Fintan Ryan, MBA, CEC, PCC
Certified Executive Coach, Presenter

Hi, I’m Fintan Ryan. I moved from Ireland to Canada in 2017 and have more than three decades leading credit unions as CEO and General Manager. My last role was in Saskatchewan with Plainsview Credit Union, where I stayed until it merged with two others in 2020.

That change opened the door to a new chapter for me. I had just completed my Executive Coach Certification at Royal Roads University, so in 2021 I launched my own executive coaching business. Today, I work with leaders one-on-one, helping them grow their confidence and impact. I’ve learned that leadership isn’t about having a title—it’s an attitude we all carry into our work, families, and communities.

What excites me most is the connection between leadership and culture. Strong leadership shapes great culture, and in turn, great culture builds better leaders. That’s where the real transformation happens.

David Driedger
Homefield Consultant, Presenter

With over 30 years of operational and executive leadership experience in health care, David joined our team in 2024 to share what he has learned about healthy and productive governing boards, leadership teams, and staff and their workplaces.

Beyond leading complex organizations, he has extensive experience in strategic planning, change management, and how to facilitate a positive work culture.

David brings experience in strategic, operational, and capital planning and a proactive approach to the administration of resources paired with a strong belief in championing the cultural, community, and ethical values of an organization. He is eager to help guide your team to strategic success.

Mark Brand
Chef, Entrepreneur, Presenter

Mark Brand is one of Canada’s most recognized entrepreneurs in the field of social impact and community advocacy. He is a pioneering chef who uses food for good. 

Since 2012, he has served over 5 million meals (often using food items carelessly deemed unusable) to those experiencing poverty. Along with his 5 organizations, Brand leads the United Nations Catalyst team focusing on food waste, poverty, and the impacts of current systemic structures on the most marginalized, traveling globally to learn and share best real-world practices and solutions from kitchens and stages alike. 

He is a co-founder of Persephone Brewing reigniting cooperative and employee ownership and making an 11-acre farm, farmers markets, a pizza oven making ingredients off the farm, and a barrier employment program– Persephone is a haven for what’s possible. 

Brand received Canada’s Golden Jubilee Medal for service to his country and community. 

He is the co-founder of A Better Life Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising funds to put toward providing food security to those in need.

Sandra McDowell, CEC, MA, CULC, CPHR
CEO, eLeadership Academy

With over two decades of credit union executive experience and advanced certifications in Leadership, Coaching, Neuroleadership, and HR, Sandra is a trusted authority on the application of neuroscience for leadership. 

As the CEO of eLeadership Academy, she helps credit unions build talent from within through online certificate and designation programs exclusively for credit union leaders.

 Sandra is a long-time partner of CCUA and WOCCU, associate faculty for two universities, and the author of Your Mother Was Right: 15 Unexpected Lessons About Leadership and the Brain. 

Earlier in her career, she received the CCUA National Young Leader Award and the World Council WYCUP Young Leader Award.

Michelle Cederburg, CSP
Author, Hall of Fame Speaker

Michelle Cederberg, is a Hall of Fame Speaker and Health and Productivity Expert who, for over 20 years, has captivated audiences across North America with her empowering and humorous messages that educate busy, driven professionals about how to set chase-worthy goals, revive energy, and ignite high performance.

She believes that success is directly influenced by how well we harness the physical, mental, and emotional capacity we each have within us. She enthusiastically calls on science to help people boost that capacity, so they can work and lead with confidence, and create the life and career they want.

Michelle holds a Masters in Kinesiology, a BA in Psychology, a specialization in Health and Exercise Psychology, is a Certified Speaking Professional, Certified Exercise Physiologist and a High-Performance Coach.

Paul Holden
CEO, Credit Union Central of Manitoba

As Credit Union Central of Manitoba's (CUCM) former board chair, and now CEO, Paul brings with him a wealth of experience working with credit unions and people. 

Before his tenure at CUCM, Holden was the CEO at Education Canada Group (ECG), and a director at Cambrian Credit Union. 

Originally elected to the Cambrian board in 1996, his leadership contributed massively to Cambrian's growth and success, bringing expertise and experience as a business leader. 

Holden served as Cambrian Credit Union's Board Chair from 2000 to 2014, and as Vice-Chair from 2014-2018.

Prior to his role with ECG, Holden worked as CEO of the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology, and as a Senior Executive Director with Manitoba Jobs and Skills Development a part of the Department of Jobs and the Economy. In this capacity, he worked hand in hand with the business community focusing on industry expansion and attraction, and human resources support.

Tyler Hayden, CSP, HoF
Author, Motivational Keynote Speaker

Tyler has been studying and writing about teams and engagement since 1996 - his presentations will inspire road-ready solutions that aim to help you design and develop your most precious resource: People. 

As a Canadian Hall of Fame speaker, Tyler is a respected team building designer, best-selling author, and business speaker. When it comes to empowering audiences and teams to succeed—and to be their best every day—Tyler leads the way with insight and laughter.

His team building workshops and motivational keynote speeches receive rave reviews from managers and business leaders alike. 

He is the author of over twenty-five books and the creative mind behind 100s of powerful and fun team building products including: The Business that Cared About People, The 14-Minute Mentor, Livin' Life Large, Father's & Mother's Message in a Bottle, TEAM Activities, and More. 

Shawn Kanungo
Author, Innovation Strategist

As a globally recognized innovation strategist and bestselling author, Shawn Kanungo has emerged as one of the world's most sought-after voices on innovation and generative AI.

He spent 12 years at Deloitte working closely with leaders to help them better plan for the opportunities associated with disruptive innovation.

Shawn was named the “best virtual keynote speaker I've ever seen” by Forbes and recognized as one of Edify's “Top 40 Under 40”.

Shawn made history as the first innovation expert with a streaming special on Apple TV and Prime Video. His bestselling book, The Bold Ones, celebrated by McKinsey as essential reading for decision makers, provides a thought-provoking blueprint for professionals and organizations to embrace bold innovation in an era of unprecedented change.

Kevin Cavanagh 
Staff Sergeant, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

Staff Sergeant Kevin Cavanagh is the Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge of the Manitoba RCMP Cyber & Financial Crime Unit (CFCU), operating as part of the Division’s Major Crime Services. S/Sgt. Cavanagh has 19 years of service with the RCMP. He began his career in 2006 in northern Manitoba, working at an isolated fly-in Detachment. 

He then transferred to southern Manitoba, where he worked in General Duty and plain- clothes investigative units with a focus on drug trafficking and informant handling. In 2013, S/Sgt. Cavanagh transferred to British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, working in General Duty as well as a plain clothes unit with a focus on child sex crimes and internet facilitated child exploitation. 

S/Sgt. Cavanagh then worked for seven years in the BC RCMP Major Crime Services’ Behavioural Sciences Group, before transferring back to Manitoba and CFCU in 2024.