Future in Focus 2026

This full-day speaker series conference will delve into transformative topics shaping today’s business landscape, offering fresh perspectives and insights to drive impactful change in your organization.

Prepare to be inspired and energized with our full-day conference, offering a taste of current and brand-new Professional Growth programs, led by renowned UBC Sauder faculty, instructors and industry-experts. Featuring visionary thinkers and innovative perspectives, the conference is designed to spark meaningful connections, foster creativity, and pave the way for a dynamic and sustainable future. Whether you’re driving organizational change or navigating emerging business challenges, The Future in Focus will equip you with the tools and knowledge required to succeed as a responsible leader.

Hosted in downtown Vancouver at UBC Robson Square, this conference offers a chance to connect with peers, exchange new ideas, and discover strategies to lead with impact. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of the conversations shaping the future of responsible leadership in BC – Save the date today.

Agenda

• 8:30 am: Registration & light breakfast
• 9:00 am: Welcome
• 9:15 am – 10:15 am: Morning keynote with Darren Dahl
• 10:15 am – 10:45 am: Coffee break
• 10:45 am – 12:00 pm: Morning breakout session
• 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm: Networking lunch
• 1:00 pm – 2:15 pm: Afternoon breakout session
• 2:15 pm – 2:45 pm: Afternoon break
• 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm: Afternoon keynote with Kirstin Appelt & Jiaying Zhao (JZ)
• 3:45 pm – 4:00 pm: Closing

Morning Keynote

Darren Dahl

BCom (Alberta), PhD (UBC)

Topic: Innovation

Darren Dahl is the Dean of the UBC Sauder School of Business and RBC Financial Group Professor of Entrepreneurship. He is globally recognized for his work in strategic marketing, entrepreneurship, creativity, and social influence.

Morning breakout sessions to choose from

Laura Dowling

BA (UBC), MSc (Ireland), PCC

Topic: Lead with Intent: A Coach Approach to Psychological Safety and Team Performance

Discover how a coaching mindset can transform your leadership. Drawing on the neuroscience of trust and research on psychological safety, this session offers a fresh lens on feedback, high-stakes conversations, and team dynamics — so people do their best work.

Gene Moo Lee

BS (Korea), MA (Texas), PhD (Texas)

Topic: Smarter by Design: Sharpening Your AI Strategy for Business Impact

Move beyond the hype and get practical. This interactive session helps you pinpoint where AI creates real value in your organization, what's standing in the way, and how to build a sharper AI strategy you can apply right away.

Mumtaz Chaudhary

BSc (Calgary), CCMP, Prosci

Topic: Change at Work: Practical Tools for Every Professional

Change is constant — how you navigate it makes all the difference. Drawing on UBC Sauder's Change Management certificate, this session covers why change is harder than it looks, how AI is accelerating transformation, and the practical strategies that help change actually stick.

Afternoon breakout sessions to choose from

Annie Feng

BSc (UBC), MBA (UK)

Topic: The Introvert's Quiet Communication Power

Effective communication isn't about being the loudest voice in the room. This session challenges common myths about introversion and influence, and offers practical techniques for communicating with confidence and authenticity — on your own terms.

Trevor Sones

BA (Carleton), MA (UVic)

Topic: Conflict at Work: Practical Strategies for Difficult Conversations

Workplace conflict is unavoidable — but it doesn't have to derail you. Drawing on UBC Sauder's Conflict Management Strategies course, this session explores what drives conflict, how it escalates, and how to navigate tough conversations with greater clarity and confidence.

Robert Goatham

BSc (Kingston), CQA, PMP

Topic: Think Like a Project Manager: Mindset, Value, and Better Decisions

Every project exists to create value — but that takes more than a plan. This session introduces the project management mindset: a way of thinking that helps you see the big picture, navigate complexity, and make smarter decisions in any role.

Afternoon Keynote

Kirstin Appelt

BA (Dartmouth), MA, MPhil, PhD (Columbia)

Topic: Behavioural Insights

Kirstin Appelt is Research Director, UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society, and Academic Director of UBC's Advanced Professional Certificate in Behavioural Insights. Her research explores why people struggle with important decisions about the future and how to use choice architecture to help them make the best decisions for themselves and for society.

Jiaying Zhao (JZ)

MA (UCD), MA, PhD (Princeton)

Topic: Behavioural Insights

Jiaying Zhao (JZ) is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at UBC, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Sustainability, and UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar. JZ uses psychological principles to design behavioural solutions to address financial and environmental sustainability challenges.