June 10 | Toronto & Virtual | Members Only
This event is exclusive to TECHNATION members. We look forward to seeing you there!
Join us for our Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday, June 10 from 4:30-6:30 p.m. This members-only event will celebrate the past year’s achievements, outline our strategic priorities for the year ahead, and give you the chance to network and connect with fellow members.
Agenda:
4:00 p.m. – Registration and networking
4:30 p.m. – Welcome, Rob Ronberg, Snowflake
4:32 p.m. – Formal AGM (Chair Report, President’s Report, Financials)
5:00 p.m. – IDC Trends Report with Lars Goransson, Managing Director, IDC Canada
5:20 p.m. – Member Panel – Reflections on Trends impacting TECHNATION Member Businesses
Moderated by Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia, Executive Vice President, Public Policy, TECHNATION
6:00 p.m. – Cocktails and Networking
This event is for TECHNATION members only. Not sure if you’re a member? Check out our membership list to confirm if your company is a member.
Speaker Bios:
Lars Goransson is responsible for IDC’s Canadian operation as Managing Director. IDC Canada’s product and services offerings provide the Canadian IT community with market based research across the value continuum of budgeting & planning, marketing awareness and lead generation, and measurement and performance management.
In addition to his role as Managing Director, Lars actively manages IDC Canada’s Custom Solutions group. IDC Canada’s Custom Solutions Group is responsible for managing large custom research projects and proprietary consulting activities with IDC’s clients.
Brynn Bruder is a Senior Research Analyst on Deltek’s Canada Market Analysis team, where she leads all market analysis related to the Canadian public sector in support of GovWin’s expanded Canadian coverage. Her work spans strategic research and analysis across government budgets and spending, market trends, acquisition policy, and business development best practices.
Prior to this role, Brynn served as an Analyst on GovWin’s Tracked Opportunities team, where she provided business development support and helped clients build and maintain their opportunity pipelines. Brynn holds a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with minors in French and Spanish from American University.
Bill Syrros
Partner, National AI Leader,
BDO Canada
Bill Syrros is BDO Canada’s National AI Leader and a Partner in BDO Digital. He brings over 25 years of experience leading innovation, technology strategy, and business transformation across Canada, the US, and international markets.
As a member of BDO’s Senior Leadership Team, Bill is responsible for shaping BDO’s national AI vision and applied AI strategy. His focus is on helping organizations move beyond experimentation by embedding AI into core business operations—delivering practical, measurable outcomes while addressing governance, risk, and adoption at scale.
Prior to BDO, Bill was the CEO and a Founder of Lixar IT Inc., where he led the firm’s strategy and growth. Under his leadership, Lixar delivered connected technology solutions for global airline, automotive, and telecommunications clients, and built a strong reputation for innovation, execution, and culture.
In 2020, recognizing the accelerating opportunity in AI and advanced analytics, Lixar IT Inc. was acquired by BDO Canada with Lixar’s capabilities, practice staff, and legacy now fully integrated into BDO Digital.
BDO Digital has since evolved into a nationally recognized leader in AI and data services, bringing together decades of enterprise-scale experience across data platforms, software development, Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud technologies.
Outside of the office, Bill is a passionate supporter of Canadian music and community-based organizations, having supported and sponsored cultural initiatives in the past, including the Polaris Music Prize, Halifax Pop Explosion, and Megaphono. He believes strongly in inclusive, barrier-free communities and supports organizations like the Boys and Girls Club. Bill is also an avid cyclist, cross-country skier, and hockey player.
Ulrike Bahr-Gedalia is a seasoned multilingual policy professional and executive leader with over 25 years of experience across the private, public, non-profit and academic sectors. Originally from Germany, her career spans six countries and five continents, with a strong record of building cross-sector and cross-border collaboration in technology, economic development and public policy.
Most recently, Ulrike served as the Diversity Institute’s Senior Director, Innovation, Digital Transformation & Global Affairs and Interim Executive Director of the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH). Her work supported inclusive innovation with a focus on small and medium enterprises and digital transformation, as well as partnership development, knowledge mobilization, and strengthening connections between research, policy, industry and practice — particularly in areas related to technology adoption, scale-up growth and skills development.
Prior, Ulrike served as Senior Director, Digital Economy, Technology and Innovation at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, where she led federal policy files on AI, cybersecurity, telecommunications, quantum, online safety, digital transformation, and privacy and data protection. She also established and led national advisory bodies including the Cyber Security Council, the Future of Artificial Intelligence Council, and the Digital Economy Committee, engaging close to 200 organizations from across Canada’s business community. She also founded the Chamber’s Health Innovation Committee and biomanufacturing and life sciences portfolio and later added responsibility for the Privacy and Digital Trade Council.
Prior to her work with the Canadian Chamber, Ulrike was President and CEO of Digital Nova Scotia where she transformed the organization into a thriving provincial tech association. She has also held government roles including with the Government of Nova Scotia, Innovacorp, as well as several executive leadership roles in the global tech industry, including Intel, Compaq/HP, McAfee, and others. Ulrike has also served on numerous boards and advisory committees focused on technology and innovation, and continues to actively serve in this capacity.
An avid advocate for equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and careers in STEAM, Ulrike is a tireless connector who builds bridges between people and jobs, industry and government, and companies to opportunities domestically and globally. She has been recognized with numerous features and awards including WXN Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada Hall of Fame, Atlantic Business Magazine Top 50 CEO, RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant, East Coast Top 25 Immigrant, Halifax Top 5 Immigrant Women Influencers, WCT Top 15 Leadership Excellence in Canada: Innovator, Progress Women of Excellence: Innovator/Entrepreneur, Canada’s Top 40 Change-Makers: Canadian Living Magazine, Mannesmann Teaching Award & Fulbright Scholarship while pursuing her M.A. in the United States, 2017 “Canada 150 Women”.
Event Details
