RECOVERY SUMMIT SERIES
Moving the Toronto Region’s Economy Forward
Moving the Toronto Region’s Economy Forward
The Toronto region is Canada’s economic engine, home to the talent and innovation driving the nation’s prosperity.
Now, against the backdrop of a global pandemic, it has never been more important for global, national and regional experts to come together and discuss how a strong, inclusive and rapid recovery for the region can be achieved.
In a three-part virtual Recovery Summit Series, the Toronto Region Board of Trade will convene leaders and city-builders to discuss how to foster strategic partnerships and come back stronger.
Sessions tailored to the needs and challenges of the Toronto region and Innovation Corridor.
1World-class speakers, and public and private sector leaders discussing recovery from a sectoral, regional and global perspective.
Discussions on cross-sector opportunities for businesses as they plan for recovery and long-term growth.
Minister of Transportation and Francophone Affairs
Minister Mulroney was first elected as the Member of Provincial Parliament for York-Simcoe in 2018.
Appointed Minister of Transportation in June 2019, Minister Mulroney has been focused on getting people where they want to go when they need to get there, including historic partnerships with the City of Toronto and York Region that will support the Province of Ontario’s $28.5 billion investment program in four new priority projects, overseeing an ambitious expansion of the GO rail network, and the development of regional transportation plans across the province.
Minister Mulroney also serves as Minister of Francophone Affairs. In this role, she concluded an agreement with the federal government to finance l’Université de l’Ontario français, Ontario’s first university that will be governed by and for francophones. Minister Mulroney has also served as Ontario’s Attorney General.
Before entering politics, Minister Mulroney had a career in business and law. She served as Vice President of BloombergSen Investment Partners, a Toronto-based investment firm and she spearheaded corporate and regulatory matters related to growth opportunities in Canada and the United States for Wellington Financial LP.
As a lawyer, she was an associate at Shearman & Sterling and then Associate Director of the NYU Center for Law & Business. Minister Mulroney began her career as a financial analyst in the investment banking department of Bear Stearns & Co. Inc.
Minister Mulroney is a graduate of Harvard College and the NYU School of Law.
In addition to her work in the private sector, Minister Mulroney co-founded and chaired the board of Directors of the Shoebox Project for Shelters. With local chapters across Canada and the United States, they coordinate and deliver gifts to thousands of women and girls in shelters or facing homelessness.
She is also a former member of the Board of Directors of the Hospital for SickKids Foundation, the Fraser Institute and the Windsor Detroit Bridge Authority, a Crown corporation and a former Governor of the National Theatre School of Canada.
Minister Mulroney and her husband Andrew Lapham have four children and a dog, Peanut.
President & Chief Executive Officer, Metrolinx
Phil Verster is the President & Chief Executive Officer at Metrolinx.
Phil oversees a team committed to transforming transportation in the GTHA. With a strong community and customer service emphasis, Metrolinx is delivering quality transportation services on time and on budget, and working collaboratively with our partners – all key elements to delivering on the promise of Metrolinx’s Regional Transportation Plan.
Prior to joining Metrolinx, Phil was one of the UK’s rail leaders, having managed train operations, infrastructure builds and infrastructure management for passenger rail systems in England, Scotland and Ireland.
An engineer by training, Phil began his career in the electricity sector in his native South Africa. From 2001 to 2003, he was Depot Manager and Production Director for a UK division of Bombardier Rail. In 2003, Phil moved from the supplier side to passenger rail operations at Southeastern Trains. He then spent five years at Irish Rail, where he served in different roles, including Deputy CEO.
In 2011, Phil joined Britain’s Network Rail. His first assignment was Managing Director London North East and East Midlands Route , the second largest route in the Network Rail system. He pioneered a new approach to structured continuous improvement that delivered improved safety and train performance as well as an enhanced passenger experience. Phil put the same innovation and discipline to work in his subsequent assignment for Network Rail running Scotland’s ScotRail passenger rail service, from 2015 to 2017. In early 2017, Phil served as Managing Director of Network Rail’s East West Railway.
Phil has a Bachelors of Engineering and a Masters of Engineering, both from the University of Stellenbosch in South Africa. He has an MBA from the University of Newcastle Business School and an LLM Post Graduate Diploma (Commercial Law) from the University of Northumbria, both in the UK.
Supply Chain & Manufacturing Operations, Deloitte
Ryan leads Deloitte’s Supply Chain & Manufacturing Operations and the national Ground Transportation advisory practice, driving the sale and delivery of complex supply-chain transformations. His work focuses on combining leading business strategy and processes with advanced technology to create operations that are flexible, scalable, and collaborative.
Research Scholar, NYU’s the Marron Institute of Urban Management
Eric is a Research Scholar at NYU’s the Marron Institute of Urban Management. He received his Ph.D. in Urban Planning from Columbia University. He leads the Transit Costs Project, which examines the cost drivers of transit-infrastructure projects. He teaches courses on urban planning and urban studies and his writing on cities and transportation technology has been published in academic journals and popular press outlets.
Our Transportation Summit has proven the Board’s ability to convene the most influential people for a day of candid conversations and cutting-edge thought leadership. This is who was in the room in 2019.
