The Trust Economy: Marketing's Evolving Landscape [OTTAWA]

Get the regulator's unfiltered perspective on enforcement priorities, the regulatory changes ahead and how the OPC thinks about balancing privacy protection with business innovation. This isn't a legal briefing. It's a strategic conversation for practitioners on both sides of the marketing-legal equation.

Philippe Dufresne
Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Philippe Dufresne was appointed Privacy Commissioner of Canada in 2022. A leading legal expert on human rights, administrative and constitutional law, he has drawn on his experiences to advance the fundamental right to privacy in Canada and around the world.

Commissioner Dufresne has established three key strategic priorities: Protecting and promoting privacy with maximum impact; addressing and advocating for privacy in this time of technological change; and championing children’s privacy rights.

In 2025, he hosted the G7 Data Protection and Privacy Authorities Roundtable and was elected Chair of the Global Privacy Assembly the leading international forum bringing together more than 130 data protection and privacy authorities from around the world.

Commissioner Dufresne has led numerous important investigations, including joint investigations into TikTok and OpenAI’s ChatGPT with counterparts in Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta, as well as a joint investigation with the United Kingdom Information Commissioner into direct-to-consumer genetic testing company 23andMe. His investigation into Grok resulted in the implementation of safeguards by the company to reduce the risk that the tool will be misused to produce harmful content.

Sara Clodman
Chief Public Affairs and Governance Officer
CMA

Sara is a mediator and public affairs executive with more than 25 years of experience in the public and private sectors and association management. Her key skills include a deep understanding of business and communications strategy and execution, stakeholder relations and change management. At the CMA, she works with thought leaders and experts (including marketing professionals and experts in law, compliance, research and more) to guide the development of CMA positions on public policy issues, and advocates to government and regulators on behalf of the marketing profession. In addition, Sara oversees research, serves as the Association’s corporate secretary, and also as its chief privacy officer. She is a member of the Board of the Digital Advertising Association of Canada, which runs the AdChoices self-regulatory programs, and the Political Ads Program. Sara has an MBA in finance and is a former Vice-Chair of Toronto’s Committee of Adjustment, and a former director of Bridgepoint Hospital.

The government introduced the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act in June. If passed, it will replace our current privacy law, PIPEDA. The implications for marketing are significant. This session cuts through the complexity to clarify what the new law will mean for your activities and what you should be doing now to prepare.

Moderator: Jordan Prokopy
National Data Trust & Privacy Practice Leader, PwC Canada
PwC Canada

Jordan is a Partner for PwC Canada and leads the National Data Trust and 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 20 years, Jordan has developed, assessed and executed privacy and data trust programs - from ownership, strategy, and governance to decision-making, processes and culture. Jordan has conducted hundreds of privacy and responsible data use assessments and helped organizations understand their privacy, data protection and responsible data use obligations. Jordan is consistently viewed by clients as an effective integrator between the business teams looking to innovate with data and the data protection teams looking to protect it.

Samir Chhabra
Director General of Marketplace Framework Policy
ISED

Samir Chhabra is the Director General of Marketplace Framework Policy at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). In this role, Samir oversees the development of policy advice on the effective functioning of Canada’s marketplaces, including corporate and insolvency law, privacy and data protection, artificial intelligence, intellectual property, and competition law.

More recently, he has been cross-appointed as the Deputy Executive Director of the Canadian Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute (CAISI) to lead the policy, coordination and international engagement functions of the CAISI. Samir has broad experience in public policy development and implementation, having worked at all three Canadian central agencies (Privy Council Office, Department of Finance, Treasury Board Secretariat) as well as with the Department of National Defence, amongst others.

He also has significant private sector experience, including as a strategy consultant in London, UK, where he advised organizations including the UK Home Office and large NHS hospitals on service delivery improvement opportunities.

David Elder
Head of Privacy and Data Protection Group
Stikeman Elliott LLP

David Elder is Chair of the Privacy & Data Protection and Communications Law practice groups at Stikeman Elliott LLP, where he also serves as the firm's Chief Privacy Officer. He provides privacy and marketing compliance advice to a wide range of Canadian and international businesses that conduct both "bricks and mortar" and online activities. He also provides advice with respect to managing data breaches and navigating privacy issues arising in M&A transactions. For 15 years, David has served as Special Digital Privacy Counsel to the Canadian Marketing Association, in which role he advocates and advises on a range of electronic privacy issues relevant to marketing and advertising, including assisting the CMA with respect to its assessment of, and strategic response to, legislative and regulatory developments relating to privacy. He has been an active participant in the legislative and policy process relating to Bill C-36 and its two predecessor bills. Based in Ottawa, he has 35 years of experience gained in private practice, government and corporate settings.

Charla Parkinson
Chief Privacy Officer
Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited 

Charla Parkinson is the Chief Privacy Officer at Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited where she leads the enterprise-wide privacy strategy and plays a central role in the company’s approach to data governance and responsible AI. With deep expertise at the intersection of law, technology, and marketing, Charla is recognized for building practical, business‑aligned privacy programs that enhance customer trust and support digital innovation.

Prior to joining Canadian Tire, Charla served as General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer for Hudson’s Bay Company, overseeing all day‑to‑day legal matters for Hudson’s Bay and supporting Saks Fifth Avenue and Saks Off 5th. During her ten years at HBC, she led its Data and Privacy Management Program, implemented the company’s Advertising and Competition Compliance Program, and guided cross‑border teams through major regulatory transformations — including operationalizing the California Consumer Privacy Act in the U.S. She also oversaw loyalty and credit programs serving more than nine million customers.

Charla is a member of the Privacy Committees for the Canadian Marketing Association and the Retail Council of Canada.

The question is no longer whether AI will transform marketing but how we lead through the disruption it creates. This session addresses how to lead AI adoption with intention: building organizational AI literacy from the ground up, navigating a regulatory environment that is shifting in real time and making decisions that hold up under public and legal scrutiny. The marketers who will win aren't simply those who adopt AI fastest, they're the ones who adopt it wisest.

Moderator: Steve Mast
Co-Founder & Managing Partner
Twenty44

Steve Mast is an entrepreneur who has spent more than 30 years building, scaling and selling businesses. His life work is focused on helping organizations prepare for what comes next. He currently is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Twenty44, an AI workforce-readiness company powered by proprietary data and training platforms.

Through his Mast & Co. firm, Steve advises, invests and helps build the next generation AI companies and co-hosts the Unsolicited Business Advice podcast. Previously, he served as Chief Product Officer at Sago and President and Chief Innovation Officer at Delvinia.

Throughout his career, Steve has worked at the intersection of technology, human behaviour and business transformation, with a consistent focus on turning new ideas into practical growth. He has also held board leadership roles with the Canadian Marketing Association, SickKids Foundation and CAMH.

Mark Schaan
Associate Deputy Minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)

Mark Schaan is the Associate Deputy Minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), confirmed in October 2025, which builds on the direction from the Prime Minister on July of 2025 that he act as the direct Deputy support to the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation. In these capacities, Mark supports Canada’s industrial AI and digital agenda, working to position the country as a global leader in the responsible development and use of these technologies.

Mark’s career has been highlighted by this cross-cutting policy and framework effort, including leading major consultations and reforms, including for telecommunications, investment review, intellectual property, bankruptcy and insolvency, privacy and AI. Mark’s public service career has included roles across the policy spectrum, as well as leading on revitalizing the public service through innovative recruitment models.

Mark earned his BA (Honours) from the University of Waterloo, where he studied as a Loran Scholar. Mark earned his MPhil in Comparative Social Policy, conferred in 2004, and his DPhil in Social Policy, conferred in 2010 from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Mark is also actively involved in his communities.

Sheng Sinn
Chief Client Officer
WTD (a Salt XC network agency)

Sheng is Chief Client Officer at WTD – North America’s leading CRM and AI-enabled experience agency. Founded with a focus on engineering modern marketing systems, WTD has built a reputation for combining deep CRM expertise, advanced martech and Agentic AI to deliver measurable growth for ambitious brands.

Sheng is a deep believer that all marketing aspires to be empathetic, timely and 1:1 and has spent his entire career spanning mass, digital, social, XM, promotions, CRM, and martech working to deliver those experiences with an ever-evolving toolkit. Sheng also sits on the CMA AI Committee helping advance education and adoption of AI for Canadian marketers.

Chris Osborne
Vice President, Analytics TRACK/RAPP
Omnicom

Chris Osborne is Vice President, Analytics at TRACK/RAPP, Omnicom, where he leads analytics strategy across CRM, customer intelligence, AI and personalization. He has more than 20 years of experience in data, analytics, AI and product leadership, and is a member of the Canadian Marketing Association’s AI Committee.

AI integration is changing the work of marketers from how teams build campaigns and generate insights to how roles are structured and where human expertise matters most.

This session gets practical about where the opportunities are: how organizations are redesigning workflows, identifying high-value use cases and building the skills and capabilities their teams need. Hear what’s working, what organizations are learning and how marketers can prepare for what comes next.

John Stukel is a senior digital marketing and technology strategist with more than 25 years of experience helping organizations build and transform digital businesses. As VP, Client Strategy at Majestic, he leads client strategy, partnerships and digital innovation across websites, applications, CRM, data and AI-enabled delivery. John has worked with leading brands including Scotiabank, PepsiCo, KDP, Bauer, Maple Leaf Foods, Cineplex, Aviva and General Motors. He is also a member of the Canadian Marketing Association’s AI Committee, contributing to industry discussions on the practical and responsible adoption of AI in marketing.

The Honourable Evan Solomon, Minister of AI and Digital Innovation, shares the government's perspective on Canada's digital transformation agenda and what it means for the marketing industry.

The Honourable Evan Solomon
Minister of AI and Digital Innovation

The Honourable Evan Solomon is Canada’s first Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, appointed in 2025. He also serves as Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and as Member of Parliament for Toronto Centre.

Before entering public life, Solomon worked at the intersection of media, technology, and global affairs. He co-founded Shift magazine and later served in senior roles at Eurasia Group, including as publisher of GZERO Media. He also spent more than two decades as a prominent Canadian broadcaster, focused on public policy and national affairs.

Joining Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government at a pivotal moment, Minister Solomon is focused on building on Canada’s established leadership in artificial intelligence, quantum and digital innovation, ensuring emerging technologies deliver practical benefits for Canadians.