Own Your Potential

Michelle Wimes, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children's Mercy Kansas City and veteran legal professional, talks about the down stream value of very intentionally building a strong network early in your career, the importance of understanding and leaning into your motivators, and how she helped blaze the trail to part time partnership and flexible work arrangements in the legal profession.

Catherine Mortimer, Award Winning Real Estate Agent with Chestnut Park, an affiliate of Christie's International, tells us about the value of a strong team in a traditionally individual industry, how prioritizing health and wellness unlocks performance in your career, and the power of defining success holistically instead of just professionally. 

Matt Miksa, former FBI Intelligence Analyst, Senior Director of Strategy at Razorfish and best selling Author, tells us about how his career preventing foreign spies from stealing America’s secrets unlocked his creativity, sending him down the path to becoming a successful author, while also setting him apart as a talented digital strategist.

Jahkedda Akbar, Global Head of Employer Brand and Recruitment Marketing at Publicis Sapient, tells us about how her passion for psychology and understanding human behavior has steered her career, and how intentionally shaking up your snow globe to create discomfort often translates to accelerated growth.

Ali Budd, Founder, President and Principal Designer at Ali Budd Interiors, a Toronto based, international design studio, tells us about the undeniable influence of parents on one's inevitable career path, the freeing and empowering effect of unapologetically and authentically bringing your whole self to work, and the unique culture that an all-woman workforce can cultivate.

Hiba Mojabber, Medieval Art History PhD Researcher at the University of Geneva and Associate Creative Director at Publicis Sapient, dives into what it takes to concurrently grow a successful career and pursue her passion in academia at the highest level, highlighting that it takes commitment, considerable personal sacrifice, as well as balance in order to come out on top!

Joanna McFarlane, Associate Partner and Vice President of Media and Analytics at King Ursa, talks about the evolution of careers in the data field and the importance of having an organization that embraces data, the value of continuing to lean into delivery on key projects to keep skills sharp as you ascend to leadership, and the mindset shift required when transitioning from shaping a team to shaping an organization.

Andrew Sinclair, International Growth Lead and Director at Publicis Sapient, tells us about his tactics for overcoming age early in his career, harnessing the power of fear and intrigue in sales conversations, and how understanding that there is nothing more important than what the client has to say and the accelerative impact it had on his growth in business development.

Gary Wade, President of Unilever Canada and former Olympian, tells us about the need to practice leadership in order to become a leader, that in building a wider base you raise your peak, and that getting good at a job doesn't make you ready for the next job, it simply positions you to actually deliver value in your current one.

Sharon Kamra, Senior Vice President of Hiring at Publicis Sapient and former Chief People Officer of SapientRazorfish, tells us about the importance of pressure testing your environment when it seems to be lacking in growth opportunities before making a jump, the sense of fulfillment that comes with continued learning and how critical it is to keep one's ego in check when making career decisions.