The CLiP: Recent Episodes
Vlaad and Company
The Canadian Leaders and Influencers Podcast offers casual interviews with leaders and mavericks of Canadian industry, community and business. The listener gets a candid, deep-dive into a wide variety of topics from inspiring Canadians.
It is our role at The CLiP to find a diverse selection of guests that lead or influence in various sectors of our communities. Curt Harnett, our guest in today's episode, offers both. You might know him as a former Olympian, known for his cycling sprinting, or from his quintessentially 80’s hair shampoo commercial. You might have also heard his name or witnessed his leadership role as the Chef de Mission for the Canadian teams at the Rio Olympics and the Pan AM games in Toronto. In our discussion, we talk a good deal about rebranding. One day you are an athlete, the next day you are not. How do you pick up your tool box of skills and move to the next thing, what ever that might be? This discussion is relevant way beyond athletics - all of us find ourselves in constant states of change. How do you pick yourself up to re-purpose when you need to? How do you leverage the good days when you have them? How do you harness the power of failure as you move forward? Enjoy this and much more during this episode of The CLiP.
On this episode, we talk to Michael Redhill, author and Giller Prize winner. Michael lives in Toronto and is a published novelist, poet, and play-write. We sit with him in his home and discuss the creative process of writing, his growth and success, the changing landscape of Canadian media and book consumption, and how he works to complete a project.
We are so happy to learn from a leader in a different industry and how we can draw parallels for finding success and motivation.
Michael’s most recent novel Bellevue Square is the first in a trilogy, set in Toronto. Read more here.
We are very excited to announce our guest, Martha McCabe. Two-time Canadian Olympic Swimmer, Canadian swim captain in the Rio 2016 Summer Olympics, and Founder of a new organization called Head to Head. With a huge appreciation for swimmers’ hard work, perseverance, and dedication, we were excited to hear Martha’s story.
In this episode, we get into what sparks that Olympic drive, how support systems are crucial to success in any field, and the difficulty transitioning from a career as a professional athlete into the 'real world.’ Lastly, we talk about Martha’s new organization Head to Head, designed to pair Olympians with young athletes and sport teams. This provides financial support to retired Olympians as well as a mentoring outlet for young athletes.
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Janet Ecker is the former Minister of Finance of Ontario, and the first woman to deliver a budget in the province. She was also Minister of Education, Minister of Community and Social services and Government house leader. Before a life in politics, she had a role as a director of policy for the College of Physicians and surgeons of Ontario. She currently sits on a wide range of public and private boards, agencies and government advisory committees and is a fellow of the C.D. Howe Institute and a member of its national counsel. In 2016 she received the Order of Canada and is one of the founders of Equal Voice a national multi-partisan organization working to elect more women.
We had a candid and educational interview about leadership, the difference between public and private decision making, and Canada's political position. We loved Janet's passion and energy and hope you do as well.
For up to date episodes of The CLiP follow us on twitter @VlaadCo | Please leave us a review on iTunes.
Lisa Lisson, President of FedEx Express Canada, sits down with us in this episode of The CLiP. Lisa’s life seemed perfect: she had married her high school sweetheart, applied her marketing degree to a position at FedEx Express Canada, and risen to become a Vice President, and later President, of the company. One night, after putting their four children to bed, her husband, Patrick, marvelled that their lives seemed perfectly happy.
Just a few hours later, everything changed. Assumed the job first female,
One moment Lisa was sleeping beside Patrick, and the next, she was kneeling on the floor beside his unconscious body frantically administering CPR. Patrick had had a massive heart attack and was in a coma, and the doctors were blunt: there was no hope. But for the next two years, Lisa stood by his side and awaited a miracle, while continuing to balance life as a high-powered executive and mother of four.
In this episode, we discuss Lisa’s inspirational story about how she rose to the top in a man’s world, and triumphed over adversity to lead a fulfilling life, living each day with purpose and gratitude.
For up to date episodes of The CLiP follow us on twitter @VlaadCo | Please leave us a review on iTunes.
Randy Cass is our guest in this episode of the CLiP. He is the founder and CEO of Nest Wealth, a Canadian Robo Advisor. If you are not familiar with this term, a robo advisor is a service that uses specialized software to do the job of wealth managers or investment advisors. It manages your money at a fraction of the cost of a traditional professional investment advisor. Nest Wealth is not a multi-billion dollar company…yet.
We have a candid discussion with Randy about being an entrepreneur, his successes and failures along the way and what leadership lessons he learned. He talks about the various iterations of his career that got him to the point of having one of the most talked about robo advisory companies in the country.
For up to date episodes of The CLiP follow us on twitter @VlaadCo | Please leave us a review on iTunes.
Dominic Barton, who is near the end of his term as McKinsey and Company’s appointed Global Managing Partner, travels the world over 200 days of the year and his days are structured, efficient and jammed to the rafters. Thus, it was a real treat to talk with him privately for nearly an hour. At the McKinsey Canadian head office, stunningly situated amongst UofT and surrounding museums, he joins us for this episode of The Clip.
Dominic is Canadian but runs a global business and is very passionate on the long term sustainability of our country and business in general. With this background, his views and ideas come from the heart but are paired with the benefit of best practices gathered from all over the planet. He has authored a long list of articles, almost as long as the list of awards he has gathered for his personal and professional contributions. Dominic is also the co-chair of the Focusing Capital on the Long Term initiative, which we discuss in this episode. The initiative seeks to develop practical structures, metrics, and approaches for longer-term behaviours in the investment and business worlds. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed the interview.
For up to date episodes of The CLiP follow us on twitter @VlaadCo | Please leave us a review on iTunes.
John Bitove Jr. is our guest on this episode of The CLiP. If his name rings a bell for you, it should. Not only is he responsible for bringing Taco Bell and KFC, as well as XM Radio to Canada, he is the founder of a little NBA team called the Toronto Raptors —have you heard of them?
In this episode, John tells us about his 2008 Olympic bid for Toronto, and his experiences growing up in an entrepreneurial family, and how “there’s a certain mindset…an aggressiveness.” However aggressive John Bitove has been, his success clearly stems from a well built foundation of good leadership, learnt-from-mistakes, and a passion for getting it right.
For up to date episodes of The CLiP follow us on twitter @VlaadCo | Please leave us a review on iTunes.
In this episode, we speak with General Rick Hillier, the former Chief of Defence Staff of the Canadian Forces. He commanded NATO’s Stabilization Force’s Multinational Division in Bosnia-Herzegovina, and was the commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance in Kabul, Afghanistan. In this podcast, General Hillier cites many examples of military leadership as they relate to business, community and family.
In this episode of The CLiP, we sit down with three very passionate and dynamic members of Girls 20. They describe the program and initiatives, and speak to the underlying fundamentals of diversification within boards, management, and corporate culture, and the importance of training young people to become leaders. Listen in now, and should you want to learn more, visit https://girls20.org/.
This episode features Hugh O’Reilly, CEO of OPTrust; the institution that looks after Ontario’s retired public sector employees and their retirement money. In this episode, Hugh speaks to the management and leadership necessary to managing a pension fund, offering candid examples of how he incorporates humility and vulnerability to his management style. Listen in to this podcast as Hugh shared his advice for leaders of any type of organization.
Season one ends with the compilation of our best 'clips', based on a selection of common topics discussed by our guests, including:
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The role family and community have in building a leader;
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Common leadership characteristics;
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Importance of being charitable and volunteering your time;
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The importance of sponsorship; and
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How good leaders deal with mistakes.
Listen in to our podcast to hear some of your favourite moments of the season.
This episode features Michael Burns, CEO of the Invictus Games. Michael provides insight into the trials and tribulations of launching an epic sporting event. In September 2017, the Invictus Games will be broadcast to millions of Canadians plus millions more around the rest of the world. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the unconquerable spirit of our military men and women as they participate in these games. Michael also provides insight into True Patriot Love, the organization behind the Invictus Games. Listen in to this podcast as Michael, who has been working very hard to prepare, shares with us the experience he has had over the past two years bringing these games to Canada.
Canada’s 18th Prime Minister, The Right Honourable Brian Mulroney, sits down with Bill to discuss “the man”. Who is he, and how does someone like him from a small town in Quebec rise to become a leader of our great country? Listen in to our intimate interview where we discuss what drove him then, now and in between.
Our guest in this episode is the CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival, Piers Handling. We tap into his experiences creating and running one of the most popular film festivals in the world and turning it into a year-round destination. He shares his views on what film’s role should be with respect to shaping the discourse for change in our country and how important having a diverse culture canvas is to ensuring an even more secure future for the next generation.
In this episode, we sit down with The Honourable Brian Tobin, former Premier of Newfoundland, Federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, a father, a grandfather, an officer of the order of Canada, and currently Vice Chair at BMO Financial. We talk about the early days, the present, the good times, the bad, and everything in between.
This episode of The CLiP is a real treat! The inaugural FinForum event - bringing together titans of the fintech space. This panel discussion how the industry got to where it is and tackles where it is going. In an industry where 18 months is a lifetime, FinForum works to bring providers of capital and innovators together efficiently. Listen in to the inspirational thoughts on how to craft successful inroads into the fintech business.
Professor Gerard Seijts has written many books, and articles on leadership DNA. What is the makeup of a “good leader”? What is the importance of further education to good leadership? This is a very informative podcast for those listeners who are students, thinking of becoming students, or are parents to students. This podcast also makes for a great refresher on what characteristics we should look for in ourselves as we strive to become better leaders.
Joining us for this unique podcast, is Misha Berman, a snowboarder going for a Whistler/Blackcomb record for most vertical in a season. In an attempt to interview leaders and influencers, we thought it important to interview young people. What pushes them? What motivates them? Why would someone want to tackle something as silly as 2 million feet in a single season. What better way to start, than to interview a snowboarder trying to set records.
Love him or not, Kevin O’Leary gets people talking. The TV Host and Investment Guru shares with us his views on where Canada is going right and provides many opinions as to where Canada is going wrong, with a podcast called the Canadian Leaders and Influencers Podcast, this is an episode filled with great stories and management ideas.
Brent Belzberg founded private equity firm TorQuest Partners from the ashes of a family business up against the ropes. Taken from that experience was a long list of what he didn’t want in a firm which was to be based on integrity and good judgement. Twenty years later, with billions in invested capital, Brent shares his experiences on how he made and avoided mistakes as he rebuilt his company, his team and his family name.
Marc Kielburger, with his brother Craig, have inspired and empowered millions of young people around the world. The Co-Founder of a family of organizations called WE shares his views on the foundation of any good leadership decision, at any age, anywhere in the world.
There is not one type of leader or leadership style, there are common traits in good leaders and there are skills that have a higher rate of success when deployed, but each scenario requires a different make up of leadership characteristics. In this episode of The Clip, we talk to a leader in the consumer products world. Michael Moskowitz has led several house hold name companies, all of which had a technological bent. Listeners to this episode should find his experiences in leadership very eye opening.
Canadian ‘Shareholder Activist’ Wes Voorheis has been firing CEOs and replacing board members among some of the country’s biggest corporations for decades. Wes shares the wide range of leadership styles he has witnessed over the years – Good, Bad and Indifferent.
No one leads in a vacuum. Leaders are required to deal with the media. How, when and why you communicate with the media can have large and often unexpected results. You can’t get around it so learn to manage it better. Andy Willis is a long time business reporter for the Globe and has interviewed a gazillion Canadian business leaders. He shares stories, opinions and leadership lessons he has picked up over his many years on the beat.
Ian Schnoor is the Founder of the Marquee Group and, with his partners, has built an institution within the Canadian Finance Industry. Leveraging its team’s financial modelling expertise, the Marquee Group was founded on professional training but has morphed into an accreditation platform and a consulting business. Plus, they have some interesting disruptive businesses on the horizon. Our discussion delves into how to lead when starting a business, how to get the most out of your team without giving up the firm and how to prioritize your time when your to-do list is neck deep. Ian also shares important considerations for companies wanting to attract and retain leaders in the years ahead.
What does a former Head of Global Investment and Corporate Banking at one of Canada’s largest banks do when that phase of his career comes to an end? Well, apparently, the opportunities are many. In this episode of the CLiP, I talk to Pat Meneley about how he inspired and led over the last 30 years. Pat shares with you what he sees in our country’s best leaders – both young and old.
In this episode of the CLiP, a conversation with Jennifer Reynolds – a dynamic leader in the Canadian finance community. She isn’t just an advocate for change but a former investment banker, an avid runner, a mother of six and, currently, the President of Women in Capital Markets or what we will refer to in the Podcast as WCM. This episode goes beyond just gender issues faced in the finance industry. It speaks to balance, working to your strengths and leading leaders to action change.