Agenda 2025
Our Agenda is Currently Unfolding
DAY 1
Data Centre Innovation & Sustainability
Dates: October 7-8, 2025
Location: The International Centre, Mississauga, Canada
Time (Hrs)
TOPIC
SPEAKERS
10:00 – 10:05
Welcome Address
Setting the Stage: Canada’s Data Centre and Cloud Growth
Speaker:
- Andrew Watts
Chief Growth Officer, Vertex Next
10:10 – 10:30
Opening Keynote:
Charting the Intelligent Future: Canada’s Vision for AI, Cloud, and Digital Resilience in a Connected World
Focus:
- Strengthening sovereign and resilient digital infrastructure
- Scaling AI and cloud for inclusive innovation across sectors
- Advancing sustainable growth and global digital leadership
Speaker:
- Roger Strukhoff
Chief Research Officer & Editor- in- Chief, International Data Centre Authority
10:35 – 11:00
Panel Discussion :
Powering the Future - Canada’s Data Centre Landscape
Focus:
- Key trends, growth opportunities and regional developments
- Strategic initiatives, innovations, investments and sustainability drivers
- Delivering high-impact outcomes across key sectors
Speakers:
- Marc Mondesir
Managing Director & VP, Equinix Canada
- René de Vries
Senior Vice President Strategy, Arcadis
- Colby Cox
Managing Director – DC Byte
- James MackenzieModerator
COO, Purecolo Inc.
11:00 – 11:20
Networking Break
11:25 - 11:55
Panel Discussion :
Advancing Critical Infrastructure for Technological Evolution
Focus:
- Building resilient, scalable and sustainable data centers
- Innovations in power, cooling, automation and security
- Public-private partnerships: enabling long-term digital transformation
Speakers:
- Michel Chartier
Director-National Market Leader, WSP Global Inc.
- Juan Orozco
Senior Consultant, Uptime Institute
- Pierre Samson
EVP Sales & General Manager, QScale
- Emma ReeseModerator
Research Analyst-Canada and Northwest US, DC Byte
12:00 – 12:25
Tech Spotlight :
Innovations in Liquid and Free-Cooling Solutions for Canadian Data Centres
Focus:
- Leveraging Canada’s climate for efficient cooling
- Advancing next-gen cooling technologies for data centre optimization
- Enabling cost-effective and scalable cooling solutions
Speakers:
- Bill Henneberry
President & CTO, Core Data Centres
- Emma Reese
Research Analyst-Canada and Northwest US, DC Byte
- Richard Whitmore
CEO, Motivair, Schneider Electric
- James MackenzieModerator
COO, Purecolo Inc.
12:30 – 12:55
Industry Spotlight:
Modernizing Government, Banking & Fintech Services through Secure, Sustainable and Scalable Cloud & Data Strategies for Canada
Focus:
- Driving Cloud Adoption for Service Innovation and Operational Efficiency
- Enhancing Service Delivery through Sustainable and Scalable Infrastructure
- Leveraging AI and Cloud to Accelerate Transformation Across Sectors
Speakers:
- Alain DeSouza
VP- Payments Commercialization, JP Morgan & Chase and Co.
- Suleman Shaikh
Head -3rd Party Data, Royal Bank of Canada
- Sumeet Bhatia
Senior Director, Head of Data Strategy & Enablement, Sun Life
- Shashin PandyaModerator
SM/Director - Data Science AML, Toronto-Dominion Bank
13:00 – 13:40
Networking Break & Lunch
13:45 -14:00
Keynote Address:
AI & Machine Learning in Data Centre Optimization.
Focus:
- How AI and Machine Learning Are Shaping the Data Centre Landscape, Predictive Maintenance, and Resource Optimization
Speaker:
- Amanda Trumble
Data Center Segment Lead for the Americas, ABB
14:05 – 14:20
Special Address:
The Role of Energy Regulation in Enabling Sustainable Data Centre Growth
Focus:
- Regulatory support for sustainable energy growth
- Strengthening grid reliability and future readiness
- Enabling innovation through adaptive energy policy
Speaker:
- Nancy MarconiSpecial Address
Acting COO, Ontario Energy Board
14:25 – 14:50
Industry Roundtable:
Power Sourcing & Sustainability
Focus:
- Renewable energy integration
- Beyond the Grid
- LNG and Hydrogen-based solutions for clean, flexible and scalable power sourcing
Speakers:
- Strahan McCarten
Senior Vice President, eStruxture
- Luaba Kalonji
Founder & CEO, Gloriosa Energy Solutions
- Frederic Lebel
Senior Strategic Account Manager-Electric Power, Enerflex
- Vera CvetkovicModerator
Head-Marketing Operation, Data & Analytics, Canada Post
14:50- 15:10
Networking Break
15:10 – 15:30
Executive Dialogue:
Investing in Digital Infrastructure Opportunities in Alberta
Focus:
- Expanding data centre infrastructure to support Canada’s digital future
- Encouraging collaboration between government and industry to accelerate development
- Driving economic growth and job creation through strategic investments
Speakers:
- Hon. Nate Glubish
Minister of Technology & Innovation, Govt. of Alberta
- Harish Consul
Founder & CEO, Ocgrow Ventures
- Bill WilliamsModerator
Emcee
15:35 – 16:00
Closing Panel Discussion:
Strategic Co-location, Scale, Speed & Sustainability
Focus:
- Current market outlook
- Market and ESG hurdles
- Future opportunities and challenges
Speakers:
- John Hiddema
Vice President Electric Utilities, STACK Infrastructure
- Andrew Fenton
VP of Sales & Marketing, Telehouse Canada
- Mike Lalonde
Co-Founder, Purecolo Inc.
- Vera CvetkovicModerator
Head-Marketing Operation, Data & Analytics, Canada Post
16:00 – 16:15
Closing Remarks & Evening Networking Reception
16:15– 17:00
Networking Break & Exhibition Tour
TIME
TOPIC
10:00AM – 10:05AM
Welcome Address by Vertex Next
Setting the Stage: Canada’s Data Centre and Cloud Growth
10:10AM – 10:30AM
Opening Keynote:--
Charting the Intelligent Future: Canada’s Vision for AI, Cloud, and Digital Resilience in a Connected World
Focus:
- Strengthening sovereign and resilient digital infrastructure
- Scaling AI and cloud for inclusive innovation across sectors
- Advancing sustainable growth and global digital leadership
10:30AM – 10:55AM
Panel Discussion:
Powering the Future Canada’s Data Centre Landscape
Focus:
- Key trends, growth opportunities, and regional developments
- Strategic initiatives, innovations, investments, and sustainability drivers
- Delivering high-impact outcomes across key sectors
The current panel consists of the following:
Speakers:
Marc Mondesir, Managing Director-Canada, Equinix
René de Vries, Senior Vice President Strategy, Arcadis
Colby Cox, Managing Director – DC Byte
Moderator: James Mackenzie COO, Purecolo
11:00AM – 11:25AM
Panel Discussion:
Advancing Critical Infrastructure for Technological Evolution
Focus:
- Building resilient, scalable, and sustainable data centers
- Innovations in power, cooling, automation, and security
- Public-private partnerships: enabling long-term digital transformation
The current panel consists of the following:
Speakers:
Michel Chartier, ATD Director, National Market Leader – WSP Global
Juan Orozco, Senior Consultant – Uptime Institute
Pierre Samson, EVP and General Manager, QScale
Moderator - Emma Reese, Research Analyst-Canada and Northwest US, DC Byte
11:30AM – 11:55AM
Tech Spotlight:
Innovations in Liquid & Free Cooling for Canadian Data Centres
Focus:
- Leveraging Canada’s climate for efficient cooling
- Advancing next-gen cooling technologies for data center optimization
- Enabling cost-effective and scalable cooling solutions
The current panel consists of the following:
Speakers:
Bill Henneberry – Core Data Centres
Emma Reese, Research Analyst-Canada and Northwest US, DC Byte
12:00AM – 12:40PM
Networking Break & Exhibition Tour
12:40PM-12:55PM
Keynote Address:
AI & Machine Learning in Data Centre Optimization.
Focus:
- How AI and machine learning are leading data centre landscape?
Keynote Speaker: Amanda Trumble, Data Center Segment Lead for the Americas at ABB
13:00PM – 13:25PM
Industry Spotlight:
Modernizing Government, Banking & Fintech Services through Secure, Sustainable, and Scalable Cloud & Data Strategies for Canada
Focus:
- Driving Cloud Adoption for Service Innovation and Operational Efficiency
- Enhancing Service Delivery through Sustainable and Scalable Infrastructure
- Leveraging AI and Cloud to Accelerate Transformation Across Sectors
The current panel consists of the following:
Speakers:
Alain Desouza, Vice President Payments Commercialization, JP Morgan & Chase
Hriday Balachandran, CISO and Vice President of Technology, Digital Commerce Bank
Sumeet Bhatia, Senior Director, Head of Data Strategy & Enablement, Sun Life
13:30PM – 13:55PM
Executive Dialogue:
Investing in Canadian Digital Infrastructure Opportunities
Focus:
- Expanding data center infrastructure to support Canada’s digital future
- Encouraging collaboration between government and industry to accelerate development
- Driving economic growth and job creation through strategic investments
The current panel consists of the following:
Speakers:
The Hon. Nate Glubish, Minister of Tech & Innovation, Alberta
Harish Consul, Founder & CEO, Ocgrow Ventures
14:00PM- 14:40PM
Networking Interval & Exhibition Showcase
14:40PM -14:55PM
Special Address:
The Role of Energy Regulation in Enabling Sustainable Data Centre Growth
Focus:
- Regulatory support for sustainable energy growth
- Strengthening grid reliability and future readiness
- Enabling innovation through adaptive energy policy
Special Address: Nancy Marconi, COO, Ontario Energy Board
15:00PM – 15:25PM
Panel Discussion:
Power Sourcing & Sustainability
Focus:
- Renewable energy integration
- Efficient energy management strategies
- LNG and Hydrogen-based solutions for clean, flexible, and scalable power sourcing
The current panel consists of the following:
Speakers:
Strahan McCarten Senior Vice President, eStruxture
Luaba Kalonji, Founder & CEO, Gloriosa Energy Solution
15:30PM – 15:55PM
Closing Panel Discussion:
Strategic Co-location Scale, Speed & Sustainability-
Focus:
- Speed to market vs. long-term scalability
- ESG-driven co-location strategies
- Site selection criteria: power, connectivity, regulations
The current panel consists of the following:
Speakers:
John Hiddema, Vice President Electric Utilities, STACK Infrastructure
Andrew Fenton, VP of Sales & Marketing, Telehouse
Mike Lalonde, Co-Founder at PureColo
15:30PM – 15:55PM --
Closing Panel Discussion:
Strategic Co-location Scale, Speed & Sustainability-
Focus:
- Speed to market vs. long-term scalability
- ESG-driven co-location strategies
- Site selection criteria: power, connectivity, regulations
Speakers:
John Hiddema, Vice President Electric Utilities, STACK Infrastructure
Andrew Fenton, VP of Sales & Marketing, Telehouse
Mike Lalonde, Co-Founder at PureColo
16:00PM – 16:05PM
Closing Remarks & Evening Networking Reception
16:05PM– 16:30PM
Networking Break & Exhibition Tour
DAY 2
Cloud Advancement & Future Technologies
Dates: October 7-8, 2025
Location: The International Centre, Mississauga, Canada
Time (Hrs)
TOPIC
SPEAKERS
10:00 – 10:05
Welcome Back & Recap- Key Takeaways
Welcome Address by
- Andrew Watts
Chief Growth Officer, Vertex Next
10:10 - 10:25
Opening Keynote:
Digital Infrastructure 2030
Focus:
- Trends shaping the next decade of data digital infrastructure
- Rise of AI-driven automation for smarter, more efficient infrastructure management.
- Shift toward sovereign and compliant cloud ecosystems to meet regional regulations
Keynote Speaker:
- Joseph Reele
Vice President - Solution Architects, Schneider Electric
10:30 - 11:00
Fireside Chat:
The Future of Hyperscale
Focus:
- Hyperscale as the Backbone of AI and Emerging Workloads
- Designing the next generation of hyperscale data centres
- Innovating Site Selection: Power, Policy and Proximity
- Evolving Architectures for Hybrid, Multi-Cloud and Edge Integration
Speakers:
- Sean Maskell
President & General Manager, Cologix
- Dave Misra
Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Galaxy Data Centres
- Matthew Leppanen
Director – Marketing & Partnerships, Bell Canada
- Frank CirinnaModerator
Director of Operations, Cologix
11:00 - 11:20
Networking Break
11:25 - 11:40
Keynote Address:
Sovereign AI: The New Frontier for Secure and Strategic Industry Growth
Focus:
- Ensuring compliance with Canadian data residency and privacy laws.
- Strengthening public trust through transparent cloud governance.
- Leveraging sovereignty as a competitive differentiator in global markets
Speaker:
- Krish Banerjee
Managing Director (Partner) & Canada Lead - Data & AI, Accenture
11:45 - 12:05
Fireside Chat :
Data Centre Real Estate Opportunities Across Canada
Focus:
- Canadian Data Center Market Update- Development, Leasing and the rush for Power Applications.
- Emerging Markets: Exploring Untapped Locations for Future Builds
- Adapting Real Estate Strategies to Support Hyperscale and Edge Growth
Speakers:
- Michael Borron
Associate VP-Global Data Center Advisory Group, Cushman & Wakefield
- Dan Jolivet
Senior Vice President/Area Manager Life Sciences & Technology, EllisDon
- Samuel AjithkumarModerator
Sales Director -Canada, SambaNova.Ai
12:10 - 12:45
Panel Discussion:
State of Digital Communications in Modern World.
Focus:
- The Digital Communications Frontier: Balancing Technology, Policy, and Talent Supporting digital growth with more efficient and resilient infrastructure.
- Multi-cloud and data centre trends in Canadian Enterprises.
Speakers:
- Namir Anani
President & CEO, Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC)
- Rohin Bansal
Director-Data Governance and Enablement, TELUS
- Venu Gudipati
Managing Director -Cloud Data & AI, PwC
- James Wallace
Vice President of Technology, Bede Gaming
- Vera CvetkovicModerator
Head Marketing Operation, Data & Analytics, Canada Post
12:45 – 13:20
Networking Break & Lunch
13:25 - 13:50
Industry Spotlight:
Enabling Healthcare & Education with Next-Gen Infrastructure
Focus:
- Leveraging AI to reach more patients
- (AI/ML) in enhancing operational efficiency and smart transformation within infrastructure-heavy sectors like healthcare, education and beyond.
- AI, HPC & the future of research and training
Speakers:
- Eric Simard
Head of Data Strategy & Operations, Novartis
- Daniel Gruner
CTO -SciNet High Performance Computing Consortium, University of Toronto.
- Bernie Oegema
Director, Data Centre Market Development, Siemens
- Lindsay RinguetteModerator
Senior Director of Marketing & Communications, ISA Cybersecurity
13:55 - 14:20
Panel Discussion :
Fortifying the Data Fortress
Focus:
- Building Zero Trust Architectures for Next-Gen Data Centres
- Protecting Critical Infrastructure from Evolving Cyber Threats
- Integrating Physical and Digital Security for End-to-End Protection
Speakers:
- Kevin Dawson
President & CEO, ISA Cybersecurity
- Katherine Isaac
VP of Customer Success, Flare
- Bill Ohlson
Principal Executive Security Advisor, Amazon Web Services
- Richard WunderlichModerator
Research Group Head (former), Siemens Canada Cybersecurity Research Centre
14:25 – 14:50
Fireside Chat:
Transforming Canada’s Digital Infrastructure through Innovations.
Focus:
- How AI and machine learning are transforming data centre management?
- Leveraging next-gen & nuclear energy to power sustainable and scalable data centre growth
- Fostering Innovation through Cross-Sector Collaboration and Investment
- Building Smarter, Greener and More Resilient Digital Ecosystems
Speakers:
- Daniel Sax
Founder and CEO, The Canadian Space Mining Corporation
- Benjamin Bergen
President, Council of Canadian Innovators
- Vikram Chadalawada
Director IT Strategy, Innovations and Digital Transformation, University of Toronto
- April CurreyModerator
Vice President, Business Development STACK Infrastructure.
14:50 -15:10
Networking Break
15:15 – 15:25
Rapid-Fire Q&A
15:30 – 15:55
Closing Address:
Data Centers in Non-Traditional Environments: Regulations, Needs and Applications
Focus:
- Balancing Global Standards with Regional Compliance Requirements
- Adapting Infrastructure Strategies to Evolving Regulatory Landscape
- Collaborating Across Borders to Enable Scalable and Secure Growth
Speaker:
- Aaron Amorim
Chief Software Architect-Data Communication Systems, Hitachi Rail
16:00 – 16:05
Closing Remarks & Final Networking Session
- Meher Bedi
Director-Exhibitions, Vertex Next