Monday, May 4^th, 2026

8:00 am – 9:00am 

Registration and Coffee Mingle (Common Space)

9:00 am – 9:15 am 

Welcome and Opening Remarks:

9:15 am – 9:20 am 

Introduction of Keynote Speaker by CAIDP Sponsor  

9:20 am – 10:20 am

Remarks by Keynote Speaker

Speaker: Ambassador Rosemary McCarney

Rosemary has had a distinguished career related to foreign service as an Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and to the UN Conference on Disarmament She is an award-winning humanitarian and business leader, a recognized public speaker and author and an expert on international economic development. Prior to her Ambassadorial appointment, Rosemary successfully led Plan International Canada. Rosemary has actively led executive management teams with a clear and pragmatic approach to driving business results, creating stakeholder value and achieving sustainable growth and impact. An experienced senior executive and academic, she has developed strong business management and organizational leadership skills over 30+ years of global executive, legal and academic experience.

10:20 am – 10:30 am 

Break

Breakout Sessions Theme: Strategy & Policy: The New Canadian Direction

Breakout Session 1: 

Breakout Session 2: 

Breakout Session 3: 

10:30 am – 12:00 pm 

Title:   Trade & Development: What It Means for Development Actors Today

Moderator:

John Karalis Project Director, Cowater International

Panelists:

Alan Bowman Director General, Global Affairs Canada, Southeast Asia and Oceania Bureau

Patricia Fuller President and CEO, International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Wilson Pearce Senior Director: International Trade Strategy and Operations, Canadian Commercial Corporation

Steve Tipman Executive Director, TFO Canada

Title:   Securing peace, operating in conflict-affected areas and addressing humanitarian needs

Moderator:

Alan Quinn Director, International Programs and Partnerships, Humanity & Inclusion

Panelists:

Nilofar Kayhan, Lead Technical Advisor, Humanitarian and Resilience Programming, CARE Canada

Yiagadeesen “Teddy” Samy Director, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs

Dalia Al-Awqati Deputy Director, Humanitarian Affairs, Oxfam Canada

Jon Unruh Professor of Geography, McGill University

Title:   Pursuing biodiversity conservation and climate action through a gender-transformative approach

Moderator:

Chris Huggins Associate Professor, International Development and Global Studies, uOttawa

Panelists:

Eddy Pérez Founder, Pérez Strategic Partnerships

Laura Parisi Associate Professor, Gender Studies and former President, CASID

Marco Heredia Project Manager, Alinea

Olivia Nasewicz Program Manager, Environmental Advisor, WUSC

12:00 pm – 1:15 PM

Lunch and Keynote Address:

Speaker: Celina Ceasar-Chavannes

Celina Caisar-Chavannes (she/her) is a globally respected leader and humanitarian who, for over 25 years, has been dedicated to helping individuals awaken their innate potential and live in alignment with their unique gifts. Her insights inspire individuals to achieve their highest potential, empower teams to thrive, and guide organizations toward sustainable, transformative change.

Practitioner Workshops

1:15 pm – 1:55 pm

Networking

Title:   AI-Powered Consulting

Facilitator:

Jim Delaney Executive Director of the Global Development Policy and Practice Hub

Title:   Strategic Planning & Governance

Facilitator:

Ryan Rowe International Development Consultant and Business Coach, Socieau Advisory

Breakout Sessions Theme: Finance & Delivery: Innovative Modalities

Breakout Session 4: 

Breakout Session 5: 

Breakout Session 6: 

2:00 pm – 3:15 pm 

Title:    Innovative Finance for Development Outcomes

Moderator:

Lindsay Wallace Executive Director, FINCA Canada & Chair of the Board, CAFIID

Panelists:

Krishna Malhotra Associate Director Blended Finance Accelerator, Convergence Blended Finance

Cam Do Director General, Development Finance, Global Affairs Canada

Pranay Samson Director, Innovative Finance, Plan International

Nadia Guerch Head of Programs, Cowater International

Title:   New Partnership Models for a Changing Development Landscape.

Moderator:

Tanya Salewski Vice-President Program Delivery, ALINEA

Panelists:

Michael Wodzicki Co-founder and Partner, Nexus Cooperation

Abbas Sumar Principal, Summar + Associates Ltd

Yvette Macabuag Head of Program Quality and Impact, CUSO

Title: The Expanding Role of AI in Canada’s International Development Sector

Moderator:

Bart Édes Professor of Practice, Institute for the Study of International Development, McGill University

Panelists:

Thomas Hervé Mboa Nkoudou Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Communications, uOttawa

Dr. Mandana Arabi Vice President, Research and Development and Chief Technical Advisor, Nutrition International

Maggie Gorman Vélez Vice President, IDRC

3:15 pm – 3:30 pm 

Break 

Breakout Sessions Theme: Sector Sustainability & Career Shifts

Breakout Session 7: 

Breakout Session 8: 

Breakout Session 9: 

3:30 pm – 4:45 pm  

Title:   How Canadian Development Actors Can Diversify Funding Sources

Moderator:

Mazen Chouaib CEO of CLIC Consulting

Panelists: TBC

Nicolas Rougy Executive Director, LEADEUR Consulting, Brussels Belgium

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) International Tade Officer

Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Title:  Sharpening the skills needed to prosper in the new era of overseas development assistance.

Moderator:

Michelle Brown Ochaita, Environment and Peacebuilding Evaluation Intern, Universalia

Panelists:

Jim Delaney, Executive Director of the Global Development Policy and Practice Hub, UOttawa

Kendra Toby, Vice-President of Business Development at Alinea International

Evelyne Guidon, Senior Advisor for Leadership Search for the Social Impact Sector, Oxford HR.

Title:   The Role of Philanthropy in Sustaining Development Practice

Description: This panel examines how funding sources including foundations, family philanthropies, diaspora networks, and innovation platforms operate in practice, where they are most active, and what development organizations need to understand to engage them effectively.

Panelists: To be announced

4:45 pm – 5:00 pm 

Conference summary and recap

5:00 pm – 5:10 pm 

Closing Remarks and Thanks

5:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Arrival

6:00 pm – 6:05 pm

Call to attention, Welcome, Housekeeping, Hand-0ver of agenda to moderator

6:05 pm – 7:00 pm

Title: Canada’s Official Development Assistance in a Changing World: Perspectives from Parliament

7:00 pm

Reception