On Saturday, January 17, the Ivey Social Impact Club hosted the 2026 Ascent Conference, a day-long event centred around social impact, sustainability, and purpose-driven leadership. Through an inspiring keynote speaker, informative panel discussions and engaging workshops, students were challenged to think critically about how impact is created across sectors. Ascent brought together speakers from a wide range of industries, highlighting that social impact is not a standalone field, but a shared responsibility across industries. In the blog below, HBA student Alice Zou, Education and Advocacy Sapling for the Ivey Social Impact Club, summarizes the key insights and takeaways from the event.
Keynote: Building Your Dream Career
Amanda Armstrong, Founder and CEO of Her Dream Career, challenged students to question conventional definitions of success and consider alternative paths rooted in personal values. Drawing from her own career journey, she encouraged students to see “rejection as redirection” and use failure as an opportunity to pivot toward new and exciting paths. Armstrong urged students to “be the outlier,” take the path less travelled, and go the extra mile to showcase their unique journey. She emphasized that impact can be created in many places, as long as business intersects with social good.
Workshop #1: Financing With The Power Of Community by Tapestry Community Capital
Presented by Joy Duncan, an Investment Associate, and Nicholas Cardelli, a Campaign Manager at Tapestry Community Capital, students were shown how Community Bonds are transforming how social purpose organizations fund impactful projects. Community Bonds are a financing mechanism that allow nonprofits to raise capital while retaining ownership of their assets. Using the case study of the local Urban Roots organization, the workshop demonstrated how community-driven financing can support projects that may struggle to access traditional funding.
Workshop #2: Driving Change Through Consulting by KPMG
Led by Vin Venkatesh, a Senior Consultant at KPMG, students explored the intersection of social impact and consulting by adapting traditional consulting frameworks to impact-focused projects. Through a real-life client case, students examined how strategy and measurement differ from conventional business analysis, particularly when accounting for diverse stakeholder needs and data constraints. Venkatesh emphasized the importance of clearly defined objectives, meaningful metrics, and downstream analysis to maximize impact for businesses wishing to make a change. Students also gained insight into how social impact considerations influence regulatory compliance, supply chain resilience, and reputation management. The workshop concluded with practical advice on recruiting for social impact consulting, highlighting the value of curiosity, adaptability, and values-driven thinking.
Workshop #3: Impact, Internships & Investing For Good by Good&Well
Hosted by Sandrine K. Boisvert Desforges, Student Engagement Manager at Good&Well, this workshop focused on impact investing and creating pathways for students to enter the impact sector. She emphasized investing in people rather than just business models. Values such as ambition, resilience, and integrity proved to be critical indicators of long-term success. Desforges gave valuable internship application advice: prioritize quality over quantity, tailor applications thoughtfully, and focus on the “why” behind experiences rather than simply repeating resume bullet points. She encouraged students to be reflective, authentic, and intentional in how they present themselves.
Panel: Expanding Your Impact Career
This panel discussion featured Ivey alumni and student speakers, including:
- Oliver Zhou, Analyst, CPP Investments
- Guy-Anthony Gagliano, Manager, Environmental Impact
- Justin Alexander, Senior Consultant, Scout Engineering + Consulting Data Analyst, Greener Solutions
- Anthony Hui, Senior Manager, Infrastructure Resilience & Sustainability, KPMG
The panelists emphasized that building a career in the social impact space begins with relationships. They highlighted that developing genuine connections is critical not only in impact-focused roles but across all industries.
Post-Conference Reflections from UWO Students
A second-year International Relations student found Armstrong’s journey inspiring, mentioning how they admired her initiative to take risks, such as flying to Kenya because of one email she found in her inbox.
A first-year Economics student shared that reframing setbacks as opportunities can be especially powerful during job searches, noting that “a rejection does not necessarily mean we're failing, but it means we're working towards something better and a more successful future”.
“You just need to keep going, and where you are right now, even if it doesn't feel like you're where you should be, you're probably where you exactly need to be.” This reflection by a second-year Bachelor of Management and Organizational Studies student captured a central theme of the conference that uncertainty and setbacks are often part of meaningful growth, and that perseverance and trust in the process are essential when pursuing purpose-driven careers.
A special thank you to the Social Impact Club team
Thank you to the Ivey Social Impact Club team, speakers, and sponsors for making Ascent possible, and to all attendees for contributing to a day of thoughtful conversation, learning, and inspiration. I would also like to thank Nia, Max, Vanessa, and Zakeer for their support in note-taking, as well as Kieran, Lauren, and Sherry for their editorial feedback.