revenue growth.

With over 25 years shaping digital marketing and customer experience, Alan has held senior leadership roles at agencies, loyalty brands, and technology companies, where he built high-performing teams and delivered measurable results. He is a Certified AI Trainer with the VJAL Institute and a member of the Canadian Marketing Association’s AI Committee.

Alan’s doctoral research at ISEN Lille focuses on adaptive intelligence in business education, combining emotional analytics and large language models to boost engagement and performance. He is also the best-selling co-author of The AI Revolution, a playbook for marketers and business leaders adopting AI with confidence.

Alan’s work bridges marketing expertise and AI innovation, showing how leaders can accelerate strategy, create differentiation, and win in a model-driven marketplace.

Michael Carrick
Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder, Agentiiv Inc.

Mike is CTO and co-founder of Agentiiv. An industry leader in user-centric design and technology, he drives the uncompromising data security of our platform and ensures effortless integration for our clients.

With over 20 years of experience leading teams in software development, and UX/Ul design, Mike has driven digital transformation across Financial Services, Government, Retail, and Insurance sectors. His unique combination of technical acumen and design thinking allows him to translate complex technological concepts into user-friendly, scalable products.

He specializes in leading cross-functional teams to deliver innovative solutions that drive business growth. Mike's proficiency in managing software engineers, architects and Al developers, combined with his history of award-winning UX/Ul design, allows Agentiiv to produce revolutionary technologies.

These innovations are not only robust and secure but also user-friendly and seamlessly integrated into enterprise ecosystems.

Rupinder Dhillon
VP Enterprise Data at Sobeys

Rupinder Dhillon is a seasoned leader at the intersection of data, AI, and business transformation. She currently serves as Vice President, Enterprise Data at Sobeys, where she leads Enterprise Architecture, Data and Advanced Technologies to unlock operational excellence, competitive advantage, and decision-making at scale across one of Canada’s largest grocery retailers.

Previously, she was Chief Data Officer and SVP, Data & AI at HBC, driving enterprise-wide data modernization and advanced analytics. Earlier in her career, Rupinder held leadership positions at Bell, including Director of Data Science and Machine Learning, where she led a team that built and scaled Data and early AI capabilities.

Beyond her corporate role, Rupinder serves as Board Chair at Women’s College Hospital, helping to advance innovation and equity in healthcare.

She also contributes her expertise through various advisory roles including as Co-Chair of the Canadian Marketing Association’s AI Committee, which is committed to shaping industry standards, policy, and responsible adoption of AI across Canadian marketing sectors.

Recognized for her ability to translate complex technology into business outcomes, her work is guided by a commitment to harnessing technology in ways that support both business performance and community well-being.

David Kavanagh
AVP, Digital Performance Marketing, Growth Marketing, TD Bank Group

David is a believer in the power of people to build great companies. With 17+ years of experience as a digital leader, he specializes in driving strategic transformation and innovation between Sales, Brand and Marketing to deliver great outcomes. David leads Digital Marketing for TD Canada's Everyday Banking, Credit Cards and Small Business products. He has lead teams at Jebbit, Hootsuite, BMO, Alight, Moneris, and Sundance focusing on driving sustainable growth while balancing the need for customer and privacy friendly experiences. He is the Co-Chair of the CMA's Ad-Tech Committee, a passionate Martech and UX leader, proud father, and Torontonian.

Trust is the backbone of every business. But what happens when it’s undermined by false claims spreading online? Disinformation can be a bottom-line risk, and to stay above the noise, companies must be resilient to the rapidly accelerating volume and velocity of false information. Today, 17% of Canadians admit to reposting negative news about brands without checking the facts.

Join the Dais, one of Canada’s leading think tanks, for a deep dive into the disinformation threat landscape facing Canadian businesses. Learn how false information is reshaping consumer trust, damaging brand integrity, and discover strategies to build resilience against it.

Jake Hirsch-Allen
Director of Partnerships, The Dais

Jake Hirsch-Allen’s recent work is on inclusive technology, ethical data, responsible AI and skills. Most recently he built public-private partnerships in workforce development and higher education for LinkedIn.

Jake advises impact investors, public sector leaders and start-ups, including on responsible tech and AI governance. He co-founded Lighthouse Labs and has acted as a director on many boards. A former intellectual property and international criminal lawyer, Jake was also chair of the Technology Committee of the Global Education Platform, taught Global Health at McMaster University and clerked at the Supreme Court of Israel.

Marium Hamid
Manager of Partnerships, The Dais

Marium Hamid is the Manager of Partnerships at the Dais where she brings her skills in creating impactful relationships across industries and communities. She is deeply committed to reducing the complexities of making technology work for humans and our environment.

Before joining the Dais, Marium was at LinkedIn enabling the public sector to leverage technology to create economic opportunities for Canadians. She advised healthcare and workforce development organizations on strategies to better engage the communities around them. Previously, she was at the Business+Higher Education Round Table delivering large-scale work-integrated learning opportunities to students.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Anthropology from the University of British Columbia. Her passion for the two disciplines motivates her to approach complex societal transformations with optimism for a safe and sustainable future.