Program
Summer School on Digital Transformation
Day 1: August 31, 2026
Theme: Strategy, People, and Leadership
| Time | Session | Topic | Speaker(s) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00–09:30 | Registration, coffee, and networking | Rowe 1011 | ||
| 09:30–10:00 | Summer School opening | Welcome and introduction to the Summer School | Dr. Richard Evans | Rowe 1011 |
| 10:00–11:00 | Keynote | Technology Entrepreneurship | Dr. Dawn Jutla | Rowe 1011 |
| 11:00–11:15 | Coffee break and networking | Rowe 1011 | ||
| 11:15–12:00 | Industry panel | Fireside Chat on Strategy, People, and Leadership | Phil Thomas and Paul Saunders Moderated by Dr. Richard Evans |
Rowe 1011 |
| 12:00–13:00 | Lunch and networking | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) | ||
| 13:00–14:00 | Lecture | Stewart McKelvey’s Strategic Innovation Journey: A Decade of Lessons in Adapting to Change | Paul Saunders | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 14:00–15:30 | Workshop | Translating technical ideas to lay terms | Michael Goudreault | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 15:30–15:45 | Coffee break and networking | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) | ||
| 15:45–17:00 | Lecture | Problem Definition | Dr. Clifton Johnston | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 18:30–21:00 | Welcome reception and networking mixer Students registered for the Summer School will need to register for this event. Faculty, staff, and wider community can also register here. |
Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity, Steel Ocean Sciences Building (210- Atrium) |
||
Day 2: September 1, 2026
Theme: Technology and Processes
| Time | Session | Topic | Speaker(s) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:30–09:00 | Coffee and networking | Rowe 1011 | ||
| 09:00–10:00 | Keynote | Storytelling for Technical Roles | Jordy Fujiwara | Rowe 1011 |
| 10:00–10:15 | Coffee break and networking | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) | ||
| 10:15–11:00 | Keynote | The technology is the easy part | Jody Couch | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 11:00–12:00 | Lecture | Marketing Automation in B2B (with HubSpot Demo) | Dawn Morrison | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 12:00–13:00 | Lunch and networking | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) | ||
| 13:00–14:00 | Lecture | E-commerce Consumer Decision Making | Dr. Bo Yu | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 14:00–14:15 | Coffee break and networking | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) | ||
| 14:15–16:00 | Workshop | AI History, Types, and Industry / Strategic Workforce Planning | Dr. Kyung Lee | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 16:00–17:00 | Lecture | Change Management for Digital Transformation | Rafa Camacho and Clare O’Connor | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
Day 3: September 2, 2026
Theme: Execution and Future Trends
| Time | Session | Topic | Speaker(s) | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08:30–09:00 | Coffee and networking | Rowe 1011 | ||
| 09:00–10:00 | Keynote | How do you go |
Safia Rahemtulla | Rowe 1011 |
| 10:00–10:15 | Coffee break and networking | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) | ||
| 10:15–12:00 | Workshop | Digital Transformation Job Opportunities and the Skills Required to Secure Those Jobs | Kewoba Carter and Dr. Colin Conrad | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 12:00–13:00 | Lunch and networking | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) | ||
| 13:00–14:00 | Lecture | Coming soon! | Laura Hawkins | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 14:00–14:15 | Coffee break and networking | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) | ||
| 14:15–15:30 | Lecture | From Resource Gaps to Product Innovation: Rethinking Collaborative Innovation in Early-Stage Software Startups | Uchechukwu Nwogu | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
| 15:30–16:30 | Summer School closing | Closing session with key takeaways | Dr. Richard Evans | Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053) |
Venue
The Summer School on Digital Transformation will be held in the Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building on Dalhousie's Studley Campus (6100 University Ave, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2).
All sessions will take place in the Deloitte Greenhouse (Rowe 5053), a teaching, training and workshop experience space for Dalhousie community members to break away from “business as usual” in order to create a shift in mindset and improve the flow of creativity, innovation and ideas through the technology-enhanced classroom space. This space is equipped with the latest technology, robotics, artificial intelligence and virtual reality accompanied by furniture and finishes to provide a controlled environment to accelerate thinking through experiential practices.
All keynote addresses will take place in Rowe 1011.
The Kenneth C. Rowe is an accessible space with elevators located in the atrium of the first floor.