Christi Cruz
President & CEo, BOLD consultancy
Christi Cruz has held several community investment positions at TELUS, a global telecommunications and integrated data company. Her most recent adventure included creating a Center of Excellence in Government Subsidies for the wireless technology team where she secured more than $250M in technology grants bringing connectivity to 39 underserved rural and Indigenous communities in Canada. For the past 25+ years, she has successfully developed and executed award-winning technology programs and has led TELUS to become an internationally recognized leader in corporate social responsibility.
Recognized as a respectful disrupter, she is often asked to share her experience at international conferences. Christi has presented at numerous conferences and regularly shares her experience in program development, community investment, cause marketing and sponsorships. She earned a Master of Education from the University of Western Australia; an Advanced Certificate in Corporate Citizenship from Boston College and she was one of two community investment leaders selected to represent Canada at Boston College’s inaugural Leadership Academy.
She can tell a good story in both English and Spanish and makes a really good grilled cheese sandwich. Although passionate about her work, she is most proud of her championship status as an award-winning boogeyman chaser and internationally renowned skinned knee kisser.
Sessions
SPONSORSHIP 101
Pre-Forum Workshop, November 6
This half-day workshop is a great start to the Western Sponsorship Congress® - Alberta Forum or a fantastic standalone professional development opportunity for those new to sponsorship (less than 2 years). It is also a great refresher for more seasoned industry professionals in our ever-changing and evolving industry.
More info…
BLURRED LINES: HOW SOCIAL PURPOSE IS CHANGING THE GAME AND CREATING NEW OPPORTUNITIES IN SPONSORSHIP
Keynote Presentation with Panel, November 7
Social purpose is here to stay! This engaging and interactive keynote session will highlight how social purpose has further blurred the lines between sponsorship and community investment. You will hear how experts in the field have changed their pitch to maximize success using non-traditional methods. Hear how Women In Need Society (WINS) reimagined their retail assets and how Missing Children's Society of Canada (MCSC) leveraged their technology relationships to create new and innovative streams of funding. With easy-to-implement ideas, insights and examples, this session will help you understand the newest reality in sponsorship - social purpose - and inspire you to rethink your current strategy. And, most importantly, you will be very hip and cool as you share these new approaches with your team.