Fifteenth Annual Ontario Economic Summit to Address Province’s Skills Challenge and Building the Workforce of the Future

TORONTO, June 26, 2018 – Today, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) announced Dr. Susan Lund, Partner of the McKinsey Global Institute, as a keynote speaker at the fifteenth annual Ontario Economic Summit (OES), The Workforce of Tomorrow: Confronting Disruption as Ontario Transitions to a Learning-Based Economy.

With current research assessing how automation and artificial intelligence will change the skills that employers require, Dr. Lund will address the OES on how Ontario can navigate the province’s skills mismatch. Additional keynote speakers from the private and public sector will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The global workforce is currently transitioning at a rapid pace, and 77 percent of Ontario businesses say access to talent remains the greatest obstacle for growing their competitiveness,” said Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. “At this year’s summit, we will discuss how we can work to skill and reskill our workforce, and find practical solutions to ensure shared prosperity for all.”

This year’s OES will be held from October 24 to 26 with a goal to develop results-oriented solutions that foster shared prosperity and sustainable economic growth for Ontario. OES 2018 will feature interactive presentations, engaging keynotes, and small group discussions that will provide delegates with the opportunity to understand the priorities of the new PC Government.

For the past 15 years, OES has brought together thought leaders from business, labour, academia, the not-for-profit sector, and government to discuss and shape Ontario’s public policy agenda and strengthen our economy.

“CPA Ontario is proud to partner with Ontario Chamber of Commerce. Leaders from across our province descend upon the Niagara region each year to hear from innovators, policy and change makers who understand how important it is to connect industries in order to prosper,” said Carol Wilding, President & CEO of CPA Ontario. “The Summit is in its fifteenth year and it just keeps getting better. As a founding partner, we look forward to discussing, strategizing, and finding practical solutions to ensure business of all sizes have access to the skilled talent they need to ensure continued economic prosperity.”

To register for OES or for more information about the Ontario Economic Summit, visit: http://occ.ca/events/ontario-ecomonic-summit/

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For more information, please contact:

Ceara Copps – Edwards, Communications Advisor, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
cearacoppsedwards@occ.ca | Office: 647-243-3562 | Cell: 647-472-3274

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Susan Lund –  Partner, McKinsey Global Institute

Dr. Susan Lund is a partner of McKinsey & Company and a leader of the McKinsey Global Institute.  As a Ph.D. economist, her research focuses on technology, labor markets, and globalization. Her current research is assessing how automation and artificial intelligence will change the skills that employers require and how education and training models must change. Recent research analyzed the impact of robots and automation on the future of work and the workforce; measured the size of the independent workforce (or “gig economy”) in the United States and Europe; examined how digital flows are transforming globalization and the winners and losers; assessed the potential for digital finance to boost growth and financial inclusion in developing countries; and documented the continuing accumulation of debt in countries around the world, with a focus on China.  Susan has an active travel schedule, discussing research findings with CEOs and other executives at global Fortune 500 companies and is a frequent speaker at global conferences. She has authored numerous articles in leading business publications that include Harvard Business Review, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Foreign Affairs.

Susan is a board director of the National Association of Business Economists and serves on the Economic Advisory Council of the International Financial Corporation. She is a member of the Council on Foreign

Relations, the Bretton Woods Committee, and the Conference of Business Economists. She holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and a B.A. from Northwestern University.  She has lived and worked in Africa and Asia, and currently resides in Washington, DC.