SPEAKERS
We are pleased to present the following speakers, panelists and instructors.
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 in Canada. As President and CEO of the Partnership Group – Sponsorship Specialists®, he has worked directly with municipalities for over 15 years 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.
JAMES O’CONNOR
Vice President, Partnerships at A&C Inc.
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.
SCOTT ELLIOTT
Manager, Corporate Sponsorship Program at the City of Peterborough
Scott Elliott joins us from the City of Peterborough where he has successfully developed and grown a Sponsorship Program that is now generating more than 1-million dollars annually in non-tax revenues. Scott has more than 25 years’ experience working in the public sector sponsorship industry, including time with provincial government programs and his role with the City of Peterborough.
SUNJAY NATH
Hall of Fame Speaker
Sunjay Nath travels globally sharing insights on leadership and performance. He is best known for his trademark, “The 10-80-10 Principle” which is a framework that helps individuals and teams improve performance. This methodology combines best practices with small wins to help people empower themselves.
The framework is the synthesis of years of studying many different business models and philosophies and then distilling them into a very simple and easy to apply framework. Some of the concepts it compasses include The Pareto Principle (The 80/20 Rule), The Gallop Research that was used in the writing of “Now Discover Your Strengths”, Sir Isaac Newton’s Laws of Motion and Jack Welch’s concept, Differentiation.
Most successful organizations use these concepts in one form or another. The 10-80-10 Principle can be used to explain why Apple is such a resounding success and how the financial meltdown occurred in 2008. It can also explain why we care more about gas prices than mortgage interest rates even though the latter has a significantly larger impact on our lives. The successful understanding and application of this principle will have a tremendous impact on the performance of any individual, team or organization.
Sunjay was a founding Vice President of an e-learning company based in Toronto that has gone on to become a multimillion-dollar company. He started an international speaking business when he was 19; he wasn’t even old enough to rent a car. This was particularly problematic when he would travel. As a speaker, Sunjay has travelled extensively and addressed in person well over 1,000,000 people around the world since 1995. In 2005, Sunjay became the youngest Canadian (and third youngest in the world) ever to earn his CSP (Certified Speaking Professional). The CSP is the highest internationally recognized designation that a speaker can aspire to achieve. In 2018 Sunjay was inducted in the Canadian Professional Speakers Hall of Fame.
With his background, Sunjay offers a rare combination of both left and right brain activities to engage all audience members. Sunjay holds an undergraduate degree in Mathematical Engineering, a degree that after the first year of the program, 80% of the students failed out. He also holds a MBA and currently he is working on his doctorate in business administration.
Always striving to achieve Sunjay has earned is Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do, has run a full 26 mile (42km) marathon and has jumped out of a perfectly good plane (some call it skydiving.) He is a magician, a comedian, a professional actor, he can juggle and in university he was rated as one of the country’s top debaters.
Sunjay is the author of The 10-80-10 Principle, The ABCs of Student Leadership, a contributing author for the book, Professionally Speaking. His new projects include learning to sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” in rounds … by himself.
ROB RICHARDSON
Coordinator, Facility Advertising & Sponsorship, Town of Aurora; Principal, R2 Marketing Inc.
Rob Richardson is an award-winning municipal sponsorship strategist with over two decades of experience building high-impact partnerships that deliver real community value. With a career spanning public, private, and non-profit sectors — including roles in partnership development with the City of Toronto and his current leadership at the Town of Aurora — Rob has negotiated millions of dollars in sponsorships, naming rights, and advertising agreements.
Known for his engaging style and practical insights, Rob brings a rare blend of municipal know-how and business development savvy to the table. He is passionate about helping municipalities elevate their sponsorship game — not just by “selling space,” but by creating meaningful, mutually beneficial partnerships.
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.
VICTORIA MAHONEY
Head of Marketing & Partnerships, Harmony Marketing
Victoria is a marketing, partnerships, and communications specialist with experience in media relations, event management, social media and government relations. Recently named one of the top 40 under 40 for event professionals in North America, Victoria is the lead on all Harmony Marketing clients and is the co-producer of the Toronto Waterfront Festival and Sugar Shack TO in Toronto.
Victoria was instrumental in bringing the World’s Largest Rubber Duck throughout Ontario in 2017 which brought over 750,000 people to Toronto’s Waterfront alone. Victoria specializes in sponsorship, experiential marketing, government relations and communications for festivals and events and is the head of all public relations and social media for clients.
In her spare time, Victoria teaches tap dancing classes in the east end of Toronto. She also loves to travel and has visited all 7 continents and over 40 countries.
JASON HARPER
Senior Account Director at Ethnicity Matters
Jason Harper blends deep multicultural insight with global sports leadership, shaping fan experiences that are inclusive, authentic, and rooted in community. Currently Senior Account Director at Ethnicity Matters, he has led high-impact programs that fuse cultural storytelling with sport to drive engagement and social impact.
Jason’s experience spans event production, talent curation, sponsorship asset delivery, and legacy planning, most recently demonstrated through the launch of Cricket to Conquer Cancer in partnership with the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and held in the City of Mississauga. Jason has helped Canadian brands, including TD Bank, Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, Toronto Blue Jays, Procter & Gamble, Winnipeg Jets, National Hockey League, and Rogers design programming that extends their reach with new customers and fans, ensuring long-term business and community growth.
His international portfolio includes leadership roles with the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Global T20 Canada (GT20) in King’s City and in Brampton, and the National Cricket League (NCL) in Dallas, where he served as Tournament Director.
MEGHAN HOLLETT
Community Partnerships Manager at the City of Oshawa
Meghan Hollett works for the City Of Oshawa as the Community Partnerships Manager. Her role is to work with community stakeholders to develop revenue generating partnerships. With 14 years of experience in sponsorship, Meghan has spent most of her career working in corporate sponsorships for an OHL franchise and made the move to municipal sponsorship in 2021. Meghan’s experience touches all aspects of community partnerships including relationship building with internal and external parties, inventory development and management, and operational support.
Outside of her role with the City of Oshawa, Meghan is a mother of 2 very active daughters involved in competitive and rep sports and can typically be found organizing schedules and chauffeuring them to their next activity.
Meghan is passionate about working with businesses to build sponsorship programs that foster relationships and true partnerships.
MITCH THOMPSON
Founder of PandoPartner
Mitch Thompson brings over 14 years of experience in sponsorship valuation, strategy, and analytics. Throughout his career, he has advised major Canadian brands on sponsorship investments and negotiations, while also supporting rights holders with strategy development, operational execution, and performance measurement.
After a decade in agency roles, Mitch founded PandoPartner in 2022—a technology platform modernising how sponsorships are managed. By streamlining workflows, automating manual tasks, and enabling smarter collaboration and analytics, PandoPartner is helping over 50 sports teams, leagues, charities, and other organisations operate more efficiently. The platform has recently expanded to serve brand-side users as well.
Outside of work, Mitch is a proud dad of two and currently mastering the art of multitasking – whether that’s supporting his wife with a newborn or chasing a high-energy toddler.
TROY BEHARRY
Manager, Partnership & Grant Development
Troy Beharry is a seasoned partnership strategist and storyteller who has dedicated his career to building value-focused collaborations that drive meaningful community investment. As Partnership and Grant Development Manager with the City of Kingston, he has led the City’s grant strategy to secure over $200 million since 2018, fueling transformative projects across City departments and community organizations. Previously with the Toronto Blue Jays’ Jays Care Foundation, Troy managed a nationwide grant investment portfolio and helped earn the Foundation the MLB Commissioners Award for Philanthropic Excellence and the Beyond Sports Award for Sports Team of the Year. With a proven track record of securing funding, activating partnerships, and measuring impact, Troy brings a unique perspective on the power of storytelling.
SAM DAVIES
Personal injury lawyer at Bergeron Clifford LLP
Sam is a personal injury lawyer at Bergeron Clifford LLP which serves clients across eastern Ontario.
Sam is a member of the Davies family. He is currently the chair of the Davies Charitable Foundation. The DCF was founded in 1990 by Sam's grandparents Michael and Elaine Davies following the sale of their ownership of the local newspaper, the Whig-Standard. Over the 35 years since its inception, the Foundation has donated over $12 million to charities largely in the Kingston community, including over $500,000 to the City of Kingston and Kingston Grand Theatre.
Sam is on the City of Kingston's Planning Advisory Committee and an Executive Member of the YGK Healthcare Champions group, a fundraising arm of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation.
JIM KALOGERAKOS
CEO/Founder of Segment Ninja
Jim Kalogerakos is an audience-intelligence and segmentation specialist with two decades of experience helping organizations understand who they reach and how to convert those insights into stronger business and not-for-profit partnerships, improved marketing performance, and measurable revenue growth. He has led complex audience-research initiatives, managed marketing budgets exceeding $1 million and built segmentation systems grounded in the same predictive and behavioral models used by Fortune 500 brands such as Home Depot, Walmart, Nestlé, Haggar and Major League Baseball.
Jim is the founder of STAT Analytics & Technology, a company that builds SaaS retention and acquisition applications for both brick-and-mortar and digital marketers. He’s built an audience-insights application for Volkswagen of America to help identify and activate the VWs highest-value customer segments and has also served as a Census Commissioner with Statistics Canada, adding depth to his understanding of population-level insight and community dynamics.
Known for making enterprise-grade audience intelligence practical and accessible, Jim helps municipal, public and private sector, nonprofit and growth-focused teams apply proven segmentation models to build more relevant, resilient and mutually valuable partnerships.
MICHAEL HARKER
Founder and Senior Partner, Enigma Research Corporation
Michael Harker has been a research and insights leader for more than 30 years. As founder and senior partner with Enigma Research Corporation, he is the world's greatest event researcher with more than 1500 studies completed across seven countries. Michael was also a professor for ten years and subsequently established the nonprofit Community Researchers to help young analysts develop their careers. Each January, Michael hosts thematic parties for his own birthday, raising tens of thousands for local charities.
DOUG BENNET
Interim Manager, Sponsorships and Partnerships, City of Toronto Parks and Recreation
Working with a wide range of corporate sponsors, philanthropic donors, non-profits, grassroots community groups and agencies, the sponsorships and partnerships team at Toronto Parks and Recreation is responsible for managing approximately $4 million annually for transformative projects and programs. This work involves deep collaboration with partners, with colleagues across branches and divisions, with elected officials, and with communities. Doug Bennet has 13 years of experience with this team, now managing a four-person unit with files as varied as small park upgrades to multi-year, multi-million-dollar strategic partnerships.
Doug joined the City of Toronto after a career in publishing and a side-hustle as a volunteer as his local park group, growing that group into a non-profit corporation that raised funds for park development and programming. He still volunteers on the natural ice rink crew.
JEAN-ROCK BEAUDOIN
President, Slush Puppie Canada
Jean-Rock Beaudoin is the President of Slush Puppie Canada and has spent more than forty years helping build the brand, starting at just 13 and rising through operations roles in Ontario and Québec to lead one of the country’s most recognizable beverage companies. Under his leadership, Slush Puppie has diversified its offerings, modernized its production, and expanded into more than 10,000 points of sale from coast to coast. A committed community builder, Jean-Rock played a key role in the creation of the Centre Slush Puppie and remains a strong supporter of education, sport, and local charitable initiatives. He is known for his strategic, results-driven leadership and his focus on building sustainable growth for the brand and its partners.
DAVID DEMPSTER
Site Manager, INVISTA
I was born and raised in Kingston, Ontario and attended Queen's University where I received my Bachelor of Science in Engineering Physics. I have worked at INVISTA for 21 years starting as a student technician moving to engineering intern and process engineering roles to capital project leadership and most recently as the site manager. I am a 3rd generation employee of the company, and my family has seen the Kingston site grow from a war time supplier of parachute fibre to one of the world's largest supplier of nylon airbag fibre.
WALTER FENLON & LINDA ANN DALY
Walter Fenlon has been a visionary leader in Kingston through both his professional work and extensive volunteer service—as a recipient of the Jim Bennett, Paul Harris, and Len Dover Awards; a member of the Queen’s University Campaign Cabinet; Founder of Imagine Kingston; and chair of the Grand Theatre Restoration Foundation, where his leadership helped raise more than $3.35 million for the theatre’s restoration.
Linda Ann Daly is a longstanding community advocate and philanthropist, recognized for her leadership in education, healthcare, tourism, and the arts through roles with St. Lawrence College, the St. Lawrence Parks Commission, the College of Registered Psychotherapists and Registered Mental Health Therapists, Carleton University, Kingston General Hospital, the Kingston Symphony Association, Dress for Success and the Great Lakes Museum.
Together, Walter and Linda Ann have been honoured with distinctions including the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers, the Ontario Medal for Good Citizenship, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Rotary Paul Harris Fellow Award. They have continued to strengthen Kingston through philanthropic commitments, including the creation of the Linda AnnDaly and Walter Fenlon Urology Cancer Education Fund at Kingston Health Sciences Centre, and through their ongoing support of arts programming as subscribers, attendees, and donors to the Grand OnStage series. Most recently, Walter and Linda Ann have generously committed a five-year donation to Kingston Grand Theatre, and in recognition of this contribution, the “Walter Fenlon & Linda Ann Daly Box Office” will carry their name for the duration of the donation term.
SHANE RAY
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Rural Municipality of Ritchot
Shane Ray is a municipal leader who believes that play isn’t just for playgrounds—it’s a vital ingredient in building strong organizations, resilient communities, and meaningful partnerships.
Currently serving as Chief Administrative Officer for the Municipality of Ritchot, Shane brings more than 25 years of experience in municipal administration, recreation, sponsorship, and community development. His career spans senior leadership roles with the Municipality of Ritchot, Recreation Manitoba, Red River College, and Curl Manitoba.
He also brings his passion for positive change to Grayson Strategies, a consulting firm dedicated to empowering municipalities, non-profits, and rural communities through strategic planning, community engagement, and organizational capacity building. not for profit organizations and rural communities.
Known for his collaborative leadership style, Shane is passionate about enhancing quality of life through innovation, strong governance, and effective partnerships. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Manitoba, has pursued advanced studies in community development and strategic leadership, and has served on numerous local, provincial, and national boards.
When he’s not working with councils, staff, or sponsors, Shane can usually be found outdoors enjoying parks and rivers or collecting enough lost golf balls to start a side hustle. He firmly believes that a world without recreation (or good partnerships) is like his golf swing: completely off course.
KRISTEN LAWRIE DE JESUS
Grants and Sponsorship, City of Kingston
Kristen Lawrie de Jesus is a professional fundraiser with a former CFRE designation (Certified Fundraising Executive). As a graduate of Humber College’s postgraduate Fundraising degree program, Kristen began her career with an internship at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, England. Ethical and donor focused fundraising are at the core of Kristen’s fundraising style.
As well, she has a passion for inspiring teams to exceed their goals. Kristen’s career started out working for grassroots non-profits in Toronto and has led her to working for the City of Kingston, supporting grants and sponsorships.
JP DESROSIERS
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), City of Summerside
JP Desrosiers is a proud native of Summerside, PEI, and a graduate of the University of New Brunswick (UNB). With over 15 years of experience in municipal governmentacross various levels, JP currently serves as the DeputyChief Administrative Officer (CAO) and Director ofCommunity Services. His extensive knowledge provides him with a comprehensive understanding of the inner workings of his city.
Throughout his career, JP has been instrumental in managing the municipality's sponsorship initiatives, particularly focusing on the city's extensive recreation facility network. He has successfully led numerous facility naming rights agreements from inception to completion, including multiple renewals, showcasing his expertise in building strong community partnerships.
Moreover, JP played a pivotal role in leading the province's first-ever municipal asset evaluation and policy development, collaborating with industry expert Brent Barootes and his team. Residing in Summerside with his wife Shellilee and their children, Maria and Daniel, JP is deeply committed to enhancing his community and fostering a vibrant environment for families.