Canadian Consul General Phyllis Yaffe and fintech entrepreneur Lucia
Gallardo will be keynote guest speakers at a one-day, multi-industry
forum in Toronto next month showcasing Bermuda’s business links and
mutually beneficial relationship with Canada.
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Blockchain entrepreneur Lucia Gallardo (Photo: Business Wire)
Yaffe, Canada’s Consul General for Bermuda based in New York, will take
part in a kickoff “conversation” with Bermuda Premier David Burt at the Bermuda
Executive Forum, to be held Wednesday, June 19 at The Ritz-Carlton
Toronto. This is the sixth overseas forum—and the first in
Canada—produced by the Bermuda Business Development Agency (BDA);
previous events were in London, New York and Miami.
“We are delighted to welcome Consul General Yaffe to help us launch our
inaugural Canadian forum, which will highlight our longstanding
relationship with Canada, as well as current opportunities that continue
to connect both our nations in both traditional and emerging
industries,” said the BDA’s CEO Andy Burrows. “We look forward to
meeting new colleagues in the Canadian market and building on Bermuda’s
already strong strategic relationships.”
Keynote lunch speaker at the Toronto forum is Lucia Gallardo, Founder &
CEO of Emerge, a blockchain-based startup that builds
emerging-technology solutions to some of the world’s most pressing
problems, including refugee resettlement, disaster relief, and food
transparency. Honduran-born Gallardo’s presentation, “Future-Proofing
Innovation,” describes how many new economy companies like hers are
bringing together both profit and positive social impact in viable,
sustainable, equitable models.
Yaffe has enjoyed a distinguished career in both the private and
not-for-profit sectors. She served as chair of the board of Cineplex
Entertainment and lead director of Torstar Corporation, and was a member
of the boards of Lionsgate Entertainment and Blue Ant Media. A former
board member of Astral Media, for many years she served as a senior
officer and ultimately as CEO of Alliance Atlantis Communications, where
she oversaw worldwide operations, including Canadian
speciality-television channels, international TV distribution business,
and the popular CSI franchise. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Yaffe
received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Women in Film and
Television. She was also inducted into the Canadian Association of
Broadcasters Hall of Fame and has served as chair of the board of
governors of Ryerson University, Women Against Multiple Sclerosis, and
the Ontario Science Centre, and was on the board of the World Wildlife
Fund.
Gallardo is a 2017 Venture for Canada Fellow, a 2018 RBC Future Launch
Fellow, a 2018 Money 20/20 Rise Up Member, and a certified UN SDG
Advocate. Most recently, she was nominated for MIT Technology Review’s
Latin American Innovators under 35, the Royal Bank of Canada’s 2019
Women of Influence, and Acquisition International’s Influential
Businesswoman Awards 2019.
Premier Burt will be joined by Finance Minister Curtis Dickinson and
leading industry and regulatory executives taking part in panel
discussions on global industry trends and opportunities for
Bermuda-based businesses. Sessions include participants from more than
30 entities, among them, Aon, Appleby, Arch Ventures, ASW Law, AXA XL,
the Association of Bermuda Insurers & Reinsurers (ABIR); Bennett Jones,
the Bermuda Insurance Management Association (BIMA), Bermuda Monetary
Authority (BMA), Bermuda Tourism Authority (BTA), Butterfield,
ChainThat, Conyers, CryptoScan, Deloitte, Estera Services, Exponential
Ventures, EY, Fasken, Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC), MQ Services,
Outlier Canada, PwC, Quest Management Services, RGAx, SALT Lending, and
Shyft Network.
“Bermuda is an exceptional jurisdiction from which to successfully
expand Canadian business internationally,” noted panellist Duncan Card,
a Senior Partner at Bennett Jones LLP in Toronto, who managed that
Canadian law firm’s Bermuda office 2014–18. “With very close proximity
to the east coast of North America, a highly beneficial tax agreement
with Canada, and an extremely well-educated population, Bermuda has been
the leading choice for many well-known Canadian businesses to locate the
management of their global expansion.”
CONNECTING BUSINESS
The BDA encourages direct investment and helps companies start up,
re-locate or expand their operations in our premier jurisdiction. An
independent, public-private partnership, we connect you to industry
professionals, regulatory officials, and key contacts in the Bermuda
government to assist domicile decisions. Our goal? To make doing
business in Bermuda smooth and beneficial.
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