SPEAKERS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Professor Hod Lipson
Hod Lipson, a professor of Engineering and Data Science at Columbia University in New York, and a co-author of the award-winning book “Fabricated: The New World of 3D printing” and “Driverless: Intelligent cars and the road ahead”. We are confident that our attendees will benefit from his important insights into the role of such technology in the aftermarket world.
Professor Lipson enjoys widespread media popularity and his work on self-aware and self-replicating robots challenges conventional views of robotics. He has co-authored over 300 publications that received over 38,000 citations to date, and has co-founded four companies, and is frequent keynoter both in industry and academic events. Lipson directs the Creative
Machines Lab, which pioneers new ways to make machines that create, and machines that are creative.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Nicky Woerner
Nicky is currently responsible for the development of the sales strategy for the RepairLogic Repair Planning Platform in North America, with the goal of eliminating the endless complexity around vehicle repair. Her duties include setting business strategy and defining implementation processes that focus on customer experience, growth, and profitability.
Nicky has an extensive background in the collision industry with a career spanning 27+ years. Leveraging her knowledge of the needs of independent shops, MSOs, and OEM certified repair networks, Nicky helps OEC expand its offerings within the collision industry, making it easier for shops to get the job done while instilling safety, trust, and transparency in vehicle repair.
Prior to OEC, Nicky spent 25 years with Enterprise Holdings in various sales positions, including Director of Business Development for the collision and the OEM collision business segments.
Nicky holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Laurentian University (Sudbury) and a Human Resources Management degree from Sir Sandford Fleming College (Lindsay).
About OEC
OEC is how everyone involved in the vehicle parts and repair ecosystem finally has an easier way to get their job done. They get all the connections and data needed to transform selling, sourcing, leasing, managing, billing, and claims.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Étienne Boulay
Passionate, excessive and intense, Étienne Boulay made football his sport of choice. Nothing, however, predisposed him to the career we know him to be; he is small in stature and does not particularly excel in the field in his early days. It is above all by his attitude, his passion and his hard work that he will stand out to the point of reaching very high peaks and winning important sports scholarships that will take him from Connecticut to the University of New Hampshire.
In 2006, Étienne Boulay was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. In 2008, he signed a professional contract with the New York Jets, but his New York adventure only lasted a few months.
That same season, he returned to the Alouettes and participated in his team’s Gray Cup victories in 2009 and 2010. He won a third in 2012, with the Toronto Argonauts before retiring.
However, it was not on the pitch that Etienne would fight his greatest battle. Struggling with the side effects of his concussions, a difficult divorce and serious consumption problems that he hides from those around him and his family, he will live through an extremely dark period and will attempt suicide before submitting to his third therapy, which will finally allow him to see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Accumulating today a little more than five years of sobriety, Étienne wishes to give meaning to this period of his life by sharing his story with humility, emotion and humour.
As part of his talk, he recounts how he went from the low-grade student, class jester, to the professional athlete and committed man he is today. Using examples drawn from his career full of pitfalls and sacrifices, Étienne describes the key elements of his journey that led him to the fulfillment of his dream, and also to a darker side of his personality. Rigor, determination, motivation and discipline are in the spotlight in this inspiring conference delivered with simplicity where everyone will find their account.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER – Ryan Mandell
Ryan has spent his entire career in the automotive industry and has a wide array of experiences ranging from field claims appraiser, body shop manager, and as a regional director for a large recycled parts supplier. In his current role, Ryan works a wide range of industry stakeholders including insurance executives and material damage leaders to provide actionable insights and consultative direction for their organizations.
Ryan earned his Master of Arts degree from Northern Arizona University and Bachelor of Arts from the University of San Diego. Ryan also received the Accredited Automotive Manager designation from the Automotive Management Institute in 2016. Ryan has spoken at numerous industry events and is a frequent author of content related to auto insurance and collision repair. You can find a link to his industry podcast and written materials at mpower.mitchell.com.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS – Thierry Lessard & Jonathan Lemay (Cartier Agency)
Cartier is a 100% independent communications agency based in Montréal for more than 30 years. The agency specializes in
advertising strategy and creation, as well as in media buying and content marketing. As a strategic partner, Cartier develops advertising campaigns for major brands such as Mark’s, Multi-Prêts Hypothèques, the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec, Rachelle Béry and Carrossier ProColor.
Search engines like Google are particularly important in the automobile industry. Local marketing can benefit greatly from referencing (organic and paid), as well as from reviews left online by customers. During the conference, we will look at ways of generating growth, as well as how to manage online reputation, using search engines.
SPEAKER – Debbie McCarthy
Debbie McCarthy is responsible for the strategic direction, development and implementation of a wide range of human resources functions, policies and programs to support talent recruitment and retention across all brands in all countries.
She plays a vital role in the ongoing development of Fix Network’s corporate culture and employee engagement initiatives, as well as tools and frameworks to affect change within the organization globally. She also provides strategic, leadership and consulting support to company executives and management on all talent matters to ensure business goals are met.
Debbie is a results-oriented, self-motivated individual with over 20 years of experience working for national and global brands. She has a passion for people, superior interpersonal skills, and the ability to inspire employees. Before joining Fix Network in 2019, she led the corporate HR functions for Party City’s retail and wholesale divisions in Canada and supported the company’s field HR functions in Canada, US and Mexico.
PANEL EXPERTS
Talent Attraction, Acquisition & Retention
Paul Clipsham – Director of Stakeholder Relations – Skills Ontario
Paul Clipsham is Director of Stakeholder Relations with Skills Ontario – a not for profit organization that inspires youth to pursue careers Skilled Trades and Technologies. In addition to stakeholder outreach and engagement, Paul leads communications and partnership development activities for the organization. He works closely with corporate sponsors,
government, education partners and other stakeholders to achieve a common objective of addressing the skills gap by promoting rewarding careers in skilled trades and technologies.
