Shift podcast: Helping you rethink business transformation – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, PwC Canada partner David Bryan sits down with Curtis Stange, President and CEO of ATB Financial. Curtis shares his perspective on this year's CEO Survey, which focused on the global megatrends that are reshaping business and society. They discuss some of the key insights and themes from the survey, including the pressing need for CEOs to adapt to rapid technological advancements and shifting economic landscapes. Curtis also shares his personal insights on how CEOs can lead with resilience and adaptability in an ever-evolving economic landscape.

• (00:00)- David introduces CEO Viewpoints and Curtis Stange
• (01:19)- Curtis shares his journey to CEO of ATB Financial
• (05:34)- Curtis shares an update on the halfway point of ATB’s 10-year strategic plan
• (09:51)- Curtis discusses how to balance client relationships with new technologies
• (16:39)- Curtis explains how ATB balances ESG initiatives while supporting local Alberta businesses
• (20:32)- Curtis shares the “secret sauce” behind ATB reaching its highest total revenue at the end of the last fiscal year 
• (24:56)- Curtis offers his insights on how to foster a positive company culture
• (29:32)- Curtis predicts ATB’s business trajectory over the next five to 10 years
• (34:06)- David shares his closing thoughts and conclusions 

Joining us for the first episode of the third season of CEO Viewpoints is Canadian National Railway CEO Tracy Robinson, who talks to PwC Canada’s Sébastien Doyon about the drivers of growth in the rail industry and how CN is harnessing emerging opportunities. They explore the growing need for rail carriers to partner with both each other and other modes of transport like trucking companies to serve evolving supply chains. They also discuss key industry challenges like climate change as well as the leadership attributes required to steer organizations through complex and uncertain times. 

• (00:00)- Sébastien introduces CEO Viewpoints and Tracy Robinson 
• (01:00)- Sébastien and Tracy discuss the CEO Survey and CN railway’s perspective on the responses
• (03:09)- Sébastien and Tracy turn their attention to the future of rail
• (05:51)- Tracy discusses how railroads remain competitive while working together to create resilient supply chains 
• (11:04)- Sébastien asks Tracy about allocating resources to important new initiatives while delivering on existing commitments 
• (17:33)- Tracy explains the changes at CN under her leadership
• (22:13)- Sébastien asks Tracy about the energy transition and climate change 
• (26:39)- Sébastien shares his closing thoughts and conclusions 

In this episode, host Keegan Iles, the national insurance consulting leader for PwC Canada, leads a discussion with Rowan Saunders, the President and CEO of Definity Financial Corporation, about how CEOs can leverage their people and agility for transformation, and ultimately create more sustained outcomes for their organizations.

Show Notes: 

• (00:00)- Keegan’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Rowan Saunders
• (00:55)- Rowan shares more about his journey as CEO of Definity Financial Corporation
• (04:07)- Rowan explains the role of corporate culture when it comes to enabling a successful transformation
• (05:33)- Rowan shares his perspective on some of the other factors that have contributed to the company’s rapid transformation
• (05:51)- Rowan elaborates on why it’s important for leaders to reimagine their organizations to prepare for the future
• (09:58)- Rowan shares some of the company’s plans for operating within the ecosystem in the near future
• (12:01)- Rowan shares some final advice for listeners to consider when it comes to their own successful business transformation 
• (13:39)- Keegan’s closing thoughts and conclusions

In this episode, host Richard Wilson, a partner in PwC Canada's Cybersecurity, Privacy and Financial Crime practice, leads a discussion with Ken Hartwick, President and CEO at Ontario Power Generation (OPG), on managing cyber risk, integration of technologies and how to build an effective cyber culture. 

Show Notes: 

• 00:00- Richard’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Ken Hartwick
• 01:29- Ken shares his perspective on managing cyber risk as a CEO
• 03:04- Ken shares tips for keeping board members comfortable during the risk management process
• 05:40- Ken shares why he believes integration is a strength when it comes to cybersecurity
• 08:37- Ken shares his advice for building an effective cyber culture within your company and setting the right tone from the top-down
• 13:02- Ken shares his thoughts on how we can keep cybersecurity from becoming just another corporate buzzword and put it into practice instead
• 14:39- Richard’s closing thoughts and conclusions

In this episode, host Richard Wilson, a partner in PwC Canada's Cybersecurity, Privacy and Financial Crime practice, leads a discussion on how CEOs are addressing and prioritizing cybersecurity today. He’s joined by Indrani Butany-DeSouza, President and and CEO at Elexicon Energy Inc., a local distribution power company in Ontario.

Show Notes: 

• 00:00 - Richard’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Indrani Butany-DeSouza
• 01:46 - Indrani shares her perspective on how leaders should be thinking about cybersecurity
• 07:53 - Indrani shares her thoughts on the CEO’s role when it comes to cybersecurity
• 11:55 -Indrani offers her advice on how CEOs can effectively engage with the board of directors to effectively lead a cybersecurity program
• 15:52 - Indrani shares her strategies for building and maintaining trust with stakeholders as it relates to cybersecurity
• 19:07 - Richard’s closing thoughts and conclusions

In the second part of a two-part discussion focusing on the path to net zero, host Elliott Cappell, Partner and National Climate Change Leader at PwC Canada, continues his conversation with Jason Storah, CEO at Aviva Canada. Elliott and Jason discuss strategies for inspiring Canadian leaders to take action, the importance of leading by example and more.

Show Notes: 

• 00:00 - Elliott’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Jason Storah
• 00:57 - Jason shares his perspective on what is holding Canadian CEOs back when it comes to climate change initiatives 
• 04:37 - Jason shares his thoughts on how we can inspire Canadian leaders to take bold action
• 09:16 - Jason shares his perspective on building a unified senior leadership team and breaking down the silos when it comes to ESG 
• 12:04 - Jason discusses the importance of leading by example
• 15:37 - Jason shares some final words of wisdom for leaders when tackling ESG
• 17:51 - Elliott’s closing thoughts and conclusions

In this first of a two part episode, host Elliott Cappell, a Partner and the National Climate Change Leader at PwC Canada, sits down with Jason Storah, CEO at Aviva Canada. Together, Elliott and Jason continue the conversation surrounding ESG initiatives, diving into strategies to get to net zero and why leaders need to take bold action today.

Show Notes: 

• 00:00- Elliott’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Jason Storah
• 01:19- Jason discusses his experience as CEO of Aviva Canada
• 03:33- Jason explains the impacts of climate change on the insurance industry
• 06:18- Jason discusses Aviva’s ambitious climate change goals
• 09:53- Jason explains why he chose to prioritize ESG as a leader
• 12:18- Jason shares key strategies for engaging people within your industry to learn about climate change
• 17:29- Jason discusses the importance of continuing the dialog surrounding climate change in the insurance space
• 18:51- Jason explains how the industry can build back better post-pandemic
• 23:01- Jason shares his perspective on Canada’s role in the fight against climate change
• 24:24- Elliott’s closing thoughts and conclusions

In this episode, host Shelley Gilberg, Canadian Platforms Leader and a member of the extended leadership team at PwC Canada, sits down with Rania Llewellyn, the President and Chief Executive Officer at Laurentian Bank. Rania shares her perspective on ESG strategy, transformation, and where trust and leadership factor into the equation. She also shares more about her own career journey, including how she became the first woman to head a major Canadian chartered bank in 2020.

- 00:00- Shelley’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Rania Llewellyn

-01:17- Rania discusses more about her journey to becoming the first woman to head a major Canadian chartered bank

-07:02- Rania explains why she believes ESG is such a critical responsibility at the bank, and the specific values she drives forward

-08:46- Rania explains how she and the team decided what to prioritize in terms of ESG strategy

-12:04- Rania shares her perspective on where trust and values factor into the ESG equation

-15:43- Rania explains the importance of shared values in attracting and retaining top talent

-19:10- Rania summarizes her best advice for ESG and values disclosure

-22:10- Rania reflects on some of Laurentian’s recent accomplishments that she’s most proud of

-23:23 - Shelley’s closing thoughts and conclusions

This new podcast mini-series is dedicated to discussing Canadian insights from PwC’s 25th Annual Global CEO Survey. Environment, social and governance, known as ESG, has risen to the top of the CEO agenda today as a key component of transformation. The success of an organization is no longer measured solely by its financial results: leaders must also know how to respond to issues of climate change, workforce diversity, supply chain ethics, economic inequality and much more. In the first episode of the CEO Viewpoints podcast series, host Shelley Gilberg, PwC Canada Partner and ESG Markets and Consulting Leader, sits down with Heather Chalmers, the President and CEO of GE Canada, to discuss why ESG is the biggest transformational opportunity of our time, how leaders can take bold actions to reach sustained outcomes, and Canada's path to net zero.

-00:00- Shelley’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Heather Chalmers

-01:29- Heather shares more about her career background

-03:30- Heather explains why ESG is more important now than ever before

-07:59- Heather shares advice on how organizations can position themselves for that long-term growth when it comes to ESG and net zero

-12:12- Heather shares her perspective on why we need to reimagine collaboration to reach our goals

-15:02- Heather expands on GE’s approach to ESG investing and how they measure success

-17:02- Heather describes the process of getting started with ESG reporting

-20:08- Heather shares some final advice for organizations across Canada to take away

-21:33- Shelley’s closing thoughts and conclusions

Hear how Walmart is committed to innovation and digital transformation, in our recent conversation with John Bayliss, Executive Vice President and Transformation Officer at Walmart Canada.