The Convenor

Serving on a non-profit board can be an opportunity to contribute to something bigger than yourself but having a seat at the table comes with responsibility.

On this episode of The Convenor, Mark explores what it really means to serve effectively on a non-profit or charitable board. From understanding what you bring to the table to knowing when to advise rather than interfere, he breaks down how board members can support an organization’s mission without slipping into “seagull management” - flying in, creating disruption and leaving the team to deal with the aftermath.

Mark also examines who gets a seat at the table in the first place. When a board doesn’t reflect the community it serves, important perspectives can be missed. The conversation isn’t simply about representation, it’s about whether organizations have the voices, experiences and perspectives needed to understand and effectively serve their communities.

For anyone considering joining a board — or already sitting on one — this episode is a reminder to ask two important questions: What are you bringing to the table, and who are you there to serve?

We also talk about:

• The challenges that can come with serving on non-profit boards

• How to contribute without becoming a de facto operational leader

• Why board members need to stay focused on the organization’s mission rather than themselves

• The personal and professional benefits of serving with a charity or non-profit

• Finding board opportunities that align with your skills, interests and values

• Why boards should reflect and understand the communities they serve

• Bringing different economic, cultural and lived experiences to the table to strengthen decision-making

• Advocacy, driving outcomes, mentorship all mean nothing without succession planning and recruiting talent for C-suite to ensure everyone is great at what they bring

  About The ConvenorThe Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step.

The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening? Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/ 

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3. For more information, visit: 

http://www.theconvenor.com

Have you ever been reminded that your Linkedin presence was non-existent?

On this episode of The Convenor, Mark invites Katheline Jean Pierre on the show, the creator of The Top 5% Method, a career acceleration program designed to help professionals improve visibility, positioning, networking, and career growth strategies. Her coaching work focuses on helping ambitious professionals create stronger career opportunities. She also is a part of Driving Impact, where she hosts conversations and shares resources around professional growth, leadership, and business success.

Katheline breaks down how to improve your Linkedin presence, diving deep into current trends and decision making when creating your profile and posts. With her previous work experience at Linkedin itself, along with Google, Deloitte and many others, Mark might have to update a thing or two about his profile after this. 

Mark & Katheline turn to the conversation about community building & leadership. How you never know what will come from fostering it over the course of your career. To strive to curate a network of Avengers in your industry, and to be a leader worth following. Have you ever left an organization to join another solely to work with a leader you admired and enjoyed working with?

We also talk about:

• Owning Your Own Lane

• AI Chatbots

• Investing in Yourself

• Linkedin Posts, Analytics, & Articles

• French Rap

• Living Your 5 Year Old’s Dream

  
  

About Katheline Jean Pierre

Katheline Jean-Pierre is a technology executive, career strategist, entrepreneur, investor, and podcast host known for her work in sales leadership, career advancement, and executive coaching. 

Her career has focused on revenue growth, sales strategy, marketing, and building high-performing teams. Beyond coaching and leadership, Jean-Pierre has experience as an investor and board member, including involvement in startup and entrepreneurial communities 

linkedin.com/in/kathelinejeanpierre 

About The Convenor

The Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step.

The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening? Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/ 

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3. For more information, visit: 

http://www.theconvenor.com

Speaking at a conference is an exciting opportunity — but getting on stage is only the beginning. Practice, tech cues, clickers, lighting, microphones and preparation all matter, but none of them guarantee the most important thing: connecting with your audience.

On this episode of The Convenor, Mark breaks down the do’s and don’ts of delivering a memorable keynote. From understanding the occasion and knowing who’s in the room to building a strong throughline and making the audience the hero of your story, he shares what it takes to make your time on stage count.

We also talk about:

• Why developing your public speaking skills matters

• How a keynote or conference panel differs from an update, presentation or speech

• The practical and strategic details you should know before stepping on stage — from audience demographics and presentation formats to logistics and expectations

• When to use personal stories, points of view and key takeaways — and why it starts with knowing who the “hero” of your presentation really is

• The secret sauce behind creating a strong throughline that holds your keynote together

If you’ve ever wondered how to brainstorm, structure, write and prepare a keynote that people actually remember, tune in as Mark shares his approach to getting ready for the stage — and making those twenty minutes matter.

About The Convenor

The Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step.

The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening? Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/ 

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3. For more information, visit: 

http://www.theconvenor.com

What does it take to lead people well in a world being rapidly reshaped by AI?

On this episode of The Convenor, Mark sits down with Kree Govender, SMB Canada Area Lead at Microsoft, for a conversation about people-first leadership, entrepreneurship and finding practical ways to make technology work for us — not the other way around.

Kree shares why he creates a “team oath” when stepping into a new leadership role, why it can be lonely at the top and the importance of letting your team understand who you are as a human first and a colleague second. He also reflects on growing up as the child of activists in South Africa and how those experiences shaped his values, his belief in education and the way he approaches leadership today.

The conversation turns to entrepreneurship and AI: why corporate leaders can benefit from building something of their own, how entrepreneurs can move from ideation to commercialization and where small businesses should actually start with AI. For Kree, it begins with a simple question: where is the friction, and how can technology give you time back?

We also talk about:

• Building trust and deeper human relationships within teams

• The Dunbar Number and lessons from Team Genius

• Listening to the “agitation” that can spark an entrepreneurial idea

• The Business Model Canvas and getting your value proposition right

• The intellectual property discussion and risks when using free AI models

• Preserve space for human judgement!

• Kree’s leadership book recommendations including Untethered Soul and Man’s Search for Meaning

• The importance of ERG’s (Employee Resource Groups) at Microsoft and the impact on employees

  
  

About Kree Govender

Kree Govender is the SMB Canada Area Lead at Microsoft, where he leads the company’s work supporting Canada’s 1.4 million small and medium-sized businesses through technology, cloud and AI adoption.

With more than a decade at Microsoft, Kree’s career has spanned leadership roles across data and AI, public sector, consulting services, sales and small business in both South Africa and Canada. Throughout his career, he has focused on building high-performing teams, simplifying complex challenges and helping organizations navigate periods of rapid technological change.

A passionate advocate for people and leadership, Kree regularly speaks about the future of work, AI adoption, career development and what it takes to lead effectively as technology reshapes the workplace. His perspective combines deep experience in technology and business with a people-first approach to leadership and growth.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kree-govender-12b2651b/ 

About The Convenor

The Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step.

The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening?

Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/ 

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3. For more information, visit: 

http://www.theconvenor.com

Death is inevitable, but the way we plan for it, talk about it and commemorate a life is changing.

In this episode, Mark sits down with Jeff Corcoran, Founder and CEO of Kinwood, The Celebration of Life Co., to explore an industry most of us rarely think about until we have to. They unpack the business of death, the dramatic rise of cremation over traditional burial, and how changing consumer expectations are creating opportunities to rethink an industry that has operated much the same way for generations.

Jeff also shares his unconventional path from a career in branding and marketing to becoming an entrepreneur in the death-care industry, why he founded Kinwood, and how his experience building brands shaped his approach to creating a company around some of life's most personal moments.

They also talk about:

- Realizing the funeral industry has no differentiated brands for consumers to choose from

- The three main consumer needs in the death industry

- Why cremation has become the choice for a growing majority of Canadians

- The gap between traditional funeral services and changing consumer needs

- What Jeff discovered when he entered the death-care industry

- How Kinwood combines technology, storytelling and commemoration

- The challenges of building and marketing a brand around death

- What established industries can learn from changing consumer behaviour

- Jeff's transition from brand veteran to entrepreneur

- The future of funerals, Celebrations of Life and how we preserve someone's legacy

About Jeff Corcoran

Jeff Corcoran is the Founder and CEO of Kinwood, The Celebration of Life Co., a technology startup modernizing the way families celebrate and commemorate a life.

A brand veteran turned entrepreneur, Jeff founded Kinwood in 2021, bringing decades of experience in branding, marketing and business leadership to an industry traditionally slow to embrace change. Kinwood combines technology and storytelling to create more personal, meaningful ways to preserve the voices, memories and stories of loved ones.

Under Jeff’s leadership, Kinwood is challenging convention in the funeral industry and reimagining how technology can help people celebrate life, preserve legacy and stay connected to the stories that matter.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jeff-corcoran-71a4a19

Website: https://kinwood.ca/MAID Family Support Society: https://maidfamilysupport.ca/about-us/

About The Convenor

The Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step.The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening?

Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3.

For more information, visit: http://www.theconvenor.com

Great leadership isn't about having the answer to every problem. It's knowing when to stop solving, start asking better questions, and give the people around you the opportunity to step up.

In this episode of The Convenor, Mark Harrison sits down with Sina Johnson, Leadership Development Lead at Ultra Leadership, to explore how a coaching mindset can help leaders develop their teams, navigate challenges, and create more capacity for themselves.

Drawing on her experience coaching leaders, Sina shares how asking the right questions can uncover what's really getting in someone's way, clarify the best possible outcome, and create accountability for what happens next. At the heart of the conversation is the idea that even the most capable leaders can limit their teams when they try to do everything themselves.

Mark and Sina also explore the real-time guided example of what this means for the Convenor podcast itself and how Mark as the leader of such a passion project can validate the project in a meaningful way. Complete with accountability timelines and next steps! 

Bringing people together and helping them move forward doesn't mean having every solution. More often than not, it can mean asking the question that gives someone else the clarity and confidence to act.

We also talk about:

• The GR8 Coaching Framework: eight questions designed to help you coach anyone, anytime

• The power of visualizing and describing the best possible outcome and organizing work around it

• Why a coaching framework helps leaders stay in Coach Mode instead of immediately jumping in with solutions

• How questions can sometimes be disguised as comments—and why clarity matters when you're coaching someone

• The importance of accountability and defining next steps at the end of a coaching conversation

• Why leaders need to create opportunities for other people to live their potential

• How removing obstacles can give leaders more capacity to focus on new products, ideas, and innovation

• Real-life client realizations that emerged through coaching, including addressing burnout, delegating responsibilities, and creating new career plans

• What it looks like for leaders to stop doing work that should already belong to someone else and begin operating at their own potential

About Sina Johnson

Sina Johnson is a leadership development expert and executive coach with Ultra Leadership, where she helps leaders navigate meaningful change, translate vision into action, and create stronger outcomes for themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

With more than 20 years of management experience spanning human resources, accounting, marketing, client management, and sales, Sina brings a broad understanding of the challenges leaders face across an organization. As Ultra Leadership’s Leadership Development Lead, she has spent the past decade designing and leading development programs ranging from facilitated workshops and peer coaching to enterprise-wide leadership strategies.

Her approach centres on curiosity, empathy, and helping leaders move beyond being the person with all the answers. Through coaching, she encourages leaders to ask better questions, build greater ownership within their teams, and turn leadership intentions into practical action.

Sina has worked with leaders across industries including software, insurance, energy, and banking, with representative clients including AAA, AARP, BMC Software, Energy Recovery, iSpecimen, and M&T Bank. She holds the Professional Certified Coach (PCC) credential from the International Coaching Federation and is a Certified Co-Active Professional Coach (CPCC) through the Co-Active Training Institute.

Learn more about Sina Johnson at Ultra LeadershipConnect with Sina on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sinarose 

In this episode of The Convenor, Mark Harrison welcomes Steve Levy, Chief Operating Officer at Ipsos Canada, for a conversation about what separates a good presentation from one people actually remember and why becoming a great public speaker has far less to do with natural talent than we might think.

Steve reflects on his early career in the U.K., the transformation he experienced at university, and how Toastmasters helped him build the confidence and skills that would shape his career. Drawing on years of presenting, coaching, and working with the Young Lions at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, he breaks down some of the habits that can make or derail a presentation.

At the heart of the conversation is an important distinction: the story and the telling are not the same thing. A strong idea can still get lost through too much information, poor delivery, or failing to give an audience something meaningful to hold onto. Nerves are necessary and ensure you know the most about your subject matter so you can transform on stage in front of any audience size and feel confident.

We also talk about:

-Why Steve believes there are no natural public speakers

-The lessons Toastmasters taught him about confidence and communication

-The three ingredients Steve believes make a top-notch presentation

-The myths about public speaking that hold people back

-How starting with something of magnitude can immediately command attention

-Why the toughest part of a presentation may be deciding what to leave out

-How anyone can become a compelling communicator

About Steve Levy

Steve Levy is Chief Operating Officer at Ipsos Canada and a recognized leader in market research, brand strategy, and consumer insights. Over a career spanning sales, brand management, and research across the U.K., Asia, and Canada, Steve has become a trusted voice on the trends shaping consumers, culture, and business. He is the creator and author of Ipsos’ Most Influential Brands study and a frequent speaker on brand influence and changing consumer behaviour. In 2020, he received the Canadian Marketing Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-levy-95729610

Email: [email protected]

About The Convenor

The Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step.

The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening? Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/ 

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3. For more information, visit: 

http://www.theconvenor.com

In this episode of The Convenor, Mark Harrison sits down with Nithya Ramachandran, President and Chief Strategy Officer at T1, to explore what it takes for brands to move beyond sponsorship visibility and build meaningful connections with the fandoms, communities, and cultures they want to be part of.Drawing on real-world examples from Maple Leaf Foods, Uber Eats, and other leading brands, Nithya shares how the strongest partnerships start with understanding what people genuinely care about, not simply where a brand can place its logo. She breaks down the intersection of high emotion, fandom, and commercial results, and why finding the right balance for a brand is critical to earning relevance.Together, Mark and Nithya discuss how brands can identify the rituals, behaviours, and shared interests that bring communities together. From uncovering the protein opportunity around the Olympics to using data to understand hockey fans' food-ordering rituals, Nithya explains how insights can translate into ideas that feel authentic to fans while delivering measurable business impact. They also explore why broad generational trends—particularly around Gen Z—can only tell you so much, how the right influencer or community can provide a more meaningful route to an audience, and why simplicity can be one of the most powerful tools for reaching new people and building new fandoms. We also talk about:- How a "full-stack" approach can turn partnerships into something worth broadcasting- The importance of an ego-less integrated agency team and getting different partners working toward the same goal- Identifying what’s relevant in fandoms and communities and for those groups- Reviewing macro trends on Gen Z and the better route of the right influencer- Real life example of Uber Eats and leveraging data to build authentic behaviour with hockey rituals and hockey fans- The power of simplicity and the importance of reaching people to build new fandoms- What brand gets Nithya’s vote for being great in the market and understanding its customer best

About Nithya Ramachandran

Nithya Ramachandran is President and Chief Strategy Officer at T1, an independent, full-stack sponsorship and experiences agency. A strategic marketing leader, Nithya helps brands build stronger connections with people and communities through sponsorship, experiential marketing, culture, and purpose-driven strategy. Her work focuses on understanding how brands can move beyond visibility to create meaningful experiences, earn trust, and build lasting relevance with the audiences they serve.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nithyaramachandran

T1: thet1agency.com

About The Convenor

The Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action. Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step. The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening?

Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3.

For more information, visit: http://www.theconvenor.com

In this episode of The Convenor, Mark Harrison sits down with Ryan Hughes, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Client Success at Humanity, to explore why the strongest brands are built around people, not just products, logos, or campaigns.

Drawing on nearly two decades of experience helping organizations connect purpose with action, Ryan shares Humanity's well-being framework and explains why successful brand identity begins with understanding the people it serves. He discusses how behavioural science, storytelling, and meaningful participation can transform a brand from something audiences simply recognize into something they genuinely experience.

Together, Mark and Ryan explore why keeping the human at the centre of every decision leads to stronger organizations, deeper trust, and more meaningful impact. Ryan also shares the story behind Humanity's work with the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, illustrating how a reimagined brand identity and public activations invited people to participate in conversations about human rights rather than simply observe them.

Whether you're building a business, leading a team, or shaping a brand, this conversation offers practical insights into creating organizations that inspire connection, foster well-being, and leave a lasting impact.

About Ryan Hughes

Ryan Hughes is Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Client Success at Humanity, a purpose-driven brand agency that helps organizations create meaningful impact through strategy, storytelling, and behavioural science. With nearly 20 years of experience, he works with founders, businesses, nonprofits, and cultural institutions to build brands that inspire trust, deepen human connection, and turn purpose into action.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ryan-hughes-humanity

Website: www.humanityagency.com

About The Convenor

The Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step.

The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening? Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/ 

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3. For more information, visit: 

http://www.theconvenor.com

In this episode of The Convenor, Mark Harrison sits down with Vanessa Toperczer, Senior Vice President at IMI International, brand strategist, and consumer insights expert, to explore how great leaders expand their perspective to uncover opportunities others miss.

Drawing on her experience at IMI International, Coca-Cola, and advising some of the world's leading consumer brands, Vanessa shares how listening deeply to customers has shaped her approach to leadership, strategy, and growth. She reflects on the importance of challenging assumptions, grounding decisions in evidence, and building brands that create genuine value by understanding what matters most to the people they serve.

Together, Mark and Vanessa explore why the most successful brands never stop learning, how purpose becomes meaningful when it's reflected in everyday actions, and why trust is earned by consistently delivering experiences that resonate with customers. They also discuss the role of data in understanding human behaviour, lessons from organizations like Airbnb, and how marketing creates lasting emotional connections that people remember long after a campaign ends.

Whether you're leading an organization, building a brand, or navigating growth, this conversation offers practical insights into making better decisions by widening your perspective, listening with intention, and putting people at the centre of strategy.

We also talk about:

• Why continuous learning is essential to building enduring brands

• How customer insights shape stronger businesses and better decisions

• The difference between having a purpose and living it every day

• Why trusted brands understand the role they play in people's lives

• How data helps uncover the human stories behind business decisions

• Lessons from brands that consistently earn customer loyalty

• Why the customer's voice should remain at the heart of every growth strategy

If you've ever wondered what separates brands that simply attract attention from those that earn lasting trust, this episode offers a thoughtful perspective on the importance of listening, learning, and creating experiences that genuinely matter to the people you serve.

About Vanessa Toperczer

Vanessa Toperczer is a Toronto-based brand strategist and consumer insights leader with more than 20 years of experience helping organizations grow through customer insight, brand strategy, and innovation. As Senior Vice President at IMI International, she advises executives on evidence-based marketing and business strategy, drawing on leadership experience across agency, client-side, research, and not-for-profit sectors. Known for translating consumer insights into practical business decisions, Vanessa is also an active mentor, speaker, and board director dedicated to advancing leadership and organizational impact.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/vanessatoperczer

The Convenor is a podcast hosted by Mark Harrison featuring conversations with leaders, founders, creatives, and changemakers who share the ideas, experiences, and insights that inspire meaningful action.

Whether you're launching a business, leading a team, building a movement, or looking to grow as a leader, each episode is designed to provide practical wisdom, fresh perspectives, and the confidence to take your next step.

The Convenor is more than a podcast—it's a community built around curiosity, connection, and the belief that great conversations can open doors, challenge thinking, and help shape what's next.

Ready to join the conversation worth convening? Subscribe and be part of the community.

Follow on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-convenor/ 

The Convenor Podcast is brought to you by MH3. For more information, visit: 

http://www.theconvenor.com

https://www.consultimi.com/About The Convenor