#CCAE2024 Keynotes

Tareq Hadhad

Tareq HadhadTareq Hadhad is telling his story. He was a Syrian refugee and now living his new life with his entrepreneurial family in Canada’s east coast. He is the founder and CEO of Peace by Chocolate, the recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year 2021 for Atlantic, named one of the Top 25 Immigrants in The Maritimes, selected by Google as the National Hero Case, and was awarded RBC’s top Immigrant Award and Entrepreneur of the Year in 2020 and Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. All of this has happened since Tareq’s arrival on Canada’s East Coast in December 2015 as a Syrian-Canadian newcomer.

In 2012 the Hadhad’s home and factory that housed the family chocolate-making business were destroyed which forced them to seek safety in other countries. A former medical student at Damascus University and long-time peacekeeping advocate, Tareq joined medical relief efforts after arriving in Lebanon. A new life began when Tareq and his family were welcomed to Canada on a community-based sponsorship.

Passionate about peace and entrepreneurship, his family relaunched the family business to recreate the chocolates they once exported across the Middle East and their story turned into and international inspiring phenomenon.

Tareq and his family have a focus on job creation, utilizing a network of local community members and refugees from across Nova Scotia and Canada to help support the local economy. Now that their chocolates are distributed across Canada, they look to offer more employment opportunities as their business grows.

In January 2020, Tareq received his official Canadian Citizenship which garnered international attention and has become one of the greatest accomplishments of his life. He has had the privilege to meet former President of the United States, Barack Obama, Canadian Prime Ministers, and has had conversations with many World Leaders. Author, Jon Tattrie wrote a book about the Hadhad’s story which has become a best seller. A feature film, Peace by Chocolate, also based on the family’s story premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and launched in Cineplex theaters across Canada in the spring of 2022. The film won several film festivals awards and accolades.

Tareq has spoken at the Summit of The Americas, Amnesty International’s Human Rights Conference, TEDx events, and Chambers of Commerce Dinners. He delivered keynote presentations in Jamaica, London England, Paris, and Copenhagen, spoke to several corporate and government organizations both in person and virtually, and has done over 500 interviews with different news teams across the globe. Tareq speaks on the compelling story of his family, the positive impact of newcomers, and the spirit of resiliency, entrepreneurship and giving back.

He was recently awarded Atlantic Business Magazine’s 30 under 30 Innovators.

Alan Doyle

Alan DoyleExpect the unexpected from Alan Doyle. While he is best known for his folk-rock legend status, Doyle is a multifaceted singer, songwriter, actor, author, and a story-teller extraordinaire. As a keynote speaker, he shares essential life lessons using his lived experience carving a career in music spanning over thirty years. Offering captivating anecdotes and maybe a song or two, Doyle weaves his expertise on how we can be more open to the opportunities that surround us with a mindset that cultivates excellence in the process.

Alan Doyle’s CV is extensive — he is a thrice-published author, a film and TV actor-producer with multiple major credits, and the co-producer of the recently released, 20-song Ron Hynes tribute album, Sonny Don’t Go Away. Yet the wildly popular musician from Petty Harbour, Newfoundland remains most electrifying before a live audience. Doyle formed Great Big Sea in 1993 with Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, and Darrell Power, in which they fused traditional Newfoundland music with their own pop sensibilities. Their nine albums, double­disc hits retrospective, and two DVD releases have been declared Gold or Platinum and have sold over one million copies in Canada. In his acting roles, Doyle has starred in features such as Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood, CBC’s Republic of Doyle, and Murdoch Mysteries. In addition Doyle has scored numerous films like The Shipping News and Young Triffie’s Been Made Away With.

At the 2024 CCAE Conference, Alan will be ‘having a yarn’ alongside special guest Conference Chair, Lynn Squires of Memorial University, where the insights are certain to be impactful, enduring, and pack a meaningful message.

Key Competencies for Responsible GenAI Use

This session discusses a competency framework developed at Kwantlen Polytechnic University for generative artificial intelligence use – not by computer scientists but, rather, by the rest of us. AVP, Academic, David Burns discusses some of the early challenges he saw in his corner of the institution and some of the ways in which the team he works with faced them.

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McGill Women Take the Lead: Inspiring Women’s Philanthropy in Annual Giving

This vital conversation focuses on inspired leadership from women philanthropists in an Annual Giving context. This session provides a case study on a volunteer-led fundraising initiative that raised $130,000 in 12 months from McGill alumnae, highlighting the roles of the Annual Giving, Alumni Relations and Communications teams in supporting the volunteers. This session also explores how such initiatives could be successful in other underrepresented donor constituencies.

To access this post, you must have a CCAE Membership.

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An AI Primer: plain language introduction to hot new tech

Like any new tech currently reaching the apogee of the Gartner Hype Cycle, AI in all its permutations is inescapable. But what is it, really, and how does it affect nonprofits? This session will provide a gentle, plain-language introduction to AI, dispel some myths, and provide a grounded approach to how nonprofits can use this tech to advance their missions while feeling confident in navigating this ever-changing space.

To access this post, you must have a CCAE Membership.

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