Speakers

I attended the University of Toronto for Engineering. Although I took a more unconventional route to finance, it taught me the core skills of not only how to learn, but more importantly, how to fail yet keep moving forward!

After that, I started my career at RBC Investment Banking. It was a crash course in effort and learning and accelerated my career meaningfully at a very young age – and helped me figure out what I really wanted in my life and career.

I love building unique products that people love, and that change their lives for the better. But I'm most proud of the people I've inspired to join me along the way, and the daily effort and constant challenges that come with building a great business. I skip to work every day because I don't see it as work.

My goal for the future of Purpose has always been to set a high standard that inspires my industry peers and helps move our industry forward. We start with the mindset that if our customers win, we win. Leading our industry through innovation can drive systemic change. While it takes time, the ripple effect is profound.

Arlene Dickinson is a visionary entrepreneur and leader with a remarkable track record of success. She is the Founder and General Partner of District Ventures Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in innovative companies in the food & beverage and health & wellness sectors.

Beyond her business ventures, Dickinson is a sought-after speaker, three-time best-selling author, and philanthropist. She is widely recognized for her role as a Venture Capitalist on the hit television series, Dragons' Den, where she has starred for over 15 seasons. Her accolades include induction into the Southern Alberta Business Hall of Fame, the Marketing Hall of Legends, recognition as one of Canada's Most Powerful Women Top 100 Hall of Fame, and the prestigious Queen Elizabeth Diamond and Platinum Jubilee Awards.

Anthony Lacavera brings 30 years of entrepreneurship across the telecommunications and technology sectors, with five successful exits. His investment office, Globalive, is a diversified single-family office with a focus on technology and software.

Today, his operating efforts are centred on establishing WealthONE as a leading challenger bank in Canada and on EverMe.ai, the longevity platform he co-founded. Across his career, Anthony has combined entrepreneurship, investment and operating experience, with a continued focus on building and backing ambitious businesses in sectors shaped by technology and change. Anthony and Globalive have received numerous top Canadian business awards over the past 25 years.

David leads a variety of Merchant's strategic and financial initiatives, including mergers and acquisitions, structuring, transaction execution and risk management.

Prior to Merchant, David was Managing Partner of MarketCounsel and the Hamburger Law Firm, a boutique consulting firm and law practice specializing in helping financial advisors transition to independence. Previously, David served as Managing Director and General Counsel at Focus Financial Partners, where he oversaw all mergers and acquisitions and worked on inbound private equity investments. Prior to these roles, David practiced as a corporate attorney at Willkie, Farr & Gallagher LLP and Vinson & Elkins LLP. David holds a JD from Harvard Law School and a BA from the University of Virginia.

Spenser Segal founded ActiFi in 2003 and has more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry. His career spans financial planning, wealth management, technology, strategy, and leadership, including roles with American Express Financial Advisors, Dain Rauscher, Barrington Capital Management, and BigCharts.

He is the author of The AI-Enabled Future of Wealth Management: A Leader's Guide, which explores how wealth management firms can responsibly adopt artificial intelligence while strengthening the role of human advisors. His areas of expertise include AI, advisor engagement, workflows, technology, compliance, organic growth, and leadership in the wealth management industry.

Andrew Graham is co-founder and CEO of Borrowell, one of Canada's largest financial technology companies, with over four million users. Borrowell helps consumers find financial prosperity and make great decisions about their money. It was the first company in Canada to offer credit scores for free and to allow consumers to report rent payments to Equifax in order to build credit history.

Borrowell has won numerous awards, including being named one of the top 100 fintech companies in the world by KPMG and one of the fifty fastest growing technology companies in Canada by Deloitte. Andrew was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and is chair of the board of Fintechs Canada.

Brett Huneycutt is Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Wealthsimple, Canada's leading financial innovator, serving more than 4 million Canadians and holding approximately $155 billion in assets under administration. As head of Wealthsimple's Product and Design organization, Brett sets the company's long-term vision, prioritizes initiatives across major product lines, and collaborates with cross-functional leaders to build and scale platform features responsibly.

Previously, Brett co-founded 1000memories, a Y Combinator startup acquired by Ancestry.com in 2012. He began his career as a consultant at McKinsey & Company. Brett holds a master's in Economics with Distinction from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.

Susan Senecal is President and Chief Executive Officer of A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. With over 1,000 restaurants from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, A&W is the second largest hamburger restaurant chain in Canada and one of Canada's leading franchisors.

Having joined the company as an Area Manager, Susan has since held the positions of Regional Director of Operations, General Manager Quebec, Vice President of Operations, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer. In February 2018, Susan became President and CEO, becoming the fifth CEO in the Company's 66-year history, and the first-ever fully bilingual CEO and woman in the role.

Keeley Simpson, CIM, FDFS™, is the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Compliance Officer and Portfolio Manager at Aretec Wealth Inc., an independent wealth management firm serving affluent families, business owners, and professionals across Canada. She is also a member of the Ontario Securities Commission's Registrant Advisory Committee.

Over the past 20 years, Keeley has built a reputation for helping clients navigate complex financial decisions while championing financial literacy and advancing women's participation in wealth creation. Her passion for financial planning was shaped by an early family health crisis that underscored the importance of thoughtful advice, preparation, and resilience. A graduate of McGill University's Desautels Faculty of Management, Keeley launched Aretec Wealth in 2024 after a long-standing career at a bank, with a vision to build a firm rooted in independence, integrity, and client-first advice.

Darren Coleman, CFP, CIM, FCSI, is the Founder and Senior Portfolio Manager of Portage Cross Border Wealth Management, an independent firm registered as a Portfolio Manager and Investment Counsel with the Ontario Securities Commission and as a Registered Investment Adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Over a thirty-year career spanning Royal Trust, BMO, TD Waterhouse, HSBC Securities, and Raymond James, Darren has specialized in clients whose financial lives cross the Canada–U.S. border. He founded Portage Wealth in 2012 and established it as an independent dually registered firm in 2026, allowing his team to advise clients directly in both jurisdictions under a fiduciary mandate.