Disruptors

By RBC Thought Leadership, John StackhouseBusiness Entrepreneurship Technology

Disruptors episodes

February 13, 2024 Doubling Down: The Definitive Decade for Climate
The climate transition is complex, not just for countries and economies, but for households and individuals.
Across the country, Canadians are engaging more with climate action — though we’re still not doing enough to help ourselves and the warming planet.
Canada’s climate capital needs to double to $60 billion in annual investments, and if this is going to be the decade that paves a sustainable path, we’ll need to fund, scale and support innovative green technologies.
On this episode, we're taking a deeper dive with leaders from three Canadian clean tech companies; Stephane Germain, President at GHGSat; Apoorv Sinha, CEO of Carbon Upcycling; and Louis Tremblay, CEO of FLO EV Charging to discuss the opportunities and challenges for their respective industries and what that means for our nation. CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
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31 min
January 30, 2024 Davos Discourse: AI Takes Centre Stage
The World Economic Forum (WEF) is known for its annual gathering of global leaders, policymakers, CEOs, and academics — convening to address the most pressing issues facing people and the planet.
“Rebuilding Trust” was the theme this year, though the topic of the week was artificial intelligence — dominating the dialogue on the world stage and the advertisement space in the streets.
The pursuit of productivity was on everyone’s mind and each AI session was jam packed. But how much of it is hype versus reality?
To help make sense of it all, we hear from these pioneers and visionaries on the ground in Davos; Erik Brynjolfsson (Stanford Digital Economy Lab); Michelle Zatlyn (Cloudflare); Ashvin Parmar (Capgemini); Anna Paula Assis (IBM); Nicholas Thompson (The Atlantic); and Andrew Ng (Coursera).
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31 min
January 16, 2024 Hydrogen Horizons: Powering a Green Path Forward
The green hydrogen race is on, and billions are at stake. Countries big and small view hydrogen as an opportunity to convert wind, solar, gas and nuclear into molecules that they can sustainably ship around the world.
The hydrogen promise extends beyond reducing our carbon footprint and developing cleaner sources of energy; it’s also about reimagining a new industrial model for our economy, opening avenues for economic growth and job creation.
Canada is a country filled with vast renewable resources, but first we must navigate the complexities of the technology, economics and politics associated with a shift to clean energy adoption.
Is green hydrogen the next great Canadian energy export and will it be the tech innovation of the decade?
We’re joined by Gene Gebolys, CEO at World Energy and Marco Alvera, CEO at Tree Energy Solutions (TES) — two global energy pioneers betting on Canada’s green hydrogen potential, from the windswept Atlantic coast to the Mauricie region of Quebec. We also hear from the CEO at the Canadian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association, Ivette Vera-Perez.
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29 min
January 09, 2024 New Year’s Promise: Pragmatic Shift to a Digitally Charged Future
2023 was a year of disruptive change, with the cost-of-living crisis, rising geopolitical tensions, the ongoing climate emergency and rapid technological transformation.
Amid the murky backdrop of increasing challenges and negative outlooks, there is also hope and opportunity; a tech resurgence is brewing that’s expected to rise like a phoenix from the Silicon ashes; AI is a dynamic reality shaping the future; cleantech advancements are a driving force for progress; and innovative technologies seek to revolutionize the way we connect, create and work to solve some of our most pressing issues.
To come this year on Disruptors, we’ll continue speaking with champions of change and icons of innovation as they navigate the twists and turns of an increasingly disruptive world.
2024 isn’t just a new year, it promises to be a pragmatic shift into a digitally charged future.
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4 min
December 15, 2023 Climate Crossroads: Unpacking the Dialogue in the Desert at COP28
Amid the backdrop of an increasingly polarized geopolitical landscape, growing socio-economic
challenges and intensifying climate conditions, the 2023 United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP28) hosted its largest ever summit in Dubai with 100,000 attendees.
Each COP provides a global stage for nations to collectively address urgent climate issues and
foster international cooperation — with the outcomes intended to shape national policies,
commitments, and strategies to secure a sustainable future for generations to come. And while
these climate talks are critical, what matters most is how countries turn diplomacy into tangible
climate action to ensure climate ambitions don't get left in the sand.
On this special edition of Disruptors, John Stackhouse is in the hot seat as this year's climate
talks come to a close. He is joined by the RBC Climate Action Institute's, Trinh Theresa Do to
provide key takeaways and insights from his time on the ground and what they mean for
Canada in the race toward net zero. CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
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19 min
December 12, 2023 Bridging the Growth Gap with AI Innovation
AI has created a dynamic landscape that presents risks and rewards for our nation, and this is Canada’s chance to reimagine its approach in a way that allows us to increase efficiency, remain competitive and enable economic growth.
As a nation, we must leverage AI’s true transformative potential to foster an innovative workforce for the future — so business and society can thrive in a world of increased digital disruption.
This episode of Disruptors is a recording of a recent session of the Business + Higher Education Roundtable (BHER), a not-for-profit organization that represents some of Canada’s biggest employers and leading educators tackling some of the most pressing issues facing Canadian prosperity. The roundtable's recent annual meeting, hosted by Valerie Walker (CEO at BHER) featured commentary from Dave McKay (CEO at RBC), Anthony Viel (CEO at Deloitte Canada), Mara Lederman (COO at Signal 1) and Joel Blit (Professor of Economics at UWaterloo) with a focus on AI themes such as the practicality of adoption, workforce implications, ethics and accuracy, and Canada's challenges in becoming a global leader. CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
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37 min
November 28, 2023 Navigating Canada’s Carbon Frontier
Carbon markets are at the forefront of climate action and the mobilization of carbon credits and offsets are critical — where each carbon credit holds the promise of a greener future for the Great White North.
Join us as we unravel the intricate dance of mobilizing these markets — exploring the interplay of trust, transparency, and tradability — while navigating the delicate balance between economic growth and ecological stewardship.
On this episode, we are discussing the hype and reality of carbon markets, the innovation and clean tech that enables carbon removal and the climate action activities that markets need to finance. We’re joined by Michael Berends, the CEO of Clear Blue Markets, Phil DeLuna, the Chief Carbon Officer at Deep Sky, and leadership from Coastal First Nations, whose community is accessing carbon markets to help protect the Great Bear Rainforest — the first offset project in North America to be implemented on traditional territory with unextinguished aboriginal rights and title. CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
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31 min
November 14, 2023 Mechanical Minds: Exploring the World of AI Robots
The global race to apply AI to robotics in a way that can make society better is on — offering unprecedented efficiency, precision and enhancing productivity to relieve humans from mundane tasks.
Though there are concerns regarding ethical dilemmas and potential job displacement — fueling fears about the societal impact of these advancements. Striking a balance between the benefits and addressing these apprehensions will be key to unlocking a harmonious integration into our daily lives.
On this episode of Disruptors, John Stackhouse visits Sanctuary AI — a Canadian company recognized on TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023 — to explore the cutting-edge future of humanoid robotics and is joined by visionary, Suzanne Gildert, the company’s Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer.
CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
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31 min
October 31, 2023 Mapping Canada’s New Greenprint with Sustainable Building Materials
Climate change and housing affordability are on a collision course, and we're going to need to think differently about how we build our communities across the country.
Buildings are critical to the climate transition, whether it’s our homes, offices, hospitals or schools, these structures all have a role to play in the journey to net zero and we need a plan that changes how we design, construct and renovate to make them more sustainable.
This week on Disruptors, we’re joined by two leaders in the development of sustainable buildings, Chris Stern, CEO and Co-founder of Carbicrete and Patrick Chouinard, the Founder of Element5 — as we aim to understand how Canada's new greenprint can help solve two of our biggest crises.
CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
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• For more insights visit RBC Thought Leadership
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29 min
October 17, 2023 Soaring Toward a Greener Future with Sustainable Aviation Fuel
Flying is at the centre of our culture and acts as an enabler for economic growth and development — connecting Canadians and facilitating integration into the global economy.
Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is shaking up the aviation industry with an alternative method to power existing aircrafts, with aims of decarbonization to achieve a more sustainable sky.
But can it help Canada reach new heights in the fight against climate change? We’re joined by two experts when it comes to aviation sustainability in Canada, Angela Avery, Executive Vice President, Chief People, Corporate & Sustainability Officer at WestJet Group and Geoff Tauvette, Executive Director at the Canadian Council for Sustainable Aviation Fuels (C-SAF) — as we embark on a journey to better understand how this revolutionary fuel could shape the future of air travel.
CONNECT & SUBSCRIBE:
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• For more insights visit RBC Thought Leadership

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29 min

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Disruptors, now in its 11th season, has become your front-row seat to Canada’s innovation story—200+ episodes exploring the people, ideas, and technologies reshaping Canada’s future.