MANITOBA’S CONFERENCE FOR LEADERS | APRIL 13, 2026
PRESENTED BY QNET
CONFERENCE PARTICIPANT WEBPAGE
Welcome to QNET Leadership Conference 2026!
Location: Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre (1808 Wellington Avenue)
Conference Agenda (one page pdf)
Map of the Venue (one page pdf)
7:45 to 8:15 – Registration & Continental Breakfast Buffet
8:15 to 4:00 – Conference keynotes, Luncheon, Sessions
Share your day on social media with @QNETManitoba and #QNETMB2026
CONFERENCE ACTIVITIES:
Note: QNET Guest Services/Help Desk is just inside the ballroom
Need assistance? Look for participants with COMMITTEE and ASK ME ribbons on their name badges!
Conference Sponsors
Visit the Sponsor Mini-Booths and meet our valued sponsors:
- Manitoba Chambers of Commerce – Manitoba AI Pathways (MAP Program)
- RRC Polytech – Corporate Solutions
- WCB Manitoba
Check out the Sponsor Information tables, and learn about the incredible organizations that support this conference.
Meet our Sponsor participants who have a GREEN SPONSOR RIBBON on their name badge
RBC Headshot Lounge – (hours: 7:30-1:00)
Stop by and get a new headshot for free, courtesy of sponsor RBC! Located in the Foyer where you entered the Victoria Inn from the parking lot.
Perk Coffee Carts (hours: 7:30-11:15)
A full menu of specialty coffee is available from Perk Coffee Carts located in the hallway to the left when you enter the Plenary Ballroom, just past QNET Registration Services (see the map in your program). Your coffee ticket is in your name badge. Regular brewed Perk Coffee is also available in coffee carafes on the black table.
Leadership Bookstore (hours: 9:30-2:00)
Featuring books by current and past conference keynote speakers, and local leadership authors, the bookstore is located next to the Main Plenary Stage. Opening Keynote Michelle Ray will be available during the morning breaks to sign books!
Palliser Lounge
Relax in comfortable furniture provided by Winnipeg’s Palliser Factory Outlet. A great place to connect with others, the lounge is conveniently located at the back of the Plenary Room.
Name Badge Ribbons
Customize your name badge with a ribbon. You can find them on a cocktail table in the Palliser Lounge.
Note: Attendance at this event serves as a release that you consent to being photographed and/or
audio/videotaped, and to the use of the images and/or videos for marketing or other purposes. You
also release the event organizers from any liability related to the use of these images and/or videos.
AGENDA & SPEAKER HANDOUTS:
| 7:45 am | Registration and Continental Breakfast Buffet |
| 8:15 am | Welcome & Opening Keynote Plenary Ballroom – Michelle Ray, Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker and Author of Leading in Real Time (no handout / slide deck) |
| 9:30 am | Networking Break |
| 10:00 am | Leadershift Panel PLENARY BALLROOM – Chad Brick, President, Eastside Group of Companies – Jolen Galaugher, Executive Director, Research, Partnerships & Innovation, RRC Polytech – Sean Rayland-Boubar, CEO, Red Rebel Armour – Diane Roussin, President and CEO, Winnipeg Boldness – Moderator: Kim Kline, Senior Advisor, Global Public Affairs (no handout / slide deck) |
| 10:45 am | Networking Break |
| 11:15 am | Breakout / Concurrent Sessions (select one): |
| BOLD Leadership: Courage, Character and Communication YELLOW ROOM – Carolyn Klassen, Founder, Wired for Connection and Conexus Counselling (SLIDE DECK HERE) (HAND OUT) | |
| AI and the Leader’s Role: Opportunity, Risk, and Readiness BLUE ROOM – Cara Corvino, Provincial Ethics Lead, Shared Health – Matt Dirks, Managing Partner, Neralake – Tracy Gromniski, Chief Product Officer, mode40 – Wendy Hofford, President, WH Strategic Drive Inc. – Moderator: John Chaput, Founder & Lead Consultant, Passionate Productivity (no handout / slide deck) | |
| Wellness by Design: The Leadership Opportunity RED ROOM – Julie Chapko, Accessibility Specialist and Operations Support, Winnipeg Airports Authority – Lisa Houtkooper, MFL Occupational Health Centre – Niq Lashley, HR Manager, Priority Electronics, Malach Metal and Machining, and Malach USA – Moderator: Jordan Friesen, President, Mindset Mental Health Strategy Inc. (no handout / slide deck) | |
| 12:15 pm | Networking Light Luncheon |
| 1:00 pm | Breakout / Concurrent Sessions (select one): |
| Leading Through Co-Creation: Practical Tools for Real World Challenges YELLOW ROOM – Jessica Bloomfield, Senior Strategic Advisor, Indigenous Strategy, Research and Business Development, RRC Polytech – Amy Jackson, Director of Mittohnee Pogo’otah, RRC Polytechnic – Georgette Rochon, Manager – Business Development, Corporate Solutions | Indigenous Strategy, Research, and Business Development, RRC Polytech (SLIDE DECK – will be posted after the conference) | |
| The Leadership Challenge BLUE ROOM – Joey Crampton, Founder & CEO, 360 Coaching Group – Megan Foster, Founder, Mosaic Engagement (no handout / slide deck) | |
| PAUSE: A Journey of Understanding, Growth, and Impact RED ROOM – Phyllis Reid-Jarvis, Founder and Principal, Ultimate Potentials (no handout / slide deck) | |
| 1:45 pm | Networking Break |
| 2:00 pm | Breakout / Concurrent Sessions (select one): |
| Stressed Teams: Leading in an Age of Change and Cognitive Overload YELLOW ROOM – Shannon Gander, CEO, Life Work Wellness (SLIDE DECK – will be posted after the conference) | |
| The Human Edge: Learning, Leadership, and AI in Practice BLUE ROOM – Andrea Aiello, Senior Consultant, Blueprint – Mitchell DeFehr, Project Manager, Talent and Workforce Development, Winnipeg Economic Development and Tourism (SLIDE DECK – will be posted after the conference) | |
| Outside the Comfort Zone: Where Leadership Gets Real RED ROOM – Jamie Hall, CEO, Habitat for Humanity Manitoba – Loraine Nyokong, Head of Local Partnerships, SKIP – Justin Parisian, Manager of Manufacturing , Carte International – Moderator: Amanda Leuschen, Vice President, Leadership & Learning, Leaps&Bounds Consulting (no handout / slide deck) | |
| 3:00 pm | Networking Break |
| 3:15 pm | Closing Session & Keynote PLENARY BALLROOM – Keynote Speaker: Shannon Leppky, Author, Founder, Lead Coach & Lead Mare, Red Chair Ranch (no handout / slide deck) |
| 4:00 pm | Conference is adjourned |
Join the conversation and follow @QNETManitoba on LinkedIn and Instagram #QNETMB2026
Join hundreds of forward thinking leaders – current, emerging and aspiring – for a day of learning and networking. Gain the tools and inspiration to refresh your thinking and put new ideas into practice.
Kick off your day with a captivating and enlightening opening keynote by Michelle Ray, a sought-after international leadership expert on real-time leadership – empowering leaders and teams to be ready, responsive and relevant in a radically changing world.
Then create your own customized conference experience with relevant breakout sessions in three targeted streams
– Leadership, Wellness and Tools.
Challenge yourself to a leadership reset, refresh your thinking, and move forward with renewed energy, clarity and confidence.
Sign up to receive QNET updates and be sure to follow @QNETManitoba
on social media for conference announcements!
#QNETMB2026
The Leadership Bookstore and RBC Headshot Lounge are back in 2026!
OPENING KEYNOTE
MICHELLE RAY
Author and Hall of Fame Leadership Keynote Speaker.
Globally respected voice on real time leadership in a rapidly evolving world.
Michelle Ray challenges leaders to step confidently to the edge – where bold decisions, a people-centred approach, and readiness for the future truly matter.
Originally from Australia and now based in Vancouver, Michelle brings a global perspective shaped by experience working across industries, cultures, and continents. Her career includes senior roles in media, advertising, corporate leadership, and the not-for-profit sector, where she built partnerships between business, education, and emerging talent. These experiences navigating growth, disruption, and uncertainty inform her belief that leadership today demands courage, authenticity, and accountability.
Michelle’s work focuses on helping leaders be bold in the face of change, be real in how they lead and connect with others, and be ready to respond in real time to shifting expectations. Her messages resonate with leaders at every level because they are relatable, actionable, and grounded in today’s realities.
A trusted advisor to some of the world’s most recognizable brands, Michelle has worked with organizations of all sizes, government, and associations. Her insights have been featured by media including Forbes, Huffington Post, CBC, and Global News. She holds elite professional designations, including Canadian Speakers Hall of Fame inductee and Certified Speaking Professional — honors earned by only a small percentage of speakers globally.
Known for her engaging style, warmth, and straight-talk approach, Michelle leaves audiences energized, challenged, and ready to lead where it matters most – on the edge.
Leading in Real Time
How to Drive Success in a Radically Changing World
In our world of constant change, successful leadership requires transparency, collaboration, and genuine connection with employees and customers. This book shows you how to shift your thinking and become an effective, real-time Leader – the kind of leader that’s ready to soar in the face of your next challenge.
Michelle lit up our convention with an opening keynote that was dynamic, humourous and timely. Her ability to draw on her past experiences and translate them into leadership lessons for today’s audience lent a sense of authenticity to her presentation. The call for care and compassion in our leadership endeavours struck a chord with an audience looking to manage in a hectic, post-pandemic world.
– Saskatchewan Association of School Business Officials
Attendees came away with tangible ideas to nurture powerful, personal, and positive relationships with employees; increased appreciation for maintaining an open mindset to respond to the unexpected; and meaningful strategies for building a future-ready workplace culture.”
– City of Victoria
CLOSING KEYNOTE
SHANNON LEPPKY
Keynote Speaker, Author, Executive Leadership Coach, Facilitator and Organizational Consultant
Shannon is an executive leadership coach, facilitator, and organizational consultant with more than 20 years of experience across education and business. A seasoned organizational change leader, she held senior roles in people strategy and enterprise-wide transformation.
She later stepped away from the C-suite to create a space where leaders can reconnect with who they are and how they lead. At Red Chair Ranch, Shannon designs immersive experiences that build trust, deepen clarity, and unlock performance. Her distinctive approach integrates executive coaching, team development, and equine-facilitated learning to create lasting transformation.
Working with leaders, teams, and keynote audiences, Shannon invites people to lead with both head and heart, blending strategic thinking with deeper self-awareness. Through her work, she helps leaders navigate complexity, lead consciously, and make meaningful impact. Her forthcoming book, Who You Are Matters: A Woman’s Guide to Making Brave Decisions, will be available in the fall.
In her closing keynote, Shannon brings the conference theme to life through a reflective, grounding experience. She invites participants into their own “Red Chair”—a space for honest, courageous self-reflection designed to help carry forward the insight and energy of the day.
After just a few minutes into her session, I noticed Shannon had connected mentally and emotionally with every one of us in the room and yet I felt like this session was just for me.
It is when we have the courage to look within, that we can truly lead ourselves and others.
– Shannon Leppky
SESSIONS:
Join us as we explore timely and transformative topics to help sharpen your leadership skills, responsiveness and adaptability in a changing environment.
Manitoba’s Conference for Leaders 2026 is the place to learn, grow and lead the way forward.
PLENARY SESSION:
10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m.
Leadershift Panel
Join us as we explore of the shifting role of leaders, within the context of our conference theme ON THE EDGE: Be Bold Be Real. Be Ready. We’ll dive into challenges, opportunities and experiences, along with the values, qualities and skills embraced by these leaders. Come prepared for insightful discussion, inspiring stories and ideas to take back to your workplace.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS (Choose one):
11:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
BOLD Leadership: Courage, Character and Communication
Bold leadership is choosing courage over comfort—especially when stakes are high, the path isn’t clear, and people are watching. Communication, and particularly difficult conversations, are at the heart of bold leadership.
This session reframes leadership to demonstrate why courage creates trust and how understanding the brain allows leaders to step into discomfort without losing integrity, clarity, or connection.
Uncomfortable conversations are avoided because the brain experiences relational risk as danger. Using neuroscience, story and practical leadership insight, this session explores why courage is required for difficult conversations. When relationships feel at stake, our nervous system reacts as if survival is on the line, which is why even strong leaders often avoid the conversations that matter most. Effective leadership requires courage deeply rooted in values – not confidence, charisma, or personality.
Join us for an exploration of how bold leadership and courageous communication shows up in varied situations, and across different personalities, roles and levels of influence in the organization. Whether you’re a senior leader or aspiring leader, consider yourself an extrovert or introvert, participants will leave with 4 practical strategies of B.O.L.D. leadership to harness a deeper understanding of your nervous system and a steadier approach to conversations that matter most.
AI and the Leader’s Role: Opportunity, Risk, and Readiness
AI is reshaping more than systems—it is reshaping how leaders think, decide, and guide people through change. As organizations integrate AI into daily work, leaders must set direction before the technology sets it for them. This moment calls for clarity of purpose, sound judgment, and the ability to lead transformation without losing trust, culture, or accountability.
This shift is not the first wave of disruption leaders have faced—but it is different. AI does not just change tools; it changes decision speed, role design, power dynamics, and how work is defined. The question is not whether AI will influence your organization. The question is whether you will lead that influence with intention.
Grounded in real examples and straight language, the conversation will focus on how leaders anchor values, manage risk, and build readiness while embracing innovation.
Whether you feel cautious, curious, or energized, you will leave with sharper insight into where AI creates advantage, where limits must be set, and how leadership must evolve, be more adaptive, more ethically grounded, and more human than ever before.
Wellness by Design: The Leadership Opportunity
Explore how wellness in the workplace is influenced by leadership behaviours and work environments. This panel invites leaders to be ready to rethink how they are able to create the conditions that allow people to function well, stay healthy and safe, and do their best work.
Drawing on perspectives from leadership, human resources, psychological safety, wellness, and neurodiversity, our discussion will explore how work is designed, how expectations are set and communicated, and how leadership choices shape the day-to-day experience of work. Using neurodiversity as an important lens within a broader conversation about diverse cognitive and work styles, the panel will examine how confusing, overwhelming, or poorly designed work often affects some people first, but ultimately impacts everyone.
The conversation will highlight why many practices associated with supporting neurodivergent employees are actually fundamentals of healthy workplaces, and how leaders can thoughtfully balance consistency and flexibility without creating confusion. Participants will leave with practical insights into the leadership opportunities that drive wellness, strengthen teams, and improve performance for all.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS (Choose one):
1:00 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.
The Leadership Challenge
Step into a high-energy, interactive experience that moves leadership from theory to action, placing you in a team at the center of a real-time scenario that demands collaboration, critical thinking, and adaptability.
Rather than simply discussing leadership concepts, you’ll experience them—working through a leadership challenge, leveraging diverse perspectives, and transforming ideas into meaningful solutions.
This hands-on workshop will challenge you, strengthen your ability to collaborate, and equip you with ideas you can apply in your workplace
Leading Through Co-Creation: Practical Tools for Real World Challenges
This interactive session introduces participants to practical design thinking tools used to create effective programs, services, and community-driven solutions.
Rather than focusing on theory, the session emphasizes how these tools are applied in real-world settings. Participants will work through hands-on exercises drawn from real examples used in community development, entrepreneurship, and organizational design.
The goal is to leave with a clearer understanding of how design thinking can support better decision-making, stronger engagement, and more thoughtful solutions that respond to real people and real challenges. All tools shared are adaptable and intended for immediate use in participants’ own work.
PAUSE: A Journey of Understanding, Growth, and Impact
How do our personal stories shape the way we lead, connect, and create space for others at work?
Join us for a personal journey exploring how identity and lived experience influence how we show up—for ourselves, our colleagues, and the organizations we serve. Grounded in the foundations of coaching, this session introduces the PAUSE framework that encourages leaders to slow down and approach conversations with curiosity and intention.
Through storytelling and insight, the presentation explores elements of restorative coaching and how these ideas can deepen understanding of ourselves and others while fostering healthier, more connected workplaces. You’ll leave with fresh perspectives on how pausing to ask deeper questions can help leaders be bold in their curiosity, real in their conversations, and ready to lead with greater awareness and intention.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS (Choose one):
2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Outside the Comfort Zone: Where Leadership Gets Real
Today’s leaders are navigating constant change, growing complexity, and increasingly diverse workplaces. This session invites an honest, unscripted conversation about what it really takes to lead in those moments, when the answers aren’t clear and expectations are high.
Through real stories and candid reflection, leaders will share experiences that demanded bold decisions, inclusive thinking, and the courage to lead without certainty. Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, the session highlights the power of perspective and the importance of embracing difference. Participants will hear how leaders have approached challenges in different ways, and what those experiences reveal about trust, accountability, and leading with humanity.
Designed to spark reflection, this conversation encourages leaders to be real about the tensions they face, bold in their responses, and ready to lead with intention as workplaces continue to evolve.
The Human Edge: Learning, Leadership, and A.I. in Practice
This future‑focused tools‑and-practice session brings participants inside a real workplace scenario where generative A.I. became a practical part of solving a business challenge. Told from the perspectives of both the manager who designed the learning plan and the employee who carried out the work, this session emphasizes how A.I. was used rather than what its implications are on the future of work. Participants will gain clarity on when A.I. meaningfully enhances learning and productivity, where its limitations become evident, and why human experience, judgment, and contextual knowledge remain irreplaceable.
The session unfolds in four parts: a narrative walk‑through of how an employee and their manager used A.I to close a skill gap, how the A.I was used as a tool from the employee’s perspective, a reflection on the process being able to have hindsight from the manager’s perspective, and finally, an opportunity for participants to experiment with A.I using insights gleaned from the presentation. Whether you’re brand new to A.I. or already using it every day, this session offers accessible entry points, practical strategies, and a shared learning environment shaped by participants’ own experiences and questions.
Stressed Teams? Leading in an Age of Change and Cognitive Overload
Leaders at every level are working on the edge of constant change, rising cognitive load, and relentless distraction. Teams are stretched thin, attention is fragmented, and expectations continue to climb. The result? Change fatigue that quietly erodes performance, trust, communication, and how safe and supported people feel at work.
Leading well in this environment requires bold awareness, real connection, and a willingness to rethink everyday leadership habits. We need to re-engage employees before they check out, and prevent burnout in high-performing teams (including yourself).
Grounded in cognitive neuroscience and psychological safety factors, this session helps leaders recognize common leadership gaps that erode trust and disconnect teams. You’ll learn how to reduce anxiety by communicating with clarity and empathy through change. We’ll explore high-impact leadership actions that meaningfully build trust, connection, and alignment. You’ll also gain practical strategies to reduce cognitive overload and distraction, helping teams focus, regulate stress, and sustain performance.
Expect to reflect, engage, and commit to leadership behaviours you can use immediately to foster psychological safety, lift capacity, and retain top talent in an age that demands more from leaders than ever before.
REGISTRATION DETAILS
Conference venue: Victoria Inn Hotel & Convention Centre Winnipeg (1808 Wellington)
REGULAR REGISTRATION FEES:
QNET Members: $420.00 + GST | QNET Member List
Conference Partners (CPHR MB, ACMP MB): $420.00 + GST
Non-Members: $490.00 + GST | Join QNET
Young Leaders (35 and under): $325.00 + GST
Group discount: Save $30 per person when you register groups of 5 or more from the same organization; applies only to QNET Member and Non-Member fees.
Conference Terms & Conditions
Please review general event Terms & Conditions
Cancellations (by the attendee) must be received in writing no later than Monday, March 16, 2026. After that date, the full registration fee will apply. Substitutions are accepted at any time. Invoices will be sent for non-attendance.
Note: There are no Cancellations at the Early Bird or Flash Sale Conference registration fee. Substitutions are accepted at any time. Invoices will be sent for non-attendance.
There will be a photographer taking photos throughout the conference. By agreeing to attend, you are giving QNET rights to use captured photos in promotional efforts.
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ABOUT
QNET offers high quality workshops, certificate programs, conferences and special events designed to advance your learning, growth and professional development. Our network of members and clients are focused on leadership and organizational excellence.
Participants in QNET programs come from a wide variety of roles in diverse sectors such as service, health, manufacturing, government, education, non-profit, and consulting.
Funding provided by the Manitoba government.
Established as a non-profit association in 1995, QNET continues to lead an ongoing process of awareness, networking and equation in a changing business environment.
Check out QNET’s Calendar of Upcoming Events to find out how you can join in the learning & networking, sign up to receive email announcements & conference updates, and be sure to follow @QNETManitoba on social media and use the hashtag #QNETMB2026.
