Date: Tuesday, Nov 15, 2022

Time: 11 am - 12 pm ET / 8 am – 9 am PT

Event Format: Live Zoom Discussion and Q&As (audience members can also email their questions to FITT in advance)

Location: Zoom (link to be provided)

Osler Special Advisor and former Governor of the Bank of Canada Stephen Poloz, Honourary CITP, joins FITT’s President & CEO, Caroline Tompkins, CITP for a discussion on how businesses can prepare for and adapt to the economic and global trade shifts ahead. Building on his unique experience and insights and the groundwork of his new book, The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future, we will be discussing how leaders can prepare for the uncertainty and risks facing businesses in the coming years. Event attendees will have their chance to receive one of 15 FREE copies of this acclaimed national best-seller.

Featuring:

• Host: Caroline Tompkins, CITP, President and CEO, FITT 
• Speaker: Stephen Poloz, Hon. CITP and Special Advisor at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP 

About the Event

Immense changes and challenges are being thrust upon businesses, the economy and the world at large, and there are more on the horizon. In this event, FITT President & CEO, Caroline Tompkins, CITP and Stephen Poloz, Hon. CITP, Special Advisor at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, and the former Governor of the Bank of Canada, will take part in an engaging discussion on the following topics:

• How the next age of uncertainty will unfold for businesses in Canada and beyond
• Canada’s current position in the trade landscape, and how it can overcome some of its exporting deficiencies
• Why values-based leadership qualities are critical to business success
• How environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) can provide relief and stability to businesses and the global economy in the face of risky times
• How technology, disruption and disruptors, such as cryptocurrency and AI, are affecting the landscape
• The stresses that have led to this uncertain age, including the ageing workforce and rising income inequality
• The incredible opportunities that lie ahead for those who prepare and assess the risks carefully

“The economic ground is shifting beneath our feet. The world is becoming more volatile, and people are understandably worried about their financial futures. In this urgent and accessible guide to the crises and opportunities that lie ahead, economist and former Governor of the Bank of Canada Stephen Poloz maps out the powerful tectonic forces that are shaping our future, and the ideas that will allow us to master them.”

—Synopsis for “The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the world can adapt to a riskier future.”

Bios:

About Stephen Poloz, Hon. CITP and Special Advisor at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP:

Stephen is a widely recognized economist with nearly 40 years of experience in financial markets, forecasting, and economic policy, including 35 years in the public sector. Currently, he is a Special Advisor at Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, a leading business law firm practising internationally from offices across Canada and in New York.

Prior to joining Osler, Stephen was the 9th Governor of the Bank of Canada, Canada’s central bank. Stephen was Governor of the Bank for seven years after having previously spent 14 years there during 1981-95 occupying a range of increasingly senior positions.  Prior to joining the Bank of Canada, Stephen spent 14 years at Export Development Canada, as Chief Economist (1999-2008), Head of Lending (2008-2011) and finally as President and CEO (2011-2013).

Stephen is an Honorary Certified International Trade Professional and a graduate of Columbia University’s Senior Executive Program. He has been a visiting scholar at the International Monetary Fund in Washington, D.C., and at the Economic Planning Agency in Tokyo, Japan.

Stephen’s book, The Next Age of Uncertainty: How the World Can Adapt to a Riskier Future, was released in early 2022 and has become a national best-seller.

About Caroline Tompkins, CITP, President and CEO, FITT:

Caroline Tompkins is the President & CEO of the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT), a not-for-profit organization dedicated to building the proficiency of businesses, professionals, and students, to access global markets, reduce and manage risks of international trade, and enable profitable competition. Caroline has experience in both the public and private sectors. Her experience in the educational sector began at Simon Fraser University with the Public Policy Programs division in the Consulting Education department. 

Caroline was recognized as a notable Canadian woman in the 1999/00 edition of Chatelaine’s Who’s Who of Canadian Women and is listed in the Canadian Who’s Who publications. In 1999, Caroline was the recipient of the Peter Bentley Scholarship for the University of British Columbia’s Residential Programme for Executive Development and has since fulfilled the rigorous requirements for the Certified Association Executives (CAE), and the Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designations. In 2012, Caroline was presented the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.   

Last year, Caroline celebrated her 25^th anniversary at FITT and this year FITT celebrated its 30^th anniversary.