Speaker Lineup
Ready to be inspired? These dynamic speakers hail from from far and wide to share their learnings, stories, and ideas with you.
Segun Makinde
2x Olympian, 3x Track & Field International Medalist
Segun Makinde is a 2x Olympian, Keynote Speaker, Athlete Council Member, Community Ambassador, Podcaster, and 3x International medalist. He believes that being an Olympian is more than just going to the Olympic Games, and uses his unique perspective combined with over 13 years of high performance and Olympic experience to positively impact and inspire individuals and organizations to do what they think is impossible, by tapping into their own, “Inner Olympian”. Segun remains active in his hometown as a Community Ambassador for Christie Lake Kids and serves as a member of the Athletics Canada Athlete Council as a way of giving back to the community and his sport. He is currently preparing for the 2021 Olympic Games which will be held in Tokyo, Japan.
Peter Yang
International Best-Selling Author, CEO of Reviewerly, Inc. & High School Student
Peter Yang is a high school student from Hamilton, Ontario. He is the international #1 bestselling author of The Art of Writing and the CEO of Reviewerly, Inc. Since getting published at age 15, his book has sold thousands of copies worldwide and gained over 100 reviews on Amazon.com, outranking industry classics like The Elements of Style. His startup received $3,000 in funding from McMaster University's Forge business incubator, where he set a record as the youngest founder to ever get accepted. His company has also been featured on Global News Radio, The Hamilton Spectator, Cable 14, and the front page of Product Hunt. Peter was recognized as a finalist in Innovation Factory's 2020 LiONS LAIR pitch competition and has been fortunate enough to deliver talks at the DeGroote School of Business and Hack the Hammer II.
Dr. Chika Oriuwa
Spoken Word Poet, Physician & Advocate
Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa is a graduate of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine, where she was named the valedictorian of her graduating medical class. She is a physician, professional spoken word poet, public speaker, writer, and advocate for racialized and marginalized populations. Presently, Dr. Oriuwa is completing her residency in psychiatry at the University of Toronto where she aims to go on to complete further sub-specialist training in neuro-psychiatry. Dr. Oriuwa also serves on Indigo's Board of Directors, using her expertise to influence their efforts in creating equal opportunity and curating spaces of wellness and inclusion. She is a recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including being recognized as one of Best Health Magazine's '2020 Women of the Year'.
Dr. Michael Schutz
Associate Professor at McMaster & Founding Director of the MAPLE Lab
Known for his innovative blend of performance, teaching and research, Dr. Michael Schutz is currently Associate Professor of Music Cognition/Percussion at McMaster University, where he is currently University Scholar in recognition of his work connecting music performance and music perception. He is the founding director of the MAPLE Lab and a core member of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind.
Dr. Jeff Sutherland
Family Physician & ALS Advocate
Dr. Jeff Sutherland started his career as a comprehensive family physician in 1993. Unfortunately, this part of his life came to a screeching halt in 2007 when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), at the age of 41. This diagnosis would be enough for any person to give up. Yet, for the last 13 years, Jeff has been continuously adapting and learning. He is actively involved with ALS Canada as a top fundraiser and advocate. Further tragedy struck in 2016, when his family lost their healthy 21-year-old son and his girlfriend in a tragic kayaking accident. To try to make peace with his adversities, Jeff wrote a book called, Still Life (Sutherland House Books, 2019). Written entirely with his eyes this memoir is a raw and honest look at tragedy, grief, love, and most importantly hope. Jeff's story will inspire you to try and make your life meaningful and resilient.
Jacqueline Rintjema
Public Health Researcher & Founder of the Public Health Youth Association of Canada
Jacqueline Rintjema is a Master of Public Health student at McMaster University and a recipient of the Canada Graduate Scholarship Master's Award from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. Her research interests include health systems strengthening, chronic disease prevention, and primary health care. She is also the Founder and Director of the Public Health Youth Association of Canada (PHYAC), a newly formed national by-youth-for-youth organization funded by the Government of Canada that aims to increase youth leadership in the field of public health. Now with over 60 youth members from across Canada, PHYAC works to introduce youth to the field of public health earlier in their academic trajectories and to equip the next generation of health leaders with the tools to build a healthier and more equitable future.
Ms. Jayne Huhtanen
Business Coach, Owner of FocalPoint Coaching of Toronto and Wildly Successful Biz
Jayne helps entrepreneurs and professionals optimize performance, overcome obstacles, and achieve professional and personal growth through speaking, training and coaching in leadership, productivity, communication and teamwork. She has spoken for such organizations as RBC and Professional Engineers Ontario and been featured in articles on women and entrepreneurship in Report on Business Magazine and the Financial Post. Her volunteer work supports entrepreneurs and professionals as a mentor at McMaster University’s incubator The Forge, as the TechConnex Leadership Skills facilitator, and serving on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Association of Women Executives and Entrepreneurs. Jayne is an Engineering and Management graduate from McMaster, and previously spent 26 years at Procter & Gamble growing her teams, contributing business-building strategies, leading multi-functional initiative launches and diversity initiatives, as well as developing and delivering global training programs.
Tom Sterling
Football Athlete & Coach, ALS advocate
My name is Tom Sterling, I am a former McMaster student athlete with the Marauders, a part of the 2011 Vanier Cup National Championship football team. I currently coach for the University of Guelph and like to volunteer my time with The Burlington Minor Football Association. I help call local sports games for Cable 14 and I love supporting local business and athletes. I am forever inspired by my mother to help people in small ways everyday, and I hope to pass her message along with what I have to say.
