Symposium 2009

Keynote Speakers

Max Wyman, O.C., D. Litt (hon)

Max Wyman is one of Canada’s leading cultural commentators. He is the author of a number of books on the arts, the latest of which, The Defiant Imagination: Why Culture Matters, is a passionate manifesto asserting the central importance of the arts and culture to modern society. He has taught critical writing and dance history extensively in Canada and Europe, and lectures and consults on public arts policy across North America.

He was for six years a member of the board of the Canada Council for the Arts, and in 2006 completed four years as President of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO (CCU).  For his services to the arts, he was in 2001 made an Officer of the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honour, and in 2003 Simon Fraser University made him an honorary Doctor of Letters. More...

David Stillman

Generations expert, speaker, and writer David Stillman is one of the rare Generation X keynoters on the speaking scene today. Recently named to the prestigious list of Forty Under 40 movers and shakers by The Business Journal, David's blend of honesty, irreverence, energy, and inspiration earn him the highest marks from corporate and association audiences alike.

David is co-author with Lynne Lancaster of the best selling business book When Generations Collide: Who They Are. Why They Clash. How to Solve the Generational Puzzle at Work. David is the co-founder of BridgeWorks, a company dedicated to enlightening organizations on who the generations are in today's workplace and what makes them click, clash and collide. More...

John Furlong

John Furlong is the Chief Executive Officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC). Prior to his appointment at VANOC in 2004, Furlong was the President and Chief Operating Officer for the Vancouver 2010 Bid Corporation. He helped lead the organization through numerous phases. In his role, he became the Bid’s international face and key spokesperson, tirelessly clocking more than 1.2 million miles in his travels to promote the Bid.

A long time member of the Canadian Olympic Committee, he has also served as chair of the BC Summer and Winter Games and Sport BC. He founded the Northern BC Winter Games Society, and served British Columbia at seven Canada Games and two Western Canada Games. More...