Meet Our Keynote Speaker

Overcoming adversity at a very young age, Jess began her adult life on her own at the age of 15 years old and through dedication, determination and hard work has become a national award winning philanthropist and entrepreneur.
Jess is the sole owner of five Just For You Day Spas in Saskatchewan & Alberta, Founder & CEO of Lia Reese Canada, (Saskatchewan’s Beauty Brand), Founder & CEO of Iconic Betty Jewelry, Founder of Jess Tetu Consulting, and Founder & CEO of 4seventyone Recovery Resources, a not-for-profit charity she created.
She was named one of Canada’s Top 40 Under 40, awarded the SK Entrepreneur of the Year Award, honoured with the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, and most recently received one of Canada’s most coveted awards when she was named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women.

Meet Our Panelists

Been There, Still Doing That Panel

The award-winning Trena Laine team is based just outside of the beautiful Canadian Rockies in Calgary Alberta. Trena and her team are proud to offer their services not only throughout Alberta but also across British Columbia as well as many different international destinations. If you have an event you would like our team to travel for don’t hesitate to get in touch.
We have been specializing in beauty and enhancement makeup for the past 17 years with a heavy emphasis on understanding our client’s concerns, needs and skin types. We customize our applications to compliment every client’s individual needs while taking into consideration things such as age, face/eye shapes, skin concerns and more. Our founder Trena Laine got her start in the beauty industry as a facialist/skin therapist with a special interest in skin problems, so our entire team is highly skilled at addressing your skin conditions/concerns and giving you a stunning polished look.
The Trena Laine team has worked hard over the last decade to bring our signature refreshed, bright and rested looks to clients all around the world. The Trena Laine team has become highly sought after in the bridal world and you may have seen our work continuously published in magazines including BRIDE, Rocky Mountain Bride and more. We are continuously showcased as feature makeup artists on popular beauty blogs such as Confetti Wedding Magazine, Style Me Pretty and many others.

Casey Sharp, Co-founder of the Institute and Chief Operating Officer, is the talent behind Risio’s creative online e-learning content
After years of personal experience in the industry, Risio founders Carey-Ann Balkwill & Casey Sharp realized there weren’t enough opportunities for dental assistants to build their careers while working. Risio Institute was created and developed to provide this vital opportunity for current and future dental assistants across the country.

Vartika completed her Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in accounting at the prestigious Sobeys School of Business at Saint Mary’s university in Halifax. She then went on to earn her CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation in Alberta, paving the way for her profound impact on the accounting and taxation sectors in Canada over several years.
For many years, Vartika travelled the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures from India to Nigeria to Guatemala to Rwanda. Her engagement with social causes took her to Rio Dulce, Guatemala in 2016. There, she spent two months teaching English at a school dedicated to providing education, nutrition, and health care to the vulnerable children of the region. She continued this trend in 2017 to Kigali, Rwanda, volunteering for four months as an Audit Volunteer with One Acre Fund, a non-profit that offers smallholder farmers access to financing, training, high quality seeds and fertilizer, and market sales support.

Future Proof Your Marketing Workshop

In a rapidly changing business landscape, strategic marketing is more than just a tool for promotion—it’s a key driver of resilience. Led by Melissa Martin, this interactive workshop will explore how businesses can leverage marketing to adapt, engage customers, and thrive in uncertain times. Through real-world case studies and hands-on activities, participants will discover how to build brand trust, diversify revenue streams, and use digital strategies to stay agile. Get ready for a fun and engaging session that will leave you with actionable insights to future-proof your marketing efforts!

Melissa founded Wean Green in 2009 when she was on maternity leave from teaching first grade in Canada. She saw a market need for an eco-friendly storage option to store her homemade baby food and toddler snacks for her 2 daughters. To get started, Melissa grabbed her Mr.Sketch markers and created a business plan centered around infinitely recyclable glass containers that has survived a decade's worth of twists and turns. Now, instead of cooking up her business strategy in her kitchen she is executing an international brand that manufactures in South Korea and is distributed on most continents.
Never one to not maximize her "spare" time, Melissa has been involved in many organizations including Children's Wish Foundation, Alberta Women Entrepreneurs, 10,000 Kids Charity, SDSU, SAIT, Alberta Children's Hospital and she has been mentoring companies at District Ventures which is an accelerator program started by Arlene Dickinson one of Canada’s foremost women entrepreneurs. She has also been an active board member of Believe in the Gold charity and chaired their annual gala.
In 2017 Melissa and her daughters moved from Canada to Newport Beach, California where she not only learned how to surf & Stand Up Paddleboard but also started teaching it to the locals. Her love for the environment and the outdoors has driven much of her company's passion for creating eco-friendly products. She now splits her time between Alberta and California. Today through her company, Melissa's enthusiasm is focused on eliminating single use plastic that is often found in lunches at school and work. She works with organizations around the world to help advocate for the curtailment of plastic waste and encourage consumers to purchase sustainable products. She has since sold Wean Green an runs her own consulting firm, Sunrise Co.

In 2012, sisters Justine and Kendall Barber launched Poppy Barley because they couldn’t find anything like it. Although they were newcomers to shoemaking, Justine and Kendall were raised to be creative, ambitious, industrious and ask a lot of questions.
“We wanted to design boots, shoes and accessories for people like us—for people like you. People who care about comfort and style, but absolutely refuse to compromise their values of caring for the planet and people.”
From Edmonton, Alberta, the sisters searched for factories that shared their vision to re-think the footwear industry. Partnering with family-owned factories, Poppy Barley started producing sustainably-made footwear and accessories. Today, Poppy Barley is driven by the relentless pursuit to re-think luxury for people and the planet.