The world of manufacturing is changing. Are you ready to compete?

Despite being hard hit by the recession and competition from manufacturers in emerging economies, manufacturing continues to make a critical contribution to the Canadian economy. But in order to grow successfully, Canada needs innovative strategies to succeed.

Join Ivey Professor Paul Boothe, Director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management, and a panel of Canadian manufacturing leaders – Robert Hardt, President and CEO of Siemens Canada; Linda Hasenfratz, EMBA ’97, CEO of Linamar Corporation; and Jayson Myers, President and CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) – for an interactive discussion of ways Canada can tackle the challenges currently facing the manufacturing industry.

Presented by the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management and Siemens Canada.

Event Details

September 10, 2015, 8-10 a.m.

8-8:30 a.m. Breakfast and registration
8:30-9:30 a.m. Presentation from Paul Boothe and panel session with Canadian manufacturing leaders
9:30-10 a.m. Q&A
Location: Ivey's Tangerine Leadership Centre (formerly ING DIRECT Leadership Centre), King & York St., Toronto
Admission: Free

Topics You Will Explore

• Improving efficiency and reducing time to market through new technology and processes;
• Overcoming growing complexity due to the changing nature of products and services, supply chains, and the planning environment;
• Achieving mass customization by delivering differentiated products at lower costs;
• Building skills to address the demand for talent; and
• Reaching new markets outside of Canada and the U.S.

About the Moderator

Paul Boothe is Director of the Lawrence National Centre for Policy and Management. His work experience has included university research and teaching, independent consulting to Canadian and international organizations, and serving as a senior public servant in Canada’s provincial and federal governments. At the provincial level, he served as Saskatchewan’s Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary to Treasury Board. At the federal level, his appointments included Associate Deputy Minister of Finance and G7 Deputy, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of Industry and, most recently, Deputy Minister of the Environment.

About the Panellists

Robert Hardt is the President and CEO of Siemens Canada. He is responsible for the overall strategic management, direction and leadership for all activities in Canada. Prior to being appointed President and CEO in January 2012, he held several senior management positions within Siemens Canada since joining in 2007. He is an electrical engineer and began his career with Siemens AG Germany in 1988. Early in his career he was a project engineer and project manager and led several engineering and project management teams for large industrial projects. Prior to coming to Canada, he was responsible for the global Mining business and later for the global Air Cargo Logistics business, at Siemens’ headquarters in Germany. He is a seasoned engineering expert and is a regular contributor on manufacturing and technology trends in the national media and through speaking engagements.

Linda Hasenfratz was named Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Linamar Corporation on August 12, 2002. From April 1999 to August 2002, she was President of Linamar Corporation and she has been a Director of the company since 1998. Since joining Linamar in 1990, she has trained in every aspect of the business. Since she assumed corporate-level responsibilities, Linamar sales have grown from $800 million to more than $4.2 billion (2014 FY) and the Corporation has undergone significant change in terms of formalization, development, communication, and execution of a vision and strategy for future growth as well as development of communication, performance management, and operating systems utilized throughout the company. Hasenfratz received the Ernst & Young Ontario Entrepreneur of the Year Award in Manufacturing on October 30, 2014 and, less than a month later, on November 26, she was named the Entrepreneur of the Year for Canada. She completed an Executive MBA from the Ivey Business School in 1997 and also holds an Honours Bachelor of Science degree from Western University.

Jayson Myers is the President & CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, Canada's largest industry and trade association. He is also the Chair of the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition, a coalition of more than 48 industry associations that speak on priority issues for Canada's Manufacturing sector. He is a well-known economic commentator, and is widely published in the fields of Canadian and international economics, technological and industrial change. As CME's Chief Economist, he led the association's Manufacturing 20/20 initiative, the largest cross-country consultation ever convened by Canada's business community on the future of manufacturing in Canada. Myers also sits on special advisory councils to the Minister for International Trade, the Minister of Industry, and the Canadian Border Services Agency. He is co-chair of the Work & Learning Knowledge Centre of the Canadian Council on Learning and Vice Chair of both the Ontario Manufacturing Council and the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council. Myers studied at Queen's University, Kingston and the University of British Columbia in Canada, and at the London School of Economics and Oxford University in the United Kingdom.