Patrons' Circle Dinner: Inside the Mind of a CEO
with Sam Sebastian, Google Canada, Bill McFarland, PwC Canada and Victor Dodig, CIBC
Sponsored by:
The Patrons' Circle Dinner Series aims to recognize Institutue suporters who contribute at a leadership level. Dinners in this Series are strictly capped to provide an intimate and convivial atmosphere. Other past dinners have included a panel of Chief Economists from major Canadian banks, panels of Chief Risk Officers from major Canadian banks and financial institutions, as well as a panel of experts from top companies in the energy, mining and forestry sectors. We are pleased to host this Dinner focusing on the management, risk, challenges and policy associated with being at the helm of some of Canada's most influential companies with Sam Sebastian, the Managing Director of Google, Bill McFarland, the CEO & Senior Partner of PwC Canada and Victor Dodig, the President & CEO of CIBC.
Click "Read More" to see speakers' biographies.
Sam Sebastian, Managing Director, Google Canada
As Managing Director of Google Canada, Sam’s mission is to lead Google to earn the love of Canadian users, advertisers, and partners. Working with Canadian businesses of all sizes, Sam and the team at Google Canada provide digital solutions to help businesses reach their audiences, build their brands and realize the economic potential of the web.
Together with his wife, Kathy, and their two children, Sophie and Will, Sam moved to Oakville in May 2014 to lead Google Canada following eight years in Chicago, where he was responsible for leading Google’s Local and Government Markets sales and operations organizations for North America. Sam was recognized in Crain's Chicago "40 Under 40" professionals in 2009, B2B Magazine's "Who's Who in B2B" in 2011, and among the real estate industry's "Top 100 Most Influential Leaders" by Inman News.
Sam has served on the Boards of the Business Marketing Association, the American Business Media Association and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and is currently a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization and the Canadian Council of Chief Executives.
A graduate of The Ohio State University (BA Accounting) and Northwestern's Kellogg Graduate School of Management (MBA), Sam began his career as a consultant with Arthur Andersen LLP and came to Google from Classified Ventures LLC, an online joint venture of major U.S. newspaper companies, where he was the General Manager at Homescape.com and SVP Sales & Marketing at HomeGain.
Bill McFarland, FCPA, FCA
Bill has been the CEO and Senior Partner of PwC Canada since 2011. He was admitted as a partner in 1992, led the assurance practice in Toronto from 2002 to 2005 and was a member of the Canadian executive team from 2005-2011. Bill is currently the senior relationship partner on many of the firm's largest clients and is a member of PwC's global Strategy Council.
Bill graduated from the University of Toronto in 1980 and is an FCPA. He is active in the community and is currently a director on the Conference Board of Canada. He is a sports enthusiast and cyclist and is married with three sons.
Victor G. Dodig, President and Chief Executive Officer, CIBC
Victor Dodig is President and Chief Executive Officer of the CIBC group of companies, one of North America's largest financial services institutions.
Mr. Dodig joined CIBC in 2005 as Executive Vice-President, CIBC Wealth Management. In 2007, he became Executive Vice-President, Retail Distribution, CIBC, where he led the bank’s retail banking distribution and sales teams. He was appointed Group Head, Wealth Management in 2011, taking on responsibility for the bank’s brokerage, private wealth, and asset management businesses in both Canada and the US.
Mr. Dodig was named President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of CIBC's Board of Directors in September 2014. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the C.D. Howe Institute and is a member of the Catalyst Canada Advisory Board.
Prior to joining CIBC, Mr. Dodig was Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer in Canada for UBS Global Asset Management. Earlier in his career, he spent five years as Managing Director in Canada, the US and the UK for Merrill Lynch and Company, where he gained international experience, following three years as a Management Consultant with McKinsey and Company.
Mr. Dodig is a past recipient of Canada's Top 40 Under 40™ award. He holds an MBA from Harvard University where he was a Baker Scholar, and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto (St. Michael's College). He also holds a Diploma from the Institut d'études politiques in Paris.
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