SPEAKERS

Chris McLeod

Chris has decades of experience developing and implementing projects, designing curriculum and policy, building strong relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous government, non-profit organizations and the resource sector and advocating for Indigenous inclusion across multiple industries.  He is an advocate for economic reconciliation and advises on procurement and economic development practices for working with Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs.  

Chris has worked within Indigenous government and with Canadian government (provincially, federally and locally) for 20 years, and has organized joint ventures, MOUs and contract agreements between Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders. Chris believes in the importance of building strong relationships in advance of creating official partnerships and business agreements is crucial to the success of any organization, especially those working with natural resources and utilities on traditional territories.

As a Métis citizen, Chris understands the perspective of Indigenous communities and the importance of building long lasting, positive programs and partnerships between Indigenous people and community stakeholders. Through his work with NVision Insight Group, Northern Strategic Partners, Mitacs, and Right To Play, he has engaged with over 400 First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities across Canada and retains valuable experience creating sustainable strategies for involving Indigenous communities in the work of the private and public sectors.

Nicole Simms

Nicole Simms (PhD) holds an MA in Geography/Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto, and a PhD from the department of Geography, Environment & Society at the University of Minnesota. She has taught several geography courses as a Sessional Instructor at the University of Minnesota and the University of Toronto, and as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Macalester College. Nicole was a Clinical Research Associate at SickKids before joining the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (IHPME) as a Research Officer in 2018. Her background in environmental studies and ongoing interest in sustainability led to her participation in Dr. Miller’s efforts to address health system sustainability, including the eventual establishment of the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems. A lover of animals, Nicole fosters cats through Toronto Cat Rescue and has been a long-time volunteer at the Toronto Wildlife Centre, where she works on the squirrel nursery, wildlife care, and education teams throughout the year.

Ryan Mitchell

Ryan is a supply chain connector in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, consulting, chemical, food, and beverage industries. He has a proven track record of global leadership, cross cultural management, and cost optimization. Development and implementation of best in class procurement sourcing strategies with a focus on supplier diversity and sustainable supply chain.  Ryan is Head of Procurement at Sanofi Canada.  He has an undergraduate degree is Marketing and Supply Chain Management from The Ohio State University and a Masters in Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois

Neil Hind

Neil Hind is an experienced procurement professional being a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. He also holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool. He is currently leading on the procurement workstream for the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP). The workstream is to work with GMHSCP member trusts to look at transformation of the procurement service generating service improvements and efficiencies.

He has previously the roles of the Head of Procurement for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority looking at introducing a new procurement function and was Head of Procurement at NHS England whilst implementing a new Commercial and Procurement function. He has also held a number of roles in local government working on collaborative procurement projects and is still part of the LGA procurement advisors’ team.

Neil also has a keen interest in social value and sustainability agendas where procurement can play a key role. He is also the chair of a local environmental charity called Pinewoods Conservation Group that has seen increasing in funding using a more commercial approach.

Thibaut Fraiteur 

Coming soon… 

Alicia Martin 

Alicia Martin is Clinical Director, Pharmacy Member Support at HealthPRO. Passionate about planetary health, both in healthcare and in her personal life in BC, she has assumed the role of co-lead of procurement for the Canadian association for Pharmacy for the Environment and is a member of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists’ (CSHP) sustainability Task Force. Alicia is a registered pharmacist with over 37 years’ experience in hospital, retail and industry and holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. 

Elisa Frenz 

Elisa advises organisations in the health and care sector from corporate to start up level on an international scale, and, with her entrepreneurial mindset, she brings bold ideas to life, leveraging multi-stakeholder connections across industries, with the aim to accelerate digital transformation. 

As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Health Proc Europe, Elisa’s mission is to humanise patient care by creating valuable, collaborative and transparent health ecosystems. 

Chris McLeod

Chris has decades of experience developing and implementing projects, designing curriculum and policy, building strong relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous government, non-profit organizations and the resource sector and advocating for Indigenous inclusion across multiple industries.  He is an advocate for economic reconciliation and advises on procurement and economic development practices for working with Indigenous businesses and entrepreneurs.  

Chris has worked within Indigenous government and with Canadian government (provincially, federally and locally) for 20 years, and has organized joint ventures, MOUs and contract agreements between Indigenous and non-Indigenous stakeholders. Chris believes in the importance of building strong relationships in advance of creating official partnerships and business agreements is crucial to the success of any organization, especially those working with natural resources and utilities on traditional territories.

As a Métis citizen, Chris understands the perspective of Indigenous communities and the importance of building long lasting, positive programs and partnerships between Indigenous people and community stakeholders. Through his work with NVision Insight Group, Northern Strategic Partners, Mitacs, and Right To Play, he has engaged with over 400 First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities across Canada and retains valuable experience creating sustainable strategies for involving Indigenous communities in the work of the private and public sectors.

Renato Discenza

Renato is President and Chief Executive Officer of HealthPRO, where he guides the strategic direction of the business and the management of several billion dollars in contract value.

Recognized as an innovative and transformative leader, Renato has over 30 years of executive experience in both the public and private sectors, most recently playing a critical role of transforming the Ontario healthcare system under Ontario Health to help drive more integrated and patient-centric care.

Prior to this, he held diverse roles in healthcare, serving as Executive Vice President of Strategy and Innovation at Hamilton Health Sciences and as Board Member at Credit Valley Hospital and Michael Garron Hospital, Mohawk Medbuy Corporation, and the Change Foundation. He also has served as CEO of Invest Toronto successfully bringing international investment into Canada.

Within the private sector, Renato has and held senior executive roles with national telecommunications organizations including Bell Canada and AT&T Canada.

Renato holds a Chartered Director designation, as well as a Master of Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toronto and is a proud Professional Engineer.

Dean Anderson

Dean Anderson is a highly experienced healthcare facilities management professional with a track record of success in leading high-performing teams. He has over 25 years of experience in the healthcare system in Canada, with particular expertise in facilities maintenance and operations, design and construction, biomedical engineering, energy, environment and sustainability, parking services, and facilities emergency management planning.

Dean is a registered Facilities Management Professional (IFMA) and Facilities Management Administrator (BOMI), and he holds a graduate degree in Health Systems Leadership from Royal Roads University. Throughout his career, he has worked in various regions of Canada, including the Arctic, Victoria, and Vancouver Island.

One of Dean’s key strengths is his ability to develop sustainable work practices within the healthcare system. He is committed to achieving system optimization, energy savings, and reducing GHG emissions, and he has demonstrated a dedication to improving healthcare facilities’ overall efficiency. By optimizing work processes, he has also focused on improving the patient and staff experience while reducing the organization’s environmental impact.

Dean has positioned the Vancouver Island Health Authority at the forefront of healthcare facilities management by promoting a culture of sustainability and implementing innovative solutions.

Nicole Simms

Nicole Simms (PhD) holds an MA in Geography/Environmental Studies from the University of Toronto, and a PhD from the department of Geography, Environment & Society at the University of Minnesota. She has taught several geography courses as a Sessional Instructor at the University of Minnesota and the University of Toronto, and as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Macalester College. Nicole was a Clinical Research Associate at SickKids before joining the Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation (IHPME) as a Research Officer in 2018. Her background in environmental studies and ongoing interest in sustainability led to her participation in Dr. Miller’s efforts to address health system sustainability, including the eventual establishment of the Centre for Sustainable Health Systems. A lover of animals, Nicole fosters cats through Toronto Cat Rescue and has been a long-time volunteer at the Toronto Wildlife Centre, where she works on the squirrel nursery, wildlife care, and education teams throughout the year.

Chistine Donaldson

Christine principals HealthPRO’s Pharmacy portfolio, leading the procurement of pharmaceuticals on behalf of more than 1,300 hospitals across the country. In this role, Christine works collaboratively with members, suppliers, industry associations and all levels of government to spearhead strategic initiatives designed to maximize savings and promote assurance of supply and patient safety.

Prior to joining HealthPRO, Christine was Director of Pharmacy Services at Windsor Regional Hospital, where she oversaw pharmacy operations for inpatient pharmacies across two acute care campuses, the regional cancer centre pharmacy and chemotherapy suite, as well as accredited outpatient pharmacies.

Christine has a Bachelor of Science degree (Pharmacy) from the University of Toronto and a Master’s degree in Adult Education, earned The Osgoode Certificate in Public Procurement Law and Practice and is a member of Health Canada’s Multi-Stakeholder Steering Committee (MSSC) on Drug Shortages.

Ryan Mitchell

Ryan is a supply chain connector in biotechnology, pharmaceutical, consulting, chemical, food, and beverage industries. He has a proven track record of global leadership, cross cultural management, and cost optimization. Development and implementation of best in class procurement sourcing strategies with a focus on supplier diversity and sustainable supply chain.  Ryan is Head of Procurement at Sanofi Canada.  He has an undergraduate degree is Marketing and Supply Chain Management from The Ohio State University and a Masters in Business Administration from DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois

Oriol Estrada Cuxart

Dr. Oriol Estrada Cuxart, graduated from medical school at the University of Barcelona in 1987 and is specialist in internal medicine. He completed his PhD degree with a study on safety and effectiveness indicators in a HaH OPAT program. Executive education: DSIS from ESADE Business School in 2011. For 20 years he has worked in different hospitals of Barcelona, mainly in the field of alternative strategies to inpatient hospitalization. Medical Director of the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital from 2008 to 2014. Since 2014 he has been the Director of Clinical Innovation of the North Metropolitan Territorial Management of the Catalan Health Institute, where he has coordinated more than 40 projects of integration and change of the healthcare model in a territory that covers one and a half million inhabitants.

He is the author of several publications, communications and invited papers at national and international conferences. All of them in the fields of internal medicine, home hospitalization, clinical management and innovation. He is currently a member of the Boards of the Spanish Society of HaH and the HaH and Telemedicine Working Group of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine. Promoter and member of the National GESTADE Registry. Since 2015, he has been the general coordinator of the strategic plan of the Spanish Society for Home Hospitalization “HAD 2020”, whose objective is to consolidate HaH in Spain.

Neil Hind

Neil Hind is an experienced procurement professional being a Member of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. He also holds an MBA from the University of Liverpool. He is currently leading on the procurement workstream for the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership (GMHSCP). The workstream is to work with GMHSCP member trusts to look at transformation of the procurement service generating service improvements and efficiencies.

He has previously the roles of the Head of Procurement for the West Yorkshire Combined Authority looking at introducing a new procurement function and was Head of Procurement at NHS England whilst implementing a new Commercial and Procurement function. He has also held a number of roles in local government working on collaborative procurement projects and is still part of the LGA procurement advisors’ team.

Neil also has a keen interest in social value and sustainability agendas where procurement can play a key role. He is also the chair of a local environmental charity called Pinewoods Conservation Group that has seen increasing in funding using a more commercial approach.

Thibaut Fraiteur 

Coming soon… 

Frances Edmonds 

In her role as head of Sustainable Impact, Frances Edmonds is responsible for overseeing HP’s full suite of corporate social responsibility programs including strategic partnerships with key nonprofit organizations and an industry leading volunteer program. Under Frances’s leadership, HP became the most sustainable technology company in Canada1 in 2018. 

Frances works closely with HP’s many partners to drive sustainable practices across HP’s business and throughout Canada. From being a founder of WWF’s Living Planet @ Work and Living Planet @ Campus programs to her TEDx talk demonstrating the power of collaboration, Frances seeks new and innovative ways to leverage the power of HP to create meaningful change across Canada. 

Frances also has a passion for environmental education developing and implementing global environmental education and volunteer programs for HP. She is frequently featured in the news as an expert resource for media on sustainable impact. 

Frances received her second Clean 50 award in 2017 recognizing her as one of Canada’s top sustainability professionals. She sits on the boards of Learning for a Sustainable Future and the Schulich Centre for Responsible Business advisory council. 

Frances started her career with the UK Government as an enforcer of environmental health and safety requirements followed by her role as manager of environmental health and safety in Canada’s chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Frances has a degree in Environmental science from Bradford University (UK), a post graduate diploma in Occupational Health and Safety and is a Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP).

Alicia Martin 

Alicia Martin is Clinical Director, Pharmacy Member Support at HealthPRO. Passionate about planetary health, both in healthcare and in her personal life in BC, she has assumed the role of co-lead of procurement for the Canadian association for Pharmacy for the Environment and is a member of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists’ (CSHP) sustainability Task Force. Alicia is a registered pharmacist with over 37 years’ experience in hospital, retail and industry and holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto. 

Jennifer Potvin 

Jennifer is responsible for defining and articulating HealthPRO’s brand and overseeing communications to members and other key stakeholders.  

Prior to joining HealthPRO in 2012, she held several management positions in leading public relations firms, where she developed marketing and communications campaigns for national and international brands.   

Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Marketing and a Public Relations certificate from Concordia University in Montreal. 

Elisa Frenz 

Elisa advises organisations in the health and care sector from corporate to start up level on an international scale, and, with her entrepreneurial mindset, she brings bold ideas to life, leveraging multi-stakeholder connections across industries, with the aim to accelerate digital transformation. 

As Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Health Proc Europe, Elisa’s mission is to humanise patient care by creating valuable, collaborative and transparent health ecosystems. 

Anthony Zhao

Coming soon…