Shift podcast: Helping you rethink business transformation

To mark International Women’s Day, Shift goes beyond celebration — and into the reality of leadership. Gillian Stein, CEO of Sluyter Manufacturing, joins the podcast for a candid conversation on what leadership truly demands. From stewarding a 115-year-old family business to stepping into a new industry, Gillian reflects on leading through uncertainty, carrying the unseen emotional labour at the top, and navigating the double binds women continue to face in the C-suite. She also speaks openly about living publicly with bipolar disorder — and how vulnerability and psychological safety have reshaped her leadership, relationships, and impact. A powerful International Women’s Day conversation for anyone ready to lead with greater humanity, courage, and truth. 

In this episode of the Shift podcast, David Usher, Founder & CEO of Reimagine AI, shares his journey from Juno-winning Canadian musician to technology innovator, exploring how curiosity can help leaders navigate innovation, ethics, and disruption. He discusses practical approaches for building responsible AI—including human-led design, consent, and regulation—and highlights projects like Second Echo and virtual companions for dementia patients, showing how technology can create value and meaning without replacing human connection.

Join host Jon Finkelstein and guest Ron Jaikaran to discuss Ontario’s Accelerated High-Speed Internet Program. Ron is the Director of Commercial Projects at Infrastructure Ontario, where he is driving progress on Ontario’s 4 billion dollar investment in high-speed internet. The program aims to bring high-speed connectivity to some of the hardest-to-reach communities in the province, to deliver this essential service to all Ontarians. A project of this size requires consensus between partners and collaboration between the public and private sectors to deliver results by 2025, something Ron and his team manage. Ron discusses the opportunities and challenges in undertaking such a large project, how Infrastructure Ontario is managing various partnerships at the municipal and provincial levels, and how the private sector is helping the government tackle some of the largest challenges.  (00:02)- Jon’s introduces Shift and Ron Jaikaran(01:29)- Ron introduces himself and Ontario’s Accelerated High-Speed Internet Program(03:54)- Ron discusses the teams and partners involved in the program (06:15)- Ron discusses how the private and public sector are working together to implement high speed internet (09:05)Ron and Jon discuss why access to high-speed internet is so important, and the challenges posed by the geography of Ontario (14:49)Jon asks Ron about the legislation involved in the project (15:44)Ron talks about the importance of setting expectations with the market (19:22)Ron and Jon talk about the project’s quick timeline, (24:33)- Ron shared the challenges that had to be overcome along the way, and how this project can be used as an example for future Infrastructure Ontario projects (28:06)Ron and Jon discuss the importance of building consensus (29:56)- Jon and Ron share their closing thoughts and conclusions

In the latest episode of our CEO Viewpoints podcast series, host James McLean sits down with John Cleland, CEO of Australia’s Essential Energy. This year, the annual CEO survey focuses on critical questions facing leaders today including how to balance reinventing the business to succeed in a changing world with the need to manage short-term pressures and challenges. In the podcast discussion John shares his experiences and learnings of leading and accelerating a utility through the energy transition, balancing customer and stakeholder expectations, his commitment to sustainable and safe energy, and his outlook on where the sector is headed.(00:01)- James’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and John Cleland(01:34)- John shares more about his career background so far(03:02)- John explains more about Essential Energy in terms of scale, customers and employees(04:29)- John shares more about what enticed him towards his current role(06:49)- John explains some of the challenges he’s faced along the way in his role, and how he’s navigated those challenges(11:18)- John explains the implications of the major cultural and digital changes that have taken place in recent years(13:32)- John explains how the company’s recruitment strategy has evolved over time(15:17)- John sheds light on his stakeholder management strategy(17:59)- John shares some of the critical investments and surprises along the way during the company’s transformation(22:53)- John explains how the company is being cost-effective while still innovating(25:50)- John shares some of the things he might have done differently when looking at the journey in hindsight(28:13)- John and James share their closing thoughts and conclusions

This podcast mini-series is dedicated to discussing Canadian insights from PwC’s 26th Annual Global CEO Survey. In this episode of CEO Viewpoints, host Andrew Dooner, a partner in PwC’s global corporate strategy practice, sits down with Christine Bergeron, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vancity to discuss the power of being a purpose-led organization while navigating key issues like economic uncertainty, transforming for the future and ESG matters like climate change. Christine talks about Vancity’s integrated approach to thinking about people, planet and profit and how embedding purpose into the business strategy enables sustainable outcomes.Show Notes: (00:01)- Andrew’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Christine Bergeron(01:12)- Christine shares her background and career experience so far(02:37)- Christine explains Vancity’s mission and vision for thriving communities and businesses(03:16)- Christine explains her outlook on the current macroeconomic situation and the survivability of organizations over the next ten years(06:55)- Christine shares what it means for Vancity to be a purpose driven organization and how individuals and teams can become purpose driven(10:30)- Christine explains her stance on whether organizations are on track in terms of climate goals, and how individuals and organizations can make a difference(12:37)- Christine shares how organizations can keep up with the changes surrounding climate action while being inclusive in their approach(18:30)-Christine explains how Vancity navigates the tensions between ESG driven organizations and profit driven organizations(21:04)- Christine and Andrew share their closing thoughts and conclusions

After a brief hiatus, the Shift podcast returns with a new episode featuring Michaël Hassan, the Managing Director and Divisional General Counsel at PSP Investments. He and host Jon Finkelstein, Executive Creative Director at PwC Canada Digital Services, discuss how data can transform legal risk management and drive value for your organization.Show Notes: (00:02)- Jon’s introduction to CEO Viewpoints and Michaël Hassan(01:02)- Michaël shares more about his career journey and his role at PSP Investments(02:15)- Michaël shares his perspective on how the legal function is typically perceived (04:04)- Michaël explains the kind of reactions he received when he began to move away from the functions of a traditional legal department(07:04)- Michaël explains how he began the shift to a more data-driven legal department(11:06)- Michaël explains how his data-driven approach impacts the company(13:50)- Michaël shares his perspective on how to transform a legal function to provide value for the organization(14:53)- Michaël shares his tips for anyone looking to take a more data-driven approach(17:53)- Jon 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 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-DeSouza01:46 - Indrani shares her perspective on how leaders should be thinking about cybersecurity07:53 - Indrani shares her thoughts on the CEO’s role when it comes to cybersecurity11:55 -Indrani offers her advice on how CEOs can effectively engage with the board of directors to effectively lead a cybersecurity program15:52 - Indrani shares her strategies for building and maintaining trust with stakeholders as it relates to cybersecurity19:07 - Richard’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 Storah01:19- Jason discusses his experience as CEO of Aviva Canada03:33- Jason explains the impacts of climate change on the insurance industry06:18- Jason discusses Aviva’s ambitious climate change goals09:53- Jason explains why he chose to prioritize ESG as a leader12:18- Jason shares key strategies for engaging people within your industry to learn about climate change17:29- Jason discusses the importance of continuing the dialog surrounding climate change in the insurance space18:51- Jason explains how the industry can build back better post-pandemic23:01- Jason shares his perspective on Canada’s role in the fight against climate change24:24- Elliott’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

How the LCBO’s HR Transformation supports not only their existing employee experience, but also the attraction of new talent.

How G Adventures is redefining the travel & tourism industry – and connecting customers to their destinations

The global pandemic has shed light on the need to address a number of crises and inequities our society faces. Solutions won’t be immediate, but Vancity understands that we must start to work on ways to address the climate crisis as well as bring people who have been left behind back into the economy.In this episode of Shift, join Kirsten Sutton, Chief Technology and Information Officer at Vancity, as she speaks with PwC Canada’s Jon Finkelstein about how her organization plans to use technology as a force for change.Learn about Kirsten’s journey navigating the early days of the pandemic as Vancity’s new Chief Technology and Information Officer. We’ll also discuss Vancity’s bold commitments to address climate and the economy and how Kirsten is implementing her organization’s digital transformation journey.