SPEAKERS
We are pleased to present the following speakers, panelists and instructors.
BART GIVEN
CEO & Managing Director, TTG Canada and TORQUE Strategies
Bart Given is CEO of TTG Canada, one of the country’s top independent brand and partnership marketing agencies. Since joining TTG in 2010, Bart has helped lead strategic partnerships and commercial development for national and global brands including the Canadian Olympic Committee, Live Nation, Whistler Blackcomb, and the City of Vancouver.
In addition to his role at TTG, Bart is the Managing Director and co-founder TORQUE Strategies, an award-winning agency, which has developed breakthrough brand campaigns for clients like CIBC, Save-On-Foods, Hockey Canada, HBC, and the Canada Media Fund.
A trusted partner in major event strategy, Bart played a lead role in the growth of HSBC SVNS Vancouver, 2019 IIHF World Juniors as well as the record-breaking 50/50 program supporting the IIHF World Juniors in Edmonton & Red Deer. He has also advised on destination bids and major event hosting strategies across Canada.
Under Bart’s leadership, TTG has expanded its work with airports and municipalities, supporting sponsorship and naming rights strategies for partners like YYC Calgary International Airport and the City of Vancouver, where TTG is helping to shape one of the most ambitious civic partnership programs in the country.
Bart is also a passionate advocate for women’s sport. His team brought the espnW Summit to Canada in 2023 and helped lead Christine Sinclair’s unforgettable retirement celebration at BC Place.
His career began in professional baseball with the Toronto Blue Jays, where he rose from intern to Assistant GM—overseeing player operations, contracts, and a $100M+ budget.
BRENT BAROOTES
President and CEO, Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists
For over three and a half decades, Brent Barootes has been at the forefront of sponsorship and partnership marketing. As President and CEO of the Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists®, he has helped a diverse range of clients – including major corporations, non-profits, charities, municipalities and sports organizations – to create and optimize their sponsorship strategies and revenues.
Brent's expertise is further underscored by his Amazon Canada best-selling book, "Reality Check – Straight Talk about Sponsorship Marketing." A seasoned speaker, Brent is known for his engaging style and has presented at numerous conferences, as well as delivered a compelling TEDx talk on "Busting the Work-Life Balance Myth." He currently resides in Nanaimo, BC.
CAROLYN SHAW
Co-Founder, President, and Chief Creative Officer, Humanity
Carolyn Shaw is the Co-Founder, President, and Chief Creative Officer at Humanity—a full-service marketing agency that helps purpose-driven brands connect with the people who matter most.
With over 20 years of experience in branding, advertising, and design, Carolyn brings together strategic thinking and creative storytelling to build brands that are insightful, impactful, and emotionally resonant. She’s worked across sectors—from health to sustainability to culture—helping organizations find their voice, grow their presence, and inspire action.
Carolyn co-founded Humanity to create more space for empathy, authenticity, and representation in the marketing industry. Her work is grounded in the belief that powerful ideas, when backed by purpose and creativity, have the potential to shape culture and drive change.
CHRISTI CRUZ
Vice President of Sponsorships & Community Investment, Global Philanthropic Canada
Christi Cruz is a recognized leader in sponsorship strategy and community impact, based in Calgary, Alberta. For over 27 years, she led the Community Investment portfolio at TELUS, where she played a key role in aligning corporate giving and sponsorships with brand purpose and public trust.
Under her leadership, more than $100 million was allocated to over 9,000 nonprofit organizations—demonstrating how well-executed partnerships can deliver both social impact and business value. A lifelong collaborator and connector, Christi co-founded the Calgary Community Investment Council (CCIC), Canada’s first informal network of corporate community investment professionals. The CCIC played a key role in coordinating the corporate response during the largest wildfire evacuation in Canadian history and remains an active network today.
In the latter part of her TELUS tenure, Christi launched a Center of Excellence in Government Subsidies within the company’s wireless division. Her strategic approach to public-private partnerships secured over $250 million in funding, expanding connectivity to 39 underserved rural and Indigenous communities across Canada— and reinforcing TELUS’s position as a leader in innovation, equity, and access.
A sought-after speaker and educator, Christi equips professionals with the tools to design winning sponsorship and corporate engagement strategies that deliver strong ROI. She is known for identifying emerging trends and developing innovative, community-driven sponsorship models that align with evolving consumer expectations and corporate responsibility goals.
Today, Christi consults nationally, helping organizations review, evaluate and scale their sponsorship portfolios to build cross-sector partnerships that are purpose-driven and mutually rewarding.
DENISE BROADBENT
Corporate Partnerships Coordinator, City of Leduc
Denise builds and manages sponsorship & advertising programs as well as manages lease & service contracts for City of Leduc Recreation Services. She is most passionate about developing mutually beneficial sponsorship agreements and activations where businesses and organizations achieve marketing, business, and social investment objectives while enhancing recreation experiences for Leduc’s citizens and visitors.
Denise has lived in the Leduc area since 1998 and has been developing event and naming rights sponsorships for over 20 years in both professional and volunteer capacity.
Leduc is a robust and active community built on a strong history of agriculture, oil/gas, recreation, arts & culture, volunteerism and tourism opportunities. The City of Leduc is conveniently situated by the Edmonton International Airport just south of Edmonton, within the Edmonton Metropolitan Region. A young and growing city, Leduc is home to over 39,000.
JAMES O’CONNOR
VP, Partnerships, A&C
James brings the discipline, dexterity and skill of his former career - a professional dancer with the Boston Ballet and National Ballet of Canada - to successfully landing some of the most high-profile partnerships in Canada.
Notable deals include category partnerships for the revitalized Union Station, Meridian Credit Union’s naming of Meridian Hall and Meridian Arts Centre, Virgin Mobile's sponsorship of Yonge Dundas Square, and TD Bank’s presenting sponsorship of Bike Share Toronto.
Like all A&C members, James has consistently chosen to work with worthy organizations, including Harbourfront Centre, the Royal Conservatory of Music and AIDS Committee of Toronto.
JERILYNN DANIELS
Regional Director, Community Marketing and Citizenship, RBC
Jerilynn Daniels is the Regional Director, Community Marketing and Citizenship for RBC, Alberta and Territories, a position she has held since 2011. In 2006 after more than 12 years in not-for-profit working in roles ranging from front line support to Director of Fund Development and Communications, Jerilynn made the move back to the corporate world. She now works at her dream job, fulfilling her love of community with the desire to work in a corporate environment. Jerilynn is responsible for Community Investments, Sponsorships, Marketing and the RBC Olympian Program for RBC in Alberta and Territories.
A passionate community supporter, Jerilynn serves on the Board of Non Profit Chamber, is a member of the advisory council for the Haskayne School of Business and an advisory member to Dress for Success Calgary.
A graduate of the University of Calgary, Jerilynn has been fortunate to have worked her entire career in Calgary.
In 2010, Jerilynn was the recipient of the Hazel Gillespie Community Investment Leadership Award, the first Community Investment professional to receive the award after Hazel herself. In 2012 she received the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work in community locally and internationally, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal in 2022 and the King Charles III Coronation medal in 2025. In October 2024 she was named as one of 17 outstanding Canadians in Corporate Social Impact by Future of Good.
She resides in Cochrane with her husband, two teenaged children and her very spoiled dog, Luna. In her spare time, she loves to cook and travel.
NEAL COVANT
Chief Revenue Officer, SponsorPulse
Having spent more than 20 years in sponsorship marketing, Neal Covant is best known for simplifying consumer behaviour into strategic solutions that deliver results. Throughout his career, he has worked with and advised hundreds of brands, properties, and agencies to maximize the effectiveness of their sponsorship investments. Neal’s industry expertise spans across all passion points, from sport, entertainment and culture properties to academic institutions and charitable organizations.
In his current role as Chief Revenue Officer at SponsorPulse, Neal is committed to advancing sponsorship marketing globally, which begins with data driven decision making. Neal is also the past Sponsorship Marketing Council Canada Board of Directors Chair, having recently completed his allotted 6-year tenure on the board.
His professional world aside, Neal is a family-oriented man and most values spending time with his wife and children (and puppies).
NORM O’REILLY
Founding Dean, College of Business, University of New England
Dr. O’Reilly is a high-performing academician with strong industry links who is recognized globally as one of the leading scholars in the business of sports. He is widely published, a regular media contributor, an active consultant, and an expert witness in legal cases.
In April 2024, Norm O’Reilly was named the inaugural Dean of the College of Business, the university’s 7th and most recently launched College. In addition to being the academic and operational leader of the College, Dr. O’Reilly is a full professor and is the faculty director for the upstart Center for Sport, Business & Health at UNE.
Prior to taking up the Deanship at UNE, Dr. O’Reilly was the Dean of the Graduate School of Business at the University of Maine, where he led the university’s graduate business programs, including its nationally ranked MaineMBA, through a period of growth and formalization. Before coming to Maine, Dr. O’Reilly held leadership positions at the Lang School of Business & Economics at the University of Guelph, the Department of Sports Administration at Ohio University’s College of Business, and the School of Sports Administration at Laurentian University. He has taught at the University of Ottawa, Syracuse University, Stanford University, Ryerson University, Athabasca University, Bayreuth University, and the Russian International Olympic University.
Dr. O’Reilly holds a PhD in Management from the Sprott School of Business at Carleton University, an MBA from the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, a MA in Sports Administration from the University of Ottawa, and a B.Sc. (Kinesiology) from the University of Waterloo. He also holds the CPA Accounting Designation.
Dr. O’Reilly has expertise in a range of business topics, including analytics, marketing, sponsorship, social media, sport finance, social marketing, physical activity, and management education. He has authored or co-authored 20 books, 14 case studies in the Harvard/Stanford series, and more than 165 peer-reviewed journal articles. At conferences, he has won numerous Best Paper awards and has more than 300 conference presentations to his credit. Dr. O’Reilly is the lead researcher on the Canadian Sponsorship Landscape Study, currently in its 18th edition. For the last 15 years, he has written a regular column with Rick Burton (Syracuse University) for Sport Business Journal, the leading trade publication in the industry.
Dr. O’Reilly works closely with industry. In 2015, Dr. O’Reilly was awarded the Distinguished Career Contributions to the Scientific Understanding of Sport Business Award by the American Marketing Association’s Sport Marketing Special Interest Group. He was recognized in 2013 as one of the “Five to Watch” in sport business in Canada by the Globe and Mail and is a lifetime Research Fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management. In 2011, he was the recipient of the University of Ottawa’s Media Excellence Award (for media coverage of his research) and often comments in major television, web, and print media. For more than a 15 years, he has been minority owner and partner consultant with the Toronto-based agency, T1, with clients including Nike, UFC, Pepsi, Nissan, Esso/Exxon, Mondeles, Shell, Gatorade, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, Hockey Canada, UFC, and many others. He also acts as a specialist on legal cases and has sat on the boards of many global and national sport organizations.
A Canadian, Dr. O’Reilly is an avid world traveler, having now visited more than 50 countries around the world, many in a professional capacity.
SARAH HILLIFER
Co-founder, Harbour & Hive
Sarah Hillifer is happiest in the messy middle—that oddly satisfying place where numbers, relationships, and decision-making collide. Her curiosity about what makes people tick has shaped a career that spans quick-service restaurants, corporate real estate, analytics, software, and nonprofit fundraising—giving her a rare cross-sector view into what makes a partnership work.
Now, as co-founder of Harbour & Hive, she helps organizations make better use of their data—whether that means understanding donor behaviour, mapping audience trends, crafting marketing campaigns, or building sponsorship approaches that reflect the communities they’re rooted in.
JENNIFER BISHOP
International Business Development Manager, Tourism Calgary
Jennifer Bishop is a strategic business development leader with 10+ years of experience driving partnerships, investment attraction, and community growth across financial services, tourism, and economic development.
Currently at Tourism Calgary, she works with international files through the Champions Program, positioning Calgary on the global stage by attracting conferences, business events, and investment. She also advises on sponsorship strategy for major initiatives that showcase the city's sector strengths.
Previously, Jennifer built and led partnership strategies at connectFirst Credit Union, including the creation of Funding Futures, a grant program supporting innovation in Agri-Tech, Energy Transition, and Social Impact. She has held roles with the Toronto Region Board of Trade and City of Brampton, managing high-profile events and corporate partnerships with brands like Air Canada, WestJet, and Deloitte.
Jennifer sits on the Calgary Chapter of the Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada – and is recognized for her ability to align public and private stakeholders to deliver measurable impact.
EDDY SIDANI
Customer Success Lead, SponsorPulse
Entering his 6th year with SponsorPulse, Eddy’s passion is in sponsorship strategy and the building/nurturing of client relationships. His role requires him to work closely with numerous brands, properties, and agencies, being a trusted resource of best-in-class consumer insights. Eddy works with some of the largest buyers and sellers in the North American sponsorship industry, helping them optimize their portfolios via SponsorPulse’s strategy, valuation, and measurement solutions. His experience ranges across many passion points – including sport, entertainment, music, culture, lifestyle, cause/charity, and academia.