Feedback From Graduates And Clients

“In order to deliver more value to the clinicians and patients of Ontario, the Technology and Operations team I lead needed to rapidly transform itself into a client focused technology services provider. This required the management team of over 20 directors and above to make a large step up in leadership over a very short period of time. The Leaders Beyond programs have provided tremendous learning and insights for this group to enable that jump. Their unique blend of practical mentor-led education and their focus on the skills and knowledge needed to make immediate impact on business results, have produced significant positive changes in the way my team operates.” Steve Gesner EVP Technology and Operations, eHealth Ontario “The IT Executive Leader Program has proven to be one of the most insightful and pragmatic business resources available for senior technology leaders in Canada. As an alumnus of the program and having sent my senior staff to the course, I can speak first-hand of the tremendous value it has provided in the succession planning and professional development of my organization. The depth of experience and insight of the CIOs and instructors in the faculty is second to none and the content is focused on the challenges IT leaders are facing now. The CIO Association of Canada is pleased to recommend the program to our members, many of whom have reaped its benefits.” Andrew Dillane Group CIO, Randstad Canada Companies President, CIO Association of Canada “As a long time CIO I realize the value of building a strong senior leadership team. Developing a core group of strong leaders and potential successors is key to the success of any CIO. The IT Executive Leader Program forms a cornerstone for the development of strong IT leaders and CIO succession candidates. Whereas the educational value is significant, one of the most remarkable and unique value propositions of this course is the way in which it elicits and builds the personal confidence of those who attend. Leaders who present a strong sense of confidence inspire not only their staff but their peers and fellow executives. This is the only course that I have sent staff to where they returned with a renewed and improved level of personal confidence.I would recommend this course to current and aspiring CIO’s and IT Leaders.” Valerie Adamo Chief Technology Officer, Ontario Pension Board “I can’t recommend it highly enough. The program goes a long way in helping to transform high-potential techies into trusted advisors and business leaders. The reliance on IT is increasing dramatically across government, business users are becoming more sophisticated, and business process change is accelerating. Having business savvy IT staff is a critical success factor.” Michael Carpenter CIO, Ministry of Finance, Province of British Columbia “As an alumnus, I found the IT Executive Leader Program to be a powerful tool to jumpstart my role as our company’s executive IT champion. This business-driven program provided outstanding content, practical tools for both IT and non-IT executives, as well as an instant network of IT executives with which to exchange challenges, solutions, and best practices. I would strongly encourage both aspiring IT executives and business leaders with a need to understand and create shared impact and value with their peers to learn from this highly effective program.” Dave Burns Chief Operating Officer (Retired) LoyaltyOne Inc. “The IT Leader Development Program is an excellent program for aspiring CIOs. I also recommend it to anyone who is relatively new to their CIO role or as a refresher for those who have been a CIO for a while. The program blends the right amount of theory with very practical tools and best practices. The instructors are top notch and are all knowledgeable practitioners. I wish I had taken this program 5 years ago when I started my current CIO job. It would have helped me significantly in implementing my agenda much more quickly” Siegfried Fuchsbichler Chief Information Officer, Assistant Deputy Minister – Information and Communications Technology, Government of Yukon “My progression through to CIO, COO, and now CEO is a testament to the learnings that I gained through the IT Executive Leadership program that you had such foresight to create. Even though I now lead the CAA group of companies in Canada, strategic IT is consistently at the heart of everything I do to lead the organization and our results clearly demonstrate how business and IT can be so powerful together.” Jay Woo President & CEO of CAA Group of Companies “The IT Executive Leader Program is an excellent opportunity to learn from well-established, senior IT leaders whose insight, knowledge and experience really help put today’s IT challenges in perspective. And they offer both practical and theoretical solutions to meet those challenges. The program is also a great opportunity to network with fellow IT professionals and to share best practices with each other. I found the format provided the right pace in an ideal setting for a program of this nature. Each session delivered valuable material that I was able to bring back and put into practice right away.” Rick Coutts VP IT, TransCanada PipeLines Limited “Great experience and very relevant. Well thought out curriculum. Very interesting and relevant speakers and facilitators. LOVED the panel discussion! Very well done.” Erin Bennett VP Global Transaction Banking, Channels and Products, CIBC “The CIO / CEO panel was great. I loved having real world people without formal presentations.” Scott Richardson VP Architecture, Innovapost “I really enjoyed the course. The participants and instructors were top notch. The panel was really interesting and glad most stayed for the social hour.” Debra Sandomirsky CIO, Purolator “Excellent program and will recommend it to folks who want to develop and grow in their careers.” Lorenzo Plaath Director of Information Technology, CRH “The program made me think about who I want to be to the organization. It helps highlight things I take for granted and areas I should focus on for my career.” Arlene Mortensen Director Application Development, McCain Foods “The training I had through the Emerging IT Leader Program helped me to get where I am today. It was probably the most engaging and fruitful training that I have taken. I would highly recommend it to all IT professionals who want to be a leader.” Darlene George Assistant Director, Solutions Engineering, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board “An excellent course for individuals wanting to understand and practice the skills required to strategically align information technology with the business. The Emerging IT Leader Program taught the skills and knowledge required for my staff to lead more effectively within our organization.” Sabina Visser General Manager, Information Technology, City of Lethbridge President, MISA Prairies “This team of seasoned university instructors and world-class ITM leaders successfully provide tools, techniques and networking opportunities to address today’s issues, challenges and opportunities facing our organizations. Reviews of this program by our attendees, which include more than one hundred CIOs, senior business and ITM management professionals, consistently topped 90 per cent. I would highly recommend this unique program to any organization looking to enhance their effectiveness and strategic capabilities.” Bruce Cuthbert Director, Planning and Performance Mgmt., Government of British Columbia “Leaders Beyond’s IT Executive Leader Program is a life-changing and thought-provoking retreat which goes well beyond sharing mere academic and professional knowledge to allow heart-to-heart learning through a non-nonsensical approach of the real difficulties of the CIO’s trade. It would have taken the best of us many years and good luck to achieve the same results through our own professional networking efforts.” Marc Lijour Education Officer, Government of Ontario “This is no ordinary training course but more of a life experience that will serve me and those who attend well for many years to come. They attract some of the most experienced and brightest talent from across the world to impart their knowledge and wisdom on key business subjects and strategies. I have attended training over 20 years as an IT professional and this course is leaps and bounds ahead of the competition.” Conrad Harman IT Client Services Manager, NACG “The program is a career changing point for all IT leaders. The interactions with the speakers with their different perspectives (CIO & CEO) bring you that “Aha” moment, which has a better effect than attending courses. The program encourages the attendees to bring their own problems to the faculty members, which in turns create interactive discussions based on experience from different roles and industries, that enriches the learning experience. I highly recommend the IT Leader Development Program for anyone who is in a leading role in his/her organization to provide them with tools and advise on how to perform their existing role and prepare them for their next step in their career.” Moustafa Naguib Director, Infrastructure Operations, Lafarge “The IT Leader Development Program gives you skills and knowledge you can’t find in a book. It would take me years to learn what the very experienced and talented practitioners of the IT Leadership Program shared with me. This program and more importantly the Instructors and directors have given me a new perspective on the role and responsibility of IT Leaders. I attribute my recent promotion to VP of IT to the insights that this program provided. I highly recommend this program to those aspiring to be CIO. Hearing the stories and situations from the Instructors, CIO’s and CEO’s are invaluable to progressing your career.” Sav Chawla Vice President, Information Technology, CAA South Central Ontario “Anyone who is or wishes to become a CIO should take this course. The added bonus is the business relationships that are developed with fellow classmates who all bring their own experience to the classroom. As a CIO, I found I benefitted from this course and highly recommend it to anyone who wished to combine IT and business into a successful career path.” Dwayne Ellis CIO, AGS Group “I highly recommend Leaders Beyond to anyone wishing to improve their IT leadership Skills or prepare themselves for a senior leadership position in IT. They have done a tremendous job of putting together an excellent mix of thought provoking world class IT Leaders, case study work, class participation and peer networking. The world class talent is worth the tuition price ten fold. I wish I had taken the program eight years ago. The program, right from the first module, has helped me work at a higher level and deliver better value to my company shareholders.” Dean Hartley VP IT, Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority “The Leaders Beyond training course has been widely acclaimed as one of the very best IT leadership courses available – it’s the most valuable course I’ve done in my 24 years in IT.” Stuart Cayzer Chief Enterprise Architect, Ministry of Attorney General, Province of British Columbia “This is a great course that can truly impact future leaders.” Marc Leckman Director, Information Systems, Strad Energy Services “I wish I had this 10 years ago.” Roland Deutsch Senior Manager, Portfolio and Project Management, Infrastructure Technology Services, Government of Ontario “Excellent program. It really gives me a good view on being a manager and makes me look at my role from a different perspective.” Alice Lu Manager, Loyalty Group “The Emerging IT Leader Program addresses one of the biggest hurdles most new managers face. We often hear sound business philosophies from an academic/theoretical perspective but lack the tools to implement them successfully. This course has filled in those gaps and helped me identify some key concepts, which will help me succeed in my role and will be instrumental in moving my career forward.” Susie Mahendran Supervisor, Contract Administration, City of Toronto “Thank you for organizing such a great training session. It is absolutely beyond my expectation.” Young Jin Manager, Infrastructure Architecture, CAA South Central Ontario “Thank you for organizing this amazing training. Almost 18 years in CIBC and never taken a more valuable course. I used to go through 3 courses a year!” George Iskander Senior Manager, Business Analysis, CIBC “This was by far the best management course that I have attended to date. All of the presenters were excellent and I truly appreciated the varying perspectives of the faculty. The course challenged our thought process, encouraged us to view IT through a business perspective and provided some really insightful ideas that we can readily implement in our shops for continued success. I would like to thank you and your faculty for an excellent course. While I enrolled in the course hesitantly, I am now glad that I did and I would highly recommend this to my colleagues and other technology leaders.” Adnan Siddiq Director – Security Operations, Investigations and Projects, CIBC “I really enjoyed the Emerging IT Leader Program because of all the great course content and the great faculty in this program. What I liked most were the real-world experiences that the faculty shared with us. I also learned a lot from other course attendees. All these great people showed me what a true IT leader should be and how they react to real-world problems.” David Zhao Technical Lead, Application Operations Treasury and Risk Management Technology Team, CIBC “The Emerging IT Leader program has offered me the opportunity to validate and strengthen my professional skills and judgments with colleagues from different industries and backgrounds. The impressive curriculum is designed to keep the users engaged at all levels with case studies, real world examples, frank discussions, group participation and let’s not forget some humor. Thank you Emerging Leaders’ team for giving me tremendous inspiration and insight on work style traits and habits while recognizing personal introspection” Jassi Kaur Manager of BCRs, Dufry North America “I am very appreciative of your leadership course – it has helped me immensely. More than anything, two items come in to play: “What does done look like?”, and “change management”. I had a big meeting with representatives from several different business units yesterday and by the end of the meeting everyone understood what “done” looks like and we had a solid plan moving forward. This is also a big change for these groups but buy-in seems to be getting easier since the training and my learning has made a big difference with many projects.” John Peters IT Manager, Lethbridge Police Service “What I find different about this program is the practicality. So many courses give you a lot of theory – this is based on theory but you leave with something you can use immediately in your work” Mark Barker Portfolio Lead, BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure

Move from learning to leadership with Leaders Beyond.